Finished projects

Cave mines of the Vis island

Cave mines are a combination of natural and artificial caves. They were partially excavated during the excavation of quartz sand during which diggers entered the natural caverns, caves.

The mines represent an important cultural and historical monument of the island of Vis. Sand as a mineral began to be excavated at the end of the 18th century and was exploited until the 1950s. Due to its quality and purity, most of the sand was sold to the Murano glass factory in Venice. The difficult task of digging and extracting sand from the mine was done using very primitive techniques and in difficult conditions. The sand was also used in households for dishwashing.

Today, the mines are neglected and our desire was to make topographical maps of all the mines, find their entrances, collect underground fauna, photograph the underground spaces, and show their significance and value to the general public through special publication, exhibitions, and lectures.

After 20 years (2000-2020) of self-financed research, the search for the lost mines of Vis came to an end. In total 25 smaller and bigger mines have been recorded. In addition, numerous cave animals were found in them, most endemic. You can read much more in the book „Cave mines of the Vis island“.