History of Vis

The island Vis is blessed by the absence of any industrial operations.
The only significant commercial activity visible is in the vineyards and olive groves spread over the island, interspersed with small flocks of sheep. Out to sea of course are the island’s fishing boats, which supply most of the local restaurants.

 

This is partly the result of the remote location of Vis and the fact that for thousands of years Vis has been of great military importance to the reigning power at the time. This commenced with the presence of the Greeks around 2500 BC (making Vis the oldest town in Croatia) who planted the first grape vines on the island. The ancient Greek writer Athenaeus wrote of the wines of Hvar, Korcula and Vis, around the end of the 2nd century BC.

 

The Greeks were followed by many other imposing occupiers including the Romans with ruins of the Roman baths dating to the turn of the 2nd century AD still evident in the town of Vis. They in turn were followed by the Venetians, the Italians, the Ottomans, the Austrians, the British. It also was used as military headquarters by the partisan leader Tito in the 1940’s, later to become the
president of Jugoslavia. All of these presences contributed to the culture, cuisine and language of Vis which is unique to the island alone.

 

This history led to the establishment of Vis as a major wine producer in the late 1800’s when other wine producing countries like France and Germany were battling phylloxera, a scourge of the vineyards. Eventually it arrived also on Vis causing massive damage and forcing many families to emigrate to
the New World where they started producing wine, including some famous names. The population dropped from 11,000 people to around 3500 at present.

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