Krapanj

Krapanj lies a few hundred metres off Brodarica and is the smallest inhabited island in Croatia and the lowest, rising only a couple of metres above the sea. Its trade was sponges: a Franciscan from Crete is credited with teaching the islanders to harvest them in the sixteenth century, and Krapanj divers worked the Adriatic beds for centuries, later using hard-hat diving equipment. Disease in the sponge beds and changing markets ended most of it, but processing continues on a small scale and a museum in the village covers the work. The island is walked in twenty minutes and has no cars.

Background

The island covers 0.36 km2, and its highest point is only 7 metres above the sea. In 1436 a man named Jurić bought the then empty island to build a Franciscan church, and in 1523 his 4 sons completed the monastery and the Holy Cross Church. The monastery was given a parish in 1652, and the church was enlarged in 1937. Its collection includes "The Last Supper" by Francesco da Santa Croce, an Italian painter of the 16th century, and a Renaissance work, "The Black Madonna On The Throne". Sponge divers here went down 6 times a day to depths of over 40 metres in suits weighing 100 kg. The island had 166 residents in 2021.

Source: Wikipedia, "Krapanj"

Highlights

• The smallest and lowest inhabited island - a couple of metres above the sea.
• Sponge diving since the sixteenth century - taught, by tradition, by a Cretan friar.
• Hard-hat diving history - the equipment the later divers used.
• A village walked in twenty minutes - and no cars on it.

When to go

June to September. Half a day.

Good to know

The sponge trade is largely finished and what is sold is limited. The island is tiny with few services and thin boat schedules off season. There are no real beaches, just shore and concrete.

Nearby

Brodarica is across the channel; Sibenik is north.

Key facts