We’ve been fascinated by the Croatian cultural phenomenon called The Bench for so long, we decided it was time to give it the proper attention it deserved.
Wherever the road takes you, you’re sure to notice at least one specimen of The Bench. On the waterfront, in the town centre, in front of a small local market that’s the only place in the village selling beer… Without exception, The Bench is always the designated focal point of social life in any given (small) community. It’s the Croatian equivalent of the ancient Greek Agora, a place where wise old men gather to discuss local politics and current events.
Not every bench is The Bench. You’ll notice empty benches lined along piers and promenades – these are here to provide a spot for tourists or random locals when they need to take a break during their sightseeing tours and evening walks. No, The Bench is something entirely different. It doesn’t care for appearances, it doesn’t strive to be a perfectly designed detail of a postcard image. It can be humble and not much to look at, as long as it serves its noble purpose. Turn two empty crates of beer upside down, slap a wood plank on top and voila – provided you have a good location and a target group of future users at hand, you’ve just made another Bench. It’s the people and the stories they tell that provide that capital B.
In some of our pieces we called it a Dalmatian institution because that’s the bastion of The Bench tradition. It wouldn’t be fair to confine such a major national cultural trait to Dalmatia exclusively, as you’ll come across The Bench in all other parts of Croatia. We could call it most specific to the coast, but it’s not a rare occasion to bump into one on the continent as well. To get further acquainted with the phenomenon, make sure to take a look at this wonderful character profile of The Bench.
To help promote the, um, intangible cultural heritage of Croatia and pay homage to The Bench, we’re starting a series featuring all the glorious benches brimming with life and gossip we can find.
We kick off with Cres island and its capital town of the same name, where I spotted a fine example of The Bench in front of a tourist agency on the waterfront. It wasn’t even 8 in the morning, and yet, The Bench was already packed to the brim with three local gentlemen who met for a quick round of discussion before the sun cranked up the temperature and the tourists started buzzing around. As you can see in the original uncropped image below, it’s not a very picturesque spot, but it proves The Bench doesn’t need an exclusive location to attract a loyal audience.
This is where you come in – when you come across a nice specimen of The Bench, snap a pic and share it with us by sending a message to our Facebook page, or shoot us an email at [email protected]. Make sure to include the location, and in case you have an interesting story about your encounter with The Bench, even better. If you want to raise the stakes, try to talk the gents on The Bench into letting you join for a photo and you’ll score some bonus points. Forget Beach Tourism, Bench Tourism is where it’s at!
