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Kornati are the most dense group of islands in the whole
of the Mediterranean. It is located between the islands of
Žirje, Dugi otok and Pašman. The arcipelago is divided into
two groups: Lower Kornati consisting of Kornat and surrounding
islands and Upper Kornati made of Sit, Žut and surrounding
islands.
Because of the extraordinary beauty of landscape, the abundance
of natural bays and the rich sea flora and fauna, out of 152
of the Kornati islands, 89 of them were declared a national
park in 1980.
One of the most impressive natural phenomena on Kornati are
cliffs on many islands of the Lower Kornati, facing open sea.
The cliffs have always been referred to as "crowns"
(corona) and that is probably where the name of Kornati originates
from. The highest cliffs can be found on the island of Klobučar
(80m high), Mana (65m) and Rašip veli (64m).The cliffs can
reach even up to 100m under water.
Apart from cliffs and the unusual shapes of the islands,
another attraction on Kornati are straits Mala and Vela Proversa
(the Small and the Great Proversa), located between the islands
of Kornat, Katina and Dugi Otok. Mala Proversa is actually
a shallow, dug through for sailing even in Roman times. Many
archaeological findings can still be seen there, like the
remains of buildings and a vivarium from the 1st century A.D.
A very unique thing to be seen is the so-called Vela ploča
(the Great Plate) or Magazinova škrila, a 9,100m2 large, even,
bear surface of limestone. It is located near Metlina (237m),
the highest peak on Kornati.
Cruising the Kornati for the first time, you will surely
notice hundreds of metres of the so- called "dry walls".
Our ancestors built them with their own hands, come rain or
shine, in order to keep their land and protect their pasture-ground,
i.e. to prevent sheep from crossing from one pasture into
the other. On some of the islands the length of these walls
reaches up to 70 km, as it does on the island of Kornat.
The center of life on these islands used to be around the
plain of Tarac, with its Tureta fortress, built around 6 A.D.
You can also find the Church of Our Lady of Tarac, the Queen
of the Sea, which was built on remains of an early Christian
church from the 16th century. The first Sunday in July is
the day when the congregation of Murter go on a pilgrimage
to Tarac and their votive ship procession is surely one of
the most beautiful religious events in Croatia.
Although the Kornati islands are not permanently inhabited,
there are a few labourer's and fishermen's houses scattered
around quiet, well preserved bays on islands like Žut, Sita,
Kornat and the surrounding smaller islands. Nowadays, these
houses have been made into restaurants and accommodation for
the so-called "robinson tourism" and have become
the favourite destination of navigators and other tourists.
Kornat
Kornat is the largest, the highest, the longest and also the
best known island in the Šibenik archipelago. It is also the
largest island in Croatia with no permanent settlements. Whereas
the north-east of the island is not well-indented, the south-east
is extremely rich in bays, the most famous of which are Opat,
Kravljačica, Vruje, Strižnja and Lučica. Kornat is also known
for its peaks, the Tureta fortress, the church of Our Lady
of Tarac, as well as the great flat cliff called the Magazin's
slate.
Žut
Žut is the second largest island in the Kornati archipelago.
It is located next to the island of Kornat and divided from
it by the passage of Žut. Žut is famous for its olive-groves
and top quality olive oil. Some of the well known bays include
Bizikovica, Golubovac, Sabuni, Dragišina, Žešnja etc. The
ACI yacht harbour is located on this island.
Sit
Sit is one of the less known large islands. Its landscape
looks more gentle than the southern islands of Kornati. Srednji
kanal (the Middle passage) is located between Sit and Pašman
- it is the best sea way between the waters of Zadar and Šibenik.
The best known bays include Dulukina, Šumica, Ćitapićeva and
Đunđirina.
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