Nowhere else in the world were there so many forts close together: there were once 17 forts over a length of almost five nautical miles. Even today, each fort has a small harbour or at least a pier for mooring. Thousands of boaters motor past there every year, but very few people know about it. The bay of forts is still an insider tip and is waiting to be discovered.
We hired a racy inflatable boat from the charter company Offshore Boote in Marina Kremik near Primošten to travel to the forts in the Zaljev Kaštelanski. This would not be possible with a charter boat of the usual size, as the harbours at the forts are small, narrow and mostly shallow. Travelling at 27 knots, we leave the bay of Kremik astern, leaving Rogoznica to the left, and then head east.
After just under an hour, we reach the entrance to Trogir. The first fort is located on the northern shore opposite the ACI marina. This is not yet part of the Bay of Forts, but we head for it to get in the mood and want to moor up on the promenade. There is only one motorboat on the 400 metre long pier. Plenty of space to moor. As soon as we throw the first line ashore, three self-appointed harbour masters jump out of a coffee bar and explain to us in a rather unfriendly manner that the entire town pier is reserved.
We are so overwhelmed by the welcome that we voluntarily cast off again and moor on the shore opposite near the bridge. We reach the Trogir Castle on foot in just a few steps. We pay an entrance fee of 10 kuna and enter a spacious courtyard where concerts and theatre plays are performed in summer. From the accessible defence walls and the observation tower in the south-west of the castle, you have a wonderful view over the old town and the harbour.
The castle of Trogir
The fort was built in the 15th century after Trogir came under Venetian rule in 1420. The fort was both a naval base and a refuge for the Venetians who settled here. It was from here that the urbanisation of the then still uninhabited stretch of coast between Trogir and Split, today's Bay of Castles, began. The Venetians planted vineyards and olive groves there and built country estates.
This changed in 1463, when the Ottomans defeated the Kingdom of Bosnia. Their empire now stretched as far as the Adriatic, and the country estates of the wealthy Venetians were favourite targets for Ottoman irregulars on their raids.
The seafaring Venetians defended themselves in their own way: They moved their country residences to the water. They built small forts on 17 rocks exposed in the water along the coast between Trogir and Split, which were accessible from land via a drawbridge. Inside the fortified stone walls were dwellings and storerooms, and there was a back door to the water with a jetty so that they could flee across the sea in an emergency. The area between the fort and the mainland, which was protected from the waves, served as a boat harbour.
This is how the bay of forts came into being. Seven villages grew up around the seven largest of them, each named after the most important fort. These are (from west to east): Kaštel Štafilić, Kaštel Novi, Kaštel Stari, Kaštel Lukšić, Kaštel Kambelovac, Kaštel Gomilicia and Kaštel Sućurac. We drive eastwards under the bascule bridge, which has not worked for decades. The bay of forts lies ahead of us.
The forts and their small harbours are easy to navigate. Immediately behind Trogir, you can see Split Airport on the port side, followed by Zaljev Kaštelanski along the north coast, an almost completely built-up area. The houses extend right up to the waterline, while vineyards can be seen further inland. The ridge of the Dinara Mountains, over 1000 metres high, forms the end of the panorama.
Kaštel Nehaj
Several small forts can be seen along the coastline. It is mid-August and dozens of sailing and motor yachts are passing by further out. But there are no pleasure craft on the coast of the forts. Coming from the west, we head for the first fort we see. A fortified, stone quadrangle with a small harbour in front of it, which is not listed in any nautical guide.
The harbour is about one and a half metres deep and protected by a pier. A dozen fishing boats are moored in the harbour. A fisherman is sitting in front of the fort, mending his nets. I ask if this is Štafilić. "No, this is Kaštel Nehaj, it belongs to Štafilić, but Kaštel Štafilić is half a kilometre further to the east."
The entrances are bricked up. I ask the fisherman what's in there. "There's nothing left. The Venetians are long gone, the Turks too. The fort has been empty for centuries. You can buy it." For a moment, I imagine what it would feel like to have my own castle by the sea not far from Split. We untie the mooring lines and head a quarter of a mile further east.
Kaštel Štafilić
The much larger Kaštel Štafilić dominates the centre of the village of the same name. Mooring is a little more difficult as there is no real harbour, just a barely sheltered promenade, in front of which the water is partly shallow and rocky. The local boats are therefore moored freely at mooring buoys.
Kaštel Štafilić is much larger and more magnificent than Nehaj Fortress. The nobleman Stefan Stafileo had it built on a sea cliff in 1508. It was originally accessible via a drawbridge.
In the 19th century, the canal between the fort and the mainland was filled in and built on. As a result, the building is no longer located on an island, but on the southern edge of the village. Unfortunately, this fort is also in ruins. At the tourist information centre, we learn that a wealthy Italian wants to buy it in order to build a luxury hostel with a restaurant. Not far away is a gnarled olive tree, which is said to be the oldest olive tree in the Mediterranean at 1500 years old.
Kaštel Novi
Just 300 metres further east is Kaštel Novi with a relatively large boat harbour and a long pier that provides protection from southerly winds. We moor directly in front of the fort. The fort, which consists of a large, square tower with four storeys, was built in 1512 by the landowner Cipiko. This fort was also once accessible via a drawbridge. Where moats and stone ramparts once served as defence, there is now a road with a small promenade.
The lords of the Kaštel Novi estate cultivated grapes for generations. The old grape variety "Kaštelaner Crljenak", which is still cultivated here today, was shipped to America in the 19th century, where it is known today as "Zinfandel". Kaštel Novi presents itself as a building site. A Croatian investment group is building a 4-star hotel around the massive fortified tower. The fort is to be integrated into the complex and the opening is planned for the end of 2011.
We saw three forts. Three times we stood in front of closed doors. It's time to stop for a bite to eat. A few steps behind Kaštel Novi is the konoba "Intrada" with a terrace and a view over the bay. The friendly innkeeper explains: "The Bay of Castles - these are seven pearls on the Adriatic. We realised this late. But in a few years, the pearls will shine again." To get us in the mood, he serves us grilled calamari and red wine from the Bay of Castles.
Kaštel Stari
We motor 600 metres further east to Kaštel Stari. This again has a small harbour with a breakwater that protects it from southerly winds. Stari is one of the oldest forts in the bay. In 1476, the Venetian landowner and writer Koriolan Cipico had this fortress built on a rock in the sea. It is the first one we can enter. But there is no longer any trace of its former Venetian splendour: A regional wine wholesaler has his storage and sales rooms in the fort.
Kaštel Lukšić
Are we here a few years too early? We continue eastwards past the former Rusinac fort (now a private country estate) to the village of Kaštel Lukšić. We can't believe our eyes. This time not a rui-ne, but a Renaissance castle in all its splendour. In front of it is a spacious harbour with plenty of room to moor. We take a tour of the harbour and are warmly greeted by a young woman from the open sea-side door of the fortress and invited to come into the castle. We moor alongside the pier and cross the drawbridge into the former fortress.
Here we learn that Nikola and Jerolim Vitturi from Trogir were authorised by the Doge to build it in 1487. The residence had movable bridges to the mainland and an emergency exit to the sea. In the centre of the castle is an atrium with arcades.
Today, the reconstructed castle houses the Kaštela Town Museum, the Tourist Association and other cultural institutions. Exhibitions, concerts and theatre performances are held in the atrium. Opposite the castle there is an ice cream parlour where you can get a sensationally good sundae for little money.
Kaštel Kambelovac
Just under a mile further east is Kaštel Kambelovac. There is a long pier in front of the village, but we can't moor there because the waves of the Maestral are crashing against it. We try to enter the small boat harbour. But here we see a tangle of mooring lines in the shallow water, so we tie up our dinghy in the harbour entrance.
At the beginning of the 16th century, three noble families built their forts in Kambelovac right next to each other. In addition, the villagers were authorised to build two fortresses of their own
fortresses, which was unusual at the time. The narrow alleyways between the ruins give the village a unique flair. Unfortunately, many of the buildings are in danger of collapsing.
Behind an ancient but run-down house lies one of the best restaurants in the region, the "Baletna Škola" (Ballet School). It is known for its Dalmatian cuisine and was voted one of the top 100 restaurants in Croatia in 2005.
Kaštel Gomilicia
As we still have two forts ahead of us, we resist the temptation and motor half a mile further eastwards to Kaštel Gomilicia. What a sight! A castle straight out of a picture book: a nested old castle on a tiny island, connected to the mainland by an old bridge. The fishermen's boats are moored in the narrow sound between the castle and the village.
Around 1078, Benedictines began to build a monastery with fortified walls on the small rock in the sea. In the 16th century, when the Ottomans threatened the country, families from destroyed villages moved in. Inside the fort is a labyrinth of narrow alleyways between small dwellings nested next to and on top of each other. A large hall is reminiscent of a former place of worship. On the main alleyway are museum-like tools for pressing wine and olives. But the beautiful appearance is deceptive: many roofs and entire parts of the building have collapsed. It smells of rubbish.
In an alleyway, a woman is bathing her children in a washtub, next door laundry is being boiled in an iron kettle over an open fire. A young woman speaks German and voices her displeasure: "The photos of our fort hang as posters at the airports and adorn brochures. But nobody knows how we live here. Please write this down so that something changes here." Slightly disillusioned, we leave the most photographed castle in Croatia. The new era has begun just a stone's throw away. Next to the decaying castle is the new Marina Kaštela, one of the most modern and comfortable marinas in Dalmatia.
Kaštel Sućurac
We leave the marina on the port side and head for Kaštel Sućurac, the last of the seven forts, which is located just outside Split. We first try to moor in the small, open harbour. But the swell of the Meastral is too strong in the afternoon. That's why the local boats are all moored at the mooring buoys.
Two fishing trawlers are moored on the outer pier. Behind them we find a quiet spot. The oldest part of Sućurac was built at the beginning of the 16th century and consists of a structure of castles and defence walls around the former country residence of the Archbishop of Split. A picturesque town with narrow streets that is still waiting to be discovered by tourists. Unfortunately, many of the historic buildings here have fallen into ruin. The sign "Prodaje se" (for sale), which can be seen in many places, makes it clear that investors are welcome.
We bid farewell to the Bay of Castles in the hope that the seven pearls of the Adriatic will one day shine again in their (new) old beauty.
WHAT SKIPPERS NEED TO KNOW
The company With 30 charter boats between 34 and 58 feet, Offshore Boote is one of the leading motor yacht charter companies on the Adriatic. The company has been based in Marina Kremik near Primošten since 1977. In 2010, the charter company expanded its traditional fleet with three brand new and comfortably equipped offshore inflatable boats. The RIBs were literally the best sellers last season. Anyone wishing to book one for the upcoming season should book early!
Info and booking: Offshore Boote, Baumgasse 83, A-1030 Vienna. Tel. 0043-1-799 23 45, fax 0043-1-799 23 45-417; e-mail: info@offshore-boote.at. Call 00385-22-571-461 to spontaneously book a RIB (if available) for a day trip at Marina Kremik.
The boat The "Spirit 640" rigid-hull inflatable boats from AGA Marine have seating for up to 8 people; the front area can be converted into a sunbathing area for 2 people. The extensive equipment includes a compass, radio with CD player, deck lighting and navigation lights, lockable storage compartments, bathing ladder, stern shower and water ski equipment.
Technical data: Length 6.40 m (21 feet), width 2.68 m, draught 0.60 m, four-stroke engine 129 kW (175 hp), petrol tank 178 l, water tank 38 l, speed approx. 27 knots.
Prices: Depending on the season, the "Spirit 640" costs between 1,300 and 1,600 euros per week and between 200 and 250 euros for a day charter. The charter company also offers the inflatable boats in combination with a luxury holiday flat (180 m2, lake view, garden with pool) in Rogoznica.
Tips for the trip It is advisable to start the outward journey from Kremik Marina to the Bay of Castles in the morning, when the usual fair-weather Maestral wind has not yet built up a swell, and the short trips along the open coast are no problem. It makes sense to take the shortcut through the town of Trogir. At 2.40 metres, the passage under the permanently closed bascule bridge is high enough for the dinghy.
If you visit the forts from west to east, i.e. starting in Štafilić, you have the maestral from behind on all stages. By the time you start your return journey westwards from Kastel Sućurac in the evening, the maestral has usually fallen asleep.
We travelled back several times at night, which was no problem as the coast is well lit. Be sure to take a torch with you so that you can read the nautical chart at night, as there are some treacherous little rocks lurking in the sea on the stretch between Trogir and Kremik.
The Bay of Castles can easily be travelled in one day. However, if you want to see something ashore at your leisure, you should plan two to three days. If you don't want to drive back in the evening, there are small guesthouses in each of the seven towns where you can stay overnight at a reasonable price.
Cruising guide and charts
- Bodo Müller/Jürgen Straßburger: "Küstenhandbuch Kroatien: Band 2, Edition Maritim, Hamburg, 2010, Price: 29,90 Euro, ISBN 978-3-89225-631-1. www.delius-klasing.de.
- More information about the bay of forts on the Website of the Kaštela Tourist Association. The website offers free information material in German and a map of the bay of forts.
Cruise stages
