Murter - Croatia - island Murter, Betina, Jezera, Tisno, Kornati

MURTER, an island in the north-western part of the Sibenik archipelago; area 18.6 sq km (length 11 km, width up to 2.8 km); population 5,192. The island is separated from the mainland by the narrow Murter channel. In the north-west there are fertile Quaternary deposits (sandy soils). The highest peak is Raduc (125 m). The limestone part of the island is covered with sparse vegetation. The mostly steep south-western coast is indented by smaller coves; the cove of Kosirina is used as a dock for smaller vessels during the bora. A beach, a restaurant and a campsite are located in the cove of Slanica. On the north-eastern coast are favourable docks for larger vessels (the cove of Jezera and the port of Tisno). The villages of Murter (with Hramina) and Betina developed in the north-west of the island, around a sandy field with numerous wells. Tisno lies in the narrowest part of the Murter channel; over the strait is a 37.5-m long drawbridge. Chief occupations are farming, growing of olives, fruit and vegetables, livestock breeding and fishing. The regional road runs throughout the island. The earliest inhabitants of the island were the Illyrians (remains of the Illyrian-Roman settlement of Collentum near Betina). In the Middle Ages the island was called Srimac; the name Insula Mortarii was also mentioned. In the 13th century there were two villages on the island, Veliko Selo (Big Village) (today's Murter) and Jezera (Lakes); Betina and Tisno developed most probably during the Turkish invasions.

The villages of Murter

Situated at the "gate" of the Kornati archipelago (the inhabitants of Murter are owners of a greater part of the lands), Murter is one of the favourite destinations of boaters and those who prefer peaceful vacations. The beginnings of tourism in Murter date back to the 1930s, when the so-called Czech Villa was built in the cove of Slanica, today the rest home of the Trade Union Federation.

Murter offers various forms of accommodation (hotel, apartments, marina), nice and quiet -bea-ches, a number of restaurants and inns. Each visitor will gladly visit the Kornati archipelago because excursions are daily organized during the tourist season. Murter has a number of sports facilities (tennis, basketball, indoor football). Water sports are also possible. Various sports competitions are organized in the summer months. A kind of introduction into the sports season is the regatta Murter - Kornati, held in April. Traditional feasts include: St. Roch (Rocco) (16th of August) and the Murter feast of the Birth of Mary (8th of September); the most important cultural event is the Drama Amateurs Festival (held in May).

Hramina Marina has 400 berths in the sea and 250 places on the land.

MURTER, a village in the north-western part of the island of Murter. It was first called Veliko Selo (from the 13th c.) and Srimac (Srimac); it got its present name in 1715. Murter stretches toward the cove of Hramina, which houses a marina, and toward the cove of Slanica. The cove of Hramina is well protected from all kinds of winds and provides good shelter for smaller yachts; the cove of Slanica features a public beach and the hotel complex Collentum. Economy is based on farming, viticulture, fishing and tourism. Murter is located on the regional road.

Murter was first mentioned in the 15th century. The remains of Roman structures, probably the remains of the ancient settlement of Collentum, have been found at the foot of an elevation called Gradina, in the cove of Hramina and elsewhere. - On the cape of Gradina is the local cemetery, where early Croatian graves have been found. At the cemetery is the church of Our Lady in Gradina from the 17th century. The parish church of St. Michael features a Baroque altar, a work by masters Pio and Vicko dall'Acqua and an icon by the Cretan-Venetian school. The parsonage keeps a Gothic-Renaissance processional crucifix and several valuable paintings. - Above the village, on the Vrsina hill, is the church of St. Roch (Rocco) from 1760.

Jezera

Jezera (Lakes) was named after numerous pools and puddles which appear in karst valleys during heavy rainfall. However, in the summer months tourists do not think about rainfall because Jezera offers a lot of sunshine, clear seawater and the nice cove with a beautiful beach. Fresh fish and other seafood are offered daily. The yachting school is organized in the summer months. Jezera is one of the starting points for cruises to the Kornati archipelago.
Jezera ACI Marina has 220 berths in the sea and 60 places on the land. It is open throughout the year.

JEZERA, a village and harbour in the cove bearing the same name on the north-eastern coast of the island of Murter. Chief occupations are farming, viticulture, olive growing, fishing and tourism. The Jezera Nautical Centre with a marina has been built on the north-eastern coast of the island of Murter, in the southern part of the cove of the same name. A regional road connects Jezera with the main road Zadar - Sibenik.

Betina

Betina offers good opportunities for a pleasant and peaceful rest, particularly to boaters. Boats are rented. It is a well-known fishermen's village with a number of restaurants offering excellent fish.

The traditional feast called Brganja Day, dedicated to a specific species of shells, which are found only around Betina, is held every year (3rd of August).
Betina Marina has 200 berths in the sea and 80 places on the land.

BETINA, a village and harbour on the north-eastern coast of the island of Murter, at the northern entrance into the Murter Channel. Economy is based on farming, vine and olive growing, fishing and tourism. The harbour is exposed to the bora and the sirocco; vessels drawing up to 1.3 m may dock along the breakwater. The cove of Zdrace houses Betina Marina. Close to the harbour is the shipyard. Betina lies on the road leading through the island of Murter.

Betina was first mentioned in the 16th century, when it was founded by refugees who found shelter from the Turks. The parish church of St. Francis was built at the beginning of the 17th century; it was extended and reconstructed on several occasions and in the mid-18th century a bell tower was added to it. - In the vicinity of Betina, on the Gradina hill, a small mediaeval church of Our Lady of Gradina has been preserved.

Tisno

The drawbridge connecting the island of Murter with the mainland, situated in the centre of Tisno, is open during the tourist season every day from 9 to 9:30 a.m. and from 5 to 5:30 p.m.

TISNO, a town on the eastern coast of the island of Murter, partly spreading on the mainland (the Tisnjanski Peninsula), 29 km northwest of Sibenik. It developed on the mainland and the island, on the narrowest part of the Murter Channel in the Straits of Murter (38 m), with a bridge spanning over it. Chief occupations include farming, wine production, olive growing, fishing and tourism. The average air temperature in January reaches 6.9 °C and in July 24.7 °C. Tisno is situated on the regional road connecting the main road with the island of Murter.

First mentioned in 1474. The parish church of 1548 was reconstructed in Baroque style in 1640, and annexed in 1840; the belfry was built by the local builders between 1680 and 1684. Other churches date back to the 17th century. A mediaeval church of St. Martin is in Ivinje, a hamlet on the mainland.

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