Šipan

Šipan (pronounced [ʃǐpan]) (/ʃipɑːn/) (Italian: Giuppana), nicknamed the Golden Island,[3] is an island located in the south of Croatia. It is located 17 km (11 mi) northwest of Dubrovnik, Croatia. It is also separated from the mainland coast by the Koločep Channel, which has an area of 16.22 km2 (6.3 sq mi).[4] The island is 9.1 km (5.7 mi) in length, and up to 2.6 km (1.6 mi) in width. It is a part of the Elaphiti Islands, and is the largest island in the archipelago. The name of the archipelago comes from the Ancient Greek word for deer (Doric: ἔλαφος; elaphos), which, according to Pliny the Elder, used to inhabit the Elaphiti Islands in large numbers.[1] There is, however, no evidence of deer ever inhabiting the archipelago.[1]

Šipan
Nickname: The Golden Island
Image of the center of Suđurađ showing houses and moored boats
Šipan is one of the Elaphiti Islands
Geography
LocationAdriatic Sea
ArchipelagoElaphiti Islands
Area16.22 km2 (6.26 sq mi)
Length9.1 km (5.65 mi)
Width2.6 km (1.62 mi)
Highest elevation243 m (797 ft)[1]
Highest pointVelji Vrh[1]
Administration
CountyDubrovnik-Neretva
Demographics
PopulationIncrease476[2] (2021)

Šipan's population was 476 as of 2021, an increase from the 416 people in 2011.[2][5] Its highest point, the Velji Vrh, lies at 243 m (797 ft) above sea level, and is located in the northwestern part of the island. It is one of two limestone crests, the other being the Kameni Luk, located in the southeast, which surround a dolomite depression, on which olives, figs, vines, almonds, oranges, citrus, and most recently carob,[6] are cultivated.[7] It holds the Guinness World Record for the most olive trees relative to size.[8][9]

Šipan can be reached by ferries from Dubrovnik, which also go to Lopud and Koločep (locally known as Kalamota), the latter of which is the southernmost inhabited island in Croatia.[10] There are two ports on the island, Suđurađ (Italian: San Giorgio) in the east, and Šipanska Luka (Italian: Porto Giuppana) in the west.

History

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]

Economy

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]

Geography

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]

See also

References

  1. Glamuzina & Glamuzina 1999, p. 89.
  2. "Popis stanovništva, kućanstava i stanova 2021" (PDF). Government of Croatia (in Croatian).
  3. Letcher, Piers; McKelvie, Robin; McKelvie, Jenny. Croatia: The Bradt Travel Guide.
  4. Duplančić Leder, Tea; Ujević, Tin; Čala, Mendi (June 2004). "Coastline lengths and areas of islands in the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea determined from the topographic maps at the scale of 1 : 25 000" (PDF). Geoadria. Zadar. 9 (1): 5–32. doi:10.15291/geoadria.127. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  5. Statistical Yearbook of the Republic of Croatia 2017 (PDF) (in Croatian and English). Zagreb: Croatian Bureau of Statistics. December 2017. p. 45. ISSN 1333-3305. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  6. "Ostavio kapetansku plaću, vratio se na svoj otok i razvio veliki biznis: 'Vidio sam cijeli svijet, ali ovo...'" (in Croatian).
  7. "Island Sipan". Croatia.hr.
  8. "Šipan". Croatia.hr. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  9. "The island of Šipan – the prince of the Elaphites". Croatia.hr. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  10. "Znate li koji je najjužniji hrvatski otok". rtl.hr (in Croatian). 12 February 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  11. "The Remnants of Caesar's Civil War: Naval Battle off Tauris Island". TLDR History.
  12. Pseudo-Caesar (1955). "The Alexandrian War". Caesar: Alexandrian war, African war, Spanish war. Loeb Classical Library. Translated by Way, AG. Harvard University Press. ch 45. ISBN 978-0-67499-443-0 via LacusCurtius.
  13. Naklada Naprijed, The Croatian Adriatic Tourist Guide, p. 369, Zagreb (1999), ISBN 953-178-097-8
  14. "Vice Stjepović-Skočibuha" (in Croatian).
  15. Southeastern Europe under Ottoman Rule, 1354–1804 at Google Books
  16. "Zaboravljeni topnik: 'Promijenio sam šest država i dvije vojske, ali otok smo obranili s dva minobacača'" (in Croatian).
  17. "Kroatië" (in Dutch). Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  18. "Ribarstvo otoka Šipan nekad i sad" (in Croatian).
  19. "Otok Šipan i ovog se ljeta pretvara u filmsku meku" (in Croatian).
  20. "Završena 19. Ljetna škola filma Šipan" (in Croatian).
  21. "Miro Bronzić o velikoj obljetnici - dvadeset godina Ljetne škole filma Šipan" (in Croatian).
  22. "ŠIPAN ISLAND".
  23. "Elaphite Islands - an island oasis of peace near Dubrovnik".

Bibliography

  • Media related to Šipan at Wikimedia Commons

42.7286°N 17.8758°E / 42.7286; 17.8758

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