Tisno is a settlement placed in the narrow (38 m) where the island of Murter almost touches the mainland and that is how it got its name. (Tisno means narrow in Croatian.) It started up by settling of the people who, escaping from the Turks, sought refuge on the island. Under the name Tisno it is mentioned for the first time in 1474. At the beginning of the 18th century the bridge that connects the island of Murter with the mainland was built, so Tisno started spreading to the continental part, and in 1832 the old bridge was replaced by a new, movable one. In the course of the tourist season the bridge opens twice a day (9 a.m. – 9,30 a.m.; 5 p.m. – 5,30 p.m.) and it represents a tourist attraction.
During the 18th century rich families from Italy moved to Tisno. There are 11 villas left from those times. Nowadays you can see the Gelpi family house (18th century), the Banchetti family house (18th c.), the Denari family house (19th c.), the Katunarić Palace (19th c.), and the Mazzura Palace where the administration of Tisno Municipality and Municipal Court are today placed.
The Gelpi family brought to Tisno a sacred painting of Our Lady painted on the wood from the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Caravaggio next to Caravaggio (Italy) where Our Lady appeared in 1428. The painting was originally placed in the house chapel, and in 1720 the family built a chapel on a hill Brošćica above Tisno. Tisno has become a significant religious centre of the region due to a big votive pilgrimage to Our Lady of Karavaja (celebrated on May 26th).
Three other churches placed in the settlement witness the rich history of Tisno: St. Spirit (16th c.), St. Roko (17th c.), St. Andrew (17th c.), and St. Martin, the town patron, in Ivinje 3 kilometres from Tisno.
Next to the St. Martin’s church (11th c.) there is a valuable archaeological site with the remains of old-Christian basilica (mid 5th century) and the remains of a Roman villa.
Tisno is the youngest settlement on the island. Along with the traditional activities such as fishery, olive and wine growing, the population is more and more active in tourism and restaurant business.
Along with the accommodation offered by apartments, rooms and hotels, Tisno also offers enjoying in the vegetation, spacious squares, long hiking paths and beautiful rocky beaches. Lots of restaurants and taverns will make sure that, along with standard gastro delicacies, you can enjoy in the traditional Mediterranean food which includes lots of fish, shell-fish, olive oil and vegetables, which make this kind of cuisine very healthy.
The Bishops of Šibenik had their summer residence in Tisno back in the 18th century, many famous people have chosen Tisno for their vacation, and some of them will say that Tisno is truly a paradise on Earth.
Among the famous people born in Tisno we can emphasize Vjekoslav Kaleb whose short story Thirty Horses has been made into a movie, and the movie plot takes place on the same spot where the LUNA apartments and olive-mill Tisno are built today.
The cultural life in Tisno is enriched by KUD Hartić Tisno, founded in 1927, and by the Public Singers Choir that performs sacral music.
We can also emphasize sports clubs: Rowing club Tisno that has been existing for more than 10 years, Water-polo club Tisno, Football club the Island of Murter.
During the whole year, and summer in particular, you can find different activities that will make your vacation in Tisno even more beautiful and more interesting.
Climate – Mediterranean, dry and warm summers and wet and mild winters. With on average 2600 sunny hours a year, the Adriatic Coast is one of the sunniest in the Mediterranean, and the summer sea temperature is 25ºC-27ºC.
Winds – north-eastern wind (bura) brings coldness; mistral is a sign of fair weather and jugo (scirocco) is a wet wind