Goveđari

Goveđari is a historic inland village within Mljet National Park, positioned between the wooded shores of Veliko jezero, Pomena and Polače. The settlement began with an agreement dated 8 April 1793, when Benedictine monks permitted families from Babino Polje to settle above Pomijenta field and work monastic land. Cattle husbandry gave Goveđari its name, while its well-preserved stone fabric led the Park’s spatial plan to classify it as an ethnographic village. It is the only National Park settlement not directly on the sea, although village paths and the road towards Vrbovica quickly lead down to Veliko jezero. The 1927 Church of St Nicholas stands in pinewoods on the route towards Babine Kuće, and old threshing floors and animal enclosures survive along the approach. A stay in Goveđari naturally extends to walks around Veliko and Malo jezero, a solar-boat trip to the Benedictine monastery on St Mary’s islet and swimming at Mali most. The Pomena–Sobra bus links the village with island ferries and catamarans, while visitor parking is provided at Vrbovica.

Goveđari did not develop as a fishing harbour but as a planned agricultural settlement on Benedictine land. Under an agreement dated 8 April 1793, the Basto and Milić families were allowed to settle above Pomijenta field; the Hajdić, Stražičić, Matana and Sršen families soon followed. The village name is linked to the cattle raised by the first residents for the monastery on St Mary’s islet. Its well-preserved stone houses and agricultural setting prompted the National Park plan to classify Goveđari as an ethnographic village. Unlike Pomena, Polače and Babine Kuće, Goveđari does not stand directly on the coast, so its atmosphere is shaped by a karst field, old village paths and pinewoods above the Mljet lakes.