Almost everyone knows today that Milna on the island of Brač is located in a deep bay, very well protected from the influence of winds. This is precisely what has made it attractive for many nautical and other activities for centuries. The very location, on the western side of the island, in a relatively narrow channel, a passage, between the islands of Šolta and Brač, also had a strategic importance, which was exploited during the French rule of Dalmatia by building the Battery on the southwestern side of the entrance to the bay.
The centuries-old rich maritime history of Milna has found its home in the new Interpretation Center of Milna Maritime History, which opened its doors to the public on Monday, April 8, 2024.
From the end of the 15th century, Milna was home to the castle of the noble Cerineo family, and more intensive settlement was recorded in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, while in the mid-18th century, Milna acquired a large shipyard and slowly became a center of maritime, shipping, shipbuilding, and later industrial fish processing. It is precisely these economic branches that shaped the face of Milna, which since 1917 has had the name and status of a protected cultural asset as a cultural and historical environment, and after that, its speech – Milnarska cakavica – has also been protected.
However, today the situation is different, Milna is not home to shipbuilding, maritime industry of that caliber, nor industrial fish processing. Different winds blew in the calm bay and all the natural features of the bay became attractive mainly to stakeholders of nautical tourism. With the conversion of the economy from shipbuilding and fishing to tourism, all the features that created the cultural and historical identity of Milna slowly changed, which to this day is slowly but surely disappearing from the collective memory.
Precisely to stop the trends of disappearance, of disappearance, for all seekers of identity and history, but also for others, the construction and The opening of the Milna Maritime History Interpretation Center will mark a key point, the end of the era of forgetting and the beginning of the era of valorization, restoration of history and empowerment for a challenging future.. The center will have its doors open to all locals and visitors, and the carefully selected exhibition, which is presented in the accompanying catalog, is sure to be a time-traveling experience for all groups regardless of age, gender, and nationality. Therefore, let everyone feel invited to dive into the history of our common cultural heritage through the Milna Maritime History Interpretation Center.
The project was approved in a tender by the Brač LAGUR, and was co-financed by funds from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.
