Croatian maritime heritage will be presented in the biggest port on the Mediterranean
Members of the Palagruza Association have been invited to participate in the ‘Escale à Sète’, the renowned festival of maritime heritage that takes place in the French port of Sète.
Palagruza is an association from the island of Vis dedicated to preservation of traditional wooden shipbuilding and the wider scope of maritime heritage of Komiža town. They’re known as one of the most prolific associations active on Vis, counting more than 90 volunteers who carry out workshops and education programmes, help organise festivals and manifestations, and make immense efforts to pass on their knowledge and skills to younger generations, aiming to preserve several types of wooden boats indigenous to Komiža. Since the association was founded in 2011, its members have launched a revival of the Komiža gundula and sandula boats, presenting them at the latest festival in the French town of Vannes in the Morbihan Gulf.
Workshop / Palagruza Facebook
They’re now headed to the other major French maritime festival in Sète which will take place from March 27 to April 2. Here’s what they stated on Facebook:
“Following our successful promotion at the festival in Morbihan, Palagruza Association has been invited to participate in the festival Escale à Sète as an honorary guest.
The festival is taking place in the biggest fishing port on the Mediterranean. As part of the Adriatic Village, we’ll present our work with the youth, as well as our fishing tradition and the heritage of Komiža; we’ll promote our partners and projects and spice it all up with song and traditional cuisine. Naturally, there will be Vis wine, as well as some Prvo Viško Pivo (First Vis Beer).
We’ll promote traditional ships of Komiža in front of more than 300.000 visitors.
It will be yet another fantastic meeting with our friends from the whole of Europe, as we have plenty to show them.
One of the projects we’re currently working on is the preparation of Baraka Palagruzona (Palagruza shed) in which we’ll exhibit fishing tools and carry out fishing workshops. We’ll also use it as a venue to present traditional cuisine and promote food and drinks from Vis island and Komiža.”
Escale à Sète is a biannual festival which usually takes place in March or April. This year’s edition promises to be an extraordinary treat, as the festival is about to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI with a ceremonial display of spectacular historical ships from all parts the world.
Take a look at Komiža’s wonderful boats here.
