The great history of a small island
Dionysius the Elder , famous tyrant of Syracuse, 397 AD. eg. n. e. on Vis he founded Issa, the first Greek colony on the eastern coast of the Adriatic.
During the reign of Dionysius the Younger, Issa became a free democratic polis (city-state) and founded its own colonies along the coast: Lumbarda, Tragurion, Epetion and Salona . Ancient Issa, with its regular layout of streets, is the oldest urban core in this area.
In the 7th and 8th centuries, Croats settled on Vis, merging with the natives of Illyrian, Greek and Roman origin and Croatizing the name of the island to Vis , which was mentioned by the Byzantine emperor in his work De administrando imperio (On the Administration of the Empire) at the beginning of the 10th century. Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus.
Since the 18th century, Vis has been ruled by the Italians, the French, the English and the Habsburg Monarchy. The English confirmed their presence on Vis when they defeated the navy of the island’s then ruler, Napoleon, in the Battle of Vis in 1811. After their victory, they became the island’s administrators, built a series of forts and introduced a cadastre.
The 20th century was also turbulent on Vis. After World War I, Vis was under Italian rule, and then under the rule of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia . The Italians reoccupied Vis in 1941, but soon abandoned it after the capitulation. In October 1943, the entire island came under the rule of the Yugoslav partisans. There was also an Allied airfield on it, which served as a base for attacks on areas under German occupation. Even in socialist Yugoslavia , Vis remained a military base and was closed to tourists for decades. This slowed down the development of the island, but also preserved it.
With the establishment of the independent Republic of Croatia, the island opened up to tourists who can now enjoy the rich history of this small island.
