Dubrovački muzeji hosts ‘Kap po kap’ exhibition in Neretva Valley

Dubrovački muzeji is hosting a visiting exhibition titled ‘Kap po kap. Čatrnje i lokve – čuvarice vode u dolini Neretve’ (Drop by Drop. Cisterns and Ponds – Water Guardians in the Neretva Valley) at the Rupe granary. The exhibition, organized by the Ethnographic Museum of Split, focuses on the availability, collection, and preservation of water as a prerequisite for life in karst regions.

Special attention is given to ‘čatrnje’ (stone water cisterns) and ponds, which served as primary drinking water sources for many settlements and provided water for livestock. The exhibition highlights the historical challenges of the Neretva Valley, where villages often grew in areas lacking permanent water sources, requiring communities to collect rainwater during autumn and winter to survive dry summers.

Additionally, the exhibition explores how the Neretva Valley was transformed during the 20th century through land reclamation, embankment construction, and modern agriculture, which mitigated issues like malaria and flooding. This event is part of the 2026 European Heritage Day celebrations, themed ‘Endangered Heritage: Revitalization, Resilience, New Interpretations’ much of which focuses on the changing relationship between humans and their environment.