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Sucuraj 1913
Sucuraj 1921
Sucuraj 1950
Sucuraj, the end of 60’s
Sucuraj, middle 70’s
Sucuraj, the end of 20th century
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The disease filocsery almost
destroyed the strongest economic branch in Sucuraj – viniculture (the
beginning of the 20th century) so emigration to overseas countries was
vast. As if there was not enough trouble in 1914 the 1st world war started.
Men from Sucuraj were mobilized and sent to various fronts, seven of them
lost their lives.
The 1st world war finished in 1918 with the defeat of the Austria-Hungary
empire, so Sucuraj comes under a new master – Italy. The people didn't
accepted that willingly. By the Rapal agreement from 1920 it is decided
that the Italians must leave most of Dalmatia, so Sucuraj comes under the
Kingdom SHS (after Kingdom Yugoslavia) on the 21/04/1921. When Italians
left Sucuraj there was a big celebrate (picture right). The new administration
introduced new taxes, which increased the bad economic situation in
Sucuraj. The vineyards were restoring (slowly), fishing was the main
occupation. In 1938 a sardines factory was built, it is the first
industrial object in Sucuraj.
However, peace didn't last long – the 2nd world war started. The Yugoslav
Kingdom capitulated on the 17/04/1941. After the capitulation Sucuraj was
officially included in the NDH (''Independent State of Croatia'') but
Sucuraj against the will of its population was occupied by an Italian
garrison. Fishing was possible only with permission of the Italian
administration, NDH documents were not legal. The men of Sucuraj didn't
accept recruitment to the armed forces of NDH, so they hide in the woods,
and after they went to the Partisan forces. On the 24/11/1942 the Italian
forces briefly leave Sucuraj and it becomes a free partisan territory. In
that time a fishing-boat called ''Sloboda'' (freedom) left Sucuraj harbour
and became the 2nd Partisan war-ship on the Adriatic. On the 18/01/1943 the
Italian soldiers return to Sucuraj in much bigger strength. Italy
capitulated on the 08/09/1943 and the Italian garrison of 300 soldiers
surrendered to the partisans of Sucuraj on the 12/09/1943.
The town is free for the 2nd time and becomes a free territory again. On
the 21/09/1943 from Makarska comes NDH soldiers and after them the German
forces. Sucuraj is in the middle of the war swirl. Around Sucuraj many sea,
air and land battles were led. Sucuraj was almost totally destructed by air
bombing (German and Allied). The population is evacuated to Slavonia and El
Shat (in Egypt). The Germans left the town on the 21/09/1944. Partisans
moved in to destroyed Sucuraj. At the beginning of 1945 the refugees from
El Shat came back, and in summer the ones from Slavonia.
After the war the Yugoslav Federation was established with Croatia as a
part of its. The total bilance of this war was catastrophic for Sucuraj: 40
people were killed, 18 died as refugees. Buildings were destroyed the 17th
century bishop palace, the new district building and school, the Venice
fortress was badly damaged. Sucuraj is one more in its history rebuilt from
nothing. The life was varying hard after the war so the rebuilding is slow.
You can sea trails of destroying on picture left from 1950. Fishing and
agriculture are restored and in 1953 the sardine’s factory starts to work
again.
A bigger development starts in the 60-iec, in 1961 a road to Hvar is made,
electricity came from the coast (from 1958 electricity was from the
factory's power-plant). In 1963 started the ferryboat line Sucuraj –
Drvenik (1st ferryboat has called ''Tratica''), in 1969 a layer of asphalt
was put on the road to Hvar. Very big changes start in Sucuraj at the end
of the 60-ies and the beginning of the 70-ies – tourism starts: in 1970 the
hotel called Perna was built (today Trpimir), new houses are built, old
ones are renovated and the town gets a new face. In 1974 the new ferryboat
pier was built, in 1978 a car-camp was built in Mlaska bay. Drinking water
from the mainland came in 1986, the living standard were much bigger.
When everything was going good, for the 3rd time in the 20th century it was
stopped by another war. These time the Big-Serbia invasion of on Republic
Croatia. At the referendum in May 1991 the people of Sucuraj voted (98%)
for the independent state of Croatia, which after many centuries became an
independent country. In August 1991 an army unit of ZNG was established in
Sucuraj. Sucuraj in surrounded by Yugoslav navy ships, which in a few
occasions put up a blockade of the town and forbid all traffic by sea.
However the blockade didn't stop the organization of a fast-boat line to
the coast – the only connection the island Hvar had with the rest of the
world. On the 3/12/1991 the Yugoslav ships leave the Sucuraj aquatorid
waters.
Learned from history the people started organizing the defence of the town,
but thankfully in this war there were no big military battles near Sucuraj.
Sucuraj organised the admission of a refugees from other parts of Croatia
and Bosnia and Hercegovina. The army unit of ZNG was reorganized and most
of the young men of Sucuraj became a part of a mixed unit of marines called
''Zvir'' – Hvar and in 1993 and '94 participate in military actions around
Zadar (near Novigrad and on the mountain Velebit). From 1992 to 1994 the
old Augustine monastery was completely renovated. So, the war finished,
tourism starts again and it becomes the main economic branch in Sucuraj.
At the end of the
20th century some books are written about Sucuraj history. The most
important are (on Croatian language):
1.
Nikola
Anic: Na punti Hvara – Povijest Sucurja, Sucuraj 2000.
2.
Fra
Andjeo Cvitanovic: Narodni obicaji,
vjerski i duhovni zivot Sucurja, Zaostrog 1996.
3.
Zbornik
radova: Makarski biskup fra Bartul Kacic Zarkovic, Sucuraj 1999.
These books
have been used in writing the history of Sucuraj on web pages Sucuraj
homepage, and on this occasion we thank the authors.
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