They call them "Žudije", the Guardians of the Tomb of Christ, usually dressed as Roman soldiers during the Holy Week, it is a tradition especially rooted in Dalmatia, where the oldest Žudije come from Metković and were established in 1857.

(photos: Imotski Svitnjak)

 

This year, the sixteenth in a row Festival of Žudije began by the celebration of the Holy Mass in the Church of St. Franje in Imotski, informs Dalmacija News.

 

Festival´s main motto was "To Love Each Other" and there were 35 parishes from Croatia and from Bosnia and Herzegovina with more than a thousand participants of the whole event.

 

 

The famous Croatian photographer Šime Stikoman made another of his "Millennium photos" with all participants of the festival and many locals from Imotski, who posed at the "Gospin Dolac" football stadium in Imotski.

Read the whole article here.

Some time ago, the Ministry of Culture presented a project of digitalization and intependent cinemas across the country. The Community College in Imotski recognized this opportunity and responded on time fulfilling all requirements. Financed by the Ministry of Culture and the Community College Imotski, the Imotski cinema will be one of the 28 cinemas across the country to be digitalized.

Read the whole article here.

The interesting series of articles published at the Dalmatinski Portal about ancient fortresses continues - conservator Ivan Alduk writes about the interesting Topana Fortress in Imotski. Read the whole article here.

 

The Topana Fotress lies high above Imotski. The Byzantine emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus mentions Imotski county in the mid of the 10th century as one of the eleven Croatian counties and its fortress above the gorge of the Blue Lake as its centre. During the works on the fortress in the 1980s, a stone pillar with early mediaval pattern from the 9/10th century was found - now kept at the Homeland Museum in Imotski.

(photos: Dalmatinski Portal)

 

The central and the highest part of the fortress was built during the 13th and 14th century, when the nobel families Nelipić and later Kosač were ruling this area. From that time, until the 18th century, the fortress undergoes a number of alterations. Imotski came under the Ottoman rule already in the 15th century and the fortress became the residency of the Kadi - a judge and a civil governor of a wider area. After almost 230 years of the Turkish rule, the fortress becomes a Venetian territory. After several days of bombing and occupation of the settlement under the fortress, the Turks surrendered and withdrew to the Ljubuški and Mostar. As the city was liberated on the feast of Our Lady of Angels (August 2), this day is celebrated as the Day of Imotski and it is one of the largest religious and folk ceremonies in Imotski. After the Turks left in 1717, the famous builder Ivan Macanović from Trogir was sent to Imotski to repair the fortress and  to renew the main entrance and walls. With the Turkish threat being over, the fortress lost its strategic value and was abandoned in 1816. This is when its deterioration starts. It was greatly damaged in the early 20th century by construction of a water tank on the highest plateau.

The fortress has an irregular shape, that follows the shape of the gorge, where it was built and it is 40 meters long. It was built on several levels, and the visible ruins date back to the 14th and 18th century with some earlier layers being archaeologically saved. It is naturally protected from three sides: by a lake from two sides and a dry and deep sinkhole (Jelavic or Our Lady dolac), where the small city stadium is located. The southern part of the fortress was a bit more accessible and a wall reinforced by buttresses was built here as a prolongation of the stone cliff. The fortress was surrounded by stone walls with loopholes, 1,5 meters thick, which were doubled and greatly altered in the late Middle Ages, due to the emergence of new firearms. The upper part of the fortress is divided into two parts: higher part with the entrance from the north-east corner -  residential area, water cisterns and dungeons and the lower part with the main entrance (above which the pastors flat was located) and the church of Our Lady of Angels from the 18th century. The lower part of the fortress is located on the south side and was defended by a wall with a round tower on the left side from the main entrance and partially by wooden palisades.

It takes courage to start making a difference. So many of us are just complaining about other people, about government, about the way life is. Complaining without actually doing something to change it. We feel powerless and have too much stress juggling our lives and no time for anything else.

Well, guys behind Imotski Svitnjak wanted to change the way Imotski was presented in media and decided to start this very interesting website informing about all the beautiful and positive things, that are happening in Imotski region. With 27 authors contributing, and some 600.000 visits of the website, it sure is a success.

The website is one year old now. Congratulations!! We along with many others enjoy reading your articles and wish for many more to come.

If you have not already, visit the Imotski Svitnjak webiste and follow them on Facebook.

Carnival in Dalmatia is a very colourful and fun time. Many people joining the festivities, costuming themselves, often creating really interesting and unique group costumes. It is a time of the year, when people tend to be very relaxed, looking for the fun side of the story and not taking themselves too seriously. Imotski has a 150 year long carnival tradition and this is what they have prepared this year:

January 30, 2016 (Saturday) - 20.00: An Evening with Granie Mila (The Little Auditorium of the Pučko Otvoreno Učilište)

February 2, 2016 (Friday) - 20.30: Big Costume Party (The Little Auditorium of the Pučko Otvoreno Učilište)

February 7, 2016 (Sunday) - 14.30: Bako´s Parade (Bazana)

February 9, 2016 (Tuesday) - 20.00: An Evening of Humour and Fun (Cinema)

Have fun in Imotski everyone!!

Maybe, it is because of the school. Maybe the whole concept is wrong. In the words of Peter Gray - School is a prison. With school uniforms or without them.

Enjoy these amazing photos made by Zvonimir Barišin, especially those white wave tops made by bura, brrrrr..

It is always great to see old photos of a place we know and love. To compare the current look to the old one. To see how many new houses were build. To see, there are still some of the old houses standing and they are equally beautiful as all those years ago. The wonderful Imotski Svitnjak shared several photos from the 60s and 70s from the archive of Vedran Vrčić. Follow Imotski Svitnjak to get the best info and pictures of Imotski and enjoy the old Imotski as it once was.

I am not a football fan. As a foreigner and a woman in Dalmatia my lack of enthusiasm for Hajduk Split is respected. It might not be the case, if I was a local. Nevertheless, even though I am not a football fan and not following news too much, I still know, Hajduk Split is currently encouraging people all over Dalmatia to become members of the club. The goal for this year is 15.000 members and 50.000 should be reached by the end of this decade.

And so, it is not surprising to see the statue of Tin Ujevic in Imotski covered in a scarf of Hajduk Split as Dalmacija News reported yesterday January 13, 2016. It might be to keep Tin Ujevic warm, but for many in Imotski and Dalmatia, he just looks much better like this!!

(photo: Milan Šabić / CROPIX)