PRIŠNJAK

The lighthouse Prišnjak was built on the islet of the same name, in the Murter archipelago. In distinction to other ten islets and rocks of this small archipelago Prišnjak is special and diverse. It is covered by pine, holm oak and wild olive trees and curative plants. Old stone mole was built at the same time as the lighthouse, in the south-west part of the islet. High stone waterfront is a warning of high waves caused in this area by west and north-west winds. East coasts of Prišnjak are separated from Murter by about 300 meters wide channel. On that side there is today a landing –place in the bay of Vrška. Some time ago a wild bay, a popular bathing place, was created by filling the shallow area between Murter and the islet Školjić. Northwest from Prišnjak there are in sequence the islets of Murvenjak, Visovac and Maslinjak, while the Kornati archipelago is six miles away. It was just by using that channel that the people from Murter during centuries sailed for fish. In the last century the returning route has been marked by the light from the lighthouse Prišnjak. The island itself is 400 meters long and 200 meters wide. By the configuration of the coastline and sea bed, Prišnjak reminds of the Kornati archipelago islets. It is still wild - the same as it was at the time when the engineers from the Austro-Hungarian Office for the security of sailing for the first time disembarked in order to determine the position where to build the lighthouse. The south cape of Prišnjak, where the lighthouse was erected, is a protruding „boundary“ on the sailing route from south and western directions towards Murter. The building of the lighthouse was finished in 1896. Its big, glass dome in sunny days reflects the sun rays miles away and so the seafarer used to say that is lights also by daylight. The lighthouse tower ascends nineteen meters above sea level and is built at the south facade of the building, while the lighthouse building is a ground floor one of typical layout with long hallway. Water - the greatest treasure on such islets - is collected from rain water in an old cistern, still functional. Electric energy in a renovated tourist apartment is ensured by solar panels. Sun collectors enable also sufficient quantity of hot water to modern Robinsons who dwell on the island nowadays even more than six months in year. Old, mechanic light mechanism was exchanged with an up-to-date automatic technology in 1990, when the last lighthouse man was deservedly retired. The old lighthouse building lived its lonely life until 1990, when the project “Stone Lights” was initiated and the lighthouse renovated as a tourist apartment. Pleasant microclimate conditions, many sunny days per year and total intimacy in a century old lighthouse building have ensured to Prišnjak the status of one of the most visited lighthouses on the Adriatic Sea.