Sailing towards the island of Vis, you immediately realize you are navigating more open and serious waters than when sailing along the mainland coast or the larger, more sheltered islands As we approach the island, steep shores adorned with low Mediterranean shrubs come into view, revealing a narrow channel of water that beckons us into Vis Bay. This large, sheltered bay serves as a safe haven where many vessels can find refuge, evident in the forest of masts that soon come into view. Vis has historically been a key to the Adriatic, as its unique geographical position demonstrates. If you examine a naval chart, you will see a tiny speck of land in the middle of the long and narrow expanse of the Adriatic Sea—a crucial outpost for anyone seeking to control this stretch of the Mediterranean.
Vis lighthouse on it's own island
It lies approximately 60 kilometres from the port of Split, a short distance south of Hvar and about 160km from Pescara in Italy. Throughout history, its strategic importance has been undeniable. As you sail into Vis Bay, the traces of that history immediately reveal themselves. At the entrance, you are greeted by a striking Art Nouveau lighthouse, built in 1873 under the Austro-Hungarian Empire. But hidden among the cliffs is a ruined naval artillery battery, and beneath the waves, the remains of two ancient Roman shipwrecks serve as a reminder of the treacherous waters surrounding this tiny yet significant island.
Further into the bay, the town of Vis emerges, framed by hills that, upon closer inspection, reveal more ruins—many bearing English names. The remnants of forts named after King George III and Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, and the small island at the bay’s entrance named after Sir William , all tell a tale of wartime struggles. The latter’s the least well known of these, his connection with the island originating during the today unduly neglected Adriatic campaign during the Napoleonic Wars. As a young naval officer, he earned recognition for disrupting French shipping lanes in the Mediterranean – but more about him later.
From Antiquity to the Middle Ages
Arriving in Vis Bay, layers of history unfold before your eyes. One of the most striking sights is the Prirovo Peninsula, home to a Renaissance-era Franciscan monastery. When viewed from above, its semicircular shape hints at its origins—it’s built into the remains of a Roman theatre To save time and resources, the monastery was built directly on top of the ancient structure, incorporating already-carved stone blocks.
However, the Romans were neither the first nor even the second civilization to leave their mark on Vis. For that detail we have to go much further back. Archaeological findings indicate that the island's first inhabitants were Neolithic farmers who arrived 7,500 years ago, bringing agriculture and animal husbandry with them. During the Bronze (3000–1000 BC) and Iron (1000–1 BC) Ages, Vis was home to numerous burial cairns and hillforts. By the fourth century BC, Greek settlers arrived, establishing the colony of Issa. The Greeks had been trading with the Illyrians date at least back to the sixth century BC, and the first written historical records in Croatia come from the necropolis of Issa. These records one documenting the name and tragic fate of a man named Kallias, who died fighting at sea against an Illyrian ship, leaving behind an orphaned son. It reads:
You set sail from this city wishing for your courage
Assaulting an Illyrian ship
In the course of which you met your death,
And Harmus, the beloved child of yours, is now an orphan.
Corageus Kallias, such heroism there has never been.
In 56 BC, Issa’s delegation met with the governor of the Roman province of Illyria, Gaius Julius Caesar. They managed to secure its independence as a Greek colony from direct Roman control, and the stone inscription documenting the success of the delegation still survives. However, seven years later, siding with Pompey in the Roman Civil War cost the city its privileges, and, as Pliny tells us, it was transformed into a Roman provincial .
From the Roman era, Vis preserves remnants of that theatre which proved so useful to the Renaissance friars, along with baths, and sections – now submerged - of its ancient harbour. While Roman rule endured for centuries, albeit under-appreciated in modern writing, it could not last for ever. To explore the island’s subsequent medieval past, however, we must make the journey across it to Komiža, where the Benedictine monks arrived in the 12th and 13th centuries.
The thriving vineyards of the island
KomiĹľa and the Venetian Influence
The Adriatic was once a vital corridor between East and West, and for the Benedictines of Tremiti, expanding their influence across the sea felt natural. In AD 1050, they established a monastery on the neighbouring island of Biševo. According to legend, frequent pirate raids forced them to relocate to the island of Vis, where they built a fortified monastery above Komiža. Over the centuries, the structure evolved into the town’s parish church, known today as Muster (from the Latin monasterium). The church retains its original Romanesque nave, with later additions extending into the 18th century.
Komiža’s maritime heritage is equally rich. With little arable land, its residents turned to the sea for sustenance, becoming expert fishermen. They developed the Falkuša, a traditional wooden fishing boat, and relied on sardines as their primary economic staple. The Falkuša has a rounded hull with a pointed bow and stern, a low draught, and a single lateen sail. It is typically operated by a crew of six. Protecting this prosperous community was a small Venetian-built fort constructed in the 15th century to defend against Ottoman pirate raids.
Traditional boats in a bay
The Napoleonic Wars and the Battle of Vis
During the Napoleonic Wars, Austria suffered a series of defeats, leading to treaties that redrew Europe’s borders. The once-powerful Republic of Venice was no more, and in its place, the French-controlled Illyrian Provinces emerged along the Adriatic coast. To disrupt French supply lines, the British Royal Navy dispatched a young but experienced officer, William Hoste. A protégé of Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, Hoste led a highly successful campaign in the Adriatic, culminating in the decisive battle near the island now bearing his name. Despite being severely outnumbered, the British forces managed to defeat the French squadron and secure control of Vis. Hoste would go on to play a pivotal role in military conflicts at Dubrovnik (Ragusa) and Kotor (Cattaro), cementing Vis as a key naval stronghold. After Napoleon’s ultimate defeat at Waterloo, the island was handed over to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which ruled it for almost a century.
Vis Old Town
Vis in Modern History
Vis is easily recognizable from a distance—a small mountain rising from the sea, its cliffs giving way only to a few natural harbours where settlements have developed over millennia. Inland, a plateau has served as farmland since the Neolithic era, While this is seemingly timeless, it has continued to play a part in modern history. In World War II, Vis played a crucial role once again. Initially occupied by Italy, the island was liberated by Partisan forces after Italy’s surrender in 1943. Vis was the only part of former Yugoslavia never occupied by German forces.
An airfield was constructed on the island, launching countless Allied sorties. Unfortunately, the waters around Vis remain the final resting place for several U.S. and British airmen. After the war, Vis retained its military significance. Under socialist Yugoslavia, it became a heavily fortified military base, closed to foreign visitors until 1989. Despite being just 90 square kilometres, the island housed over 30 military installations, including an underground hospital and a submarine shelter. This decades-long isolation stalled economic and tourist development, leading to significant depopulation.
Vis harbour with a view of the Franciscan Monastery
Today, though, olive groves and vineyards thrive atop the ancient Greek and Illyrian fields in the island’s interior. Former military bunkers have been repurposed into wineries and tourist attractions, reflecting Vis’s transformation from a strategic stronghold into a vibrant travel destination.
On our journey through the island, we will uncover its history—tracing Roman ruins, medieval monasteries, Venetian forts, and World War II relics—all while exploring this remarkable destination with expert guides on our gulet cruises in Croatia between Split and Dubrovnik.
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