September the 26th, 2024 – The Dani U Vali Festival (Days in the Bay) has spotlighted the rich maritime traditions employed by islanders for countless centuries in Stari Grad on Hvar.
The Dalmatian coast as a whole is synonymous with fishing, boats, sailing, and all things related to the sea. The locals on the coast and the 1000+ islands live with, by and from the sea, and have done for centuries gone by. Entire families were fed by the sea, and countless husbands spent most of their lives fishing, sailing and being waved off as they took to the Adriatic for long stretches by diligent wives back home.
Stari Grad on Hvar is one of very many locations where the sea meant and continues to mean everything, albeit in a different way than in days long gone by. The Dani u Vali Festival in Stari Grad showcases that to the wider public, bringing the past into the present for locals and visitors alike.
the fifth dani u vali festival in stari grad
As Morski writes, kicking things off this past weekend with a festival procession, the fifth Dani u Vali Festival opened in Stari Grad on the gorgeous island of Hvar. All lovers of maritime heritage and traditional ships could enjoy a rich programme organised by Stari Grad, the Cronaves Association for the Promotion of Croatian Maritime Heritage and the Stari Grad Tourist Board.
On Tvrdalj square, all those present were greeted by representatives of the organisers. The mayor of Stari Grad, Antonio Škarpa, gave special thanks to the shipowners and associations that continue to carefully preserve the area’s maritime heritage, an exceptional cultural asset of the Republic of Croatia.
the netherlands as the guest of honour for the dani u vali festival in stari grad
This year’s partner country of the festival and guest of honour, the Netherlands, arrived from 2,000 kilometres away with four traditional Dutch tjotters boats. They also presented old crafts related to the making of wooden ships in Stari Grad as part of the festival, as the sea and maritime traditions have always connected people, regardless of language barriers and mild cultural differences.
Charlotte van Baak, ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Croatia, greeted her compatriots as well as all festival participants at the opening. She stated that Croatia and the Netherlands have a rich common maritime heritage and a strongly developed mutual maritime trade.
After that, there was a review of the Dani u Vali Festival’s traditional fleet, which delighted everyone present, providing a unique insight into joint rich maritime traditions. In addition to the four Dutch tjotter boats, about 60 traditional boats were also presented at the festival, which arrived from all over the Adriatic. They presented traditional crafts, culinary, fishing, shipbuilding and nautical skills.
ship building, sailing and celebrating stari grad’s nautical charms
The youngest festival attendees enjoyed Mladen Mitić’s workshop at his summer school of shipbuilding. For two hours, everyone present had the opportunity to enjoy “Starogrojska kartolina” sailing, which brought timeless sailing scenes to life. Starogradska vala is a beautiful natural harbour surrounded by dense Mediterranean pine trees and Dalmatian stone houses, which has been sheltering ships and fishermen for centuries. It is considered one of the oldest and most heavily protected bays on the Adriatic, symbolising the rich maritime tradition of this beautiful and historic city.
The afternoon part of the programme was reserved for the city reading room and lectures, and Frank Ratelband took all those present on a journey through the Dutch tradition of shipbuilding, while Professor Joško Božanić recalled the great contribution of Croatian fishermen to the global fisheries of the 20th century, under the name “OCEANIC CROATIA”.
In addition, the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Cronaves Association and its role in the promotion of Croatian maritime heritage abroad was also celebrated as part of the Dani u Vali Festival in Stari Grad.
The special guest of this year’s festival is no less than the City of Dubrovnik. As part of the “festival village”, their caulkers held a presentation of small shipbuilding and a workshop for making ship elements. An educational workshop called “The Historical ships of Dubrovnik” was also held, where unique magnets were made.
celebrating the iconic dalmatian marenda
A Dalmatian marenda (brunch) competition was also held, where contestants demonstrated their culinary skills in making traditional dishes and won prizes. The Dalmatian marenda is a symbol of that part of Croatia, and has been something people have engaged in since time began, so to speak. An integral part of coastal life, it has a natural place within the rich programme of the fifth Dani u Vali Festival in Stari Grad.
Visitors also had the opportunity to enjoy a jazz concert by Maja Grgić. They also got to see an exhibition of works by Magda Dulčić called “Island of Women” in the Stari Grad Museum, which brought a special artistic tone to the festival this year.
Dubrovnik took the limelight with its “Grad Grodu” exhibition on Tvrdalj square, where guests from Dubrovnik and the choir of Sv. Juraj HRM prepared an all-night spectacle for all generations to enjoy.
