Blaca Hermitage was submitted by the ministry in cooperation with the Brac Centre for Culture as an outstanding example of cultural and natural heritage which has been preserved for centuries and recognised as unique in the region.
The location was originally a cave in which priests from the Poljica region in southern Croatia, fleeing from the Ottoman Turks, arrived on the island in the 16th century, finding their first shelter, the ministry says on its website.
The hermits eventually built a church and a monastery, houses and business facilities, transforming the surrounding woods into vineyards and olive groves. This unique architecture and landscape complex has survived four centuries and testifies to past times and traditional living, the ministry said.
The idea to turn Blaca Hermitage into an ecomuseum appeared in 1972 after the priests' cooperative ceased operating and Brac Municipality became the owner of most of the buildings and the land, the ministry added.
The Landscape Award is presented every two years.