Life in the Harbour - Crikvenica
Naziv
Life in the Harbour - Crikvenica
Kategorija
05 Cultural-historical heritage on the shore and in the sea
Klasifikacija prema RKD
Cultural landscape • Cultural-historical unity
Vrsta baštine
Immovable cultural heritage
Grad
Crikvenica
Opis
Until the 19th century, Crikvenica did not have a purpose-built harbour, which is why it lagged behind neighbouring places in maritime affairs. It was only with the development of shipping and the establishment of the first steamship services in the second half of the 19th century that the construction of the harbour of Crikvenica finally began. In a short period, until 1874, the basis for the harbour as we see it today was built. The great breakwater, Vela Palada, obtained its current length in 1906, when the last 50 metres were constructed. Opposite it, there is Mala Paladica, and in between there was an operational shore with a slipway. Along the harbour there is a square, often called Placa, Crikul or Pod Murvicun. Since the construction of the harbour, it has been the centre of the town’s social life. This was where different people met in the shade of the planted trees: merchants, craftsmen, fishermen, sailors, farmers, steamboat passengers, bathers, local women with water jars, etc. Today, old photographs and yellowed postcards remind us of the time when the harbour of Crikvenica was full of boats and ships. A hundred years ago, Crikvenica was the leading fishing town in the northern Adriatic, and its harbour was full of fishing (purse seiners, trawlers and tuna fishing boats) and traditional boats (of the pasara and guc types). In the early 20th century, cargo from smaller coastal sailing ships (trabakul, pelig, bracera and leut) was unloaded on the waterfront next to the square. At Mala Palada, fishermen used to prepare for fishing, and next to their boats there were beautifully decorated guc boats for transporting tourists to the island of Krk. The harbour was especially alive upon the arrival of the steam liners that transported passengers, mail and cargo on a daily basis. The custom of welcoming and seeing off ships was an integral part of the daily life of the people of Crikvenica and their guests. Only the oldest inhabitants still remember such scenes from the old harbour.
