Baška is a village and municipality in Croatia. It is located on
the island of Krk, in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. Baška has
many cultural sights; Church of St. John the Baptist, Church of Our
Lady of Gorička, Chapel of St. Marko, Baška tablet, Church of St.
Lucia in Jurandvor, Homeland Museum of Baška, Mrgari - drywall
multi-room sheep in the shape of a flower
Baška abounds with
about thirty pebble beaches that are accessible to swimmers of all
ages, and can be reached on foot or by boat. However, the largest
and one of the most beautiful is Baška's "Vela plaža", located in
the southwest of the village, surrounded by many bars, restaurants,
pizzerias, cafes, hotels, private apartments and other facilities
that are an integral part of the offer. "Vela plaža" is a natural
pebble beach, 1800 m long, can accommodate several thousand bathers.
It is especially suitable for children and non-swimmers.
The
European Blue Flag has been flying on Baška's "Vela plaža" since
1999. The Blue Flag for the beach was awarded by the European
Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe (FEEE), and
symbolizes a preserved, safe and pleasant environment, clean sea and
coast, and equipment, beach arrangement with an elaborate management
system. area. On the beach it is possible to rent pedal boats,
surfboards, umbrellas, deck chairs and other beach equipment needed
for a pleasant holiday.
It was the beaches that encouraged
the development of tourism in Baška back in 1908, when the first
beach on the island of Krk was officially opened there.
The parish church of St. Trinity Church (Sveti Trojice) is the
largest church in Baška. The three-nave church was built around 1722 in
the Baroque style. In the church there is an altarpiece of the Mother of
God with saints, created at the end of the 15th century by Marco
Marziale, the picture Last Supper by Palma the Younger, as well as some
wooden and stone sculptures from the 15th to the 18th century.
The cemetery church of St. Johannes (Calva Sv. Ivana) is ocher in color.
In the bell tower there is the oldest bell of this area from 1431. It is
called The Old One.
In the vicinity of Baska there is also the
chapel of St. Lucia, where the tablet of Baška was found
Another
local sanctuary is the pilgrimage church "Sanctuary of the Mother of God
on the Mountain" (Svetište Majke Božije Goričke) near Batomalj, which
celebrated several anniversaries in 2015.
Crna Ovca
At the beginning of May, "the Black Sheep" is
celebrated. The program includes sports events such as the Corinthia Cup
Regatta in the Laser and Optimist classes, hiking on the surrounding
hiking trails of Baška, as well as a bicycle race. The cultural program
includes lectures on the theme of the sea and the universe, theatrical
performances, performances of various claps, as well as folk dance
groups. The gastronomy is all about the sheep and is prepared in various
traditional ways. In the village shepherds demonstrate the shearing of
the sheep.
Fishing Festival
Since 1910, the Fishermen's
Festival of Baška (Ribarski dan) has been celebrated every year on the
second Sunday of August. The highlight is a race in pulling fishing nets
to the beach.
Folk Art Festival Zasopimo, zatancajmo
The ŠOTO
Cultural Society from Baška traditionally organizes a folk art and klapa
festival every September under the name Zasopimo, zatancajmo. Numerous
folk art groups of the island of Krk, but also of the whole county and
the whole country take part in the festival. The purpose of this
festival is to preserve and maintain the cultural heritage of the Baška
municipality.
With 1673 inhabitants (2021 census), Baška is the second largest
municipality on the island of Krk in the Kvarner Bay. The village is
located at the southern end of the Baška Valley at the mouth of the Vela
Rika River, which originates at the Hlam Mountain. The distance to the
mainland (Krk Bridge) is about 50 km. In the past, the port of Baška
also served as a ferry port (ferry connections to Lopar (island of Rab)
and to Senj were offered – but this has not been the case for several
years). The main source of income is tourism. The first hotel was built
as early as 1906, and the first bathing beach was laid out two years
later. Baška has more than thirty pebble beaches. The largest of them is
"Vela plaža", a 1800 m long natural pebble beach.
Climate
There is a typical Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild,
rainy winters. The average annual temperature of 15 °C is due to the
above-average long and cloudless days and the balancing effect of the
sea. In summer, the average daily temperature is 24 °C (it is measured
twice at 21:00), in winter it is 6 °C. The average water temperature is
24 °C between April and September.
The seasons are characterized
by three winds: Bora (northeast wind, mainly in winter), Jugo (southwest
wind in spring and autumn) and Maestral (northwest wind in summer).
The original inhabitants of Baška were Illyrians from the Iapod
tribe. In the second century BC there was a Roman settlement near the
current port. Until the 14th century, the village was known as Kraj. The
Old Baška (Starigrad), protected by a castle, was originally located on
the hill of St. George. The church of St. John is located above the
current town, where the cemetery is located today. This old settlement
was destroyed by the Venetians in 1380 and was not rebuilt. Beginning of
the 16th century. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the
construction of the new place on today's waterfront began with the
construction of the Michaelskirchlein (St. Michael's Church) (1514). In
the Middle Ages, the city was first under the rule of the Frankopan
princes, then under the rule of Venice. Until the end of the First World
War in 1918, Baška was under Austrian rule.
In the valley of
Baška there are three more villages: Bašćanska Draga, Batomalj with the
pilgrimage church "To Our Lady on the Mountain" and the historically
significant settlement Jurandvor with the tablet of Baška (Bašćanska
ploča), a tablet with the oldest surviving Glagolitic characters
(excavated around 1100). The original is kept by the Croatian Academy of
Sciences and Arts in Zagreb. A copy of the tablet can be found in the
church of Sv. Lucije can be visited.
The most famous citizens of Baška include two people who were not
born in Baška. A bronze bust commemorates Emil Geistlich, the tourist
father of Baška, formerly director of the printing house Narodna
Politika in Prague. In 1913 he became the editor of the magazine Baška.
The main street is also named after him.
In the Local History
Museum (Zavičajni muzej) on the church terrace, the Tschermakova
Memorial Room commemorates the Czech doctor who worked as a community
doctor and promoter of tourism from 1910 to 1960.