Lubenice: starting back from a museum

In Lubenice, a tiny village in the heart of the island of Cres, there is a museum devoted to sheep farming. Symbol of a territory that, telling about itself, wants to reinterpret and continue in its traditions. We met Marijana Dlačić, its president

How did the idea of the Museum of shepherding come about?

In 1999, more than twenty years ago, an association was first created to promote the pastoral tradition [the "Ruralna otočna grupa", rural group of the island, ed.]. Mario Šlosar, one of the founders of the association, was the main creator of the Museum (“Muzej ovčarstva ”). He wanted to revitalise Lubenice. I joined the association in 2010, when the project was taking shape. I am originally from these lands, from the nearby town of Pernat, I recognised myself in the initiative and decided to give my contribution.

The idea of the museum of sheep farming was then concretely born in 2008. The building in which the museum is located and in which we now find ourselves is owned by the municipality of Cres and is colloquially called Popova kuća [The pope's house] because it once housed the home of the local priest. The house was in a dilapidated condition when the association obtained it for use. It had to be completely rebuilt, as one of the panels exposed to the outside clearly shows. The roof, the walls, the wooden ceilings, the floors… everything was rebuilt so that the building could house the project dedicated to traditional farming.

Even before the museum, however, you started with a book…

Yes, the first important initiative was the publication of a book on traditional farming in 2010, written by Marina Jurkota Rebrović. A book that talks about sheep breeding not only in Lubenice, but on the entire island of Cres and on that of Lošinj. The peculiarity of shepherding on Cres lies in the fact that the sheep spend the whole year in the open air. On the nearby island of Krk, the sheep are brought back to the stable at night, while here they are always outdoors, they are only moved from one plot - ograjica, as we call them here – to another.

In the past the inhabitants of these islands, in addition to sheep farming, were also engaged in various agricultural activities. The elders keep the memory of it. For example, a lady from Lubenice said that once the most profitable activity was the sale of wood. In the old photographs you can also see vineyards at the foot of Lubenice. In fact, the whole island was once covered in vineyards. Today, however, they are no longer found, but there are still many olive groves.

Agricultural activity which, unlike sheep farming, is now almost abandoned…

The villages have emptied out. Only the elderly are left, the young have gone to the urban centres, to Cherso, Mali Lošinj, Rijeka, even further away... The exodus of young people has also gradually led to the abandonment of agriculture. Pastoral farming, on the other hand, survived precisely because the sheep were outdoors all year round, it was not necessary to take them to pasture every day. Therefore, it was easier to practice sheep farming than agriculture. For the same reason, the cultivation of the olive tree has survived, or rather has been restored. Unlike vineyards which, if neglected for a few years, become completely unrecognisable, olive trees continue to bear fruit even after years of neglect, so cultivation can easily be restored.

And why did you decide to focus specifically on sheep farming?

We focused on sheep farming because tourists and visitors perceived it as the element that most distinguished these lands. However, when I think about it, after so many years, perhaps we could have broadened the perspective by showing that sheep farming was not the only activity practiced on the island. Here, it could be a vision for the future: to show that in the past on the island, in addition to sheep farming, other activities also flourished.

Initially we published books dedicated to the various aspects of farming, thus completing the permanent exhibition. Then in 2019, on the occasion of the twenty years since the foundation of the association, we created the new set-up. The idea of the exhibition is to narrate shepherding through the seasons, therefore a journey through the seasons to demonstrate that all these activities were practiced in harmony with nature.

Can you tell us about the rooms of the museum?

The first and largest is dedicated to spring, i.e. those aspects of sheep farming linked to spring. With spring not only does a reawakening of nature begin, but also a new cycle of life for the sheep, because it is in this season that the sheep give birth, so there is more work. Lambs should be visited every day to check if they have been suckling. Sheep are like people, some suckle their lambs more than others. Then when the lambs get lost while playing, some sheep immediately start looking for them, others don't. Ticks are also dangerous, perhaps not so much for humans, nor for sheep, as for a small lamb, especially if they suck its blood: the bite must be treated with a special preparation.

Once the most conspicuous earnings came from the sale of lambs. There was also milking and cheese making. Then in late spring the sheep were shorn. All these activities are presented in the first room. Continuing the path, you arrive at a side room showing the activities carried out in the summer. In the upper room, instead, autumn and then winter activities are presented.

 

The cycle linked to shearing and the exploitation of wool is also described…

The history of wool illustrates the whole process well. The sheep were shorn in late spring or early summer. Then the wool had to be washed, but this was done only in August: it was the hottest month, so the wool dried quickly. Second, at that time there were no other agricultural activities, so one could dedicate oneself to washing wool. After washing the wool was combed, all the objects that served this purpose are exhibited here.

Then in the winter, when the days got shorter and women spent more time at home, the wool was spun. Here in the museum, the so-called munineri that were used in winter are also on display.

There is no shortage of references to the culture of food…

Indeed, the last room is devoted to a dessert prepared in sheep's intestines, also peculiar due to the fact that it was once prepared exclusively during the pust, i.e. carnival, period. Here the exhibition ends: we started from February/March and from the birth of the lambs, i.e. from the beginning of life, then we went through all the seasons, to arrive again in February, closing the circle with the story about food.

Why did you decide to open a museum in Lubenice? Today no one lives here anymore…

Until a few years ago, three elderly women lived there throughout the year. Now when it gets cold they go to their children in Cres. If I'm not mistaken, according to the latest population census, eight people are registered in Lubenice, but this figure obviously does not correspond to reality.

Why Lubenice? As you can see, this is a very special place. Therefore, we wanted to somehow promote not only Lubenice, but the whole area. For this reason, we also published a guidebook devoted to these lands. Before the opening of the museum around here there was nothing like this, indeed, there was absolutely no initiative. It is true that a tavern is open in the summer, something is sold... but we wanted to offer tourists and visitors something more.

Is shepherding still practiced?

Currently the main problem is wild boars. They arrive as far as the city of Cres, attack the sheep and slaughter the lambs. For this reason there are fewer and fewer sheep and people increasingly decide to abandon the business.

Is the wild boar problem difficult to solve?

Yes. In other countries and on other islands it has been possible to get rid of them, but for this it is necessary to adopt a law at national level. Our state for some reason does not want to adopt such a law. Only a provision has been approved according to which they can be hunted all year round. But that doesn't solve the problem, you see.

Yet the solutions are there. In some areas they have tried to solve the problem with sterilisation. So this could also be a way to go. More and more often we hear of wild boars arriving as far as the outskirts of Rijeka, and therefore as far as the urban centres. Here on the island the situation is even worse, because space is limited. I repeat, in order for the problem to be solved, a special law must be passed. The city of Cres has tried to intervene at the local level, the county at the regional level too, but a national law is needed.

Is there a particular sheep breed here in Cres?

It is called the Chersine sheep. Today it is raised only for lambs, but in the past cheese was also produced and wool was sold. Therefore, it was not raised only for the production of cheese, as happens on the island of Pag, nor simply for wool or meat, but for all these elements together. All products deriving from this breed are of high quality.

Unlike other sheep breeds, it is smaller and slimmer, it has long legs, also because the ground here is uneven and littered with large sharp stones.

This is a place where traditions are preserved, where one tries to remember what has been. From this privileged observation point, do you think there is a balance between tourism and protection of the territory?

In these days there is a debate about the fact that here, near Lubenice, they would like to open a campsite. The local population is against it, on the one hand it is an understandable attitude, but on the other hand it is perhaps not a bad idea. The project is from a large company that has substantial resources. However, one wonders how much it can benefit the territory. Unlike Valun, which is a more tourist-oriented place, here perhaps the gap it would cause would be too great. Today there is nothing left here, the village is deserted and increasingly abandoned to itself. If there were more people, like in Valun, then it would be different. In some places people protested [against such projects] because they saw a problem. But no one lives here now, so people can also protest, but it's not the same thing, because there's no one on site. Therefore, the dilemma remains on how to develop tourism in this area, also considering the problem of wild boars.

Are you satisfied with what has been built over the years?

Yes, we are satisfied and the atmosphere here, when the museum is open, from June to September, is always very joyful.

As director, what is your dream for this place in five or ten years?

I would like sheep farming not to be completely abandoned. As I already mentioned, I'm originally from Pernat, my parents still have about twenty sheep, but we also have big problems with wild boars. I can't take care of it, so my parents will probably give up sheep farming. However, I would like all this not to be remembered only in photographs, for sheep to no longer be seen outdoors. The discussion could be extended to the other aspects I mentioned earlier, namely the fact that once upon a time, other activities were practiced here as well as sheep farming. The idea is to promote coexistence with nature, not to go back a hundred years, but to learn to respect nature and the island, to find a balance.