A lace-making school in the Renaissance stone town of Pag, on the island of Pag, has been operating for four
years now. This town was designed by one of Sibenik's most famous citizens, Juraj Dalmatinac, the man made
famous by his masterpiece, the Sibenik cathedral. It ensures the continuation of the centuries-old tradition of the
widely known Pag crochet lace. Opened at the last minute, the school has halted the imminent death of the
tradition, as only old Pag women used to do this work. The only lace-making school in Croatia represents a
rarity in the world, and is situated in the original building that used to house the former Banovina lace-making
school. The beauty of Pag lace was presented to the public as early as 1880, after an exhibition organized by
Father Frane Bulic, a famous Croatian archeologist who is best known for the first excavation of the remains of
the ancient town of Salona, near Split. However, Europe knew about Pag as much esteemed lace a long time
ago. Pag lace used to be sold abroad as Greek, Austrian or Italian lace, although it was always the same
Croatian lace from the island of Pag, known as Pag lace.
It is interesting to note that in 1939 Pag lacemakers participated at the world exhibition in New York.
The Pag lace-making school existed back at the
beginning of the century and the person who deserves credit for the preservation of Pag lace-making is Austrian
Natalie Bruck-Auffenberg. In 1911, she wrote a wonderful book Dalmatia and its Folk Art. She searched for the
lost Dubrovnik lace all along the Dalmatian coast and, visiting the islands, discovered Pag lace. She
bought Pag lace for herself, for exhibitions in Paris and an Austrian museum, and for the Archduchess Maria
Josephine, Otto von Habsburg's grandmother. Only a few days after receiving the first lacy blouse from Pag,
Maria Josephine arrived in the town. She was the first person to
make an order to the old Pag lacemaking school. The orders from Emperor Ferdinand and the Romanian queen, Carmen Sylva, soon followed.
The same lace that was prized by emperors is still made today. The new lace-making school is led by Pag natives Neda Oroz and Urica Orlic. The production of lace, called teg by Pag women, is very painstaking work usually done with an ordinary mending needle. A solid background is necessary for making lace; usually a firm lace-maker's pillow. It is made without a draft or plan, which makes each piece of lace unique. Pag's
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