Whether you are regularly vacationing in Croatia, or you are familiar with European history during both world wars, you have probably already heard of the famous island, called Goli Otok. I was going on summer vacation to Croatia with my parents every year when I was younger, and each time we were driving to our destination on Jadranska Magistrala (which is a sort of highway that goes just by the sea and allows you breathtaking views of the sea and surrounding islands), I was amazed by a group of islands there. I saw several ones of them, and all of them, but one, was covered in lush green vegetation. The last one was covered in, well, rocks. And more rocks.
Ever since I saw this island for the first time, I wanted to go there and see it with my own eyes. But unfortunately, it was impossible (and even strictly forbidden) to go there at that time. I think that the reason was because they were still trying to clean up. I do not mean clean up the trash, but what they were doing there. Only a few years ago, it started to become possible to get on the Goli Otok, and it was turned into a museum. And since I was vacationing on the Krk island this year, I decided to grab this fantastic opportunity and take a trip to the Goli Otok.
As I have mentioned above, Goli Otok, which could be translated as 'the naked island' got its name because there is almost no vegetation on it, only rocks. This place has became famous as a political prison during both world wars.
How to get there?
This is an island, so getting there by boat is the only way. But you do have several options on how to get there to choose from. Whichever option you will choose, it will let you admire the surrounding uninhabited islands. You might only spot a sheep or two on some of them. So let's start with the most popular option, which is water taxi. Water taxis have gained popularity in the last few years, more precisely when the Krk island has become a well – known tourist destination. You can find them all along the marina of Baška, and most of them will cost you twenty Euros return, including waiting time and a short stop on a secluded, uninhabited island on the way back.
They usually depart when there are at least three people, and they really have no fixed schedule. The ride is fun, but keep in mind that if you are experiencing sea sickness, you should avoid this trip, because the small boat is bouncing over the waves like crazy. If you choose this option, the driver will tell you absolutely nothing about the history of this place or anything in particular, so if you would like to get to know the island better, the second option is a much better choice for you.
Second option is a trip to Goli Otok by a cruise boat. They depart once per day from the main dock in the Baška Marina, and you have several boats to choose from. The trips are generally all the same, the only thing that is different, is the price. The best thing to do to choose the best option, is to walk through the marina a few evenings before you intend to take that trip, and ask different providers about the price and the extras that it includes. Some of them will give you a family discount, some will lower the price because you booked in advance, and so on. It is a common practice to pay ten percent of the total price in advance in order to reserve your place on the cruise, and you will pay the rest on the day of your trip.
An average price is thirty Euros per person for a daily cruise – it usually lasts about eight hours. But you do not get eight hours on the Goli Otok – the trip usually includes a stop for lunch and swimming on a paradise island Rab. The lunch is included in price. After the lunch, you will continue your journey to the Goli Otok. I did the cruise with the boat 'Zdrava Marija' – they also have their website where you can check some pictures from their recent cruises.
The third option is by your own boat. I know that most of us do not own a yacht (yet), but some of you might have a license to drive a boat. If you do have it, you can rent a boat. In my opinion, this option is the best, because you can decide how much time you will spend on the island and you do not have to worry when to go back. An average daily price for renting a boat in Baška is about one hundred Euros. If you are there with some friends, each one pays his or her part of the expenses, and the price per person immediately becomes much more reasonable. However, renting a boat is not a very economic option if you wish to do it by yourself.
Whichever one of the options you will choose, I guarantee you will spend an amazing day, full of surprises on the Goli Otok.
A bit of history
In this paragraph, I will not be listing boring historical facts, but I will instead briefly tell something about what people were doing on the island, because I think this is important for you to fully understand this entry and the island itself.
As you already know, this island was a political prison. The prisoners were treated very bad, and they also tortured them. When a new prisoner has arrived to the island, others had to beat him. Most of them did not survive. If other prisoners (in the opinion of the guards who watched all this and probably laughed) did not beat the newbie hard enough, they were beaten themselves next. How sick do you have to be to even think of such a cruel thing?
Other that that, prisoners had to build stone buildings and work in factories. Visitors were not allowed. Now try to imagine all that. Even if you are a strong person, you cannot possibly survive that without any damage.
When the prisoners were freed, most of them did not speak (probably they were not even able to) about what was really happening on that island.
What can you do on Goli Otok?
When you will be approaching the island, you will see a lot of buildings, made out of stone. They were all made by the prisoners in terrible weather conditions – either on the hot sun in summer or during ice cold wind in winter.
It is said that when they have decided that this island will not be used as a prison anymore, the responsible people have immediately decided that they have to hide the terrible things that have been done there, so a part of the buildings on the far side of the island have been in ruins. But they did not manage to hide and destroy everything, because most of the buildings are still in one piece. But not only that, they are actually in an amazing condition.
Once you will dock on the island, you will be invited to see a short movie about the Goli Otok's history. It is not obligatory to go, and there is a small fee to pay – one Euro, but it is more than worth it. The video is made of actual recordings – some guards have recorded the torture of the prisoners. I had to close my eyes a few times, because some sections were pretty graphic, but the video is quite educational – the narrator tells quite a lot about the island in the past and its role as a political prison.
The cinema is situated in an actual building, and in the past, this place was used as a 'theatre' where the prisoners were brainwashed with a political propaganda. There is also a small exhibition inside, where you can see personal belongings of some of the prisoners, different documents, and also a bed that they used. Well, in my opinion, this could not be considered a bed, because they were sleeping on wooden planks. Sad but true.
After you are finished with the cinema and the exhibition, you can talk to the man that runs it. He will gladly answer all of your questions and he is like a live encyclopedia about this terrible island's history.
Now, you can start exploring for real. And you can start in the building that is situated right next to the cinema. This was a sort of a dormitory - they were calling it 'a hotel', but it had bunk beds and group bathrooms, and it was made for the 'important' guests that arrived on the island from time to time. Sadly, there is no furniture left (and I would really like to see how it looked like), but when you enter that building, you will still feel like you somehow woke up in the past.
Then you can head back to the marina for some real exploring. If you stand at the pier, where you have docked with the boat, you will see the road that goes straight up the hill and then turns left. This is where you have to go.
You will pass through the building that was known as the 'checkpoint', and then you will arrive to the abandoned factories. As I have mentioned already, the prisoners, besides everything else, also had to work in the factories (they were mostly working with wood and stone) and their work was then sold mostly to South America and it was actually very valued at that time.
Take a look inside the factory – you will be surprised how big they were. But sadly, there is nothing left inside. I only saw a few birds' nests, but surprisingly, I did not see any birds. And when you are standing outside, try to just listen for a minute or two. You will be amazed how quiet it is there. During my visit, I have surprisingly not heard a single bird.
When you continue walking uphill, you will soon reach the top of the hill, and from there, you will have a fantastic view of the rest of the island.
There is also a small tourist train that will take you all around the island. The price is two Euros per person and you really get to see the more hidden parts that are hardly accessible by walking. But the catch here is, that there has to be at least ten people for that tour. Unfortunately, when I was there, nobody wanted to go, so I had to be happy with what I saw on that side of the island.
After you are finished with exploring the island, you can go for a swim in a surprisingly warm sea. If you have your snorkelling equipment with you, take a look underwater, and you will be amazed how much sea life you will see there. Although the sea gets deep very quickly, which means that you have to stay close to the shore to be able to actually see something.
Before you leave the island for real, you can also take a look at the small souvenir shop, which is situated next to the pier where the boats dock. The shop is small and there is not much to see, but who knows, you might find something nice for yourself. You can also take a photo as a prisoner – you dress in the prison clothes and stand behind the bars. The idea is good, but you have to pay five Euros to do so. You decide whether it is worth it or not. For me, this is a total ripoff.
P. S. There are a few wild goats living on the island, so do not get scared (like I did) when exploring an abandoned building and hearing a sound behind you. It is not a ghost from the past, only a goat, curious about who the visitors are.
P. P. S. It would be interesting to spend the night on the island, but also very scary. In fact, this is possible if you have your own boat (or you are planning to rent one), because no one is controlling who is coming and leaving the island. If you dare to spend the night there, please tell me how it was, because I am not brave enough myself to do it.
Do not forget to…
… bring the following:
- Enough water to drink. They are selling some drinks in the souvenir shop, but when I was there, they ran out of all drinks.
- Sun screen and a hat. There is little or no shadow on this island. So if you will be outside and explore, those two items are essential.
- A few snacks. It might happen that you will only plan a short visit on the island. But I guarantee you that as soon you will see how amazing it is, you will want to stay longer.
- A camera. Awesome pictures of abandoned buildings are guaranteed.
A few words for the end…
Those few hours that I have spent at Goli Otok, have really shocked me. The coastal part of the island is awesome, with nice beaches and clear water, but when you start thinking about all the bad things that were going on there, the island immediately loses its charm. The man at the cinema has told us that it is a common practice to take a small rock from Goli Otok as a souvenir, so I did it, and this rock will always remind me at how cruel human beings can be.
Also, I think that the government (or whoever owns this place now) should take more control on who is going there. After all, you can literally do what you want on Goli Otok, and if it will continue this way, I am afraid that everything on the island will be destroyed pretty soon. Even now, you can see a lot of graffiti on the buildings, which is quite sad.
