During my stay in Tisno, I learnt much about the history of this small Dalmatian town. I found it fascinating to discover the world in which my relatives and ancestors lived, much of which until now I knew little about. I was captivated by the various events that had unfolded in and around Tisno, the people who inhabited its narrow streets and delapidated houses, the rich cultural life that had once blossomed amoungst the population and the slow yet steady evolution of this little-known seaside town which hovers between the island of Murter and the Dalmatian mainland.
The majority of this knowledge came from my reading and translating of the book 'Iz Proslosti Tisnoga' ('From the Past of Tisno), by Ante Colic. My boyfriend at the time, who is the grandson of the author, and I embarked on a project of translating and expanding the book (as the current edition only tracks events until about 1980, when it was published in limited numbers) with the intention of having it republished in both English and Croatian [it still remains an unrealised project unfortunately]. 'Iz Proslosti Tisnoga' is the most complete and most thoroughly researched survey of the history of the Tisno to date. Colic's admiration of his hometown is beautifully written and presented in well researched chapters that are weaved together in theamatically driven chapters. He takes great pride in his sustained and solid research, in the hope of presenting the most complete and true history of Tisno. [If anyone is interested, I currently have an unedited English translation - hopefully I'll find the time and the desire to complete the editing sometime soon - it's a huge project that requires a great deal of time and patience to complete.]
I'll keep my version of history of Tisno as brief as possible, outlining key events and circumstances that have influenced and shaped the town and its people. This information has been taken from snippets the book 'Iz Proslosti Tisnoga', as well as from my own understanding of events and life in Tisno, as retold by friends and family...
It is believed that Tisno was founded sometime in the 15th century as a safe-haven from the invading Ottoman Turks, who were at war with Venice (Tisno, like much of Dalmatia, was under the juristiction of the Venetian Republic at this time). The name of the town is first metioned in 1474. The town's original inhabitants are thought to have migrated from present-day Dazlina, Dubrava and Ivinj, fleeing the continual onslaughts of the Turkish invaders. Today, many Tišnjani (the local name for the people of Tisno) can trace their ancestory to Dazlina, Dubrava and Ivinj, as many of them still have landholdings, which have been passed down through the generations, in and around these hamlets. These 'immigrants' originally settled on the southern end of the island side of the town, known as Rat, and in Oštrice on the eastern side of the hill of Hartić, located on the mainland, where they were better able to foresee a possible Turkish attack. Throughout the 15th, 16th and 17th century Tisno and the majority of the Dalmatian coast and hinterland was under attack from the Ottoman Turks. During this period many people from Tisno, Dazlina, Dubrava and Ivinj were either killed or taken into slavery.
Being part of Venetian Dalmatia, the townspeople of Tisno were obliged to pay taxes to the Venetian government in Venice, usually through the bishopric of Sibenik as the local representative of Venice, who in turn imposed laws and regulated economic and social life. From this period until the early 1990s, Tisno and much of Dalmatia was almost constantly under some sort of foreign rule, with their own varying degrees of control and influence - from Venice to Hapsburg Austria-Hungary to Napoleonic France to Mousollini's Italy to Communist Yugoslavia.
The Italians returned to Tisno after the First World War for a brief period, and then again during the Second World War, when a large portion of Dalmatia was under Italian occupation. Unlike the former Venetian rule of the town, which was somewhat aloof and more or less controlled by Venetian representatives in Dalmatia, the Italian occupation of the 20th century was extremely controlling to the point of an 'Italianisation' of many aspects of daily life. In response, underground and guerrilla operations flourised, lead by the Communist Partisans, against the Italian occupier and later the Nazi Germans. The German and Italian withdrawal in 1944 was marked by great celebrations in Tisno, as the townspeople were full of hope that they were now finally free.
Being written in Communist Yugoslavia, Colic's book gives very little insight into life in Tisno under the communist regime (to write against the regime would have certainly resulted in imprisonment. Colic was actually interrogated prior to the publication of his book and was forced to deleted any information that was even vaguely anti-regime). Many attrocities were committed during this period, with a number of Tišnjani losing their lives at the hands of the communists. People in Tisno have differing accounts of life under communism - some believe that they were better off economically than they are today, whilst others fled the oppression and poor living conditions, with more than half of Tisno migrating primarily to Australia, Germany and Belgium in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Unfortunately, manu of those who were involved in the communist administration misused their influence to better themselves socially and financially.
The early 1990s saw the outbreak of the Croatian/Serbian war. Although there was no fighting on Tisno soil, its inhabitants feared a possible Serbian invasion as Croatian front-line troops were stationed as near as Dazlina, about 8km away, and the nearby coastal cities of Sibenik, 20km away, and Zadar, 50km away, were heavily bombed in air and land strikes. During this period, Tisno welcomed many Bosnian refugees who were given temporary accommodation in the hotel Borovnik and the 'Villa' building. The end of the war was welcomed with relief and joy, as finally Tisno was now finally free from foreign rule, although the much hoped for economic prosperity still evaded much of the population.
Life in Tisno remained somewhat unchanged through the early years of the 21st century - summer tourists returned on mass to the Dalmatian coast and winters were as stagnant as to be expected. The summer of 2008 saw the Kornati tragedy in which 13 local firefighters, four from Tisno, were killed on the island of Kornat fighting a shrub fire. This tragedy left a painful mark on the entire town and Croatia as a whole.
The church has always held a position of importance in the lives of the Tišnjani. Even today church attendance is high and Catholic feast days are observed and celebrated. Tisno was given its own parish in 1548 by the bishopric of Sibenik, at which time the Church of the Holy Spirit (Sveti Duh) was concecrated in Tisno. Three other churches can be found in the town. These include the Church of St. Rocco (Sveti Roko), the Church of St. Andrew (Sveti Andreja) and the Church of the Madonna of Carravaggio (Gospa od Karavaja), which is only one of two privately owned Catholic churches in the world (more on its importance in a later post). The two most important religious feast days in Tisno are 26th May, being the feast day of the Madonna of Carravaggio, which attracts many pilgrims who come to pray to the miraculous image of the Madonna located in the Church of the Madonna of Carravaggio; and 11th November, being the feast day of Saint Martin, the patron saint of Tisno.
The name Tisno was given to the town due to the narrow strait which divides the two sides of the town (Tisno means 'narrow' is Dalmatian Croatian/Tišnjanski - Tijesno in standard Croatian (more about the uniqueness of the language of the people of Tisno later). The difference between the pronunciation and spelling of Tisno and Tijesno meant that the town was officially known as Tijesno during Communist Yugoslavia. Also of interest, during the Venetian and Italian governance the town was given the Italian name Stretto meaning strait or narrow). Construction of a bridge to connect the two halves of the town began at the end of the 18th century, but was suspended until 1832 when wooden scaffolding was placed across the strait. This scaffolding was able to be elevated so boats could pass through the narrow channel. In 1868 the Italian government erected an iron bridge which has since been replaced in 1968 by a more modern, hydraulic version.
Throughout history, the majority of the population of Tisno were poor peasants who worked either their own land, or occasionally that of a wealthy land owner, in the regions of Tisno, Dazlina, Dubrava and Ivinj. Unlike the inhabitants of Jezera, Murter and Betina (the other towns on the island of Murter) who were primarily fishermen, the people of Tisno made a poor living through agriculture and livestock husbandry. The people of Tisno were primarily involved in viticulture, olive production for oil, almond and fruit tree cultivation. The livestock which they kept included oxen, cows, horses, mules, donkeys, sheep, goats and pigs. Donkeys especially have always been a very important animal in the lives of Dalmatian people. Today the donkey is a well known 'mascot' of Dalmatia and in Tisno an international donkey race is held in August each year, which I'm sure will be covered in a later post.
In the 18th century, many wealthy Italian families immigrated to Tisno and assimilated with the local community. Many of these Italians held important posts in the town, including mayors, teachers, doctors and priests. Their influence can be seen today by the eleven villas that remain in the town from this period (one of the most outstanding is the present day pharmacy, as well as the former Mazzura palace, which now houses the town council and court chambers).
Tisno has always had a rich economic, social and cultural life. Since the early 19th century, Tisno has distinguished itself as a important town, rather than a wayside village, due to its infrastructure, which includes a town council, customs office, regional court (which was at once stage dismantled, but later re-installed), harbour commission, doctor's surgery, parish, taxation and postal offices. A two-grade school was opened in Tisno in 1844, which was expanded to a six-grade school in 1871 and then to an eight-grade elementary school as it remains today.
Throughout the 20th century, Tisno has had a rich and varied cultural life. Organisations in the town were formed to establish a reading room, a town orchestra know as 'Hartić' which continues to play today, a drama group, a choral society, a folklore group - which as been re-installed in the past few years, and a klapa (a form of singing group which is unique to Dalmatia). The people of Tisno enjoy their sports, primarily soccer and rowing, which continues to be strong until the present day.
Tourism has been extremely important in the evolution of Tisno. The first recorded tourists to arrive in Tisno were a group of Czechs in 1923. Tisno has been noted as one of the first Dalmatian towns to welcome tourists to its picturesque shores. In order to accommodate the influx of tourist, primarily Germans, Italians and Czechs, the Hotel Borovinik and the caravan park/camp of Jazina were established and later expanded as tourism flourished. Today tourism is the backbone of Tisno's economy, providing the most employment and revenue of any other industry - restaurants, cafes, private accommodation suppliers, tour operators, shops - everyone benefits from the tourist dollars, which help the Tišnjani to survive beyond the summer sunshine.
Images thanks to Ivona Pribilovic at Udruga Argonauta, Murter
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