Blato
Encyclopedia
Blato is a town on the island of Korčula
in Croatia
. It is a municipal centre and can be reached by the main island road from Smokvica
. The road runs through the forests in the middle of the island of Korčula.
). A long avenue of lime trees called Zlinj runs through it, along with the towns public buildings (recently built: school, hotel, bank, shops, municipal building, medical centre etc). There is a central park that provides exceptional shade during the summer months.
The climate in Blato matches the entire island of Korčula - it is located in the Adriatic which has a Mediterranean climate, characterized by long, quiet, dry and hot summer days with clear, short and mild wet winters. During the entire year the temperatures go below 10 °C in January and February, while June, July, August and September they average above 20 °C. Rainfall is typically Mediterranean, with a peak in late autumn and early winter and a minimum in July.
", got its name from its neighbouring field which flooded on regular basis, until 1911. The Blatsko field was occasionally drained. This created a lake that dried up during summer. The construction of canals and tunnels channelled drainage water into the sea on the north coast. It created conditions for successful exploitation of more fertile land in this region.
The town itself is one of the oldest settlements on the island of Korčula and is situated in the middle of the western part of a field. The area of Blato is believed to have been settled during Roman
times. There is a church named "Our Lady of the Field" (Church of Our Lady) located on the Blato Field that has Roman floors that place its beginnings in the 4th century. Archaeological remains of Roman Junianum (agricultural estate) have been discovered.
Also other remains have been found in the local area dating back to prehistoric and Illyria
n times.
The 7th century brought Slavic
invasions into this region. Along the Dalmatia
n coast the Croatian
Slavic peoples seized control of the area and settled on the island. Blato is one of the many places where the Croatians settled. In the 11th century it is believed that they started to adopted Christianity
as their religion. The Croatian population with time absorbed the local Roman population, and established Blato as we know it today.
The worst period in the history of Blato occurred between World War I
and World War II
, when phylloxera
attacked the grape vines, causing them to perish en masse. This greatly contributed to the economic crisis that was happening within the newly formed Yugoslavia
. Blato was facing a mass exodus. It was the sixth largest place in Dalmatia
, then a region of Austro-Hungary (Blato in 1910 had a population of 8862 ). In 1925, 1200 residents suddenly abandoned their homes and left Blato. Whole families immigrated to a Australia
and South America.
. The municipality is made up of two places, which are: Blato and Potirna
. It has access to the sea on both sides of the island. Once the main port of Blato, Prigradica is located about 3 km north of the town of Blato. The municipality's coastline is 36.3 kilometers in length. Within the area are large cultivated fields and hilly slopes with olive trees and vineyards.
According to the census of 2001, the municipality of Blato had 3680 inhabitants, grouped in two villages:
. Olive oil, wine, carob and fig trees are the most significant products of the region. In the early 20th century Blato produced over 1000 carts of wine and 30 wagons of olive oil
for export. In addition, they produced legumes and cereals for their own use. Strong development of agriculture led to the development of ancillary services such as crafts and commercial activities.
After the Second World War, Blato began a new cycle of development. They further developed the agricultural industry and the tourist industry. The population continued to decline, albeit more slowly than before. Industrial production in Blato, in recent times has seen a down turn with the closure of the textile factory Trikop. Agriculture remains important for the economy. Tourism
now plays an important role. Hotels and private apartments in Prizba
and Prigadica have given new momentum to the economy of Blato.
The main economic entities in Blato today are:
, the Kumpanija, which is performed on April 28, the day of Saint Vincenca
, the town's patron saint.
Korcula
Korčula is an island in the Adriatic Sea, in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia. The island has an area of ; long and on average wide — and lies just off the Dalmatian coast. Its 16,182 inhabitants make it the second most populous Adriatic island after Krk...
in Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
. It is a municipal centre and can be reached by the main island road from Smokvica
Smokvica
Smokvica is a village on the island of Korčula and a municipality in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County in Croatia. It has a population of 1,210 , in which the absolute majority are Croats . Smokvica is located in the centre of the island of Korcula, about 4 kilometers west of Čara, 13 kilometers east...
. The road runs through the forests in the middle of the island of Korčula.
Geography
The village was amphitheatrically built on several hills around a small central valley (40 km away from the town of KorčulaKorcula (town)
Korčula is a historic fortified town on the protected east coast of the island of Korčula in the Adriatic. It is geographically located at 42°57′N, 17°07′E.-Population:...
). A long avenue of lime trees called Zlinj runs through it, along with the towns public buildings (recently built: school, hotel, bank, shops, municipal building, medical centre etc). There is a central park that provides exceptional shade during the summer months.
The climate in Blato matches the entire island of Korčula - it is located in the Adriatic which has a Mediterranean climate, characterized by long, quiet, dry and hot summer days with clear, short and mild wet winters. During the entire year the temperatures go below 10 °C in January and February, while June, July, August and September they average above 20 °C. Rainfall is typically Mediterranean, with a peak in late autumn and early winter and a minimum in July.
History
Blato, which literally means "mudMud
Mud is a mixture of water and some combination of soil, silt, and clay. Ancient mud deposits harden over geological time to form sedimentary rock such as shale or mudstone . When geological deposits of mud are formed in estuaries the resultant layers are termed bay muds...
", got its name from its neighbouring field which flooded on regular basis, until 1911. The Blatsko field was occasionally drained. This created a lake that dried up during summer. The construction of canals and tunnels channelled drainage water into the sea on the north coast. It created conditions for successful exploitation of more fertile land in this region.
The town itself is one of the oldest settlements on the island of Korčula and is situated in the middle of the western part of a field. The area of Blato is believed to have been settled during Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
times. There is a church named "Our Lady of the Field" (Church of Our Lady) located on the Blato Field that has Roman floors that place its beginnings in the 4th century. Archaeological remains of Roman Junianum (agricultural estate) have been discovered.
Also other remains have been found in the local area dating back to prehistoric and Illyria
Illyria
In classical antiquity, Illyria was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by the Illyrians....
n times.
The 7th century brought Slavic
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
invasions into this region. Along the Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
n coast the Croatian
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
Slavic peoples seized control of the area and settled on the island. Blato is one of the many places where the Croatians settled. In the 11th century it is believed that they started to adopted Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
as their religion. The Croatian population with time absorbed the local Roman population, and established Blato as we know it today.
The worst period in the history of Blato occurred between World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when phylloxera
Phylloxera
Grape phylloxera ; originally described in France as Phylloxera vastatrix; equated to the previously described Daktulosphaira vitifoliae, Phylloxera vitifoliae; commonly just called phylloxera is a pest of commercial grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America...
attacked the grape vines, causing them to perish en masse. This greatly contributed to the economic crisis that was happening within the newly formed Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. Blato was facing a mass exodus. It was the sixth largest place in Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
, then a region of Austro-Hungary (Blato in 1910 had a population of 8862 ). In 1925, 1200 residents suddenly abandoned their homes and left Blato. Whole families immigrated to a Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and South America.
Municipality of Blato
The Municipality of Blato, situated on the island of Korčula, administratively falls under the Dubrovnik-Neretva CountyDubrovnik-Neretva County
The Dubrovnik–Neretva County is the southernmost Croatian county located in south Dalmatia. The county seat is Dubrovnik and other large towns are Korčula, Metković, Opuzen and Ploče...
. The municipality is made up of two places, which are: Blato and Potirna
Potirna
Potirna is a village on the island of Korčula in Croatia. Korcula is part of the Dalmatian coast and it belongs to the Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Potirna is part of the Municipality of Blato....
. It has access to the sea on both sides of the island. Once the main port of Blato, Prigradica is located about 3 km north of the town of Blato. The municipality's coastline is 36.3 kilometers in length. Within the area are large cultivated fields and hilly slopes with olive trees and vineyards.
According to the census of 2001, the municipality of Blato had 3680 inhabitants, grouped in two villages:
- Blato - 3659
- Potirna - 21
Demographics
According to the 2001 census, the municipality of Blato has population of 3,680. The great majority of population are Croats professing Roman Catholic faith.Economy
During the long history of Blato, the economy has been oriented around the production of agricultural products, especially wineWine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
. Olive oil, wine, carob and fig trees are the most significant products of the region. In the early 20th century Blato produced over 1000 carts of wine and 30 wagons of olive oil
Olive oil
Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...
for export. In addition, they produced legumes and cereals for their own use. Strong development of agriculture led to the development of ancillary services such as crafts and commercial activities.
After the Second World War, Blato began a new cycle of development. They further developed the agricultural industry and the tourist industry. The population continued to decline, albeit more slowly than before. Industrial production in Blato, in recent times has seen a down turn with the closure of the textile factory Trikop. Agriculture remains important for the economy. Tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
now plays an important role. Hotels and private apartments in Prizba
Prižba
Prižba is a small village on the island of Korčula in Croatia. Korcula is part of the Dalmatian coast and it belongs to the Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Prizba is part of the Municipality of Blato ....
and Prigadica have given new momentum to the economy of Blato.
The main economic entities in Blato today are:
- Radež Inc., a company manufacturing marine equipment and steel structures
- Blato 1902 dd company for the purchase, processing and trade of agricultural products.
- Small artisans (craft and other services associated in the Association of Craftsmen)
- Individual agricultural production of wine and olive oil
- Tourism (rental apartments and houses for rent, hotels)
- Trade (trade houses and chains)
- Plumbing Blato dd
- Eko doo Company for Utilities
- Schools, municipalities and other government institutions and offices.
Culture
The town is known for a famous sword danceSword dance
Sword dances are recorded from throughout world history. There are various traditions of solo and mock battle sword dances from Greece, the Middle East, Pakistan, India, China, Korea, England, Scotland and Japan...
, the Kumpanija, which is performed on April 28, the day of Saint Vincenca
Saint Vincenca
Saint Vincenca is a Christian saint, who lived in the 3rd century in Rome. As a young girl, she was tortured and then executed for her Christian beliefs, dying before the age of 17...
, the town's patron saint.
Notable people
- Marija PetkovićMarija PetkovicMarija Petković, also known as "The Blessed Mary of Jesus Crucified Petković" , was the founder of the Catholic Congregation of the Daughters of Mercy...
- a nun who was declared blessed, the founder of Congregation of Daughters of Mercy of St. Francis, the only religious community founded in Croatia. - Meri Cetinić - famous singer.
- Momčilo Popadić - a well known journalist and poet.
- Nataša Cetinić - famous painter who had her studio in Blato's Prigradica.
- Ivan Milat Luketa- painter from Blato.