Episode 115

Dobar dan, slušatelji!

Warm up those vocal cords and join us for another edition of the Let’s Learn Croatian Sing-a-long!

Our song is about driving slowly and pulling the family heart strings.

It will be fun!

Lesson

Road - cesta (autocesta)

To hurry - žuriti se

To play (music) - svirati

To press (down) - pritisnuti

Gentle - nježan

To drive - voziti

To remain - ostati

Super Slatko Report

In this edition of the Super Slatko Report, DJ Moe tells us about the wartime historical significance of the island of Vis. What pieces of history are still lying around? Stick around and find out!

Here we go…

Located 44km off the coast (27.3 miles) in the Adriatic Sea, the Croatian island of Vis conceals a historical secret: a network of military installations and a once-secret submarine base. During the Cold War, this strategic island served as a Yugoslav military stronghold, featuring a hidden submarine pen and many military structures, 30 military facilities in total.

The most important of these structures was Vis's secret submarine base carved into the island's rocky shores. Built in the late 1950s, the base was designed to shelter submarines from prying eyes, offering a secure haven beneath the island. The base, situated in a natural cave, provided an ingenious blend of camouflage and strategic advantage, concealing the Yugoslav Navy's activities during a period of geopolitical tensions.

Some of the specifications of the submarine base on Vis include its strategic location and design. Tunnels, chambers, and docking areas were carved into the rock, creating a safe harbor for these submarines. The natural protection offered by the island's topography, combined with the man-made structures, made this submarine base a formidable asset for Yugoslav military operations.

At this time, Vis served as a critical operational hub for the Yugoslav Navy, offering a safe location for maintenance, repairs, and strategic planning. The base played a role in safeguarding maritime interests and projecting power in the Adriatic region, helping to bolster the military capabilities of Yugoslavia during the Cold War.

There were also other installations put in place on Vis, including bunkers, barracks, and radar facilities. These structures, strategically positioned across the island formed a defense network. The island's significance as a military outpost was heightened by its proximity to key shipping routes and its potential role in securing the Adriatic Sea.

Today, these military installations on the island of Vis stand vacant and abandoned. The submarine base, now declassified, attracts visitors who seek a glimpse into the island's secret past. There are guided tours which allow exploration of the underground chambers, showcasing the engineering and strategic considerations for these military installations.

The secret submarine base and military installations on Vis are a reminder of the Cold War era that those people of a certain age can still remember without ever having to open a book. It shows exactly how far they had to go to protect against potential threats. 

Having that historical interest in me, this is something I would love to visit one day to see for myself; so this one definitely will make the list. If you are interested in this kind of thing yourself, be sure to check it out on your next visit. You would need to look into a guided tour though, although I wasn’t able to find one that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, worth looking into if you are really interested.

And thats it for the Super Slatko Report.