The commune of Konavle in Croatia

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Presentation

General information

Escutcheon of the commune of Konavle. Click to enlarge the image.

Konavle are a small area of hills and narrow plains, bordered of high cliffs and rich person of an exceptionally alive traditional culture. The back-country abounds in hamlets to the innumerable medieval vaults and the typical local stone houses.

The peak Sniježnica with 1234 meters of altitude is the summit of the county of Dubrovnik-Neretva and the village of Kuna with its 700 m of altitude is the most village of the county.

The chief town of the commune is Gruda, but more the big city is Cavtat.

Etymology
The name of Konavle comes from the Latin word “canalis”, in the local speech “konali”, or “kanali”, which refers to the aqueduct, or channel, which, at the time Roman, brought the water of the Vodovađa river to Epidaurus, current Cavtat. In Italian Konavle name Canali.

Situation

Tourist chart. Click to enlarge the image.

The mountainous region of Konavle forms the southernmost part of Croatia and extends to the border from Montenegro while not ceasing being reduced in width (a few kilometers hardly, at certain places, between the sea and the border).

Bordered to north by the Konavle mounts, to the south by the Adriatic Sea, Konavle extend, in the east, to the entry of bay of Mouths of Kotor to Montenegro and the peninsula of Prevlaka, and is stretched, in the west, to inhabited bays of Cavtat and Obod. The central part, it, is consisted the easily flooded plain of Konavle. Except Cavtat, only the south of the village of Molunat is located on the coast, while the thirty other villages are in the back-country.

History, literature, arts, traditions, legends, religions, myths, symbols…

History
The area of Konavle, before being acquired at the 15th century by the republic of Venice, was placed under the sovereignty of Bosnia.

Economy
Surrounded by green hills, the fertile plain of Konavle, at all times, supplied the inhabitants of Dubrovnik. Tourism ensures today the main part of the economic incomes of the area of Konavle, which however remained an important agricultural, proud zone of its festivals and traditions.
The Dubrovnik Stone
The road which skirts the steep coast from Dubrovnik makes it possible to see, with far, the great stone quarry with which one builds the cities of the surroundings. This career forms an enormous white spot, which is useful, one says, of benchmark to the sailors.

Traditions

Girl of the area of Konavle in traditional costume. Click to enlarge the image.

The agricultural activity was not supplanted by tourism. It is perhaps why the folk traditions remained long-lived in Konavle.

The costume was a sign of fortune and social status of the inhabitants of Konavle, women, in particular. The embroidery of Konavle is the basic decorative element of the female dress, it was embroidered on the chest and the handles. At the origin, the embroideries were carried out thanks to the sons of silk obtained of the worms with silk, which were high in each house, and tinted in a natural way.

The women always carry the posica, small triangle white which they fold on the nape of the neck and which recovers the face to them. In Čilipi and Gruda, they raise even the regional costume the market days.