15–17 October 2026, Jelsa and Hvar, Island of Hvar
Island heritage as care for the community, from Hvar to Gotland
From 15 to 17 October 2026, Jelsa and the town of Hvar will host the international scientific symposium 14th Anatomy of Islands: The Heritage Arena as a Context of Care for Island Communities and Landscapes. It is organised by the Anatomy of Islands Association – Centre for Research and Development from Jelsa, in cooperation with scientific institutions, local government, and cultural and development institutions from the island of Hvar. More than fifty researchers, experts and representatives of island communities will discuss how island heritage is preserved, lived and passed on.
The symposium starts from the premise that care is one of the key functions heritage can take on: care for the landscape, for the community and for the future of the islands.
Some thirty presentations will address Croatian islands, from Krk, Pag, Cres, Šolta, Zlarin and Žirje to Hvar, Brač and Korčula. The experiences of Croatian islands will be compared with those of Gotland, Lesbos, the Faroe Islands, Cape Verde, the La Maddalena archipelago and Bermuda. The symposium opens with a plenary lecture by Swedish ethnologist Owe Ronström on tradition and heritage as competing views of the past on the island of Gotland.
Topics include commons and natural resources, staying on the islands and moving to them, rituals and the transmission of knowledge, the role of small museums and local institutions, tourism and the commodification of heritage, island cartography and maritime connections. The symposium also takes up current issues such as “Jadrolinija in the Heart” as maritime heritage, demographic revitalisation, and the exhaustion of small communities under market pressure.
Thursday, 15 October · Jelsa
On Thursday afternoon, storyteller Jakov Rubinić will speak about the Za križen (Following the Cross) procession, after which participants will visit the Za križen gallery in the Parish Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Jelsa. The same day at 7 pm, the Jelsa Municipal Library and Reading Room will host the presentation of the volume Demografski izazovi i lokalne perspektive na otocima: Zbornik radova Anatomije otoka (Demographic Challenges and Local Perspectives on the Islands: Proceedings of the Anatomy of Islands), edited by Sonja Podgorelec, Sanja Klempić Bogadi and Ana Perinić Lewis.
Friday, 16 October · Hvar, Loggia
On Friday the symposium moves to the town of Hvar, where the programme takes place in the Loggia. The central event of the day is the round table Island Museums and Interpretation Centres: Between Community and Tourism. Island museums and interpretation centres act as a mirror of the island, both for those who live there and for those who visit. The discussion focuses on the practical side of their work: different operating models, funding and the shortage of jobs, and responsible care for heritage in institutions that are also part of the economy – raising the question of what a museum is without tourists. Experts from the Conservation Department in Split, a representative of LAG and FLAG Škoji and guest participants from Betina will be joined by museum professionals from Hvar. Projects of island local action groups (LEADER/CLLD) will also be presented in the Loggia.
Saturday, 17 October · Jelsa
The symposium closes on Saturday, 17 October at 7 pm with a concert by the Pučki pivači KBF (Folk Singers of the Catholic Faculty of Theology), led by Dr Joško Ćaleta, in the Parish Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Jelsa.
When: 15–17 October 2026
Where: Jelsa (Municipal Hall) and the town of Hvar (Loggia)
Admission: The symposium is open to the public
Organiser:
Anatomy of Islands Association – Centre for Research and Development, Jelsa
Co-organisers:
Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Research, Zagreb; Institute for Migration Research, Zagreb; Department of Ethnology and Anthropology, University of Zadar; Municipality of Jelsa; Jelsa Tourist Board; HVAR1612 Public Cultural Institution; Jelsa Municipal Library and Reading Room; Škoji Local Action Group (LAG Škoji); Škoji Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAG Škoji); Stari Grad Plain Management Agency; Hvar Secondary School
Supported by:
Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds of the Republic of Croatia; Ministry of Science, Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia; Ministry of Demography and Population of the Republic of Croatia
