The creative power of nature can sometimes blow our minds, and the very unusual and incredibly interesting Baljenac Island is testimony to that. Also known as Bavljenac, the tiny island located in the Šibenik archipelago belongs to the Republic of Croatia. The fascinating part is how this small island has earned the moniker “fingerprint island.” Hardly spanning half a square mile, the entire landmass is covered by a series of dry-stone walls that give it the shape of a human fingerprint. Real Croatia explains the reason behind this exciting aspect, ‘In order to grow food and make wine, local people built elaborate drywall complex to keep the elements from washing away what was left of precious soil. On a mere 14 acres, there are almost 24 kilometers of drywall built by hand 200 years ago.’
When observed from above, this land looks identical to a giant human fingerprint in the sea. This history and enigma are attracting many tourists, which worries the local community that the influx of tourists will damage the drywall. The drywalls are why the island is on the UNESCO Tentative List to be put on the Cultural Heritage Site List. The Croatian government is earnestly in talks with UNESCO to include the island on its World Heritage Sites list, as they hope the island can one day be a fingerprint on the global spectrum.
TecheBlog shared views of conservationist Mark Sinobad, “It is because of the stone lace pattern that Baljenac caught the eye of guardians of cultural heritage. The Conservation Department in Šibenik, on a proposal from the University of Zadar, will prepare an application for protection status of Baljenac as a cultural heritage.” This indeed looks like one place that’s going on every traveler’s bucket list.
