Silba

Silba narrows in the middle to a few hundred metres, so the village sits on the waist with a beach on the eastern side and another on the western, and you can move between them in ten minutes. Cars are banned entirely, and in summer bicycles are banned in the village too, which makes it exceptionally quiet. The island was wealthy in the age of sail with its own captains and fleet; when steam took the trade the population left, and the substantial stone houses date from the earlier period. The Toreta, a round tower with a spiral outer stair, was built in the nineteenth century by a captain, the story says out of jealousy over a woman.

History

The island's old name, Selbo, is thought to come from the Latin silva, forest. It appears in records in the 9th century, belonging to the county of Zadar in 827, and in 1073, probably at the request of King Petar Krešimir's sister Cika, the first nun of St Mary's in Zadar, it was given to that convent. Later Venice sold it to a captain, Fani Soppe, for 12,350 ducats, and it passed to the Venetian Morosini family, who held it until the early 19th century; in 1770 they agreed to take a yearly rent of 2,000 Venetian lire instead of a quarter of the harvest. In 1838 the Morosini sold Silba for 28,500 Austrian lire to Marko Ragusin of Veli Lošinj, who wanted the quarter in kind; after a thirteen-year lawsuit he sold the island to its own people, each paying for his plot, 5,025 Bavarian thalers in all, and the purchase was registered on 19 March 1852, St Joseph's Day, still the island's main feast. In the 18th century Silba had a fleet of 38 three-masted and 60 two-masted sailing ships, the source of its old prosperity, until the French destroyed it early in the 19th century. Until the same time the islanders elected a "village king" each St Stephen's Day, 26 December, who ruled with twelve councillors until 6 January; his crown is kept in the parish church (Wikipedia, Silba).

What's there

• An island with two coasts in ten minutes - the village on the narrow waist.
• No cars at all - and no bicycles in the village in summer.
• Captains' stone houses - from the age of sail, before steam took the trade.
• The Toreta tower - built by a captain, with an outer spiral stair.

When to go

June to September, when the boats are frequent. A full day.

Things to know

Ferry and catamaran schedules are limited and a day trip needs planning. Everything is carried by hand or handcart. Services are seasonal and few. Beaches are pebble and rock.

Nearby

Olib is the next island; Zadar is on the mainland.

Key facts