The municipality of Čavle boasts and takes pride in its 20 or so kalić (small stone water reservoirs). Recent projects by the Čavle Tourist Board focus on preserving and popularizing cultural heritage and reviving forgotten small stone water reservoirs. Below, we write about the restored small reservoirs and invite you to explore the beautiful nature and rich cultural heritage of our region.
Hrastenica
1. Historical water cistern
The cistern was renovated in 2012.
It had been in daily use until the beginning of the 19th century.
According to local people, the cistern (known locally as šterna) has been here since ancient times. There is a constant natural flow of water into and out of the cistern, which makes the water exceptionally pure. When this source of drinking water was discovered, people fenced it off to preserve the water for daily use, which is how the cistern was created.
Today, the šterna serves as a reminder of past times, and the water from it flows directly into Kalina.
A resident of Hrastenica recently took a sample of water from the cistern and had it analysed at the Institute of Public Health. The result surprised everyone: the water was of excellent quality and certainly drinkable!
2. Kalina
Kalić – a small pond, a hollow in the loam with water in it. Kalina is the name for a larger pond that occurs naturally but which has been maintained by people.
Kalina – the only pond in the Municipality of Čavle that was renovated in 2012. It was deepened and cleaned in 2023.
There is no precise record, but it is assumed that the villages in today’s Municipality of Čavle emerged partly because of the presence of kalići ponds – natural sources of clean drinking water. During the great plague in the town of Grobnik, serfs fled from their masters and settled in places that had a source of drinking water. From ancient times until about fifty years ago, kalići ponds were an important part of the lives of the local people, who maintained and used them. It is said that every village had a person in charge of looking after the pond.
Kalići were a source of water for many plants and animals, and they were used to irrigate fields, water livestock, or put out fires. In addition, kalići were also places where the locals could get together, go fishing, and even learn to swim if the pond was deep enough.
Bullhead catfish were introduced to the ponds to clean the water and serve as an indicator of possible water pollution: a dead fish was a sign to people and animals that the water in the pond was not drinkable.
The importance of the ponds to local people is reflected in the fact that even the dairy women were not allowed to wash clothes in them. Instead, they went to springs miles away so that the water in the pond always remained clean.
3. Kalić Kosorci
Kalić is the name for a pond formed in a hollow where loam has settled and created an impermeable layer. They were created naturally in depressions but were improved and maintained by local people.
Kosorci pond, into which water flows underground from Kalina (which is at a higher elevation). This kalić was mostly used by the inhabitants of the village of Kosorci, who in the past had their own path that led to the pond along the route of today’s highway. The kalić was renovated in 2023.
4. Kalić Brest
Although there is no written evidence, it is said that young men once used to jump headfirst from a large rock (which is still visible today) into the Brest kalić. Once in the water, they would raise their hand to show the depth of the pond, which exceeded their height.
How did Brest get its name?
During the Napoleonic conquests, French soldiers, originally from the French town of Brest, stayed in this area. They especially liked this pond, which they called ‘Brest’ after their hometown. We still use this name today (source: Grobnički zbornik no. 4).
Podrvanj
Four Kalić
There are no accurate historical records, but it is said that the village of Podrvanj, before the construction of its cisterns, obtained drinking water from these ponds. During droughts, Podrvanj was the safest source of water, not only for the locals but also for people from surrounding villages. There are stories that the locals were allowed to take water from the kalić up to three times a day, one jug at a time. A local man in charge made sure that no one broke this rule to ensure the availability of water for everyone.
In rainy periods, water flows from the first kalić into the other three. The second kalić is about 2 metres deep and the third one about 3 metres. It is said that once full, they almost never ran dry. Originally, there were three kalići, and then a fourth one was built by locals to further improve the water supply, when the third one overflowed.
* Historically, the three ponds that existed at the time were called Lȁzina Vȑvanj (source: Grobnički zbornik no. 9).
