This website is dedicated to the art and cultural heritage which can be found on the small island of Lopud near Dubrovnik in Croatia. It is the history of an art and cultural heritage conservation exchange program, a workshop unique of its kind and for the benefit for the cultural objects found on this island and the fantastic people of Lopud - who became friends a long, long time ago.

This website is not only an information source on the beauty of island but it is first and foremost an information source for art conservation ethics and conncepts put into practice on the art objects of the various churches of Lopud. For the benefit of the objects and the conservation students alike.

For almost 20 years students and teachers from the University of Applied Sciences in Cologne, Germany travel to this beautiful island each year in september to continously work on paintings and altar pieces in the churches of Lopud. Today experts  from 4 different countries assemble on the island each year and share their conservation knowledge and friendship. For more information go to >the diary[...]

After various urgent conservation treatments on objects from the small public museum and on some canvas paintings the plan emerged to carry on conservation and reconstruction work on the main retabel of Saint Nicolas church in the village of Lopud. For more information go to >conservation projects[...]

After completion of the conservation work in Saint Nicolas the work space was shifted to the small church of Maria Sunji high up on the hills of the island. For more information go to >case study: minimal intervention[...]

 
The conservation workshop group 2003 (on the left) and 2004 (on the right).

 
The prominent Franciscan church and monastery in the heart of the Lopud village

Lopud is the second largest island of the Elafiti group, northwest of Dubrovnik with a town of the same name, located between the islands of Kolocep and Sipan. The most developed island of the Elafiti is often called Insula Media, which is the Latin for the middle island. It has an area of 4.63km, with a population of 220.

Two parallel hills are connected by a dolomite valley with the Lopud bay on one end and the Sunj bay on the opposite. The northeast part of the island is inaccessible as it is very steep. Of the island's 11.5 km of coastline 1.2 km are sandy beaches. The highest peak on the island is Polacica, which is 216m high.

The small island of Sveti Mihajlo (St. Michael) is situated to the northwest of the island. Lopud is covered by lush Mediterranean vegetation as the island has an average of 2584 hours of sun annually.
The only inhabited part of the island, Lopud, is built up around the bay. One kilometer away, on the other side of the island, the Sunj bay is home to one of the most beautiful sandy beaches on the Adriatic.

On the site of the current Spanjola fort remains of ancient Illiric settlements have been found. Artifacts of Greek origin still exist on the island. The name of Lopud can be linked to words of Greek origin: Dalaffodium, Dalafodum, Dalafota, Dalafotum,de la Fodum. The modern day name of Lopud comes directly from the Romanic name Lafota. Evidence of roman influences can be found in the form of carved stone used in the remains of preromanic churches. The bell tower of the St. John church were used as a warning means for the island's inhabitants, protecting them from oncoming storms and other dangers. 19 earthenware jars are built into the church's interior walls, and are thought to be there to improve the structure's acoustics.

From 1457 Lopud became the regional headquarters of the Republic of Dubrovnik, and the economic growth of the republic was reflected on the island too. Lopud had it's own fleet of about 80 ships, as well as it's own shipyard. This area is considered as one of the finest examples of XV and XVI ct. urban planing. The center of Lopud started moving closer to the sea as local wealthy merchants had a dock built. In total, 24 churches were scattered across the island. After Franciscan and Dominican convents were built, in 1482 the monks opened a school that produced many priests, scientists and famous merchants. On the very entrance of the bay, the church of the holy Trinity was built at the end of the XVI ct. by Vice Buna for his eternal resting place.