CASTRO

In the 10^th Chilean region lies the city of Castro, home to some 40,000 people, and one of the oldest cities in the country. Castro is located on Chiloe Island, which was inhabited by the Spanish in the 16^th century, who became the natives there, and are known as the Chiloti today. The island is known for its wooden churches, and even more so for its wooden houses on stilts, which are protected by UNESCO. One such town of houses on stilts is called Sesion de Palafitos Dalmacia, property of the Buric family. There is a Villa Croacia quarter nearby Castro, the city where Croatians mostly live and work in shipbuilding, medicine and education. The Yurac family name their ships Dalmacia for generations.

Houses on stilts Dalmacia, on the left. House in Villa Croacia where Vesna, Dania and Miroslav Zurac live. Their grandfather Petar came from Bobovišća on the island of Brač.

In 1959, the Quinta Compañía de Bomberos, Bomba Croata Volunteer Firefighting Society was founded in Castro. It was founded by Domingo Yurac, Julio Barrienos Bilisco and Julio Miserda.

One of the streets in Castro is dedicated to a journalist of Croatian origin, and is called Calle Periodista Alberto Yurac Soto. He was lecturer of Politechnic institute and a journalist, who wrote for Diario el Llanquihue. He died in 1993.