Trpanj
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Trpanj is a town and municipality of Dubrovnik-Neretva County in south eastern Croatia. It has 871 inhabitants.
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[edit] Trpanj - origin of the name
There is more than one theory about origin of the name Trpanj. One theory says that name Trpanj originate from Croatian verb "trpjeti" (means: to suffer). Another theory says that name Trpanj originates from a Greek word and means sickle, because the lay out of the cliffs around the harbour reminds of a sickle. The third theory stipulates that the name Trpanj originates from the name of the ancient fortification named Tarpano or Tarponio - remains of which can still be seen on the hill over the harbour. And finally, the sea cucumber is called "Trp" in Croatian, which some believe is how Trpanj got its name.
[edit] The past
Life in the area was certainly not easy. The location is closed from the North with infertile cliffs and to the south by mount "Miloševica," "Viter" and "Prvač Dol." So as a result the locality developed literally between steep rocks.
Throughout centuries the Neretva channel was a very important merchant sea route. Although state boundaries changed regularly, the traffic never stopped. Greek vessels transported raw ingredients to Corinth for the production of incense and Romans were trading wine in amphoras. Later Neretvan princes imposed "tributum pacis" which means peace tribute to anyone trading in these parts.
Man has inhabited the area since the dawn of time. Examples of pre-historic pottery proving that the site was inhabited by a urban type society were found on the slopes of "Gradina" the small hill that overlooks the port. Other pre-historic traces were found on the hill "St. Roko" where later a church was built.
During their occupation of the area, Romans found Illyrians on the slopes of "Gradina." and later in the 6th century, Goths tribes ruled over Dalmatia, the Byzantine emperor Justinian I built a series of defenses along the coast including the one on top of Gradina in an attempt to reclaim the lands lost to invading tribes and to ensure safe passage of trade.
In 1922, on the other side of the Gradina hill, in the park in front of the pharmacy is traces of mosaics were uncovered. In 1963 walls of a Roman “villa rustica” were found as well as a base of a Roman column and an inscription from the 2nd or 3rd century AD.
The Dubrovnik historian Jakov Lukaric claims that the ancient fortress Tarpano or Tarponio was destroyed by Julius Caesar while fighting the Illyrians. As a result, the old inhabitants of Trpanj took the imaginary 3 towers as the town emblem. Other evidence of Roman existence were covered over the centuries by a thick layer of soil that was over the centuries brought by the stream “potok”.
On the remains of the ancient world, the new Croatian inhabitants built their own monuments. That is how over the remains of the Roman villa, the first and most important church of the medieval Trpanj dedicated to St. Peter was built.
[edit] Changing rulers
After the death of Mihajlo Visevic (910-930) the first known ruler of Zahumlje, Peljesac undergoes frequent changes of owners.
First came the Macdeonian emperor Samuil (992-1018). In 1042 Peljesac was under the ruler of Duklja and in 1148 under Raska.
In 1168 Zahumlje and Peljesac came under Nemanjic. When his brother Miroslav took over, he expelled bishop Donat from Ston and orthodox priests arrive to Peljesac while the Catholic populace is taken care of by Benedictine monks from Mljet.
In 1198 Zahumlje recognizes the authority of the Croatian Herceg (Duke) Andrija (1197 – 1204) who in 1205 became the Croatian-Hungarian king.
Towards the end of the 13th century the Bribir family came to control the area along with more other Croatian lands than any other national ruler before them. In 1322 when Mladen II Bribirski disappeared from politics, a local pair of brothers from the Branivojevic family took over Peljesac. But they were removed from power by the Bosnian Ban Stjepan Kotromanic with the help of Dubrovnik in 1326. The Republic of Dubrovnik initiated diplomatic action to gain international recognition of the newly occupied lands which it achieved in 1333, with the assistance of the Serbian king Dusan and Stjepan II Kotromanic. Furthermore Dubrovnik allies itself with the Croatian-Hungarian Louis the Great to ward off any other pretenders to the area. Hence Peljesac entered the political sphere of the Dubrovnik Republic where it remained till its fall.
[edit] Under Dubrovnik
The Republic nobility divided the land among each other and passed laws stating that no one may own land on Peljesac unless he is a citizen of Dubrovnik, and no one may reside or work there unless he is a serf of the Republic. As a result all inhabitants automatically became serfs. The term serf though should not be understood in the same light as in other parts of Europe in the middle ages since although a Dubrovnik serf had quite a few obligations, he had the right to sail (in the Dubrovnik merchant fleet), get educated, do business and accumulate possessions. Furthermore in contrast with the other two local superpowers, which could have claimed the area (Venice and the Ottoman Empire), the serf would know personally his local lord and could communicate with him in Croatian. Hence the Republic enjoyed overwhelming support among the populace.
In order to have the right to live in a house, every serf family with at least one male member older than 16 years had to perform services. Those included working the land for free, transporting the lord by row boat and carrying other orders. The number of days that these services had to be performed varied until the Dubrovnik Senate in 1800 set it to 90 days a year. If a serf household had a garden they had to give the lord a lamb, 2 chickens, 2 chicks and 10 eggs. To use public land for grazing, the price was a dried pig’s head. Daughters were sent to work as maids in noble families and as a result were carriers of culture and fashion trends from the city to the countryside. Public schools also started operating quite early in the Republic as navigation and sailing required literacy.
Brotherhoods which in the 13th century had a more religious character received by the 15th century a semi-legal status and responsibilities such as collecting port fees. Fishing brotherhoods such as the one in Trpanj dedicated to St. Peter always took a fisherman apostle as a patron saint.
Until 1343 the seat of authority for Peljesac was in Ston. Then a captaincy was established in Orebic and then in 1456 a captaincy in Janjina from where Trpanj was administered. However since Trpanj was on the coast and Janjna inland, the Janjina captain spent most of his time in Trpanj despite the fact that Janjina was more populous.
[edit] Lords of Trpanj
When Dubrovnik nobility divided Peljesac among each other in 1344, Trpanj was sectioned into 4 parts: two and a half were given to the brothers Dobre and Luka from the Gambe family and the brothers Marko and Petar from the Bucinic family received one and half. Both of these families were in the maritime commerce business. In 1352 when Dobre Gambe died, his part went to his brother Luka and in turn when Luka died in 1358 he requested that his part be sold and the proceeds be given to the monastery in Ston. The Bucicnic brothers alo had no inheritor and their parts were sold at public auction in 1395 for 1501 perpers.
Trpanj became property of the Gradic family. The exact date is not known but it must have been before 24 February, 1498 as there is a building contract from that date concerning the construction of a stone house in Trpanj for Stjepan Gradic. Vlaho Stjepana Gradic left Trpanj to his son in law Jeronim Frane Gundulic. Hence the Gundulic family came into possession of Trpanj on 16 November, 1615. Due to a court order from 18 February, 1626 the brothers Vlaho, Stjepan and Frano Gundulic were ordered to return the dowry of their grandmother to her brothers Miho and Ivan Rastic. To raise the money, the brothers sold half of their Trpanj possessions to Ivan Krste Benesic on 17 July, 1632 for 1590 ducats, stipulating that if in 8 years they manage to return that sum of money to the buyer, the sale will be annulled, which probably happened as Trpanj remained in the Gundulic family.
When his brothers died, Vlaho found himself sole proprietor of Trpanj, and in order to ensure that Trpanj as a whole remains in his family he made Trpanj a legal undividable entity protected by a “fideicomis” a sort of testamentary trust( fedecomesso di primogenitura instituito da Biagio de Girolamo de Gondola nel testamento 10.12 1649 registrato nei libri dei testamenti della fu notaría di Ragusa anno 1658 foglio S1, linea chiamata di Francesco Francesco de Gondola).
Frano Dziva Gundulic (also Francesco Gondola) (1632-1717), who was an Austrian marshal and first son of Ivan Franov Gundulic and Anicu Sorgocevic, writes from Vienna on 22 May, 1672 to his friend Marko Basiljevic (Marco Bassegli) to ask him to get the republic to name him Duke and as a result to name Trpanj Dukedom of St Michael of Trpanj. This was necessary because of his position in Vienna. Frano died in Vienna in 1717, in his house of the Renngasse castle, before being able to built a summer residence in Trpanj as he had wished and since he had only female daughters, Trpanj went to his nephew Sisko Gundulic.
In the spring of 1700 the Gundulic-Getaldic family-Gundulic family is sued in court by Slava wife of Pavle Gucetic and the court orders Trpanj to be divided in two. Although court documents clearly divide the land and property, the court order was never carried out so the town again remains as the Gundulic fideicomis. Sisko was sued again this time by his serfs from Trpanj in the spring of 1741 for a variety of unlawful actions ranging from requiring free fishing, confiscation of boats and other property and interference in their commerce.
Sisko died in 1758 leaving Trpanj to his son Sisko Dominik Gundulic (1712-1800). In order to avoid constantly going to court with his financially powerful serfs, he struck a deal on 4 July, 1765 whereby the 70 Trpanj families, for the following 25 years are to pay a sum of money instead of performing services or giving gifts to Gundulic. Only the gift of olive oil still had to be delivered to the landlord. The sum of money had to be paid by each family before the celebration of St. Michael’s. That contract was signed a second time for another period of 25 years when the first one expired.
Sisko Dominik Gundulic had no inheritors so he adopted his sister’s (Catterina) son Frano Augustinov Getaldic in 1787. In 1807, when dying in 1800 the ultime count of Gundulic, Sisko Domeniko, litigate in the courts of Dubrovnik, the fideicomis instituted by Vlaho Gundulic in 1649 by Pietro Ignazio Gio. Francesco Girolamo Sorgo by the possession of Trpanj against Sisko Getaldic-Gundulic (Allegatione per íl sig. Ignazio Gio. Francesco Girolamo Sorgo, nella questione sul vincolo di primogenitura nella possessione di Tarpani, instituito dal sig. Biagio Gondola nel 1649.-Ragusa, Martecchini).
But but finally he was succeeded by the sons of Frano Augustinov Getaldic and Catterina Gondola, Frano Getaldic and his sons: Sisko Getaldic-Gundulic (1795-1860) and Matej Getaldic-Gundulic (1797-?), and Trpanj was left to Sisko who was later named Baron and podestá of Ragusa for 13 years. He had 3 children: Frano (Francesco Ghetaldi-Gondola)(1833-1899), Ivan (Giovanni Ghetaldi-Gondola) (1835-1891) and Marija (María Ghetaldi-Gondola) (1837-?). Trpanj remained the property of the Getaldic-Gundulic and its inhabitants would pay the landlord a fixed sum of money every year instead of the traditional services and gifts in nature until the Trpanj residents, the first on Peljesac, decided to legally buy their town from the landlord and relieve themselves of official serfdom in 1856.
[edit] Cultural Monuments
[edit] Gradina
On the small hill just above he port was a fortress of a considerable size, and it northern walls are especially well preserved. The total length of the walls is 60 m. The location, plan and wall construction indicate that it was built in the late antiquity, probably in the time of the Byzantine emperor Justinian who built a series of fortresses along the Croatian coast to protect maritime commerce, after having driven out Goths out of Dalmatia. The fortress has not yet been analyzed by archeologists. A staircase and path that lead to the fortress and the observatory was built in 1936 although it is presently hard to gain access to due to residential buildings that make it less obvious.
[edit] Church of St. Peter
Until 1922, remains of the oldest church of St. Peter “on the shore” could be found in the park in front of the former fire station. In front of the church was a walled cemetery where burials were carried out until 1904.
The church dad all the details of pre-Romanesque construction just like mot Croatian churches built between the 9th and 12th centuries. It was 4.62 m long, 3.8 m wide and about 5 m high.
This early middle ages church was elongated probably in the baroque era, with a wider nave. Hence the original church became simply the altar section of a larger church. The stone arch that was inserted where the old church met the expansion, was done in a shallow relief and the stones from this arch were later used in 1957 in the renovation of the church of St. Roko.
From the visit archives of the Ston bishop Ambrozije Gucetic from 4 July, 1621 it is known that the church has a bell tower with bells but it is empty. It has no roof or doors. The bishop ordered the town to restore the church so that it may again be put to use. The roof had probably burned down in 1591 during a pirate attack which were frequent in that year. The same bishop consecrated a restored church and urged the residents to keep the main altar in good condition. He only mentioned the main altar as other altars were the responsibility of the individual families that had built them. Hence it can be found in records that don Augutin Augustinovic in his will read on 14 August, 1679 instructs his brothers to decorate and take care of his altar in the church. At the end of August 1679 the church was inspected again and new orders were given to continue the restoration that had not yet been done to satisfaction.
The Trpanj born bishop Ivan Natalis inspected the church in 1684 and forbade mass services till main altar renovations were not carried out. The Trpanj people often left money for the church in their wills as can be seen in old archives. When the church became a ruin, it was used as a cemetery, so that the original 9th century chapel reappeared but with no doors which accelerated its ruin. Two altars from the church, entrance stones and the classical Rosetta stone were moved to the church of St. Michael. The 4th altar was moved in 1857 to the church of Lady of Carmen.
[edit] Church of St. Peter and Paul, formerly St. Michael
The year 1799 was engraved on a tomb in this church so that year was taken as the year of construction. Stjepan Gundulic in his 20 October, 1647 will leaves instructions for the building of the church of the Lady of Carmen and he asks that a religious church item be made of gold for the church of St. Michael. The Vrucica priest don Juraj Gabric confirms having received the gold from the state treasury and those are the oldest references found for this church.
That was at first a very small church that was not mentioned in any of the bishop’s visits from 1621 to 1805 whereas the little church of St. Anthony is mentioned. That would mean that St. Michael’s was either smaller or not in use. Even in 1800 it is not mentioned in a separate list while all other churches are named.
In the land registry map from 1836, the church is labeled as church of St. Michael. It was a small church with probably one wooden altar displaying a group of saints: St Michael with a scale, to the right St. Peter with keys and to the left St. Paul. Above them was the virgin Mary surrounded by angels and flowers. This altar probably had the pendent of St. Michael and Peter that is now in the church of St. Anthony.
The main altar was built in 1849 by Dominik Bertapelle a famous altar maker from Vrboska. The other two altars, the entrance stones and the classical window Rosetta stone came from the church of St. Peter. Until 1902 the door and window were at the front of the church which was decorated by stone bell-niche with 3 bells. This niche was damaged by thunder in 1858. In 1854 a new altar decoration was purchased showing St. Liberan, St. Blaise, and St. Jovinian protector of olives. This was replaced in 1907 by a statue of St. Liberan which was a gift of Ivan Cibilic, who was living in Alexandria.
The statue of the Lady of Rosary was purchased in 1855 from Italy and a lithography of the statue was made in Verona to be used as the town seal. The statue was brought to Trpanj on 20 May 1855 and that date was celebrated as a holiday until 1912. The king Francis Joseph I visited the church on 11 May 1875 while on his tour of Dalmatia.
Prince Joseph II of Liechtenstein who frequently came to Trpanj to hunt for “caglje” (a wild dog native of Peljesac resembling a hyena) made a gift of 2 bells in 1888. Since the niche could not support the large bells, they were taken down in 1897 and hung next to the church. The town then decided to expand the church and build new bell tower. The prince of Liechtenstein contributed 150 fiorns and the town 2000 crowns. The work started in 1902, and the new roof and sacristy were completed in November 1904 and the new bell tower in 1905. The church and 5 new bells were consecrated on 28 April, 1907 by bishop Marcelic. The marble statues of St Peter and Paul were made in 1907 in the Bilinic workshop in Split. In 1912 began the construction of the staircase leading to the church and in 1916 the space around it was paved. The old fence wall consisting of benches was replaced with the current stone columns between 1917 and 1918 thanks to father Dinko Suljaga. The paintings in the church were made by the local painter Franco Ferenca between 1929 and 1930.
[edit] Church of Lady of Carmen
The Dubrovnik nobleman and lord of Trpanj Stjepan Jerolimov Gundulic, in his will dated 7 October, 1645 instructed that a church be built in Trpanj. He insisted that church be a replica of the Holy Family chapel in Loreta. Furthermore he instructed a priest to be hired and housed in Trpanj to serve daily mass for the deliverance of his soul. Stjepan Gundulic died in 1647 and the first mention of the church is found in the bishop’s visitation of 29 April 1679. It is noted that the church suffers from damage from humidity so instructions are given for two windows to be equipped with iron bars to allow free flow of air. Furthermore since the painting above the altar was also seriously damaged because it has no frame, the bishop orders a wooden frame be built. From this it is obvious that there were previous visitations and that the church is not completely new. The altar is built in the renaissance style, and the Gundulic family crest can be found on the base of the columns. In time the painting was replaced by a statue and parts of the painting representing souls in purgatory were saved and can be seen under the statue of the Lady of Carmen. According to professor Grga Gamulin the painting shows signs of 18th century Venetian painting resembling Piazzetto and Benkovic. The painting on either side of the statue were made by the amateur painter Frano Kaer from Makarska in 1848.
In 1679 the bishop carries out sacraments in this church which might indicate that it was in better shape than the church of St. Peter. In 1687 there is a mention of the priest of the church of the Lady of Carmen which would indicate that the priest’s house had already been built. Names of some of the priests are also known. For instance, father Petar Milosevic from Popova died in 1753 and was succeeded by father Luka Giovanelli, who on the 22 February, 1758 informed the senate to find a replacement as he will be departing, leaving the keys of the church and house to the chancellor Augustinovic. Bishop’s visitations in 1802 and 1805 make no mention of the church which suggests it was not in use.
After the fall of the Republic of Dubrovnik, the priest uses it as the primary school as can be found in the city records of 1836. In 1848 the church was repaired and put back into use. In the spring of 1850 it was thoroughly renovated and its walls were made higher. An altar in the renaissance style, although built after that period, was brought form the old church of St. Peter in 1857. That altar is there today as the altar of St. Anthony. There is a baroque relief depicting a cross with whips on the outer back wall of the church. The town council built a dome on the church and installed a public clock and was responsible for its accuracy following a contract signed in 1874.
[edit] Church of St. Roko
The church of St. Roko, protector from leprosy, was built in the first half of the 17th century over the remains of an older church on the highest hill overlooking Trpanj and the Neretva channel. The 1621 bishop’s visitation does not mention the church whereas the 1679 visitation notes that the bishop inspected the church and noted that there is a new painting of St. Roko in it. In 1684 the Trpanj born bishop Natalis forbids mass services because the church was not properly equipped. Around 1700 the town people planted olives around the church and surrounded it by a fence wall. When in 1739 the children’s cemetery became full in the town church, a cemetery for children was made in the church of St. Roko.
Bishop Milkovic in his 1751 visit notes that the church has a well equipped altar, a good silver chalice, and all other items of cult. The altar was built in the neo-renaissance style and ha two small statues: St. Roko and Lady of Health. The older statue of St. Roko was replaced in 1897 by a new 90 cm one brought from St. Ulrich for 300 florins. The space between the altar and the walls is covered on both ides by two paintings. The one on the right shows the pope St. Sylvester baptizing Constantine the Great and the left shows St. Blaise holding Dubrovnik in his arm and Trpanj in the background. Both of these copies of older paintings were done by Frano Ferenca. The bell for the church was made in 1804.
During the epidemic of cholera in Metkovic, in 1884, the Trpanj townspeople vowed to repair the church and build a new bell tower. Hence in place of the older bell niche a bell tower was built in the neo-Roman style and at the same time a space in front of the church was built and surrounded by a wall. All work was completed by 1895.
[edit] Church of St. Anthony
An inscription above the church states that it was built as a result of a vow made by Antun Simonetti Simunov Antunovic. His son, father Antun, was the priest of Vrucica from 1731 to 1749. Antun Sr. owned stocks in several ships along with his brother. The church has a baroque altar with a painting above of no artistic value as it is a copy by the amateur painter Ilija Antunovic from 1960 of a previous damaged painting. From the bishop's visitation in 1751 it states that the church is fully equipped with a silver chalice, two chandeliers, a lamp and two bells. In 1845 the brotherhood of Forgiveness was founded and took the church as its chapel. The mosaic on the floor dates from that period as can be seen from the inscription that reads 1847.
[edit] Church of St. Nicholas
An inscription above the church states that it was built as a result of a vow made by the sailor Kleme Cvitanovic in 1840. The inscription also says in Croatian: “buduci da ga bili pokrili valovi, od smrti osloboden” meaning “delivered from death having been covered by the sea.” Kleme Cvitanovic (1799-1877) was born in Drasnica not far from Makarska but married Frana Iveta from Trpanj and relocated there. He was owner of 9 stocks of the Peljesac Maritime Association (1867-1869) and of the house called Vatican.
He had no inheritors, so he left all possessions to his wife’s family and they in turn left the church to the Trpanj mother church.
The church has a wooden altar, with St. Nicholas and St. Liberan. The church has a bell niche. The last restoration dates from 1988. This church, dedicated to the protector of sailors, was built at the onset of the golden age of Trpanj’s sail boats specializing in mall coastal commerce.
[edit] The chapel of the lady of Grace
On the small hill to the left of the church of St. Peter and Paul, is the smallest church in Trpanj referred to by the locals as the chapel. From the outside it is only 213 cm long and 158 cm wide. It was built by Franic Nesanvic-Jura in 1865. The association for the improvement of the town began the construction of a staircase in 1936. An observatory in front of the church fenced by a stone colonnade was completed by 1940.
[edit] The cemetery
A new cemetery was built after a drawing obtained from a competition released in a newspaper in Vienna. The care with which the cemetery was built is a testament to the respect the Trpanj populace paid to its ancestors. Nikola Jeric, who was the chairman of the council in charge of the construction of the new cemetery, is credited for the current appearance of the cemetery. The town council decided on 25 January, 1900 to set aside 1,956 crowns for the new cemetery, and that the first 10 slots be sold at public auction for 120 crowns. All other families were compelled to contribute 24 crowns for town slots.
The statue above the Tere Ferri tomb is of particular interest as it is the work of Ivan Rendic from 1903. The Narodni List (National Paper) newspaper in its no.89 copy from 7 November, 1903 describes the marble work of art as both artistically pleasing and patriotic as it displays elements from Croatian folklore.
Other notable monuments can be found in the cemetery, in particular statues from the workshop of Pavle Bilinic in Split.
The town council decided on 20 December, 1902 to forbid further burials in the old cemetery of St. Peter. On 15 June, 1906 the construction of the chapel of the Holy Cross began on the site of the new cemetery. The chapel roof was badly done and the chapel suffered from humidity requiring restorations in 1924 but its interior had seriously degraded. Further renovations were carried out in 2000 making the chapel a mortuary. In the chapel there is a communal repository of the remains of bones carried over from the old cemetery.
[edit] How Trpanj rid itself from serfdom
The fishing and maritime commerce had brought great wealth to the residents of Trpanj. Although they were still technically serfs, they were in a position to buy land in Duba, Vrucica and other parts of Peljesac from the Bassegli-Gozze landlords and to give those lands to local peasants to work on them as serfs. Hence serfs became landlords themselves. Examples include the Ferri and Iveta families that bought land in Vrucica and the merchant Tomas Grga Jeric who bought in 1851 from Bassegli-Gozze a part of Duba.
However since all the land and property in Trpanj was locked in the Gundulic fideikomis from 1649, the individual lands and houses could not be bought one by one. Hence some wealthy ship owners were still technically serfs and lived in serf houses. As a result, in 1854, the wealthy town merchants and sailors initiated an organization for the purchase of the Gundulic fideikomis.
A list was made of all families that owned land or real-estate on Gundulic lands. The listing was quite exhaustive, including all land, the crops, numbers of olive trees, the houses, the stalls, warehouses, courtyards and wells. All of the above was estimated with a price that had to be paid to Gundulic. Every owner of a fishing boat and crew used storage space for lighting wood that was used while fishing at night for sardines. A typical crew would use between 100 and 120 m3 of wood per season. This storage space was called “skala” in Croatian. The average skala was 71.4 m2 and they were located where the hotel Faraon is today. Depending on the actual size fishermen had to pay between 3 and 6 florins. The fishermen were required to pay for this space as well. Even space used to dry the fishing nets was identified and estimated. Even though this space consisted mainly of unfertile cliffs close o the shore, it was estimated at 16 florins which was the equivalent of a 17-tree olive grove.
The large cliffs in the port where today the statue of the Virgin Mary can be found were used for drying nets but no one owned these cliffs so they were sold to Frana Nesanovic and Baldo Jeric, for 16 florins each.
All Trpanj residents used the grazing fields and the forests and it was decided that these remain communal property, and that every member contribute 5 florins for the purchase. Eight families could not pay the sum specified, of which four were forgiven for cause of poverty. A total of 480 florins were collected for the purchase of the grazing fields.
When all real-estate in Trpanj was estimated and all money needed was collected for court proceedings, the organization purchased all real-estate in Trpanj and continued collecting money until 3 March, 1855. Out of 104 families, 23 were too poor and could not contribute to the purchase so 11 wealthier families paid their parts and established a list of rights and obligations. Hence the legal and financial transactions with respect to the transfer of town ownership from the Gundulic family to Trpanj town residents ended by a Dubrovnik court order from 29 September, 1855.
The task done by the Trpanj organization can be judged by the amount of oil spent on night oil lamps which amounted to 64 liters.
A contract was signed in Trpanj on 12 May, 1856 in front of judge Vaumiller and the notary Battagela that established that:
- the Trpanj association was established for the purpose for purchasing the fideikomis of Gundulic
- all those that contributed funds are now owners that can freely dispose of their property including leaving it as inheritance
- that all those that did not contribute will have to pay all duties that they previously paid to Gundulic to the families that paid for them
- these remaining serfs could free themselves in the next 6 years if they paid the sum that was paid for them
- during those 6 years the new lords of Trpanj could not confiscate their property.
- the forest was still communal property for all residents excluding non landowning temporary residents.
Many poor families borrowed at high interest to pay their part in 6 years but often the burden forced many to immigrate to America.
[edit] Economy
[edit] Fisheries
Fishing in Trpanj is an activity as old as the town itself. During the Republic of Dubrovnik, the fishermen were obliged to transport salt from Mali Ston to Neretva, for which they built special boats, called “solarica.” These were small boats with a smaller draft. By the decision of the Grand Council dated 26 April, 1560 fishermen that transported salt were absolved from the very labor intensive work in the salt evaporation ponds.
By the decision of the Small council, no owner of a fishing vessel with nets could get a fishing permit if he did not have 12 sailors, 3 smaller boats and 2 night fishing lights. Fishing’s importance is evidenced from a letter from Matija Andricic who wrote to the Council in 1765 to be absolved from paying taxes that year as the total catch did not exceed 50 barrels.
In the 18th century owners of fishing vessels were from the following families: Augustinovic, Andricic, Balovi, Barbica, Barac, Bergando, Belin, Butiric, Certic, Frankovic, Ferri, Iveta, Jeric, Klaric, Kresic, Kulisic, Mirkovic, Nesanovic, Senko, Simonetti, Skoko and Zimic.
Records show the following numbers for fishing vessels
Fishing vesels through the years
| year | vessels | year | vesels | year | vesels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1709 | 12 | 1770-72 | 16 | 1795-96 | 23 |
| 1755 | 12 | 1773-75 | 18 | 1798 | 14 |
| 1761 | 17 | 1776 | 20 | 1799 | 23 |
| 1762 | 16 | 1777 | 19 | 1801 | 22 |
| 1763 | 15 | 1778 | 21 | 1802 | 20 |
| 1764 | 14 | 1782 | 20 | 1803 | 21 |
| 1765-68 | 13 | 1783-85 | 19 | 1804 | 25 |
| 1769 | 14 | 1786 | 18 |
According to a court order from 1741, Trpanj fishermen were obliged to go fishing 4 days in a row for their landlord Gundulic while he was residing in Trpanj for his needs. Gundulic was required to pay for this fish as in the past he paid nothing.
In 1815 there are 27 boats of 4 tons, 24 boats of 5 tons (called leuti) and 11 ships of 1.5 tons.
Other than sardine fishing, in Trpanj, the fishermen also extracted corals, in particular towards the end of the 17th and the beginning of the 18th centuries in the waters around Lastovo.
Taking into account the number if inhabitants, Trpanj in the 19th century was probably the strongest fishing community in the southern Adriatic.
[edit] Navigation
Trpanj was a center of coastal navigation on Peljesac. Sailor were frequently exposed to dangers. For example in 1660 Martin Marin Medovic from Trpanj was captured in Tunis, and in 1755 pirates captured Nikola Frankovic.
In February 1669, the Ragusan Senate orders that officials be sent to Trpanj to bring two sail ships with crew because they have not answered the call to transport construction material for the restoration of the city.
From 1677 to 1797 there were 41 known sailors from Trpanj in the Venetian fleet and two known ship commanders Grga Ivana Frankovic and Mato Nika Mrcic.
In the mid 18th century, on Dubrovnik ships navigating outside the Adriatic the following sailors from Trpanj could be found: Ante and Justin Auustinovic, Simun Andricic, Stijepo and Vicko Barbica, Andrija, Mato and Petar Certic, Luka nd Peter Despot, Ivan, Mato, Nikola and Petar Ferri, Antun, Duro, Ivan and Luka Frankovic, Ivan Iveta, Ante and Tomo Jeric, Petar Keko, Ivan and Baldo Kresic, Antun, Petar and Mato Markovic, Ivan, Petar and Mato Mrcic, Rade and Baldo Nesanovic, and Ivan Sirovica-Dolica.
Many Trpanj priests were co-owners of sailhips notably: Miho Fabrelli Iveta, Antun Simonetti, MAto Nesanovic, Nikola Augustinovic, Baldo Kresic, Andrija Kalais and Ivan Klaric-Mirkovic.
The sail ship “Nimfa” 104 barrels, was purchased in 1801 by the Jeric, Barac, Zimic and Ferri families. That ship was confiscated in 1804.
Trpanj was a major export port for salted fish in the Dubrovnik Republic. In the 18th century Trpanj imported salted fish from Sucuraj which was under Venetian authority and exported it along with its fish. In the 18th century, in Senigallia near Ancona, merchants from Trpanj had their own warehouses for storing fish and other goods during the local fair. Trpanj sail ships were returning with imported goods from the far away European colonies, cloth and ceramics. Commerce was booming at the time and the merchant fleet was constantly on the rise. In a good year, Trpanj could generate over 30,000 florins.
The last sail ship from Trpanj was sold in 1920.
[edit] Famous People
- Ena Begović actress
- Mia Begović actress
- Stjepan Ivanišević Croatian justice minister 2000 - 2001
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- All factual information in this article is based on paraphrased and summarised translations of the 1989 book in the Croatian language "Trpanj proslost, sadasnjost, spomenici" ( Trpanj past, present, monuments) by Dr. Frano Glavina.
[edit] External links
| Cities and Municipalities of Dubrovnik-Neretva County | |
|---|---|
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Cities and towns: Dubrovnik | Korčula | Metković | Opuzen | Ploče |
- Trpanj.com (Many photographs of Trpanj)
- PeljesacInfo-Trpanj (Information site)
- Trpanj Tourist Board (Tourist board site in English and Croatian)
- Wikimapia (Trpanj on Wikimapia)
