Pag lace
Paška čipka, the island's "white gold", made by hand with a needle and thread.
Lace without a pattern
Pag lace is a needle lace. It is worked on a firm base, starting from the centre and growing outwards in circles like a spider's web. Traditionally there were no drawings or patterns: the designs were passed from mother to daughter by watching and practising. The result is very fine, almost transparent, and at the same time remarkably strong.
A long tradition
The craft is closely tied to the Benedictine convent of St Margaret in Pag town, where lacemaking is recorded in the 16th century. Pag lace was shown publicly at an exhibition in 1880, and between 1906 and 1943 it travelled to exhibitions in London, New York, Vienna, Milan, Prague and Budapest. At the World Exhibition in Paris in 1937 it won a gold medal.
In 1906 the mayor of Pag, Frane Budak, founded a lace school; its first teacher, Nina Rakamarić, trained in Vienna. Budak also collected around fifty original designs that lacemakers still use. Today the tradition is kept alive by the lacemakers' association "Frane Budak" and lace classes in the local school.
World heritage
Lacemaking in Croatia, including Pag lace, is on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. A piece of Pag lace is one of the most authentic souvenirs you can take home from Croatia, and many people frame it like a picture.
Where to see it
In summer, lacemakers sit in front of their houses in the old town and sell their work directly. You can also see historic pieces in the town's lace collection. A small piece of lace makes a beautiful detail on festive clothes.