The town of Pučišća, island of Brač in Croatia

[Photos] [Presentation] [Situation] [Visits] [Culture] [Practical Information] [Other topics]

[Previous topics] [Croatia] [Parent topics] [Next topics] [Via Gallica]

Presentation

General information

Escutcheon of Pucisca. Click to enlarge the image.

The port (author Vibor Mulic). Click to enlarge the image.

Pučišća is a city and a port of approximately 2500 inhabitants located on the island of Brač in Croatia. It it the second most important city of the island.

Pučišća is also a municipality belonging to the county of Split-Dalmatia; it is composed of three villages: Gornji Humac, Pražnica and Pučišća itself.

The city is re-elected for its tradition of stonecutters.

Etymology
The toponym of Pučišća (to pronounce “louse-tchich-tcha”) comes from the Latin word puteus, which means well, croatized in puc. This brackish water well, where the cattle was watered, was in current Soline. At the time Venetian Pucisca named Pucischie.

Situation

Pučišća is located at the center of the northern coast of the island of Brač to 28 km of Supetar and 26 km of Sumartin.

The city was built at the bottom of a deep bay, safe from wind of the north which blows on the coast during the winter months.

Visits

The white stone of Brač was of course used more particularly to build the city, which gives him a a little fairy-like air, for the houses with the white roofs of roofing stones limestones built on the hill. However, of many houses comprise today an industrial tiled roof which slices compared to old constructions.
The Church Saint Jerome
The parish church Saint Jerome was built in 1566 with a Gothic frontage. The church very quickly became too narrow: by 1750, it was increased and renovated in the style baroque. It is recognizable with its red cupola. Above the principal furnace bridge the low-relief is of wood which represents Saint Jerome in his cave. In the presbytery of the parish church famous Charte of Povlja is preserved. Beside the parish church the red building of the town hall is, kept by two stone lions.
The Church Saint Stephen (Crkva Svetog Stjepana)
The church Saint Stephen (Sveti Stjepan) completion date of the 11th century when the Benedictines built their convent. In the cemetery located close to the church is fall it from a famous Dalmatian sculptor of Pučišća, Vale Michieli.

Port-Stephen (Luka Stipanska)
Port-Stephen owes his name with the church of Saint Stephen.

The Palace Deskovic (Palaća Dešković)
The palace of the Dešković family dates from the late Rebirth, at the 16th century. The sculptor Branislav Dešković was born there. The renovated palace is today a three-star hotel.
Forts of Pučišća (Kašteli)
The town of Pučišća was populated by inhabitants of the center of Brač who emigrated towards bay. When the threat of the Turks, who held Neretva and the coast, was felt again the inhabitants set up forts. The strong first was Zuvetic in 1467, then Akvila, Prodic, Mladinic, Pinesic, Ivelic, Davidovic, Cipcic, Bokanic et cetera. These thirteen forts, of which four are still preserved, gave its second name to Pučišća: Luka Kula (the Port of the Forts); the escutcheon of the city points out these thirteen turns. No other place on the island of Brac was as strengthened as Pučišća; the city resisted to the Turks successfully in 1571.
Stone Quarries
It is in the North-East of Pučišća that the greatest stone quarry is of the island of Brač, Veselje. The stone coming from the careers of Pučišća was used to build the White House in Washington. Masters like Juraj Dalmatinac (Georges the Dalmatian one), Andrija Alesi (second half of the 15th century) and Nikola Firentinac (Nicolas the Florentin), used stones of these careers. Some of the careers are exhausted, but the reserves of good stone are still very rich. The industry of the stone, with a modern technology, is hardly sufficient to cover the orders coming from abroad.
The School of the Stonecutters (Klesarska škola)
To encourage the rebirth of traditional know-how of the island of Brač, a school of stonecutters was created in Pučišća in 1956.

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

History

Characters
Pučišća saw being born the two best sculptors from Brač, Branko Dešković (1883-1939) and Valerji Michielli (1922-1981); originating in this stone ground, they, rather curiously, found their expression in bronze. The Dešković sculptor did not leave any of his works with Pučišća, while Valerjie Michieli carried out the monument with the soldiers fallen to the combat, near the sea, on the west coast of the entry of the port.

Practical information

Weather and forecasts