The management board of LAGUR / FLAG GALEB has selected our project “The Development of Socio-Cultural Infrastructure and Open-Air Museum of the Betina Museum of Wooden Shipbuilding “, which we applied for in partnership with the Tourist Board of Betina, with a total amount of HRK 496,822.08.
Realization of the entire project of the Betina Museum of Wooden Shipbuilding – the outdoor exhibition in the first phase, and a representative floating exhibition of wooden boats through the open-air museum in the second with the interpretation of the historic Betina core and the church of St. Francis, makes it a unique project in the Republic of Croatia. The open-air museum and the old town of Betina are a unique and inseparable area that find a common link in wooden shipbuilding and its development throughout history.
Along the “Heritage Routes Trail”, visitors will experience Betina by traveling through time and discovering secrets from the history of Betina’s shipbuilding and craftsmanship (shipbuilders, blacksmiths…) walking along authentic locations on site. The interactive multimedia panel in the main square will also provide a comprehensive overview of the development of shipbuilding and shipyard locations (through history and today) and other significant cultural and historical sites in Betina.
One of the main goals of the project is the reconstruction of the Betina gajeta Marija. The gajeta is of an older type, built in 1922 in Betina in the shipyard of the shipbuilding family Filipi and is the original representative of the old generation of Betina gajeta. The ship requires a complete reconstruction, respecting the principles of the restoration of a traditional wooden ship. After the renovation, the ship will be used for educational and presentation purposes of the museum, and will have a permanent and prominent place in the open-air museum in Betina, right next to the Cicibela gajeta.
The project as a whole is of great importance for the promotion and sustainable development of local maritime heritage. With the interpretation and touristic valorization of the old town and open-air museum, and for the first time the Betina church with the renovation of the almost hundred-year-old wooden ship it emphasizes the value of Betina shipbuilding in modern times in the context of Croatian maritime heritage. The educational activities to be carried out are extremely important for the preservation of the identity of the local area and the spreading of awareness of the importance of the local maritime culture and the preservation of wooden shipbuilding in the future.