BABA MARTA’S TRAIL
Marjan Forest Park is a hill (peninsula) above Split that stretches approximately 3.5 km in length and 1.5 km in width. With the city of Split, it forms a unique geographical unit. The geographical location and natural configuration of the peninsula have resulted in a northern limestone and southern flysch exposure, with Telegrin as the highest peak (178 m). This position has contributed to a great diversity of habitats, flora, and vegetation, with 147 different plant species found along its trails.
The ecological and educational trail Marta’s Trail is the fastest route connecting the central part of Marjan Forest Park to its westernmost point, 'Cape Institute'. This narrow pedestrian path is used today by locals as a forest trail. The trail is characterized by its exceptional location, remarkable diversity of flora and vegetation (with more than 147 plant species growing along the trail), as well as the geological features and specificities of Marjan and the wider are of the Split basin. This trail best shows the differences between the northern and southern sides of Marjan in terms of geological and botanical characteristics.
In close proximity to the trail, you will find Baba Marta's Memorial House. With the stone heaps and remnants of the structure along the trail, the house is a great example of the ancient local architecture and an excellent resource for presenting the dry stone construction and its characteristics.
The trail is 1400 meters long, with the average width of 1.5 meters.
Dry stone construction is based on materials available on the ground, connecting the geological foundation with the building technique. At the same time, the theme of Marta’s Trail also speaks of the ethnological heritage – it is the character of baba Marta from Velo misto by renowned Split writer Miljenko Smoje.
While this aspect reveals the local character, nature, and customs, the depictions of dry stone building techniques are interesting as a type of construction characteristic of the wider region.
The trail is also interesting as a depiction of the Mediterranean vegetation, as we can observe the gradation of plant communities from the rocky terrain, through garrigue, maquis, to high maquis and forest. On the trail, we can find three essential categories of flora: protected, endemic, and medicinal plants.
DRY STONE WALLS
The art of dry stone walling was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on November 28, 2018. This recognition was a result of the international nomination by Cyprus, France, Greece, Croatia, Italy, Slovenia, Spain, and Switzerland, titled Art of Dry Stone Walling, Knowledge and Techniques. This form of cultural heritage is widespread in the broader Dalmatian region. The skill of dry stone wall construction and the resulting structures are part of the traditional heritage of the Mediterranean area, dating back to prehistoric times. Dry stone walls were created by clearing land that were difficult to cultivate and then skillfully stacking the stones into various forms. Due to their shapes, surface area, appearance, and purpose, they are among the most representative examples of indigenous folk architecture. They were erected as boundaries between plots and roads, as dry stone heaps, and they also served as a method of building field houses and animal shelters. The construction technique involves skillfully stacking unworked stones collected or found on-site without the use of any binding material. The resulting structures make suitable habitats for reptiles, birds, and small mammals. The stones used are not large, and neither are the resulting structures, but they are very recognizable.
Numerous examples of this indigenous folk architecture can be found in Marjan Forest Park, especially in forested areas where many heaps and walls were built as boundaries between former peasant plots and as borders along various forest paths. The dry stone wall technique was also used for constructing various structures that served for agricultural purposes. Along Marta’s Trail, there is a plot that serves as an excellent example of all the aforementioned uses. Within this plot, besides walls and heaps, there is also a field house that, according to legend, belonged to the beloved local character of “Baba Marta” from Smoje’s Velo misto.
CONSTRUCTION OF DRY STONE WALLS
The entire surface of Marjan is almost entirely interlaced with a network of dry stone walls.
As anthropogenic formations that are integrated into the landscape, these walls provide visual pleasure to the observer because they blend seamlessly with the natural surroundings. Moreover, these structures of neatly arranged stones serve as shelters and habitats for various animals, including mollusks, insects, reptiles, and others. Dry stone walls also play a significant role in preventing soil erosion, especially in areas with sparse vegetation.
Stones from specific sites were used for the construction of dry stone boundary walls. Local peasants collected stones of various shapes and stacked them into small walls. In this way, they cleared spaces for future gardens and enclosed areas for keping domestic animals. These walls, formed along the edges of fields, marked property boundaries, narrowed down passages, or served as barriers to prevent animals from wandering off.
One of the functions of dry stone walls is to prevent soil erosion.
Marjan's paths are also constructed using dry stone building techniques.
Some of the rules for constructing dry walls:
- If the wall is built on a rocky substrate, foundations are not required.
- When building on an earthy substrate, foundations must be created. These can either be a layer of crushed stone or a layer of gravel and sand, 20 to 40 cm thick.
- The first row of stones is partially embedded into the ground
- It is crucial to achieve the wall’s stability by overlapping stones, ensuring that the natural stones interlock and wedge securely.
- Large dry stone walls are reinforced with small stone pieces on all sides or just on the rear side to maintain stability (pictures 1 and 2).
Dry walls are a valuable heritage and must be properly maintained to preserve the knowledge on its construction..
PATH TOWARDS BABA MARTA'S HOUSE
Marjan Forest Park features numerous examples of the traditional architecture, particularly in the forested areas where old farming plots once stood. These areas have many stone piles and walls built as boundaries between parcels and along various forest paths. The dry stone walling technique was also used to construct various agricultural structures. Along Marta’s Trail, there is a parcel that exemplifies all these features. Baba Marta's house is also located on this parcel, in addition to the stone walls and piles.
The path leading to the stone house known as Baba Marta’s House runs steeply up the rocky terrain. The ascent is made easier by dry stone steps that lead to a plateau in front of the house and to animal pens located right next to the house.
These stone houses, also known as “pojate,” were built as shelters from rain and wind, as spaces for “marenda” (snack time) and for resting during unfavorable weather conditions. They were also used as storage for tools and supplies needed for agricultural work. Modest in size, typically around 3 x 4 meters, the interiors often feature a stone bench along the walls. Originally, they had wooden roofs covered with stone slabs, and the doors were very low, requiring one to stoop to enter.
(Today, there are nine such houses documented on Marjan, with only five recorded in the cadastral register. Most were built in the late 19th or early 20th century. Two are known to have been built in 1953 as ranger stations.)
THE FOREST PARK ORIGINS
From a biogeographical perspective, Marjan belongs to the evergreen eumediterranean vegetation zone of holm oak (Quercus ilex), which is currently present in its degraded form. Human impact throughout history has led to the degradation of Marjan's flora. Logging and a major fire completely transformed Marjan into barren karst. This was followed by reforestation with an allochthonous species – Aleppo pine – which became almost a monoculture on the northern side of Marjan. Recently, the native maquis has been increasingly growing between the tall pine trees.
In the original plant community of Marjan, species included holm oak, hop hornbeam, flowering ash, wild rose shrubs, strawberry tree, spiny broom, mastic tree, mock privet, common smilax, heather, and gorse. The animal inhabitants included various birds, deer, dormice, squirrels, mice, rabbits, and probably foxes and martens.
MARJAN'S FLORA
From a phytogeographical view, Marjan is part of the Mediterranean region of the littoral vegetation belt and the eumediteranean zone of evergreen forests, where the fundamental forest vegetation consists of holm oak forests (Quercus ilex L.). Within these, there are mixed forests and maquis communities of holm oak and Hungarian ash (Fraxino orni-Quercetum ilicis H-ic). Holm oak forests in Marjan are predominantly found in their degraded stages of maquis, garigue, and rocky habitats.
On the other hand, horticultural planting and monoculture of Aleppo pine prevented the development of the holm oak forest.
There are also some endemic and strictly protected plants that point to the great biodiversity of Marjan, with the exception of small agricultural areas on the southern side where vegetables, grapevines, olive trees and other fruit trees were cultivated.
The flora of Marjan is quite abundant, which is attributed to the favorable Mediterranean climate and diverse habitat types, ranging from rocky dry grasslands, garigue, maquis, forests, rock crevices, stony coastal areas, ruderal, and agricultural habitats. Marjan's flora was explored by several botanists: Petter (1832), Hirc (1910), etta (1922), Matković (1959), Ruščić (2002 – 2015).
Throughout history, human influence has affected the appearance and degradation of the flora of Marjan. Uncontrolled logging and a major fire completely transformed Marjan, turning it into barren karst.
Reforestation efforts followed, with the Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) becoming almost a monoculture on the northern side of Marjan. It has been observed that the native maquis vegetation between the tall pine trees has been restored lately.
PROTECTED PLANTS
According to the flora database (Flora Croatica Database – FCD) (Nikolić, 2015) (Ruščić 2002, 2015), approximately 615 plant species and subspecies have been recorded in the Marjan Forest Park area.
Blackstonia perfoliata (L.) Huds. ssp. serotina (Rchb.) Vollm.; Delphinium peregrinum L.; Hibiscus trionum L.; Periploca graeca L.; six species are classified as vulnerable taxa (VU): Desmazeria marina (L.); Ophrys sphegodes Mill.; Salsola kali L.; Parapholis incurva (L.) C. E. Hubb.; Trifolium resupinatum L.; and four species are classified as near-threatened (NT): Chaerophyllum coloratum L.; Centaurea ragusina L.; Centaurea spinosociliata Seenus; Goniolimon dalmaticum (C. Presl) Rchb. f.; Arundo plinii Turra; Linaria microsepala A. Kern; and one critically endangered species (CR) – Consolida ajacis (L.) Schur.
Goniolimon dalmaticum (C. Presl) Rchb. f. – Dalmatian witch hazel, then insufficiently known 2 taxa (DD): Arundo plinii Turra – Pliny's reed, Linaria microsepala Kern. – pale purple lanifolia, and 1 critically endangered species (CR) is Consolida ajacis ( L.) Schur - garden poop
In the flora of Marjan, 23 plant taxa have been identified as strictly protected species, according to the Regulation on Strictly Protected Species (the Official Gazette 144/13; 73/16). These are:
- Aurinia leucadea (Guss.) K. Koch
- Aurinia sinuata (L.) Griseb
- Blackstonia perfoliata (L.) Huds. ssp. serotina (Rchb.) Vollm.
- Carduus micropterus (Borbás) Teyber ssp. micropterus
- Centaurea ragusina L.
- Centaurea spinosociliata Seenus
- Chaerophyllum coloratum L.
- Limonium cancellatum (Bernh. ex Bertol.) Kuntze
- Vincetoxicum hirundinaria Medik. ssp. adriaticum (Beck) Markgr.
- Tanacetum cinerariifolium (Trevir.) Sch.Bip.
- Cymodocea nodosa (Ucria) Asch.
- Trifolium dalmaticum Vis.
- Gladiolus illyricus W. D. J. Koch
- Hibiscus trionum L.
- Ophrys sphegodes Mill.
- Goniolimon dalmaticum (C. Presl) Rchb. f.
- Genista sylvestris Scop. ssp. dalmatica (Bartl.) H. Lindb.
- Limonium cancellatum (Bernh. ex Bertol.) Kuntze
- Arundo plinii Turra
- Delphinium peregrinum L.
- Parapholis incurva (L.) C. E. Hubb.
- Onosma echioides (L.) L. ssp. dalmatica (Scheele) Peruzzi et N. G. Passal.
- Linaria microsepala A. Kern.
- Consolida ajacis (L.) Schur
There are 14 endemic taxa in the flora of Marjan: 14 endemičnih svojti:
- Aurinia leucadea (Guss.) K. Koch
- Aurinia sinuata (L.) Griseb.
- Trifolium dalmaticum Vis.
- Chaerophyllum coloratum L.
- Carduus micropterus (Borbás) Teyber ssp. micropterus
- Centaurea ragusina L.
- Centaurea spinosociliata Seenus
- Limonium cancellatum (Bernh. ex Bertol.) Kuntze
- Vincetoxicum hirundinaria Medik. ssp. adriaticum (Beck) Markgr.
- Tanacetum cinerariifolium (Trevir.) Sch.Bip.
- Goniolimon dalmaticum (C. Presl) Rchb. f.
- Onosma echioides (L.) L. ssp. dalmatica (Scheele) Peruzzi et N. G. Passal.
- Linaria microsepala A. Kern.
- Genista sylvestris Scop. ssp. dalmatica (Bartl.) H. Lindb.
Human activities have impacted the native flora of Marjan by introducing non-native invasive species, with the tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) (Mill.) as the most prevalent one.
MEDICINAL HERBS
Nature offers us a range of plant species (medicinal herbs), and there is a well-known saying in folk medicine that there is a specific plant for every illness. Medicinal herbs and their preparations are the oldest form of treating various diseases, and even today two-thirds of people in the world uses medicinal herbs as the primary means of treatment. Many modern medications originate from plants, directly or in modified forms. Approximately 20,000 medicinal plant species are used worldwide. Of these, 1,100 are well researched, and 250 species provide basic ingredients for producing modern medicines with plant-derived active substances. The use of medicinal herbs in traditional medicine has continued to develop, and modern medicine increasingly introduces their use in phytotherapy, especially in the treatment of chronic diseases. Treatment with herbs has become a topic of public debates and discussions within medical circles. There is a growing trend in prescribing herbal medicines and using them for self-treatment. The term “phytotherapy” refers to the treatment and prevention of diseases and the improvement of subjective conditions using plants, plant parts, and their preparations. Due to their unique combination of active and accompanying substances, such herbal preparations have broad therapeutic effects and generally fewer side effects compared to synthetic drugs. However, it should be noted that they are not without side effects in principle. Medicinal herbs can be toxic, cause numerous side effects, and interact with other medications and food, so it is necessary to understand the chemistry of the plant and the preparations derived from it for correct and effective use. Phytotherapy is not an alternative to modern scientifically oriented medicine but rather complements it by filling gaps and offering additional treatment and prevention options for acute and chronic illnesses.
Traditional preparations from medicinal herbs include teas (infusion, decoction), alcoholic extracts (tincture), oil-based preparations (macerate), juices, distillates, hydrolates, etc. Various parts of the plant are used for preparing medicinal preparations – roots, leaves, buds, flowers, bark, fruits, seeds. Depending on the individual's condition, needs, and existing disorders or illnesses, specific plants and herbal preparations are recommended along with dietary programs. The combination of herbal preparations and medicinal herbs is determined individually based on the above parameters and, combined with diet and lifestyle changes, can be either a standalone therapy or complementary therapy to conventional treatment.
“Tincture” is a liquid alcoholic extract of medicinal herbs. They are highly effective as herbal drops taken on their own or as an addition to beverages and food.
“Macerate” is a preparation obtained by soaking medicinal plants in oil. After a certain period, the oil extracts the medicinal properties from the plant.
“Hydrolat” (floral water) is a by-product of distilling medicinal herbs with steam, used as a natural tonic applied before cream.
On Marjan, there are a number of plants that have medicinal properties, some of which are:
- Inula verbascifolia Hausskn
- Laurus nobilis L.
- Paliurus spina-christi Mill
- Rosmarinus officinalis L.
- Salvia officinalis L.
- Satureja montana L.
- Helichysum italicum (Roth) G. Don
- Plantago lanceolata
GEOLOGY
The geology of Marjan Hill should be viewed in the broader context of the formation of the Dinarides. The geological structure of Marjan is a very important aspect of its nature. Despite its diverse and interesting geological composition, Marjan remains insufficiently explored to this day.
Hydrographic conditions in this area are typically karstic. On one hand, there is significant loss of surface streams in the limestone and dolomite areas, while on the other hand, there are abundant but intermittent flows in the flysch areas. Waters from underground streams emerge as permanent or intermittent springs in the lower coastal area, or as numerous springs along the coast. Notably, the most significant source is located west of Bambina glavica. The spring on the northern side of Marjan has a capacity of 10 liters per second, it is located at the contact point between glauconitic limestones and flysch, and the water is brackish (slightly salty water resulting from the mixing of fresh and seawater).
A view from above reveals how the main nummulitic limestones lie harmoniously over alveolinid limestones, with coral limestones further overlying the main nummulitic limestone.
The educational trail is divided into three thematic units.
Starting from the east ( north of Jerolim's cliffs) towards the west (Institute):
- EOCENE FORAMINIFERAL LIMESTONES (E 1,2): largely constitute the Marjan Hill (northern side). These deposits consist of well-bedded limestones dominated by miliolid, alveolinid, and numulitid forms.
- Flysch (local Swiss term Flysch): Flyscha series of sediments alternating between marls or clay shales with sandstones; often containing layers of conglomerates and limestones. In modern sedimentary geology, flysch refers to a thick sequence where sandstones, clastic limestones, or conglomerates alternate with shales (or generally mudstones), deposited by turbid currents in a deep-water environment within a tectonically active belt.
- Blocks of foraminiferal limestone may occasionally appear as olistoliths in the clastic layers of flysch deposits.
The southern slope of Marjan is steep and terraced, which is related to the inclination of layers in the flysch and the presence of resistant sandstone and breccia layers that have remained prominent due to selective erosion (see Figure 3). The northern slope gently descends towards Spinut and Poljud, following the inclination of the foraminiferal limestone layers.
RULES OF BEHAVIOR FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH
Marjan is a hill in Split, known among the locals as the lungs of the city and the city's living room. Marjan is a specially protected natural area designated as a forest park.
It was declared a protected area in 1964.
A forest park is an area of significant landscape value intended for rest and recreation.
Nothing should be done here that would cause changes in the nature. The golden rule is to take only memories from the forest park and leave nothing but footprints.
Protected natural areas must be preserved and protected from damage.
Marjan Forest Park is safeguarded by nature guards who:
- Ensure the safety of visitors
- Monitor the condition of plants and animals
- Ensure that the rules of conduct are respected
The forest park rules are posted on information boards. Please read them carefully to understand what is permitted and what is prohibited in the forest park area.
- Do not light fires. Fire is the enemy of the forest. One burned hectare of forest means the destruction of 300 birds and 400 mammals.
- Do not leave litter in the forest. Besides spoiling the environment, animals could be poisoned by it.
- Do not pick flowers, mushrooms, or forest fruits. This disrupts the forest's balance.
- Do not carve inscriptions into tree bark or plant leaves. This damages the plants.
- Do not vandalize benches, trash cans, signposts, or information boards.
Only if we preserve and respect nature will everyone be able to enjoy Marjan and leave it as a legacy for those who come after us.
