Page 43 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol 13(2) (2025)
P. 43
Case Study Area parts of both islands have mild relief and a rug-
The Cres-Lošinj archipelago comprises two large ged coastline, the western side of Lošinj below
islands and several smaller inhabited and unin- the 589-metre-high Osoršćica mountain and
habited islets (fig. 1). Together with the islands of the northern parts of Cres, with terrain heights
Krk and Rab, they belong to the northernmost of more than 500 metres above sea level, are ex-
group of Croatian islands, situated in the Kvar- tremely steep. The northwest-southeast orienta-
ner Bay. They are typical of the Dinaric karst tion of the two main islands, together with the
landscape and are characterised by open pas- high terrain, acts as a divide for weather and
tures, slope terraces, sinkholes, karst valleys and winds. The east coasts of Cres and Lošinj are
agricultural plots surrounded by dry stone walls particularly exposed to stormy northeasterly
(Andlar et al. 2018). The karstic limestone, espe- winds (Croatian: bura), while the west coasts of
cially on Cres and Lošinj, is densely covered with the two islands are affected by strong southeast-
typical Mediterranean vegetation, consisting erly winds (Croatian: jugo). 43
mainly of dense, rigid, mostly evergreen shrub- The prehistoric hillfort settlements on Cres
bery (macchia) – anthropogenic secondary veg- and Lošinj are part of the Bronze and Iron Age
etation (fig. 1). settlement pattern along the eastern Adriat-
Cres and Lošinj are two of the most moun- ic coast. Hellmuth Kramberger (2024) links
tainous islands in Croatia. While the southern Bronze Age hillforts in Istria to a turbulent pe- Up and Down the Hill: Hillforts and Dry Stone Wall Enclosures on the Kvarner Islands...
Figure 1: Views of the Cres and Lošinj Archipelago: a) The Brdo site (54) illustrates a modern development on a pre-
sumed prehistoric site (elaborated by Filip Vukoja, 2019); b) Abandoned agropastoral remains surrounded by macchia
(elaborated by Michael Doneus, 2023); c) Aerial view on Osor and densely overgrown part of Lošinj Island (elaborated
by Michael Doneus, 2010)
