The community of Rovinj celebrated 20 years of existence and successful operation of the Ecomuseum-Ecomuseo "Batana", which is unique in the Adriatic and the Mediterranean and registered in the UNESCO register of best practices for the preservation of intangible cultural heritage.
Baština spoke with the most beautiful words through compositions that day on the Great Pier Brass music, speeches of honored guests, song SAC-KUD "Marco Garbin" Comunità degli Italiani - Community of Italians "Pino Budicin" Rovinj-Rovigno, poetry in the Rovinj dialect Libero Benussi and through 20 photos printed on canvas in the shape of a mainsail that made up the exhibition opened on that occasion "Ecomuseum as a reference point of Rovinj identity".
Along with the fluttering of the small sails on which the photos told about the past two decades, the big ones were fluttering as well, because they are the largest batanas in Rovinj "Queen" and the smallest ones "Peîcia" on this occasion, they replaced the sea with the Great Pier and became a wonderful backdrop for the joyful and proud moments that the members of the Ecomuseum-Ecomuseo "Batana" shared with their fellow citizens, colleagues, guests and visitors. Hard working members Alessandro and Gianpietro Venier, Remigio Bogešić and Edi Poropat they demonstrated the art of mending nets and build them under the watchful eye of the oldest member and the legendary barkajol Giordano Banich.
In the 20 years of successful operation of the Ecomuseum-Ecomuseo "Batana", a number of activities, projects and contents have been organized and implemented, among which we single out the most significant: 18 organized Rovinj regattas of traditional boats with main and Latin sails, to which the regatta manager made a great contribution Alvise Benussi, launched a regatta in memoriam Corrado Pellizzer, participation in regattas of traditional boats along our coast, opening of a tavern Spacio Matika in which, as well as on Rovinj's Veliko Molo, fishing tradition evenings were held under the guidance Fabija Cherina and today Jasne Bešker.
It is open Peicio squaro, and the art of building the Rovinj batana was registered in Register of Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Croatia. Positioning at the world level was successfully carried out, with the greatest success being the inclusion of the Ecomuseum of Batan in UNESCO's Register of Best Practices for the Preservation of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2016, and there is also participation in numerous EU projects. Established in 2021 as a new boost to development Institution-Istituzione "House of batana - Casa della batana".
The museum space where visitors have been welcomed by the manager since its inception Ornell Goden, 2022 shined with a new permanent lineup. Thanks "Journey with batana", its biggest attraction and interactive installation "Probe Study" it's a new setup crowned with a prize European Design Award. In the same year, the art of sailing with a main and lateen sail along the Croatian coast was registered in Register of cultural assets of the Republic of Croatia and the advent program was launched "Nadal in the family" with the exhibition of the same name. The first concert walk was held in 2023 "Col chiaro della luna" with art directors, Alessija Giuricina and Giovanni Cestina.
/ / /Batana's mainsail crowned with high recognition
It is also worth noting the publishing activity during which the books were published "Rovinj batana and its sail - La batana rovignese e la sua vela" author Libero Benussi, "Recipes from the House of Batana - Le ricette della Casa della batana" author Marisa and Sergio Ferrara and holding the first multimedia exhibition "Cuntrada a place of childhood memories / il luogo dei ricordi della nostra infanzia" and a published bilingual book of the same title by the author Tamara Nikolić Đerić.
The solemnity of the celebration was magnified by the mayor of the City of Rovinj - Rovigno, Marco Paliaga and his leaders, the deputy mayor of Rovinj David Modrušan, representative of the Minister of Culture and Media Nina Obuljen Koržinek, Sandra Čelić Višnjić, from the Conservation Department in Pula, president of the Coordination of Associations for the Preservation of the Maritime, Fishing and Shipbuilding Traditions of Kvarner and Istria, Robert Mohovic, pastor of St. Euphemia Parish, Vilim Grbac, then Davor Trupkovic, who made an irreplaceable contribution to the development and work of the Ecomuseum-Ecomuseo "Batana", director of the Institute of Art History in Zagreb Katarina Horvat Levaj, co-county of Istria County Jessica Aquavita and general secretary of the Croatian Commission for UNESCO Rut Tsarek.
Also present were representatives of institutions, associations, societies and civil society entities of the City of Rovinj-Rovigno and Istria County, representatives of companies Maistra and Valalta and many who have supported and helped the work of the Ecomuseum in various ways over the years, as well as the media that have made it recognizable in the country and abroad since 2004.
- We celebrated our big day in the most beautiful way possible. We would like to thank everyone who graced our ceremony with their presence and emotion, and everyone who contributed to the Ecomuseum-Ecomuseo "Batana" reaching such a significant anniversary of the successful preservation of Rovinj's heritage, which we carry with equal love and enthusiasm into the third decade of the existence of our Ecomuseum-Ecomuseo, she pointed out Nives Giuricin, director of the Institution-Institution "House of batana - Casa della batana".
Source and photo: Ecomusej-Ecomuseo "Batana"
