PALAGRUŽA - MJESTO ČEŽNJE / A PLACE OF LONGING

PALAGRUŽA

MJESTO ČEŽNJE, NAJUDALJENIJI HRVATSKI OTOK I NAJVEĆI SVJETIONIK A PLACE OF LONGING, THE FARTHEST CROATIAN ISLAND AND THE LARGEST LIGHTHOUSE

Palagruža je u hrvatskom mediteranskom imaginariju mjesto čežnje, gotovo mitski komad kopna usred pučine do kojega stižu samo odabrani, najsretniji. Najudaljeniji je hrvatski otok, najisturenije svjetlo onima koji plove preko Jadrana, orijentir nautičarima i ribarima. Od Splita do (Velike) Palagruže 68 je milja, otok je dugačak niti kilometar i pol, širok svega tri stotine metara. Uz Veliku i Malu Palagružu u arhipelagu su još tri otočića – Kamik od tramuntane, Kamik od oštra i Galijula te petnaestak hridi (Pupak, Volići, Gaće, Baba i drugi).

Fotografije / Photos: Nenad Štancl In the Croatian Mediterranean imagination, Palagruža is a place of longing, almost a mythical piece of land in the middle of the open sea that only the chosen, the luckiest can reach. It is the island farthest from the Croatian land, the most protruding beam of light for those sailing across the Adriatic, guidance for boaters and fishermen. There are 68 miles from Split to (Velika) Palagruža; the island is not even a mile long, and its width is 300 metres. In addition to the Velika (‘great’) and Mala (‘little’) Palagruža, there are three other islets in the archipelago – Kamik od Tramuntane, Kamik od Oštra and Galijula, along with fifteen rocks (Pupak, Volići, Gaće, Baba and others).

Na Velikoj Palagruži nema dana bez vjetra, puše tako snažno da nikad nije izgrađeno pristanište, pa se iskrcati može samo s manje brodice. Makar, ni za bonace nije posve lako stati na otok. S barke iskačemo na Velo Žalo, jednu od ljepših jadranskih plaža, u uvalu jajastih kamenih oblutaka od kojih su neki začuđujuće veliki. Baš svaki je posve uglačan, jer na Velom je Žalu jugo često i žestoko, pred sobom nosi kamenje, snažno ga valja, potapa, kad se stiša more ga ispljune, vraća na žalo, pa kad to čovjek vidi više se ne čudi nježnoj, gotovo svilenoj glatkoći oblutaka. Diomedov otok

Dok se uspinjemo prema svjetioniku na sve je strane divljeg luka, pelina, u nježnim pupoljcima izbijaju prve ovogodišnje kapare, žute se cvjetovi mliječi. Nekad se mislilo da je Palagruža vulkanskog podrijetla, no istraživanja su pokazala da je u davna doba bila kopno, povezano s Garganom, Temitima, Mljetom, Lastovom i Sušcem. Neki istraživači govore da je bila Diomedov otok, da se upravo ovdje sklonio pred osvetom Afrodite, božice ljubavi koju je ranio kod Troje. Na vrhu otoka, na klisuri što stoji 90 metara nad morem, velika je kamena kuća, monumentalni svjetionik podignut za doba AuThere are no wind-free days on Velika Palagruža; the wind blows so hard that a quay has never been built and the island can only be reached by a smaller boat. And it's not entirely easy to dock here even when the sea is calm. From the boat we jump to Velo Žalo, which is one of the most beautiful beaches in the Adriatic, situated in a bay and full of oval stone pebbles, some of which are surprisingly large. Every single one is completely polished, because on Velo Žalo the sirocco wind blows often and fiercely, chasing the stones before it, rolling them with force, sinking them, and, when the sea gets calmer, spitting them back to the beach. Seeing that, you are no longer surprised by the gentle, almost silky smoothness of the pebbles. Diomedes´ island

As we climb towards the lighthouse, there is wild garlic and wormwood everywhere; the first capers of the year are coming into gentle buds, and the yellow of cypress spurge is striking. Palagruža was once thought to be of volcanic origin, but research has shown that in ancient times it was part of the mainland, connected with Gargano, Tremiti, Mljet, Lastovo and Sušac. Some researchers say it was Diomedes' island, that it was here that he took refuge from the vengeance of Aphrodite, the goddess of love he had wounded at Troy.

Ovdje nema dana bez vjetra, puše tako snažno da nikad nije izgrađeno pristanište, pa se iskrcati može samo s manje brodice. Makar, ni za bonace nije posve lako stati na otok. There are no wind-free days here; the wind blows so hard that a quay has never been built and the island can only be reached by a smaller boat. And it's not entirely easy to dock here even when the sea is calm.

stro-Ugarske, u 19. stoljeću. Projektirao ga je Richard Hanisch, dvije godine su ga gradili radnici iz Visa i Komiže. Makar zapravo nenastanjena, Palagruža nikad nije pusta, ovdje su u svako doba barem dvojica svjetioničara. Mjesec dana rade, mjesec dana su slobodni, tad se odmoriti vraćaju svojima, a o Palagruži brine druga smjena. Sva četvorica palagruških svjetioničara Korčulani su. Svjetioničara je na Palagruži, pretpostavlja se, još iz rimskog doba. Trgovina je među lijevom i desnom obalom Jadrana bila intenzivna pa je trebalo osigurati plovidbu. Svjetionik na Palagruži najveći je na hrvatskoj strani Jadrana. Većim je dijelom sagrađen od bračkog, a ne od palagruškog kamena. Doduše, za izgradnje je ovdje otvoren kamenolom, ispočetka se vadio kamen, ali bio je toliko tvrd, uništavao im alat, da su naposljetku odlučili dopremiti brački. Četiri svjetioničara

Ovdje smo stigli brodom Plovputa d.o.o., njime jednom mjesečno dopreme sve potrepštine za svjetioničare i svjetionik, njime odlazi jedna i dolazi druga smjena svjetioničara. Krcat je brod, jer sve se pomno planira i kupuje za cijeli mjesec unaprijed. Otkad je Plovput svjetionike automatizirao i nadzire ih putem sustava daljinskog upravljanja, svjetioničari u službi više posla imaju s meteorologijom negoli lanternom. Jer, na Palagruži je i meteorološka stanica. „Zimi se budimo u 3:50, svaka tri sata, sve do 21:00, treba očitavati vrijeme i slati podatke. Ako sam ja dežuran danas, sutra je kolega Vojo, tako se smjenjujemo. Ljeti očitavamo od 5:00 do 22:00“, govori svjetioničar Krešimir Tomašić. Svjetioničari su samoćom i morem kaljeni ljudi. Na Palagruži su proteklih mjesec dana bili Ivo Šain i Tomislav Žuvela, s nama je stigla druga smjena - Ivin otac, Vojo Šain te kolega mu Krešimir Tomašić. At the top of the island, on a cliff standing 90 meters above the sea, there is a large stone building, a monumental lighthouse erected in the 19th century, during the Austro-Hungarian era. It was designed by Richard Hanisch, took two years to build and was built by workers from Vis and Komiža. Even if not actually inhabited, Palagruža is never deserted; there are at least two lighthouse keepers here at all times. They work for a month, and then have a month off, when they go back to their families to have a rest. Palagruža is then taken care of by the other shift. All four keepers on Palagruža are Korčulans. There have been lighthouse keepers on Palagruža, it is assumed, from Roman times. Since there was a lively trade between the left and right coasts of the Adriatic, navigation had to be made possible. The lighthouse on Palagruža is the largest on the Croatian side of the Adriatic. It was mostly built of stone from Brač, not Palagruža. Admittedly, a quarry was opened here during the construction, and, at first, stone was extracted to build the foundations and the ground floor. However, it was so hard that it destroyed tools on an every-day basis, so it was eventually decided to bring stone from Brač. Four lighthouse keepers

We arrived here by boat owned by the Plovput company, which, once a month, supplies the lighthouse and the keepers with all the necessities, ferrying the keepers to and from their place of work. The boat is full, because everything is carefully planned and bought for the whole month in advance. Since Plovput d.o.o. has introduced automation into lighthouses and started to closely monitor them through remote control systems, lighthouse keepers have more to do with meteorology than lamps and lenses because Palagruža also has a weather station. "In winter, we wake up at 3.50 am; we have to take the measurements and send the data every three hours, until 9 pm. If I'm on call today, tomorrow's my colleague Vojo, that's how we take our shifts. In summer we take measurements from 5 am to 10 pm," says Krešimir Tomašić, one of the keepers. Lighthouse keepers are people hardened by solitude and the sea. Ivo Šain and Tomislav Žuvela have been at Palagruža for the past

Na vrhu otoka, na klisuri 90 metara nad morem, velika je kamena kuća, monumentalni svjetionik podignut za doba Austro-Ugarske, u 19. stoljeću. U zgradi svjetionika su i dva apartmana u kojima odsjedaju turisti. Iz svake sobe pruža se pogled od milijun dolara. Gost ovdje ustaje i liježe zagledan u pučinu.

At the top of the island, on a cliff 90 meters above the sea, there is a large stone building, a monumental lighthouse erected in the 19th century, during the Austro-Hungarian era. There are also two apartments in the lighthouse, where tourists can stay. Each room offers a million-dollar view. Here, a visitor can get up and go to bed looking at the open sea.

„Svjetlo bez prestanka mora gorjeti cijelu noć. Fotoćelija se automatski pali i gasi, na struju je, nema navijanja. Nekad je svjetioničar svaka tri sata morao navijati uteg koji je prolazio od vrha od dna kuće. Prije no što bi stigao do dna valjalo ga je ponovo naviti.“, govori svjetioničar Žuvela. Otac i sin Šain, Vojo (57) i Ivo (29), zbog svjetioničarskog se posla već godinama viđaju mjesečno svega jedanput, samo na dan smjene na Palagruži, provedu skupa jedva par sati, koliko treba da se napravi primopredaja dežurstva. „Fali mi vrijeme s ocem. Volio bih s njim nešto proživjeti, doživjeti, poći ribariti pa da i ja imam priče kakve je on meni pričao kud je bio s njegovim pokojnim ocem.“, čežnutljivo će Ivo. Na Palagružu je prvi put došao kao osmogodišnjak, 1999. kad je otac, nakon što je kao mornar oplovio cijeli svijet, ovdje dobio službu. „Ostalo mi je i danas u glavi kako sam se uspinjao ovim putem od Žala i iznenadio kad sam negdje na polovici ugledao svjetionik. Očekivao sam da će tu biti dućani, igračke, ma svašta… Nakon nekog vremena na otoku poželio bih se slatkiša, otac bi ih naručio od ribara, a ja sam čekao brod pa trčao na žal kad bi vidio da stižu.” month, and the second shift – Vojo Šain, Ivo's father, and his colleague Krešimir Tomašić – arrived with us on the boat. "The light must be on all night, non-stop. If one of the bulbs blows accidentally, the alarm goes off and the problem is dealt with immediately. Some time ago, a weight extending from the top to the bottom of the building had to be wound up every three hours by the keeper. Before it got to the bottom, it had to be wound up again. Now there is an electric motor powering the machine," say keeper Žuvela, pointing out that Plovput is extremely closely monitoring the safety of navigation. For years, the post of lighthouse keepers has let father and son Šain, Vojo, 57, and Ivo, 29, see each other just once a month, on the day of the shift handover, on the island of Palagruža, where they spend barely a few hours together, just long enough to complete the handover. "I miss spending time with my father. I'd like to do things with him, to experience things together, to go fishing, so that I too can tell stories like the ones he told me about where he had been with his late father," says Ivo longingly. He first came to Palagruža as an eight-year-old; it was in 1999, when his father, having sailed all over the world as a seaman, got a post here. "I can still remember climbing this path from the beach and being surprised halfway through when I saw a lighthouse. I expected there to be shops, toys, such things... After a while I would dream of sweets. My father would ask the the fishermen to bring some, and I would wait for the boat and run to the beach when I saw them arrive." No boredom

Vojo too remembers his first landing: "I was terrified. This isn't an island like any other; if you approach it from the south side, it looks like a horror film set with a castle on top of a hill. If you approach it from the north, it's completely gentle, flat. I was impressed when I saw it from the sea. But the moment I disembarked I felt great peace and tranquility that I still feel here today."

The longest time he spent on Palagruža, recounts Vojo, was 53 days in a row. "I'd stay a hundred. If I don't see the sea for three days – I get ill. It's never boring here. If you’re looking at the calendar, lying on the couch and waiting for your shift to end, Palagruža is like jail. But if you get down to work, it's heaven here. The building is huge, it needs to be maintained. Say, shutters, doors, windows... all are damaged by salt and sun here and should be painted every now and then." At the lighthouse, we find Ivo's three children, Vojo's grandchildren, who have come with their mother to visit their father for the Easter holidays. In the early morning, seven-year-old Magdalena carefully observes a hawk circling over the courtyard. Patiently, for a long time, she follows it with her eyes; the girl is fascinated by birds. She takes delight in the seagulls sitting on a stone fence around the lighthouse, as well as a couple of hens that were brought from the neighbouring Sušac, so the lighthouse keepers can have fresh eggs. In windy weather, when the view clears, you can see Italy, and Biševo, Vis, Hvar, Korčula, Mljet, Lastovo; visibility can be 60–70 km, keeper Krešimir is showing us, bringing into the house things sent by the cable car from below, from the boat.

Nema dosade

I Vojo pamti svoje prvo iskrcavanje: “Umro sam od straha. Nije ovo otok kao drugi, ako mu prilaziš s južne strane izgleda kao scenografija za film strave, zamak na vrhu brda. Ako mu prilaziš sa sjevera posve je pitomo, ravno. Dojmio me se kad sam ga ugledao s mora. Ali, trenutak kad sam se iskrcao osjetio sam veliku pitomost i spokoj koji ovdje osjećam i danas.“ Najduže je na Palagruži, pripovijeda Vojo, u komadu proveo 53 dana. „Ostao bih i stotinu. Ako tri dana ne vidim more – razbolim se. Ovdje nikad nije dosadno. Ako gledaš u kalendar, ležiš na kauču i čekaš kad će ti smjena, na Palagruži je kao da si u zatvoru. Ali, ako si nađeš posla onda je ovdje raj. Zgrada je ogromna, treba održavati kuću. Recimo, škure, vrata, prozori… sve to ovdje tuče sol i sunce, treba farbati svako malo." Na svjetioniku zatičemo troje Ivine djece, Vojinu unučad, s majkom su za uskršnje praznike došli u posjet ocu. Sedmogodišnja Magdalena pažljivo promatra sokola koji kruži iznad dvorišta. Strpljivo ga, dugo slijedi pogledom, ptice su djevojčici fascinacija. Raduju je galebovi naslagani na kamenu ogradu oko svjetionika. I par kokošiju što su ih donijeli sa susjednog Sušca, da svjetioničari imaju svježa jaja. Za vjetrovita vremena, kad razbistri pogled, vidi se Italija, i Biševo, Vis, Hvar, Korčula, Mljet, Lastovo, vidljivost zna biti po 60-70 km u daljinu, pokazuje nam svjetioničar Krešimir unoseći u kuću stvari što ih dizalicom šalju od dolje, s broda. To kako na Palagruži puše ni drveće ne može podnijeti, zato ga na otoku i nema. Raste jedino makija i nisko bilje. Ali, nit taj vjetar The way the wind blows on Palagruža is something not even trees can handle, so that's why there are none on the island. There’s only macchia shrubland growing here. But neither can the wind disturb the tranquility of this piece of land in the middle of the open sea, nor can the sun that starts scorching the vegetation in May make Palagruža ugly. At all times of the year, here is a beauty that provokes more than pleasure in the traveller; it brings – pure joy. Archaeological finds have confirmed that the ancient Romans built structures here. Some believe that there used to be a shrine on the island. Fragments of ceramic dishes have been found on Palagruža, dating from between 2500 and 1800 BCE. There was a temple on the island in Roman times. The skeleton of a man stabbed with an arrow was also unearthed here.

Pope on Palagruža

Tomislav Žuvela, 39, with whom Ivo Šain works shifts on Palagruža, is also the son of a lighthouse keeper. His father retired last year after 33 years spent on the island. Žuvela was two months old when he was first brought here. He grew up here, living on the island until he was six years old, and then returned to Korčula with his mother and sister to go to school there. We are standing outside by the house. Looking out at Sušac, Žuvela leans into a thermograph and reads the numbers. From the Palagruža lighthouse, the keepers regularly send information about air temperature, speed and direction of winds, cloudiness, types of clouds, state of the sea, etc.

remeti duboki mir ovog tla usred pučine, nit sunce koje ovdje od svibnja sparuši vegetaciju može Palagružu poružnjeti. U svako doba godine ovdje je ljepote koja u putnika budi više od radosti, tjera na - ushićenje. Arheološki nalazi potvrdili su da su još stari Rimljani gradili na ovom otoku. Neki vjeruju da je postojalo i svetište. Na Palagruži su nađeni ostaci keramičkog posuđa koji datiraju iz doba između 2500-te i 1800-te prije nove ere. Na otoku je za doba Rimljana bio hram. Papa na Palagruži

I Tomislav Žuvela (39), kolega s kojim Ivo Šain drži smjenu na Palagruži, sin je svjetioničara. Njegov je otac u mirovinu otišao lani, nakon 33 godine Palagruže. Žuvela je imao dva mjeseca kad su ga prvi put donijeli ovamo. Tu je i odrastao, do šeste godine, a onda se mati s njim i sestrom vratila na Korčulu, zbog škole. Stojimo vani pored kuće. Zagledani put Sušca. Žuvela nagne glavu u termograf pa očitava brojke. S Palagruže svjetioničari redovito šalju informacije o temperaturi zraka, brzini i smjeru vjetrova, naoblaci, vrstama oblaka, stanju mora… Sredina je travnja, ovdje je danas 16 stupnjeva. Pogleda smjerokaz za vjetrove, makar i napamet zna koji puše: „Ako puše čisto jugo udara ravno dolje u Veliko Žalo, i po valovima lako čitaš što točno puše. Kad puše malo istočnije od Sušca to je bura, tramuntana je čisti sjever, ona se javlja između Sušca i Visa…“ 1980-ih, u doba dok jadranski svjetionici nisu automatizirani, na lanterni je moralo biti više svjetioničara, dežuralo se non-stop. Smjene su im trajale mjesecima, jer, do tih It's mid-April and it's 16 degrees here today. He looks at the weather wane, even if he knows by heart which wind is blowing: "If sirocco is blowing, it hits straight down into the Veliko Žalo beach, and just by looking at the waves you can easily see which wind is blowing. When it blows a little further east off Sušac, it is bora; tramontane is straight from the north, it occurs between Sušac and Vis." In the 1980s, when Adriatic lighthouses were not automated yet, the job of a lighthouse keeper was different; there had to be more of them at the lighthouse, and somebody had to be on duty around the clock. They would stay at the lighthouses much longer, for months, because the journey to these islands took a long time and was expensive and it took at least ten hours to reach Palagruža. At that time, the lighthouse keeper had to be married and there were as many as four families at the lighthouse. They would stay for up to a year; month-to-month shifts were inconceivable then.

Palagruža nikad nije pusta, ovdje su u svako doba barem dvojica svjetioničara. Mjesec dana rade, mjesec dana su slobodni. Sva četvorica palagruških svjetioničara Korčulani su.

Palagruža is never deserted; there are at least two lighthouse keepers here at all times. They work for a month, and then have a month off. All four lighthouse keepers on Palagruža are Korčulans.

otoka plovilo se dugo i skupo, do Palagruže je trebalo najmanje deset sati. U ta doba gledalo se da svjetioničar bude oženjen, na svjetioniku su bile po četiri obitelji, ostali bi i po godinu dana, smjene mjesec za mjesec bile su nezamislive. Danas na Palagruži ponajviše uživaju – gosti, jer ljeti na otoku nisu samo svjetioničari, u zgradi svjetionika su i dva apartmana u kojima odsjedaju turisti. Iz svake sobe pruža se pogled od milijun dolara. Gost ustaje i liježe zagledan u pučinu. U dvanaestom se stoljeću, na putu za Veneciju i na pregovore s Fridrihom Barbarosom, na Palagruži kratko iskrcao i papa Aleksandar III. Putovao je s pomorskom flotom od deset galija, zatečen ljepotom Palagruže odlučio se ovdje zaustaviti. Objedovao je pa nastavio dalje, a mjesto gdje je navodno stao i danas se naziva Papinom njivom. Više je puta po raznim svjetskim medijima u konkurenciji s drugima najljepšima i najnepristupačnijim otocima širom svijeta Palagruža posebno isticana kao biser robinzonskog turizma. Ipak, to je samo privid robinzonstva. Dok ste ovdje u sigurnim ste rukama, na goste svjetioničari paze diskretno ali srdačno, bitno im je da im osiguraju mir, ali i osjećaj sigurnosti. Žuvelu, čiji je otac u mirovinu s lanterne otišao lani, pitamo koji je najpametniji savjet što mu ga je ostavio: „…da ne napuštam službu, ovo je dobar posao! Bila je prije sedam, osam godina, kad sam bio mlađi, faza da mi je bilo dosta. Htio sam biti kući, družiti se s ljudima, izlaziti van. Ali, sad mi je drago da nisam posustao.“, zadovoljno će.  Today, visitors to Palagruža are the ones who enjoy the most. Since then, lighthouse keepers have not been the only people on Palagruža in summer; there are also two apartments here, in the lighthouse, where tourists can stay. Each room offers a million-dollar view. A visitor can get up and go to bed looking at the open sea. In the twelfth century, while on his way to Venice to participate in negotiations with Frederick Barbarossa, Pope Alexander III also briefly landed on Palagruža. He travelled with a naval fleet of ten galleys, and, taken aback by the beauty of Palagruža, decided to stop. He dined here and moved on, and the place where he supposedly stood is still called Pope's field. Various world media have repeatedly singled out Palagruža among the most beautiful and most inaccessible islands around the world as the gem of Robinson Crusoe-style tourism. Still, it's just an illusion of a desert island. While you are here, you are in safe hands; lighthouse keepers look after the visitors discreetly and in a friendly manner. It is important to ensure not only peace, but also a sense of security. " We ask Žuvela, whose father retired from the lighthouse last year, what was the wisest advice he gave him: "Not to leave the service, this is a good job! Seven, eight years ago, when I was younger, I went through a phase of being fed up. I wanted to be home, hang out with people, go out. But now I'm glad I didn't give up," he says happily. 