The Cultural and Natural Heritage of Vid and the Neretva River area

On a hill that basks in sunshine until sunset, on the remains of the ancient city of Narona, lies Vid, a village where typical 21st-century scenes are intertwined with those in which time has stood still.

These hills point to the former Greek emporium and the famous Roman colony whose remains are the true richness of Croatian historical heritage in the hinterland of Metković.

The scenic landscape around Vid is made up of a green valley with a winding creek, the Norin, a contributory of the Neretva River. At the top of the hill Domagoj's archers reign, an impressive historical monument by sculptor Stjepan Skok, along with the glamorous church of Our Lady of the Snows. One side looks to the untouched wetland overgrown with brush and bull rushes, the other to a sandbank where the Norin runs and the third to Metkovic and the wetland parcels in the Neretva valley.

“Today's Vid is situated on the remains of ancient Narona. Narona itself was created as a trading town in ancient times, it is assumed already in the 4th century BC, though the oldest archaeological remains prove that there was certainly an emporium or trade post in this place in the 2nd century BC. For Romans, Narona was extremely important, it had an excellent geostrategic position at that time. In wars with the Delmatae, since the Neretva River was the southern boundary of the Delmatic Territory, Narona served as the starting point for military campaigns in those long-lasting wars,” said the director of the Narona Archaeological Museum, Tonči Glučina.

Glučina went on to note that excavations in Narona, or today's Vid, have lasted for more than 130 years. The most significant excavations were carried out at Plečaš's Barn in 1995 and 1996 when Augusteum was discovered. The archaeological museum in Split has taken over and the team has done a great job, so the sculptures were mostly restored, soon after an exhibition was set up that toured European cities, and after the European tour, the sculptures finally found their place in the museum that opened in 2007. It is the largest group of Imperial statues found on the territory of the former Roman Empire.

“Narona was most likely, like the other great ancient cities of Salona and Epidaurus, abandoned at the time of the migration period, that is, with the arrival of the Avars and the Slavs at the beginning of the 7th century. Numerous monuments of ancient Narona have ended up in other collections, in world museums, although most of them remain in Croatia. About 17, 000 visitors visit the museum each year and I am especially glad that half of these visitors come from Croatia,” said Glučina.

“Apart from this historical or cultural part of our heritage, we also have a beautiful natural heritage. Right here in our neighborhood are the ornithological sanctuaries, Prud, Pod Gredom and Orepak, which are actually parts of still untouched swamps. Through various tourist programs like birdwatching, biking and rural tourism, we want to animate people to learn something about the natural heritage of the Neretva River. There are also various manifestations that are rooted in tradition. Furthermore, we have great opportunities for development of sports tourism, so different teams and clubs, not just from Croatia, but from around the world, come here to prepare,” said the Director of the Metković Tourist Board, Magdalena Medar-Ujdur.

Ivan Ilić and Jure Taslak are preserving traditional gastronomy under the trademark of Đuđa and Mate.

“In 1993 my parents opened a restaurant. We as children were involved with them in the development of that and three years ago they left it to us, to continue our work, of course, with their control. It was difficult because my parents started the business with nothing, along with hefty loans that they had to pay, but with time we succeeded and now we have a family hotel with 10 rooms and restaurant. We expanded the quality and variety on offer and we are proud of it, this year we celebrate 25 years of working together. The restaurant is recognized by traditional Neretva dishes such as fish stew, Neretva eels and frogs. History, nature, gastronomy - tourists recognize our quality very well,” says Jure Taslak.

Ivan is quick to point out that they have photo safaris with boats that go out on excursions, they have family trips, there are tangerines when it's the season and they have guests from all over the world.

Finally, Ivana Baće the head of the Natural History Museum in Metković introduced us to the world of flora and fauna in the Neretva region.

“When the Neretva River delta is mentioned today, one primarily thinks about tangerines and the boat marathon. However, the Neretva is much more, it is a beautiful swamp valley. There are 150 species of freshwater and sea fish in the Neretva and two endemic species: the Neretva mossy trout and our dear Tench. There is also the eel, a beautiful creature that lives on the muddy bottom of all European rivers, including the Neretva. This being is extremely sensitive and is a rare guest today, primarily because of poaching. That is why somehow we need to reconcile the needs and desires of what we want, and what we want to leave for the future of our children,” said Ivana Baće.

Source: HRT (Prepared by Tomislav Šikić)