November 27, 2020 – Vis islanders are these days not surprised to receive guests who come from all over the world, but the mysterious arrival of a crocodile has raised eyebrows and caused big-teethed smiles

For thousands of years, the inhabitants of Vis island have led a comparatively unharassed existence. They fished in the richly stocked waters that surround them and planted vines and other crops in the island's soils, such day-today activities unaffected by whichever empire decided to lay claim to the rock. Being the inhabited island which lies furthest from the Croatian mainland might have contributed to so many carefree days. That's not to say that nobody ever goes there.

Today a popular tourist destination, over the last few decades Vis island has welcomed visitors from all over the world. Although, the latest exotic arrival doesn't look to have come by budget airline. Found on a boat near the village of Brgujac, a young crocodile has caused bewilderment among island residents over recent days.


Brgujac. The epicentre of Vis island's punk-croc scene? © Tourist Board island Vis

Snapped on the waterfront of Brgujac and posted to the Facebook group 'Moj otok Vis (My island Vis)', the uncommon visitor has raised both eyebrows and merriment. Nobody is quite sure how the crocodile got here, not least the sailor on whose boat the crocodile was found.

Nobody knows of anyone keeping a crocodile as a pet on the island. The sailor and his boat haven't travelled anywhere that far over recent weeks. Vis island's long distance from the Croatian coast does theoretically place it closer to the African continent, where a crocodile might be more naturally found. But it's only relatively nearer. Africa is still over 1500 kilometres away. This youngster doesn't look to be capable of making such a swim. And, besides, although some do live in saltwater - most crocodiles prefer to spend their time in freshwater.

While the mystery of where the young crocodile came from is being solved, he's been taken off the sailor's boat. The crocodile was initially placed in the care of workers from the municipal company Gradina.

October 31, 2020 - The Mayor of Vis town and the Head of the Vis Civil Protection, Ivo Radica, addresses his fellow citizens after the first COVID-19 cases recorded on Vis. 

"Unfortunately, the coronavirus happened to us too. So far, we have two positive cases, and there are more tests. The Vis Civil Protection Headquarters closed the kindergarten today for preventive reasons. In elementary school, first, fourth, and fifth grade had no classes on Friday, and as you know, Monday and Tuesday are holidays, so we’ll see what happens in the next few days. High school students have to wear protective masks. Also, in the High School, a conversation was held with the principal to stick to epidemiological measures a little more," said Radica for Morski.hr.

"We know that the All Saints celebration is ahead of us, that we will visit cemeteries in the town of Vis, that many people who are dearest will come here and I would ask us to try to adhere to all these epidemiological measures, to try to visit the graves of our loved ones throughout the day, and we have a couple of days. And if there are crowds there, that there is not much socializing in the cemetery or gathering. I would appeal to all catering facilities to pay attention to epidemiological measures these days, i.e., to all those conditions that should be respected in the work of catering facilities. As the Chief of the Civil Protection Headquarters, based on the Law on the Work of Catering Facilities, which has so far been allowed to work until midnight, I would not like to have it shortened to 10 pm. It will also depend on all of us whether we tighten measures.

I want to emphasize that testing for the elderly and infirm is in process. Please don’t put pressure on nursing homes because we know our most vulnerable group of people are there. In my last address, I said I would not like to address anyone this way. Unfortunately, the coronavirus has come to us; we have the opportunity, if we are all responsible and if we all adhere to the prescribed epidemiological measures, to stop it and not spread it further. Figuratively, it's like when one small fire happens, and you take a tire and a bucket of water and put it out. Let’s make sure Canadairs don't have to put out that fire.

Let's be patient for a week to see what will happen, and please, let's all be responsible," concluded the mayor of Vis, Ivo Radica.

To read more about coronavirus in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

October 20, 2020 - A romantic ferry ride to the island of Mamma Mia II for the latest property of the week, a stone sea view stunner in Kut, Vis Town.  

Back in the days when I had a real estate agency in 2004, it was the most popular thing being searched for - a cute stone house with outside space and a killer view of the sea on an Adriatic island. Living on Hvar as I did, where every view is a killer view, life was good. 

Finding that perfect combination is not so easy, however, and opportunities that do come up are rarely on the market long. Examples like this week's Property of the Week from our friends at Trgostan, who have just taken on an adorable stone house with terrace and garden, and that all-important killer view. 

In the words of Trgostan... 

Vis town, Kut - a renovated stone house with a garden, terrace and a fantastic sea view.

EXCLUSIVELY OFFERED BY TRGOSTAN:

A renovated  60 m2 stone house in a row, on three floors, in a beautiful location in Kut, overlooking the whole bay, with a fantastic sea view, consisted of a kitchen with living area and courtyard/garden of 18 sqm + access path way of 12 sqm on the ground floor, bedroom and bathroom on the 1st floor and a bedroom with a nice sized terrace on the top floor, rarely on the market, facing west - east.

For more information, photos, and to book a viewing, visit the original listing. 

September 20, 2020 - The Vis Solar Power Plant is not only the first on a Croatian island, but it is currently the largest solar power plant in Croatia. 

Slobodna Dalmacija reports that back in 2010, the idea of ​​building a solar power plant on the southern hills of Vis seemed like an impossible mission. Ten years later, it has become a reality that has brought sustainable energy to Vis, the most remote central Dalmatian island.

The new surplus power plant of 3.5 MW, with an annual planned production of about five million kWh of electricity, is the largest solar power plant in Croatia - and it is first on a Croatian island. For every inhabitant of the island, especially those tied to the mainland for services, this investment is more than a relief.

Apart from Vis, the inhabitants of Hvar, but also Zagora, from the peripheral ring of the three 'V's' of Split-Dalmatia County, will also be as lucky. This group also includes Vrlika and the Vrgorac area, which led the announced energy investments with specific energy plans. With them are the planned projects in Sestanovac, Lecevica, and those from the area of Zadvarje, Kastela, Imotski, and in the future, other central Dalmatian islands, too.

As a reminder, since the end of last week, Vis has been receiving electricity for 1,600 households from a modern power plant, which will show its importance, especially during periods of the tourist season, when there are standard periods of higher consumption. With its electricity and drinking water sources, this island becomes energetically self-sustainable. Paraphrased, it is a small step for humanity, but extremely big for both the people of Vis and Croatia.

"The solar power plant on Vis, an investment worth one million kuna, built on a land area of ​​5.5 hectares, is the first of seven HEP ​​solar power plants put into operation in the planned period from 2019 to 2023. This is a cycle worth 750 million kuna. With this power plant, Vis has gained greater security of electricity supply," stated Frane Barbaric, President of the Management Board of Hrvatska elektroprivreda.

Vis experienced a historic moment with the investment in Krizeva glavica, not far from the settlement Zena Glava. He laid the concrete foundations of what will happen in Croatia in the next 10 years. Namely, in 2017, the Government of the Republic of Croatia strongly embarked on the implementation of the new energy policy of Croatia and the European Union, focused on green energy investments.

But the basic question is, why Vis? 

According to one of the projections made and presented by the Hrvoje Pozar Energy Institute less than four years ago, Dalmatia, the coast, and the islands have the greatest solar potential. Among them, the Southern Dalmatian islands stand out. Nevertheless, statistics show that compared to other EU countries, Croatia still does not make sufficient use of this natural potential. But it is encouraging that the EU solar market has grown by 36 percent over the past year. The projections made by the United Nations Development Program show a plan to increase the use of solar energy in Croatia until 2030, said Dr. Luksa Lulic, member of the Supervisory Board of HEP.

Announcements about the planned construction of new solar and wind power plants are quite optimistic, and it is interesting that Split-Dalmatia County will play an extremely important role in this direction. Moreover, precisely because of the abundance of sunshine and beautiful locations, this county is a natural Croatian reservoir for the construction of new renewable energy sources. This is confirmed by the prefect of Split-Dalmatia, Blazenko Boban, who stated that this area will become the flagship of what the EU expects from us.

"Solar power plants are extremely desirable in our area because in the frequent consumption of electricity, so when it is necessary to import energy, we have our own potential. This is especially pronounced at a time of higher influx of tourists in the season, which gives us self-sustainability. Thanks to the Sun Power Plant on Vis and other solar power plant projects under construction, such as SE Vrlika and projects in development such as the Bogomolje power plant on Hvar and others, Split-Dalmatia County will remain a leader in renewable sources in the country. Vis is the leader of this process, it is this most remote island of our county that now has energy self-sufficiency," says Boban.

The projection of the energy future of Split-Dalmatia County is based on the existing spatial plan, in which we are implanting 28 wind farm fields. Nine of them have already been built. There are also 25 solar fields led by Vis. At the other end of our county, says prefect Boban, a power plant of 6.8 megawatts, worth 45 million kuna, is planned in Vrlika, and there is also the Vrgorac area as the third peak of the 'V' triangle.

"These three 'V' plants are located on the outskirts of our county, and within it, construction is still planned at several other positions. We know that it will be on the Sestanovac plateau, for which projects have not been worked out in detail yet. That is why it is still difficult to talk about strength. There is also Bogomolje on Hvar, and Lecevica is also planned. SE Vrlika is moving quickly with the realization, the project is finished, the start of construction is planned by the New Year. We will soon know all the characteristics of the plant from the planned sunny fields of Hvar and from the Vrgorac area. Among the seven planned HEP power plants from the announced five-year cycle, the Hvar SE Bogomolje also found a place. In the medium term, among our acquisitions, among the larger SEs are those from the Vrgorac plateau, Sestanovac, Lecevica, and those from the area of ​​Zadvarje, Kastela and Imotski," says Boban.

His words are supported by the announcements from HEP, from which the leaders openly sent an invitation for cooperation with other islands in the Dalmatian area during their stay on Vis. From the slope of the Vis hill covered with 11,200 photovoltaic modules, they invited Dalmatian leaders to a new open public call, to plan preparations and cooperation in the construction of new solar power plants.

HEP leaders set out in this direction, announcing talks with the leadership of four Hvar municipalities the day after the release of SE Vis. The power plant in Bogomolje, which is about to obtain a location permit, could be joined in the future by 'sister' acquisitions, for example in Jelsa, and at two other locations. Along the way, a lot more will need to be defined on this issue.

HEP's five-year investment cycle for the construction of solar power plants, worth HRK 750 million, combines the construction of the solar power plant Marici near Zminj, Istrian Kastelir 2, and SE Cres as the largest solar power plant under construction in Croatia with 6.5 MW and an investment of HRK 41 million. There is also SE Obrovac, SE Vrlika jug, and SE Stankovci. By the end of 2020, WPP Korlat, the first wind farm in HEP's production portfolio, will also be put into commercial operation.

As far as Vis is concerned, HEP annually invests an average of one million kuna in the improvement of the island's electricity infrastructure. In the next three years, this amount will be almost 30 million kuna through a number of projects. Among them, laying submarine cables at Hvar-Pakleni-Vis and Vis-Bisevo stands out, as well as laying 20-kilovolt cable lines in Ravno Stupisce and Smokova. Also, work has begun on the installation of the first ELEN charging station for electric cars on the island, in the town of Vis, followed by the installation of a charging station in Komiza, said HEP, which will build a new 1500 MW of production capacity by 2030.

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August 20, 2020 – Croatian coast a hit in August 2020 with international pop stars including Lepa Brena and Lily Allen

Croatia's coast has once again proved an irresistible draw to holidaying celebrities. The latest famous arrivals include regional pop megastar Lepa Brena and hit British singer Lily Allen.

Both Lepa Brena and Lily Allen have taken to their social media accounts over recent hours to announce their arrival in the country. Each has posted pictures of their vacations on the beautiful, sun-soaked coast of Dalmatia.

Lepa Brena, the revered originator of the massively popular regional pop-folk sound posted pictures from Mljet island, but Lily Allen has already travelled between Lastovo and Vis island. And while photos taken by Brena have been all about the beautiful Croatian scenery, Lily's have been smiling selfies as she thoroughly enjoys a break with her family. Here's how they saw Croatia through their social media on the first days of their visits.

Lepa Brena









Lily Allen

All images sourced from Instagram

The coronavirus pandemic has dragged Croatian tourism to its knees. Despite some surprisingly good tourists figures so far, especially in comparison to the dire predictions from before, there are still some being left behind. Komiza on the beautiful island of Vis hopes for a decent tourist season despite all of the many obstacles.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 15th of August, 2020, the SDP mayor of Komiza, Tonka Ivcevic, explained that the argument for spending a holiday on this remote Croatian island is the isolation and the fact that no one, all these months, has been infected with the new coronavirus on it.

"We have very big announcements for both August and September. We're sure that we might have a tourist season at the level of last year's if there are no cancellations,'' explained Komiza's mayor.

She is conditional in her expression, however, as she is more than aware of what has been happening with the epidemic throughout Croatia over recent days, especially in Dalmatia, and it is no coincidence that at that same time, Austria changed its stance, asking Austrian citizens not to travel to Croatia.

"I'd agree that some decisions taken by the National Civil Protection Headquarters were delayed, because this doesn't create a good image for our county, and it could lead to cancellations." However, at least as far as she knows, there have been no major cancellations for Komiza so far.

"Komiza has become a hit destination this season. Vis is seen by people as a more isolated place, as an island where you have a place to get lost… You can stay all over the island, in many family farms, in many taverns,'' she added when in conversation with N1.

The advantage of not only Komiza but Vis as a whole is the fact that the island doesn't have a large capacity, there are only about 4000 beds, which, together with the guests, means a relatively low number of inhabitants in a relatively large area.

"If we add up the boaters, there are currently about 4,000 guests on the island. We don't have any bigger clubs, we don't have any bigger indoor spaces for guests. People have a place to get lost, we hope to remain a coronavirus-free destination,'' Komiza's mayor concluded.

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August 13, 2020 - Komiza, the small fishing town on the island of Vis, is a Dalmatian hit this summer. 

Slobodna Dalmacija reports that it's not only Komiza seeing swarms of tourists, but the interior of the island is also full, as is the town of Vis, which in August recorded 80 percent of its figures compared to last year.

Large queues can be seen on the way to the ferry in Vis town, and if you wait to get your ticket until an hour before departure, thinking, "there won't be crowds?" Think again. 

The coronavirus has forced people into nature and agriculture, which is a bonus for visitors to Vis, who can enjoy more than 50 swimming pools on the island for guests thanks to luxury villas.

There are so many tourists that, at times, towns look as if they'll burst at the seams, but everyone is happy to be the hit of Dalmatia, expressed a local. 

"In Komiza, you can't pass all the people, some renters are full until mid-September. A miracle in a small town. How, why? We have no corona. We are a corona-free destination. That one case? It wasn't ours. People here are safe, calm, free, that's why they come to us," one Vis renter said.

Komiza Mayor Tonka Ivcevic confirms this year's boom, saying that luxury holiday villas sold out first.

The past two weeks in Komiza have been at the level of last year. There are a huge number of yachtspeople, and the novelty is the family guests arriving by car - and there have never been so many.

Another novelty is certainly a significant number of Croatian guests who have recognized Vis as the safest holiday destination.

"To our surprise, no one expected there to be this much tourism. We met them, and we lowered the price of the Blue Cave from 100 kuna to 70 kuna. We also introduced free parking in the city parking lot. We are very satisfied," says the mayor.

The Komiza Tourist Board and its director Bogoljub Mitrakovic are also under attack, stating that some landlords have relaxed too much and are not registering guests. However, Mitrakovic warns such landlords to stop illegal work as soon as possible, also because the Tourist Board regularly asks the State Inspectorate to visit them.

"We send inquiries to the inspectorate every week, even for situations from last year. But they don't answer; the inspector is nowhere to be found. We have 1900 beds, but also a lot of unregistered guests. And that's the problem. Hotel "Biševo" has excellent results, all 300 beds are full from August 1 until today, and official data give us an 80 percent result in August compared to last year. Apart from the domestic guests who took the lead in July, there are a lot of Slovenes, Italians have returned, there are a lot of Britons, Austrians, Germans, French, Serbs… There are a lot of Poles who love diving; they like to explore shipwrecks. The only ones missing from Komiza are those from San Pedro, and the corona blocked them from coming. We are telling everyone to come, Komiza is safe, we are very careful about the measures at all our events, and there are a lot of them. Summer in Komiza is a hit, and I think we succeeded in that because of excellent marketing," says Mitrakovic, who gives thanks to the City and the Nautical Center for their help in organizing the events.

One renter Petra Muric says that you have to walk along the entire waterfront several times to find somewhere to sit for coffee; that the city has become like a ripe pomegranate that will burst at any moment.

"There are so many boaters that the rocks where you tie ropes are also filled. And on the mainland, some groups come naively without inquiring first, so they have to sleep in their cars. Families come with children, godparents. And how will you help them? Everything is full. It got to the point that the couches also filled up. Five of our apartments started filling up about 15 days ago, and we are occupied until mid-September. We had 30 calls a day. This summer, there is a change, there have never been so many locals, but it is evident that they have much less spending power than our standard guests, Scandinavians, Swedes, Dutch, Spaniards, Italians," says Petra.

It is not difficult for foreign guests to pay extra costs, and Komiza is not cheap. However, it is not as easy for the locals. Thus, long columns are formed in front of fast-food restaurants, and the shops are so crowded, they even run out of groceries.

Petra Muric adds that many people openly asked to lower the price of their accommodation. Some Zagreb agencies even called and tried to convince them that their 70 euro accommodation must be reduced by 50 percent.

"I had up to 30 phone inquiries a day for accommodation. In the end, I had to put on the ad that the 70 euro price, which is ten euro less than last year, is final. We are all full, the worst accommodation on the island is full, the situation is to give whatever you have. We have not experienced this yet," says Petra.

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A mysterious message from two imaginative and creative young girls has arrived on the island of Vis.

''Dear pirates, this message wishes you good luck in sailing! I just did my homework about a story for Croatian [class] in the third grade of elementary school and have a safe journey on the Adriatic sea!'' wrote little Matea from Kastel Novi in ​​her message, which her guardian Danijela, together with another message written by Matea's sister Mia, packed into a bottle and threw into the sea almost fifteen days ago.

''Hi! Pirates, I'm wishing you a safe journey from Mia from Croatia!'' reads Mia's message to the pirates.

As Morski writes on the 26th of January, 2020, after days, carried by the sea's currents, the wind and waves, the message in the bottle washed up. On Saturday morning, Matea's letter to the pirates was discovered on the beautiful island of Vis, found a little ''pirate'' - eight-year-old Filip Bozic from Vis.

Eight-year-old Filip, as he shyly explained in a phone interview for the portal of the City of Kastela, saw the bottle when he was playing on the beach and it immediately caught his attention, especially since it was so clogged up that he couldn't even open it.

''I was curious what was inside, but I couldn't open it anyway, so I smashed it against a beach stone to see what was inside it. I was very surprised to see the messages inside, which I took home to show my mum when I finished playing,'' he said.

Filip's mum, Ivana Nikolic Bozic, got involved in the story, explaining that she had to drag where the messages to the pirates had come from from her son, who didn't want to reveal it immediately for fear that he would be yelled at for breaking the glass bottle because he could have cut himself.

Considering the fact that Danijela unfortunately didn't provide any other details other than that the message to the pirates was sent from Kastel Novi, Ivana has tried to contact Matea and Mia from Vis, but hasn't had any success as yet.

You could help, too, and let the girls know about young Filip who found the letter and who wants to reply to the girls with a letter of his own but doesn't know where to send it to from Vis. If you happen to know how Matea and Mia can be found, feel free to contact the editorial office of the aforementioned portal at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or let the, know via their Facebook page.

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January 22, 2020 - Continuing our look at the real estate opportunities on the Croatian coast through the Trgostan catalogue, this week a visit to idyllic Vis. 

A renovated stone house holiday home close to the water on a gorgeous Dalmatian island - it is the dream of many visitors who fall in love during the holiday and then gently enquire into the cost of buying a property here. I have seen many such people over the years, and the overwhelming interest when I was a real estate agent was in getting their hands on a piece of authentic stone property. 

While many decided to buy stone ruins, the chance to buy a well-renovated stone property has its advantages in terms of convenience. And this week's Property of the Week is one such example, from the island of Vis. In the words of Trgostan, the selling agents:

EXCLUSIVELY OFFERED BY TRGOSTAN:

A fully reconstructed traditional stone house, on four floors, of 136 sqm in total, very close to the main promenade and the sea, consisted of an open plan kitchen with a spacious dining area and bathroom on the ground floor, two bedrooms and 2 bathrooms (1st and 2nd floor) and a cozy lounge area in the attic that can be used as a bedroom, with a fantastic rental potential (it has a rental license), renovated with quality materials and up to highest standards, few steps from all amenities.

For more information, photos and to book a viewing, check out the original Trgostan listing.