Susak
Nickname: Sansego | |
---|---|
Geography | |
Location | Adriatic Sea |
Coordinates | 44°31′N 14°18′E / 44.517°N 14.300°E |
Area | 3.8 km2 (1.5 sq mi) |
Length | 3.6 km (2.24 mi)[1] |
Width | 2.3 km (1.43 mi)[1] |
Highest elevation | 98 m (322 ft) |
Highest point | Garba |
Administration | |
County | Primorje-Gorski Kotar |
Largest settlement | Susak |
Demographics | |
Population | 139 (2021)[2] |
Pop. density | 36.57/km2 (94.72/sq mi) |
Susak (Italian: Sansego; German and French: Sansig) is a small island on the northern Adriatic coast of Croatia. The name Sansego comes from the Greek word Sansegus meaning oregano which grows in abundance on the island. A small percentage of natives still reside on the island which has increasingly become a popular tourist destination—especially during the peak summer months. Many of the people from Susak currently live in the United States.
Geography
Located in the
The island is geologically different from other Adriatic islands in that it is mostly formed of fine sand laid on a
History
Susak's history is a rich and complex story. Unfortunately, little of it prior to the 20th century is known. This is a result of mainly three factors. First, few of Susak's inhabitants prior to the 20th century had formal education. Before the massive exodus off the island after World War II, it was rare to find a resident who had finished the equivalent of grade school. Next, most of the island's history was not recorded – it was passed down orally. Finally, and probably most prevalent, the island's history was consistently manipulated, suppressed, and influenced by those who were its current rulers.[citation needed] For example, even the island's name changed at least three times (Sansagus, Sansego, and Susak) depending on which government controlled it. For these reasons, it is difficult to precisely piece together the island's history.
Mythical origins
"In Antiquity, when the archipelago was home to a Greek colony, the islands were called the Absyrtides. This is because, according to an episode in the legend of the
Antiquity through Napoleon
The name of Susak is believed to be derived from sampsychon (Greek for marjoram), which was later transformed into sansegus and sansacus in Romance languages, and finally adopted by Slavs as Susak.[9]
There is speculation that Susak has been settled for at least two thousand years by Illyrians, Greek sailors, and Romans (as a summer resort for wealthier Roman citizens[3]). While there is little or no surviving evidence from Susak supporting this claim, there are ancient remains - including buildings, mosaics, coins, and burial sarcophagi - on other islands surrounding Susak. The latest Susak would have been settled is during the early Middle Ages.[10] Assuming Susak was settled then, probably Slavs would have ruled the island under the Byzantine Empire during that time period (circa 500 CE through circa 1000 CE).
Susak was likely governed by the Croatian Kingdom during the 10th and 11th centuries. In or around 1071, the Croatian King
Between the 13th and 18th centuries, Susak is mentioned in various documents, charts, and official papers of
After the Benedictine monks, the
Napoleon through modern times
Although Susak was now part of the Austrian Empire, it was still under Napoleon's jurisdiction. This area between Istria and Dalmatia during this time (1797 through 1815) was known as the Illyrian provinces of Napoleon's Empire or Napoleon's Illyria for short.
After Napoleon's exile, the Austrian Empire annexed Susak and much of the region per a Viennese congressional resolution. The Austrian Empire and subsequently the
After the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after World War I, the 1919 Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye gave Susak and several other territories to the relatively new nation of Italy. The Italian government under the fascist government of Benito Mussolini began the Italianization of these new Italian territories. On Susak, for example, the Italian government changed the spellings and pronunciations of several of the island's surnames. Tarabokija became Tarabocchia; Picinić became Picini. Immigrants from Susak would give Italian as their ethnicity and non-Croatians themselves would spell Tarabocchia instead of Tarabokija since the Austro-Hungarian government had spent many efforts to reduce the Italian population.[citation needed]
Italian sovereignty of Susak ended in September 1943 when the
In 1947, the
On June 25, 1991, Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia and Susak remained a part of the newly formed Republic of Croatia.
Population
Susak's inhabitants reside in a single settlement of the same name. The settlement has two parts: atop a small hill, Gornje Selo is the older part of the village where the island's church is located; and Donje Selo is the lower part of the village adjacent to the seashore and small harbor.
Between 1948 and the early 1960s, the island's population plummeted because of the
There are only about a dozen surnames from Susak.[5] The engravings on the island's white tombstones boast these names (or some form of them): Busanić, Hrončić, Lister, Matešić, Mirković, Morin, Picinić, Sutora, Skrivanić, and Tarabokija.
Before
Year | 1680 | 1785 | 1857 | 1910 | 1921 | 1931 | 1936 | 1948 | 1953 | 1964 | 1991 | 2001 | 2011 | 2021 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Population | 91[13] | 357[13] | 1089 | 1412 | 1564 | 1541 | 1656[13] | 1629 | 1438[14] | 634[14] | 188 | 188[15] | 151 | 139[2] |
Expulsion of ethnic Italians and exile to America
Italians in the Julian region were under extreme pressure to leave after the war, especially following the mass killings of Italians in nearby Istria. The Croat and Slovenian nationalists in the socialist government sought to impose collective punishment on the Italians after the annexation to the Slavic state (the Republic of Croatia in the Yugoslav Federation). The inhabitants of Susak-Sansego spoke in a local idiom, with both Romance and Slavic vocabulary. Faced with poverty, famine, and lack of employment opportunities, along with the desire for a better life, the island experienced a mass exodus between 1948 through the mid-1960s directly due to the political climate and nationalist policies. After World War II, Yugoslavia's new government required that all able men work for a period of time without payment. Many of the Sansegots (people from Susak), more than 80 percent of the population, had left the island by the mid-1960s.
Susak's inhabitants immigrated to the United States for two main reasons. First, they believed that the United States would be able to offer them better opportunities for wealth, employment, education, and standard of living. Second, the majority of the people who emigrated from Susak prior to World War II had moved to the United States, primarily to Hoboken, New Jersey.
Economy
For much of the island's history, Susak's inhabitants supported themselves by making wine, farming, and fishing. The islanders produced a significant quantity of wine and grappa between 1936 and 1969 when a cooperative wine cellar aided in the production and manufacturing of the beverages. At one time, there was also a fish cannery on the island.
By the mid-1960s, Susak had become almost completely depopulated with its main town in virtual ruin.
Today, tourism is Susak's main industry although some wine is still produced - particularly a red wine called pleskunac and a dry rosé called trojiśćina. Between June and September, several hundred tourists visit the island each day, overnight or on day-long excursions.[12] In the peak of the tourist season, in July and August, the island's population swells up to 1,500.[12] A boost to Susak's tourism was the Susak Expo – an international annual art event attracting leading, contemporary artists.
Customs and traditions
Due to its significant distance from mainland Croatia and the many cultures that have governed it through the years, the people from Susak have many unique traditions. Some traditions are exclusively the island's own (such as the island's language and the fanciful clothing). Other traditions, such as cuisine, are a blend of the diverse customs from southern and central Europe.
The people from Susak speak a distinct dialect that is heard only on the island and among the older generation of the island's emigrants. Additionally, most of the island's population over the age of 60, to varying degrees, speaks Italian.
The islanders have a custom of referring to each other by nicknames, and the outsiders who visit Susak are often given a nickname too.[5]
Costume and clothing
Susak is perhaps best known for the ornate and elaborate costumes worn by younger women primarily for special occasions such as a wedding or feast days. The costume is made up of a short, brightly, almost neon-colored skirt with multiple ruffled
Older and working women generally wear darker, longer skirts without ruffled petticoats. They wear white or dark, long-sleeved shirts, a short veil to cover their hair, and dark, woolen stockings.
Male costumes from Susak are less ornate than their female counterparts. Men traditionally wear dark trousers and a dark vest over a long-sleeved, white, collared shirt. The outfit is completed by a soft, dark cap and may be accentuated with a colorful belt or ribbons on the vest.
During a period of mourning - generally following the death of a close family member such as a spouse, parent, sibling, or child - people from Susak wear all black for a period of time.
Food
Susak's cuisine combines a unique blend of
- is popular fare due to its relative abundance. Lamb and pork cooked on an open fire are also popular but are generally reserved for special occasions.For dessert, the people of Susak enjoy
References
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (April 2009) |
- ^ a b c "Susak". Croatian Encyclopedia (in Croatian). Zagreb: Miroslav Krleža Institute of Lexicography. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ^ a b "Results". Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in 2021. Zagreb: Croatian Bureau of Statistics. 2022.
- ^ a b c d Ostojić 2002, p. 388.
- ^ Duplančić Leder, Tea; Ujević, Tin; Čala, Mendi (June 2004). "Coastline lengths and areas of islands in the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea determined from the topographic maps at the scale of 1 : 25 000" (PDF). Geoadria. 9 (1). . Retrieved 2019-12-26.
- ^ HINA. 22 October 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
- ^ a b Sokolić 1994, p. 504.
- ISBN 0-375-71112-0.
- ISBN 978-0-87220-721-9.
- ^ Sokolić 1994, p. 509.
- ^ Springer, Zvonko. "Zvonko's Travels: Island of Susak".
- ^ "Chrisiaan Sgrooten".
- ^ a b c Ostojić 2002, p. 389.
- ^ a b c Turčić 1998, cited in Ostojić 2002, p. 388
- ^ a b Turčić 1998, cited in Ostojić 2002, p. 389
- ^ Turčić 1998, cited in Ostojić 2002, pp. 388–389
Sources
- Ostojić, Borislav (May 2002). "Opskrbljivanje stanovništva otoka Suska pitkom vodom" [Potable water public supply on the island of Susak] (PDF). Pomorski zbornik (in Croatian). 40 (1): 387–408. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
- Sokolić, Julijano (July 1994). "Otok Susak – mogućnosti revitalizacije" [The island of Susak - prospects of revitalization] (PDF). Društvena Istraživanja (in Croatian). 3 (4–5 (12–13)): 503–515. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- Turčić, Don Antun (1998). Susak - otok pijeska, trstike i vinograda [Susak - the Island of Sand, Reed and Vineyards] (in Croatian). Susak: Parish office. ISBN 953-96752-1-9.
Further reading
- Susak - Environmental Reconstruction of a Loess Island in the Adriatic. Budapest: Geographical Research Institute, Hungarian Academy of Sciences. 2003.
- Bousfield, Jonathan (2003). The Rough Guide to Croatia. Rough Guides. ISBN 1-84353-084-8.
- Jo, Melvin (2006). Susak Conversations. Susak Press. ISBN 978-1-905659-02-9.
- Filipović, Rudolf (1997). Eliasson, Stig; Jahr, Ernst (eds.). The Struggle to Maintain Croatian Dialects in the U.S. Walter de Gruyter. )
- Foster, Jane (2004). Footprint Croatia. Footprint Travel Guides. ISBN 1-903471-79-6.
- Mirković, Mijo, ed. (1957). Otok Susak: zemlja, voda, ljudi, gospodarstvo, društveni razvitak, govor, nošnja, građevine, pjesma i zdravlje. Djela Jugoslavenske akademije znanosti i umjetnosti (in Croatian). Vol. 49. Zagreb: Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts.
- Oliver, Jeanne (2005). Croatia. Lonely Planet. ISBN 1-74059-487-8.
- Strcić, Petar; et al. (1996). Croatian Adriatic Islands. Zagreb: Laurana & Trsat.
External links
- Island of Susak - touristic information - houses
- Island of Susak - touristic information
- Official Susak Expo site
- Susak Klapa Online
- Island of Susak
- Sansego.net
- Slide show of a wedding held on the island in 1957 - notice the traditional and elaborate outfits (particularly worn by women)
- Otok Susak (site is in Croatian)
- Istria on the Internet
- Folk Costumes from Istria
- Susak Press