Šipan

The island was most likely known as Tauris in the era of ancient Rome. It was also the most likely location for the Battle of Tauris, which took place during Caesar's civil war.[11][12] The island's current name, Šipan, was first mentioned in 1371.[13] Later, during the French Revolutionary Wars, the British Royal Navy referred to Šipan as Zupano instead.

In the second half of the 15th century, the Sagroević-Stjepović-Krivonosović-Skočibuha family is mentioned for the first time, which marks the beginning of the connection between Šipan and Dubrovnik. Although some associate their origin with Herzegovina, according to other sources, that surname is mentioned in Šipan before the fall of Bosnia under Turkish rule in 1463. Two brothers, Antun and Stijepo Sagroević-Krivonosović, were mentioned at the beginning of the 16th century, and the names of their nine descendants were also recorded. All of them were connected to seafaring and sailed throughout the Mediterranean and beyond, to the coasts of England and Holland. Due to frequent skirmishes with pirates and other dangers, such a life was risky and took victims, so in the end only two sons survived, Vice Stjepović-Skočibuha, who would become the most respected representative of the merchant class of his time,[14] and Marin, a priest who spent his life in Naples and Dubrovnik. The island became a part of the Republic of Ragusa in 1426.[15] The house originally owned by Vice Stjepović-Skočibuha is still intact, and is centrally located in Suđurađ.

During the Homeland War, more specifically the Siege of Dubrovnik, a fort located on the Velji Vrh was used as a defense against the Yugoslav People's Army. Before that, the fort was used by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Nazi Germany, and the Yugoslav Partisans.[16] As a result of the Homeland War, there are still minefields located on the island today.[17]

Coat of arms of the island of Šipan

Šipan flourished during the Republic of Ragusa when the most common activities were shipbuilding, seamanship, cultivating olives, fishing, and viticulture. Though, after a great earthquake, and a fire that destroyed Dubrovnik in the 17th century, the economy of the island began to decline as the island relied heavily on Dubrovnik. The worst economic decline of the island happened during The Great Depression, accompanied by strong emigration. With major investments in the last ten years, the economy of the island is improving and the island is once again experiencing revitalization.

For hundreds of years, Šipan's fishing culture was strong, with it having had a large population of fishermen living on the island. As such, Šipan became famous for its fishing culture. These fishermen preferred fishing european pilchards and tuna. [18] There is also an absurd amount of tourists on the island, even though the island had no tourist attractions until 1980.[18] On top of this, the island is home to a major film school, which has been operating for 20 years.[19][20][21]

The island's highest point, named the Velji Vrh (English: Big peak, lies at 243 m (797 ft) above mean sea level, and is located in the northwestern part of the island. The 2nd highest point on the island, the Kameni Luk, located in the southeast, is slightly smaller than the Velji Vrh. Both hills are limestone crests, which surround a dolomite depression, on which olives, figs, vines, almonds, oranges, citrus, and carob,[6] are cultivated.[7] The island also holds the Guinness World Record for the most olive trees relative to the island's size (square meters),[8][9] since the island was noted to have over 300 thousand olive trees.[3]

The island also harbors palm trees, with them being a fixture of the island.[22][23]

• 
  Suđurađ
• 
  Šipanska Luka
• 
  Vice Stjepović-Skočibuha House
• 
  Church on Pakljena
• 
  St. Stephen Church in Suđurađ
• 
  Church in Suđurađ
• 
  House of Getaldić
• 
  School and library, located in Suđurađ
• 
  Church
• 
  Old noble house
• 
  Old monument
• 
  Rector's Palace on Šipan
• 
  Behind Šipanska Luka
• 
  Šipanska Luka coast
• 
  House in Šipanska Luka
• 
  Church in Šipanska Luka

• Suđurađ
• Šipanska Luka
• Lopud
• Koločep
• Elaphiti Islands

• Glamuzina, Martin; Glamuzina, Nikola (1999). "Suvremena geografska problematika otoka Lopuda i Koločepa" [Recent Geographical Problematics of the Lopud and Koločep Islands] (PDF). Geoadria (in Croatian). 4 (1): 89–100. doi:10.15291/geoadria.152. Retrieved 25 December 2019.

• Media related to Šipan at Wikimedia Commons

42.7286°N 17.8758°E / 42.7286; 17.8758