As you move through the historical centre of the town of Krk, making your way through the narrow town streets, you will easily find the current location of the new Krk Island Maritime Heritage Centre, opened in 2018 as part of the “Tiny Boat 2”project, achieved from the cooperation of Interreg V-A Slovenia-Croatia 2014-2020.

The Interpretation Centre comprises a museum exhibition on maritime transport, shipbuilding and fishing on Krk Island, as well as a separate ship-modelling workshop, led by Željko Skomeršić.

The exhibition provides a historical overview of maritime affairson Krk Island, ranging from Late Antiquity, notable hydro archaeological sites, the medieval development of seafaring on Krk Island, and the advent of steamboat building to the mid-twentieth century.

The Interpretation Centre houses some beautiful objects, such as models of traditional and other sailboats from Krk, everyday fishing items, shipbuilding tools and nautical instruments.

At the centre, visitors can see some of the oldest editions ofmaritime literature, old nautical charts, atlases and navigation manuals.

After visiting the permanent exhibition, they can attendthe ship-modelling workshop, where they will receive useful information about the types of model ships and how to make them.

Pasaras are the most common small boats in our maritime region.They are characterized by a “cut” – that is, a flat transom and abow post that can be more or less tilted to the front.

Pasaras usedto be built without a deck or with a partial deck, most commonlycovering up to 1/3 of the length, as is the case with the Krk pasara“Bodulka”. Their length typically varied between four and sixmeters, and they were used for fishing, transporting cargo andpeople, and as auxiliaries for sailboats, sand carriers and fishingboats.

Smaller pasaras were initially propelled by paddles and thelarger ones had sails. Later they started using engines and thestern lines attained their fuller form.

Bragocs, wooden sailboats typically used along thewestern Istrian coast and in the Venetian lagoons, werealso typically used by seamen and fishermen in Krk.They inherited this tradition from the fishermen fromChioggia, who used to fish in the Kvarner maritimeregion, passing their fishing skills to the local fishermen.Due to the traditional role played by the bragocs in thehistory of the island of Krk, reaching as far back as theeighteenth century, an old bragoc built in Chioggia in 1941was purchased from the Venetian Arzana Association andits restoration began.

Our 9.5 meters long Krk bragoc, which still bears itsoriginal name of Paolina, was restored by the shipbuilderJosip Mršić from Pinezići, as well as by Franco Kraljić, athis traditional shipyard in Malinska.

It was ceremonially launched on 3 June 2018 in the Krk town port. The boathas a flat bottom and nearly vertical sides, rounded at thebow, with a sudden transition from the sides to the flatstern, and two masts with decorated lugsails. It will takepart in festivals and regattas in the Kvarner maritimeregion in the years to come and its characteristic hulland sails are sure to attract seamen, travellers and fans oftraditional vessels throughout the Adriatic region.

The guc is a boat that has fostered generations; it is between threeand eight meters long, with pointed lines and posts on the bow andstern

Smaller boats have a completely open hull with a small deck inthe bow, while larger gucs have a partial deck.

The guc was initiallypropelled by paddles, then by sails and finally by inboard or outboardmotors. The guc is present in all Mediterranean regions, as well as inthe northern Adriatic, where it developed certain local characteristics.

It was used for fishing, transporting people and goods, and later forsports sailing.