Why This Croatian Island Looks Like A Fingerprint

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The Dry Stone Walling technique has been used on Bavljenac island which makes it look like a fingerprint.

Croatia is one of the most appealing countries in South East Europe. A crescent-shaped country, it has low mountains and some unique islands as well. One of these islands is the Bavljenac which closely resembles a fingerprint. This island is made of 1000 dry-stone Mediterranean walls and is located in the central part of the Croatia coast.

The Dry Stone Walling technique has been used on this Croatian island which makes it look like a fingerprint. Dry stone walling is a technique of building structures without the use of mortar or any other binding material. Bavljenac island is one of the 249 islands located on the Šibenik archipelago, 10 km from the coast. Reportedly, farmers from the neighbouring island of Kaprije are said to have started the agricultural colonisation of Bavljenac island in the 19th century.

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As per reports, the farmers created vineyards on the Bavljenac island and planted olive trees, figs, and other fruits. Bavljenac Island is no longer in use today but the walls built here are a reminder of how efficiently it has served the past communities.

Bavljenac island encompasses a size of only 0.14km² but it is a must-visit sight for all the history enthusiasts. The Dry Stone Wall network on this island is 23.357 km long. The coastal perimeter of the Bavljenac island does not exceed more than 1431 meters. These dry stone walls were built by using superimposing simple stones to determine the boundaries of agricultural plots. These stone walls also protected the olive trees and vines from the wind. These networks of walls are indeed found in some neighbouring islands. The island of Bavljenac, however, comprises the largest concentration of these walls. Baljenac has been included in the cultural heritage list of UNESCO in 2018.

Tourists can visit the Bavljenac island and can get there via taxi boat from Šibenik, the closest mainland city. The Croatian people are proud to call the island their own and the Croatian government has also recognised its importance.