Relics from the Past

Straight from a James Bond movie, this relic from the Cold War on the remote island of Vis is a must see. Leaving the harbour of Vis towards the North just around the corner you will find the natural secluded harbour of Rogacic. Abandoned in 1991 when Croatia declared independence, the bunker for submarines is the most obvious remnant of the Island’s Cold War past. As Vis is the farthest inhabited Dalmatian island from the mainland, throughout centuries little was known about the island. When Greeks established in the 4th century BC their first settlement on the island it was then already seen as a strategic point to overlook the Adriatic Sea. During World War II the main naval base for the Yugoslav People’s Army was based on the Island. On mount Hum president Josip Tito had his bunker, which oversaw the complete Adriatic sea. The bunker is well preserved for visitors and it is said that in this hiding place Tito plotted resistance to the Nazis.

From 1989 on Vis slowly opened up for the public and came in contact with tourism. Today there is no military activity on the Island; most of the inhabitants earn their living by fishing, viniculture and during the summer months by tourism. If you like history, make sure to book a military tour at a local agency to see the relics of the past.