An Entire Abandoned Village, a photo from Splitsko-Dalmatinska, Coast

Photographer's Note

Please click the link to see the TE Beta version for better quality ABANDONED MALO GRABJLE .

Also, take a look at the MAP feature to see its location. I could find only 1 other photo of this village on TE, and that was posted many years ago.

As the title states, this is an entire abandoned village - and if you know me and my love for the abandoned subjects, I was pretty much in heaven when I visited this place.

I knew about Malo Grablje even before I left Canada to come to Croatia. I always google for abandoned places before arriving to my destination. When I learned about this entire abandoned village on the Island of Hvar, I was very excited and couldn't wait to find it.

Malo Grablje was founded in the 16th Century, finding specific info about the village is hard, even online. From what I found, the village became completely abandoned in about the 1950's - 1960's. At about that time the population was approx 125. I couldn't find any records of the population at its peak.

Why did the people leave this village? The inhabitants main occupation and reason for building their settlement here was for the growing of grapes and other vine fruits etc...Well, there was a major Vine Virus which they couldn't overcome, wiping out their crops and ruining their land.

To make a long story short, they packed up all their belongings, and moved everything to the nearby town of Milna, a few KM away. All the buildings remain, there's a church, an old Mill (in the WS), and old school, and many homes.

When I say they took everything but their homes, I mean it. They even dug up their dead, at the cemetery, and took them to Milna, and re-burried them in a new cemetery! How's that for dedication!

Take a look in the WS for a couple more photos, I may post another main photo as well.

snunney, pajaran, Fis2, papagolf21, ikeharel, Royaldevon, holmertz, jean113, ChrisJ, jemaflor, jhm, PaulVDV ha puntuado esta nota como útil.

Critiques | Translate

snunney (130967) 2018-08-24 4:16

Hello Craig,
You must have been in your element. The vegetation makes an excellent contrast with the beautifully textured stone walls. Good light management with well rendered colours and detailing.

lousat (139286) 2018-08-24 5:26

Hi Craig,as you know i like me too abandoned houses,villages and things,and this is very interesting.I never heard before this village,so your note and your map view are very precious. Excellent pics as usual,i like the new way to turn the windmills,no cows but Joanna..ahaha... about your question of my polish trip,i never had a meeting with Malgo,because she lives a bit far and i had only 5 days of vacancy. Have a nice weekend and thans,Luciano

Nicou (193806) 2018-08-24 5:31

Hello

quelle ancienne maison en ruines et ce mur en premier plan il faudrait la rénover quelle belle bâtisse on voit au travers les ouverture et cette végétation qui la protège en cor sueprbe compo.
Belle journée
Nciou

pajaran (115911) 2018-08-24 5:36

Dobar dan.
Bio sam mnogo puta u Hrvatskoj za vreme Jugoslavije, najvise sa porodicom u gradovima na moru za vreme koriscenja godisnjeg odmora, lepo smo se provodili i uzivali u lepote prirode.
Lep pogled, interesantan i dobar tekst ...
Dobar rad sa lepim fotografijama u radionici, lepo pokazano, dobar kontrast, lepe boje, lepo uhvacen trenutak sa posetiteljkom.
Lepa fasada i detalji, lepa stara arhitektura.
Zelim vam lep i uspesdan dan, sve najbolje za vikend, srecno.
Paja.

Fis2 (170779) 2018-08-24 5:54

Witaj Craig!
What we like together, beautiful house ruins.
Were you inside?
Beautiful stone walls and windows, I love it.
Excellent framing, colors and sharpness.
Well done.
Nice day.
Krzysztof

papagolf21 (152607) 2018-08-24 6:04

Bonjour, cher Craig,
C'est beau et triste à la fois de voir ces maisons à l'abandon, je remarque que la nature à travers la végétation reprend ses droits et semblent vouloir enfouir le passé.
Les images sont belles à regarder.
Amitiés.
Philippe

ikeharel (113353) 2018-08-24 6:33

Hello Craig,
Must had been grandeur villa back in time's. But the story here is unusual.
A picture with good details under bright light, bring my imagination how it looked when occupied.
Nice to see your smiling girlfriend on the WS.
Good morning in Vancouver, afternoon from here in Israel.
Ike

Royaldevon (85932) 2018-08-24 6:50

Hello Craig,

This made interesting reading as well as being interesting visually! I like watching 'Time Team' and I know there are abandoned villages in the U.K. but I have never before heard of people digging up their dead to take with them!
When I read the title of your photograph, I imagined the heaven that you would have experienced! This certainly is a wonderfully tactile scene; just look at the rough textures on the f/g, crumbling wall! You have given us some great photographs of this village, which must have seemed somewhat eerie as you explored it.
Were there holes where the bodies had been removed?
I presume that the white line in the sky is a vapour trail, not an electric wire!

Have a good day,
Bev :-)

holmertz (102708) 2018-08-24 7:38

Hello Craig,
There are obvious areas where our interests in photography don't meet. You like abandoned places, I prefer places enlivened by people (locals, rather than tourists). Judging from the internet this is a popular place for arranged tours, so maybe it's not always totally empty. I have no objections to the photo as such, it's of course very well taken, but it doesn't really interest me much. I like both WS photos better, one (not possible to use as a main upload) for the inclusion of a nice person in a good light, and the other because of very nicely matching colours.
Have a nice weekend,
Gert

pierrefonds (114470) 2018-08-24 12:26

Hi Craig,

The trees are framing well the abandoned house. The point of view is showing the details of the house. The light is enhan cing the beauty of the colors. Have a nice day.

Pierre

jean113 (27879) 2018-08-24 13:11

Hi Craig, what a discovery for you with your love of abandoned buildings. Such a variety of dilapidation, lots of textures to enjoy.
It is sad to see how quickly places like this can deteriorate.
A sad story of the village.
TFS, regards Jean.

ChrisJ (171822) 2018-08-24 16:14

Hi Craig

You would love Kayakoy in south west Turkey.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kayak%C3%B6y

There is a whole city of abandoned villages there. I must post a shot one of these days. Good sharpness and textural details in the crumbling stone walls. Tfs!

emka (158172) 2018-08-24 18:29

Hello Craig, I do not find it strange that there are no pictures of this village on TE. There are so many wonderful places in Croatia, impossible to visit them all. Excellent picture of this abandoned house - the sharpness is fantastic, the colors nicely saturated. Amazing that they took also their deads with them. I haven't heard of anything like this.
Have a nice weekend

Malgo
I see that your gf likes to be photographed :).

jemaflor (147156) 2018-08-24 23:48

Hi Craig,
A good subject of original photo with an abandoned house, we know that you like this kind of photo subject ... Well photographed, good angle and perfect light capture, perfect to imagine the life of this house, before !

jhm (211736) 2018-08-25 0:51

Hello Craig,

Your additional picture with the Lady at the mill, is real wonderful an original.
Almost incredible that a completely village abandon.
This is real wonderful taken wit original colours.
Pleasant composition and amazing to look at.
Sharpness and clarity make it subject still nicer.
Very well done, TFS.

Have a nice weekend,
John.

Cricri (176) 2018-08-25 9:33

Hi Craig
Quel tristesse de voir ce village abandonné qui ne t'a pas échapper de vouloir le visiter , de voir et de prendre les maisons abandonnées, et est un sujet dont tu apprécie en autre ! belle version en WS, dont une est plutôt charmante :-)
Bon weekend
cricri

dta (98848) 2018-08-26 4:03

Hello Craig ,
I love old ruins , so this is a picture for me ;) But renovated , it woul be a charming house in the terraces of olivre trees .
Regards

willperrett (14215) 2018-08-26 7:32

Hello Craig

I've been to Hvar, but missed this place: mind you, we were sailing, and therefore had no land transport, and needed to move on to Split the next day. But what a chance missed: I share your love of the abandoned and desolate, and could have spent a day there easily, although no pubs I guess... Strong light and a sense of romance rather than sadness (the sunlight has something to do with that probably!)

Just down the road in Montenegro, I found this abandoned village, which you might like!

Regards

Will

PaulVDV (62920) 2018-08-26 8:13

Hello Craig,
The first thing I noticed: Hard labor for your girlfriend during her vacation! But she keeps smiling.
A quite remarkable story about the relocation of the residents who even took their deceased with them.
Excellent quality of your main picture of the abandoned house: beautiful light and colours, perfectly sharp and clear. The image fully supports your note.
Best regards, Paul

Tue (92370) 2018-08-26 11:48

Hello Craig,
An abandoned village, you must have truly loved being there, walking around the old, deserted, and partly ruined buildings. An excellent photo of this old house, bathing in a perfect sunlight.
Lars

carlo62 (81265) 2018-08-27 14:22

Ciao Craig
dovrai andare al supermarket per avere la farina che ti occorre, non credo che con l'aiuto di Joanne riuscirai ad ottenere molta farina....
I villaggi abbandonati sono pieni di fascino, il tempo si è fermato al loro interno ed è un piacere poter curiosare al loro interno.
Saluti
Carlo

jmdias (115186) 2018-11-11 6:56

craig

there is an abandoned village near the village where my father was born, I presume it is almost done at this moment because the old houses lost their roof and the erosion of rain damaged the thick walls. it is ever a sad scenery when we think about the past, people who lived there and their decay is a sad thing. nice view with these façades surviving yet.

take care

jorge