Kukljica

Kukljica
Village
Kukljica Location of Kukljica in Croatia
Coordinates: 44°02′06″N 15°14′47″E
Country	Croatia
Population  (2011)
• Total	714
Postal code	23271

the Kukljica municipality within the Zadar County

Kukljica is a village on the island of Ugljan in Croatia. According to the 2011 census, there are 714 inhabitants, 98% which are Croats.

Attractions

Church steeple in Kukljica

Kukljica is a tourist and fishing town on the southeastern side of the island of Ugljan close to the Zdrelac Strait, also known as the “doorway to Telascica Nature Park and Kornati National Park”. The old part of the town is of Mediterranean architecture and is separated from the green peninsula on which the settlement is situated by a large natural inlet and port. The sandy beaches of Sabusa, Kostanj, Zelena Punta, and Jelenica stretch to both sides of the island in the shade of centennial pinewood. Orange roofs top the houses that display Roman ruins with grape and kiwi vines curling around the corners. Every year a traditional procession to the shrine of Our Lady of Snow is held on 5 August, in memory of the day when, according to legend, it snowed five centuries earlier. Some annual activities/ festivities are the boats encircling the boat that carries the "Lady of Snow" statue, tug-of-war, donkey races, and climbing a greased pole to get to a prosciutto that is hung at the top. Kukljica is home to the Meštrić, Martinović, Blagdan, Benić, Vulin & Milić families. Kukljica is situated at the southeast end of the island of Ugljan. It has 52 km2 and 75 km of coastline abounding with bays. Ugljan faces Zadar from which it is separated by the Zadar Channel which is only 3 NM wide. It is well-connected with the mainland by ferryboats. A bridge at the crossing Ždrelac connects Ugljan with the island of Pašman. The picturesque fishing village lies on a large natural bay not far from the sea crossing Ždrelac so that it can be called «the door to the National Park Kornati». In the old village nucleus genuine examples of island building can still be seen and it is a special pleasure to walk down the quay and throw a glance at the small port always filled with boats and sailboats. In the haven Kostanj there is a valuable historical monument, the restored old Christian church of St. Jerome from the 13th century. The genuine attraction of Kukljica is the traditional procession by boat on the 5th of August, which has been taking place here since 1514, when the statue of Our Lady is taken from the votive church of Our Lady of the Snow in the sea crossing Ždrelac to the parish church of St. Paul dating from the 17th century. The statue is accompanied by a procession of hundreds of boats of all sizes. Very close to the village, on both sides of the islands are the sandy beaches of Sabuša, Kostanj i Jelenica.

External links

• Kukljica Tourist Office