Yacht Charter Itinerary Pula Day 5
Rab - Osor
The small holiday town Osor, with its 70 to 80 inhabitants, is idyllically located on the southwest coast of the island of Cres. The connection bridge between the island of Cres and the island of Losinj is the narrowest in Croatia, which you should definitely see if you are on a yacht charter on both islands. Osor is one of the oldest settlements in Cres (traces of which go back to the 9th century BC) and was founded under the name Apsorus, which is believed to have come from the ancient pagan Apsides. The small town is located directly on the Kavada Canal, which used to be the main transit between the Adriatic Sea and the Dalmatian coast, making Osor an international port.
From ancient times to the 15th century, Osor was the capital of Cres and Losinj (with over 30,000 inhabitants), which incidentally was a contiguous island, but at that time the isthmus was separated by a moat under the rule of the Romans and thus made it navigable. Today a relatively short bridge (approx. 10 meters) connects Cres and Losinj, which is located over the Kavada canal. The bridge opens twice a day, once at 9am and then again at 5 pm so that taller ships can also sail through the canal.
Visitors interested in culture get their money’s worth in Osor. Largely owing to its many historical buildings and sights; such as the bishop’s palace, the town hall (today a city museum with rubble from the early Christian era and earlier), narrow cobbled streets, the remains of the old city walls, the very well-preserved cathedral with its bell tower and many sculptures. Osor is also known as the “museum town” or “museum in the open”. Historical monuments, such as the bishop’s palace, the old city wall or the town hall, bear witness to the architecture of the past centuries up to antiquity. The city museum in the town hall presents the glorious past of Osor with information texts and antique exhibits. Here you will learn that the Croatian kuna was first mentioned in Osor in 1018 as a means of payment.
The fact that Osor was once rich in art can still be felt today. In addition to the Renaissance cathedral in the centre of the village, there is also a small gallery and a museum, and even in the 15th century church, the figural decorations have a modern touch. The cathedral also houses the relics of Bishop Gaudentius, who allegedly freed Cres from venomous snakes. The memory of the Impressionist Ivan Antolčič, who was born here, characterizes the townscape, as do several modern and sometimes strange sculptures. Right at the entrance to the city you can see a series of sculptures that greet you and that are scattered all over the city. The Osor Sculpture Garden shows a series of bronze sculptures on the theme of “Sculpture and Music”, the works of which were created by famous Croatian sculptors, including Ivan Meštrović, Fran Kršinić, Vanja Radauš, Ivan Rosandić and Belizar Bahorić. Here is also the original work by Marija Ujević, which is dedicated to the musician Jakov Gotovac. It remains to be seen whether the ancient Greeks and Romans were just as astonished by Osor’s contemporary art at the time. But there is still something left of them: the Roman mosaic floor in the cemetery chapel in the north of Osor dates back to ancient times.
Since 1976 there has been a music festival in Osor with various Croatian composers in the cathedral for several weeks (mid-July to mid-August). In addition to the many restaurants, which mainly offer Croatian national dishes and will spoil you with culinary delights, there are many sights and also a wonderful path for hiking on the island of Losinj, which is ideal for mental relaxation.
COVID RESPONSE
Stringent cleaning procedures are already in-place across all boats globally for the well-being of our crew and guests. These will be further enhanced to meet government guidelines in the UK and Italy which are in place in July 2021 in relation to the COVID pandemic. These will include temperature checks prior to boarding; hand-sanitising stations in public areas; additional deep cleans of public areas including decks; social distancing if required. With each catamaran’s capacity at a maximum of 10 people including skipper and chef, if required in August, guests would remain in catamaran bubbles during visits to vineyards and other on-shore activities.
