Bisevo
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Just five kilometers southwest of the island of Vis, hidden behind the Biševo Channel, lies Biševo – a small but distinctive island that has captured the imagination of travelers and the curious for centuries. Its hilly terrain culminates in Stražbenica, a 239-meter-high hill from which the view encompasses the entire open-sea horizon. The name Biševo is associated with the Italian word busi, which means holes, and in the Komiža dialect, “bišovo” means a worm-eaten tree. Just as such a tree is full of cavities, Biševo is an island of caves, pits and underground secrets. Prehistoric findings confirm that life has existed on Biševo since ancient times, but the last century brought about a great change. At the beginning of the 20th century, the island was alive and inhabited, and in 1961 it had 115 inhabitants. Today, according to the 2011 census, only about fifteen people live on the island. With the departure of the population, the vineyard terraces, fields and olive groves disappeared, and nature took over. Instead of the cultivated landscape, today, macchia, garrigue and Aleppo pine forests prevail. The biggest challenge for Biševo has become the question of how to bring back life and restore anthropogenic values, while at the same time preserving its precious natural features. Biševo is best known for its caves. The biggest attraction of the Adriatic is certainly the Blue Cave, a magical blue hall in which the refraction and reflection of sunlight from the seabed create an unreal play of light. This scene, in which the rocks and the sea take on surreal tones, remains etched in the memory of every visitor. Slightly wilder and more mysterious is the Medvidina špilja, once home to the Mediterranean monk seal – the “sea man”, the rarest seal in the world. But Biševo is also an island of beaches, fine sand and crystal clear sea. The coves of Mezoporat, Porat and Salbunara offer peace and hedonism, while the evenings bring one of the clearest night skies on the Adriatic. The stars then hang over Biševo as if they were within reach, and every visitor feels that they are in a place where nature, history and silence breathe the same breath. Biševo is a small island, but with a story bigger than itself – a story of life, disappearance and the eternal beauty that remains.