It
is unknown when the Park got its name Komrcar ( Comercarius, Campus martius,
Campo Marzo ). The franciscans who lived here in the 13 century used the
name - St. Catarina de Comercario. The franciscan church St. Franciscus
de Comercario is nowadays a chantry of the local cemetery.
DEBILE PRINCIPIVUM
MELIOR
FORTUNA SEQVETUR
"Who
starts poorly, awaits a better luck." (free translation)
-
This epigraph that stands on the portal of the church somehow gives the
elucidation on human life as well as to the park itself.
Komrcar
was previously the town's pasture. With the arrival of Justus Bellia (
1853 - 1925 ) in the year 1883. the destiny set aside for a pasture
to be transformed into a park of chimerical beauty. Care, love and forestry
knowledge of Bellia gave Rab something unique, something unforgettable
- Komrcar. As a token of their gratitude, Rab's people upraised a
monument to the fellow forester in 1974.
The
park was created based on a similar concept as many other parks on the
coast; people were planting different exotic plants which were taking their
breath with the beauty. Bellia and a group of the enthusiasts managed to
plant the park and give it a basic contour between 1890 and 1905.
Not without opposition of a few locals, of course.
Today,
we can say Komrcar is a young centenarian.
Its
future lies upon us and the ones that will follow. Only with the care of
the intelligent and responsible people, this park will keep its beauty
and rarity.
Park's
main vegetative component is Mediterranean beauty; "alepski bor" - the
pine/ Pinus halepensis. A careful rambler will find many other "foreign"
sorts: black pine/ Pinus nigra, then another pine tree/ Pinus pinea, cypress/
Cupressus sempervirens, also the Fraksinus ornus, laurel, cork -oak,
cedar, a few types of palm trees, agave, cactuses and other exotic plants.
We should certainly mention the native plants which do not hang back in
their beauty: always green oak tree "crnika" / Quercus ilex, wild olive
/ Olea europea, myrtle, "lemprika" / Viburnum tinus, "trslja"/ Pistacia
lentiscus, "veprina"/ Ruscus aculeautus...
On
the terrain grounds various mushrooms and flowers attract the attention
too.
The
sound 'mise en scene' provide the crickets in summer or migrating birds
in winter.
When
the raptured visitor athirst of oblivion of the european rush or the infatuated
youngster, walks through this 12 hectares long labyrinth of endless paths,
he doesn't realize that he passes the very same way again and again but
feels he is looking and sensing something new and yet unseen. He doesn't
surmise that this time it is just the beauty of the blooming shrub that
has been outshined by some other more beautiful and bigger pine or laurel.
In
warm evenings one can often meet our grandmas who sitting on the benches
near the cemetery, melancholingly contemplate the sunsets. While they feast
their eyes on the distance, conscious of the passing present, they ponder
about some other sunsets.
And
yet, while the pine shadows create the arabesques, we can read their
happiness and pleasure for living in this town, with this unique park,
on this island.
