Interpretation center
ABOUT THE INTERPRETATION CENTER
DUBoak
Welcome to a place that will evoke a rich maritime heritage that is reflected in the relationship between the oak and the sea.
The DUBoak Interpretation Center is a place to cherish the value of the local maritime heritage. Oak (dub) and the sea are the core elements of the permanent exhibition, and everything you will hear, see, and experience is related to these two elements. The modern and interactive exhibition is therefore divided into two main thematic sections: the Dubašnica forest and traditional vessels.
Discover the seemingly modest but highly influential history of Malinska-Dubašnica, where timber resources were transported by ships to Venice, and sustainability was ensured by a specific method of forest management.
Visit us and become a part of the story about the inseparable connection between man, oak, and the sea!
MISSION:
In its mission, the DUBoak Interpretation Center combines the care for centuries-old oak forests and the sea as a source of life, as well as the overall cultural reality manifested in local customs.
Through a holistic, cross-sectoral, and participatory approach reflected in its research, presentation, documentation, promotion, and transmission programs of local heritage, DUBoak works towards preserving the natural and cultural maritime heritage of the Municipality of Malinska-Dubašnica.
VISION:
Rooted in its own natural heritage, with oak forests and the sea shaping the cultural heritage and identity of the local population for centuries, the DUBoak Interpretation Center aims to become a recognizable place to cherish, interpret and communicate the maritime heritage of the Municipality of Malinska-Dubašnica as a pledge for a sustainable environmental, social, and economic future.
Why DUBoak?
”Dub” is the Old Slavic name for oak, which once almost completely covered the island of Krk and represented one of the most important export raw materials that was shipped by sea to Venice. . This is combined with the English word ”oak”. By combining these two words, we got a name that phonetically resembles the word “duboko”, meaning “deep”. Of course, this refers to the deep sea. Oak and the sea are precisely the core elements of our center, and all the stories we will share here are related to these two elements.
DUBoak is the proud winner of the Živa Award for the Best Heritage Site" (2023). EXPLORE
What can you expect?
Through interactive exhibitions, interpretive walks, and workshops, you will learn about “drmuni”, the purpose of “šȅst”, the winds that blow before the Malinska bay, and the boats crafted in the nearby shipyard. Your visit to the Center will also contribute to the valorization and transmission of this exceptional heritage.
Dubašnica
Today, Dubašnica is a historical-territorial toponym used to name the northwestern part of the island of Krk, characterized by rich oak forests. In addition to Malinska, as the center of the municipality, Dubašnica includes about twenty other villages in the area.
The rich history of Dubašnica dates back to the time of the Liburnians, who used these same oaks to build their famous sewn ships. And everyone who came after them knew how to recognize in Dubašnica and its oak trees all these treasures that today can pass unnoticed to the untrained eye.
Although it was mentioned as early as the 12th century, Dubašnica was actually inhabited only during the 14th and 15th centuries, when the last Krk prince, Ivan VII. Frankopan brought inhabitants from the mainland to this area, and an independent commune was formed there as early as 1480, and in 1491 the existence of the Dubašnica parish was officially recorded, although it probably existed much earlier. The commune was named after the village of Dubašnica, which was located south of today’s Malinska, a little above the village of Porat, the then main port of the commune of Dubašnica. Both the village and the commune owe their name to the oak tree – a pubescent oak that still covers the forests of Dubašnica with its large crowns.
At the end of the 18th century, the village Dubašnica was abandoned due to malaria and the center of the commune moved to the village of Bogović during the 19th century, and Malinska became its main port. Although Dubašnica was known for its fertile land, always excellent olive oil and highly sought-after red wine, the most important export product was firewood, and it was precisely this that formed the basis on which our maritime heritage rests. Due to the export of wood, ships were built, due to large bracers and loggers, docks were built where steamships could dock, and with the first boats, the first guests began to arrive, who recognized the Oak Forests/„Drmun“ as rich hunting grounds for even richer Austrian gentlemen. Because of the generous and good oak, doghouses and huts were built there… Land workers sometimes fished here, just as fishermen often worked on the land.
And precisely in this lies the unbreakable connection between the coast and the hinterland of Dubašnica, and this has determined the past, and we can say the present of Dubašnica. But that is already a story that you must come to listen to in DUBoak, because even a thick book in several volumes would not have enough space to fit all the stories that await you there.
