Friends of Konavle Heritage
friendsofkonavle@gmail.com

Opanci  (traditional leather footwear) are the oldest known form of footwear of Konavle peasants. In times of domestic footwear production, they were predominant over of the entire Balkan area. The opanci  consist of soles made of rawhide (rubber in the 20th century) with interlaced leather straps on the upper part, in combination with canvas. Opanci  can be found in a wide geographical area, distinguished by manufacturing methods and shapes. And Konavle had its own recogniza

The art of making Konavle embroidery connects all women of Konavle. In the past, this embroidery was a mandatory part of the Konavle folk costume ( nošnja ). But folk dress is rarely worn today. So now, those who love and practice this art make other types of decorative items, and thus keep the craftsmanship alive.   Konavle embroidery, which was originally made to adorn folk costumes, consists of chest pieces that are sewn onto the dress, and cuff bands that are sewn onto th

On 9 August 2024, AR Atelier in Gruda hosted an open house. For one day, it became a meeting place for lovers of Konavle’s intangible heritage, and especially Konavle’s embroidery and silk production. From 9:00 a.m. until late at night there were alternating programs in which children and adults, tourists and local people participated. This was the first time that such an event was organized in Gruda, the goal of which was to preserve the protected intangible heritage of Kona

In 2024, we will remember the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (15 Aug.) for the great folklore event that took place on the occasion of the combined 70th anniversary of KUD [ 1 ] Čilipi, the 30th anniversary of Klapa Čilipi, and the 50th anniversary of Konavle County Museum. As night fell in front of the Čilipi church, various groups of dancers, musicians and observers came to mark this great anniversary. From young to old, many in Konavle   folk costumes, sometimes th

Here is an interesting exercise that will show you what Konavle looked like in 1837. In 1837, the Austrian government sent out teams of surveyors to map the property in what is today Croatia. The purpose was for tax assessment. Five or six copies of these maps were made, and today they can be found in several Croatian archives but, interestingly, not in the Dubrovnik archive. The copy shown below was probably from the main Croatian archive in Zagreb. To see these maps, go to

In 1994, Croatian money was switched from dinar to kuna. It changed to the euro (€) on 1 Jan. 2023. In the Croatian language, a kuna is a marten (related to the weasel and mink). In ancient times, kuna pelts were export items from many regions of what is today Croatia. Around 1000 AD, the towns of Cres and Beli (on the island of Cres) had to pay an annual tribute in kuna pelts to the Venetian authorities. This was the first known instance of kuna pelts being used directl

The Pajaro Valley of central, coastal California is famous for its fruits and vegetables. The main town in the valley is Watsonville with a population of around 50,000. The first railroad in the Pajaro Valley went through in 1873, and fruit brokers followed the railroads. They bought fruit and vegetables in bulk and shipped them to the larger cities like San Jose, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Later, they were shipped all over the world. The first big fruit brokers in Watson