“Peace enters me, for this is the suburb of silence…” Tin Ujević, Mirca 1929.
Mirca, a settlement between Supetar and Sutivan, located on the northern side of the island of Brač, was founded by the inhabitants of Donji Humac and Sutivan, who built the Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1579. The settlement was originally established inland but shifted towards the coastline over time.
What made this place so quaint were its almond fields, which enchanted anyone who visited Mirca in the spring, when the trees are in full bloom.
The name Mirca stems from the Latin murus (wall).
Did you know that Tin Ujević, a famous Croatian poet, stayed and worked in Mirca, a small, picturesque village of olive growers and farmers, where he wrote “Discovering Mirca” [Otkrivajući Mirca] in 1929? Tin Ujević (1891 –1955) was born in Vrgorac. However, his mother’s origins in Milna on Brač forged an unbreakable connection between him and this island, which he often visited.
This essay by Ujević formed the basis for the design of the thematic walking trail “Discovering Mirca.”
The peaceful settlement truly urges you to visit it and certainly to return. The characteristic construction of old stone houses in Mutne kale, beautiful, dry-stone walls and mulberry trees still stand today in the places that Ujević himself visited back then.
The Supetar Tourist Board has designed the thematic walking trail “DISCOVERING MIRCA,” named after the prose work of the great Croatian poet and Mirca enthusiast, Tin Ujević. The trail is about 5 km long and features 17 educational panels on the history of Mirca, its cultural landmarks, and interesting anecdotes from the life of this beautiful place. The goal of the Supetar Tourist Board was for everyone who sets off on this trail, besides having a pleasant walk, to learn about the history and curiosities of Mirca. The trail starts above the bay of Vela Luka and passes through Mutnik bay, past the Mirca cemetery, along the stone cross to the chapel of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. From there, it heads to Po’ murvu towards the bocce courts near the Parish church and further to the chapel of St. Osib, to Polokva, through Donji dvori (Mutne kale). Finally, it goes towards the old road by the house of Bartul Lukšić (called Meštar Bore), which Ujević visited during his stay, towards the chapel of Our Lady of Sinj, over the stone bridge.