The Association for the Promotion of Croatian Maritime Heritage "Cronaves" was founded in June 2014 during the preparations for the famous European maritime festival "La semaine du Golfe du Morbihan", which was announced for May 2015 in the French province of Brittany.

The French co-organizers from the most important French agency for the organization of European maritime festivals, the "Grand Large" agency, Ms. Anne Burlat and Mr. Jakez Kerhoas, were very keen that Croatia, as the youngest member of the European Union, present its maritime culture and heritage at this prestigious international maritime event, in the status of a specially honored guest. They found the solution in the already acquired acquaintance and friendship from the previous festivals of ships, sea and sailors in Brest in 2008 and 2012, where they noticed the organizational abilities of excellent experts and promoters of Croatian maritime heritage Plamenko Bavčević (president) and Saša Lukić (secretary) of the future association in the process of founding "Cronaves".

It should be noted that Bavčević and Lukić were previously long-term members of the Cultural Institution "Ars Halieutica" from Komiža, where they gained useful organizational experience in participating and presenting Croatian maritime culture and heritage at various domestic and foreign festivals such as: 'Regata Storica' in 2007 in Venice, the 'Rota palagruzona' regatta in the period 2008-2012, Croatia's participation in the 'World Festival of Ships, Sea and Sailors' in Brest, France in 2008 and 2012, and many other similar events.

Since its establishment, the association has organized eleven successful presentations of Croatian maritime heritage on the international scene during its ten-year activity:

In cooperation and with the assistance of the Split-Dalmatia County, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, the Republic of Croatia has been represented at prestigious European maritime events:

Festival 'La semaine du Golfe Morbihan' - 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2023
Festival of ships, sea and sailors 'Brest' - 2016
Festival 'Escale a Sete' 2018, 2022 and 2024
Festival 'Escale a Marseillan' 2022
Photo exhibition "Croatian homeland of the sea", Trieste 2023
Photo exhibition "Croatia where sails tell stories", Ljubljana 2023.

The Cronaves Association brings together admirers of Croatian maritime heritage from various social structures, so the association includes journalists, sailors, composers, art photographers, chefs, university professors and translators, as well as tourism professionals. During its ten years of operation, the association has organized eleven successful international promotions of Croatian maritime heritage on prestigious European festival stages. In its work, the Association regularly cooperates with the relevant ministries of the Republic of Croatia, the Main Office of the Croatian Tourist Board, the Split-Dalmatia County, the Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board, and local tourist boards.

Since 2015, the members of the association have been taking care of the oldest traditional ship on the Croatian Adriatic, the leut "Slobodna Dalmacija", built in Korčula in 1894, and, according to the capabilities of its members, actively participate in various events, regattas, and presentations throughout Croatian coastal towns, thus encouraging the revitalization of historical values ??and maritime cultural heritage as a driver of the development of cultural tourism.

Since its establishment in 2014, the "Cronaves" Association has been working on projects to present Croatian maritime culture and heritage, as well as to raise awareness of Croatia as a maritime country. The basis of all the association's programs as an instigator of the development of cultural tourism and its promotion are wooden - historical and traditional ships, the skills and knowledge of traditional shipbuilding as part of the national maritime heritage, which have left their mark on the Adriatic region, through centuries, with content elements that have left their mark on the historical and contemporary identity of Croatia.

In addition to the presentation of Croatian maritime culture and heritage, the program contents of the "Cronaves" Association's projects also include the promotion of Croatian tourism, as well as the promotion of the tourist offer of the city of Split and the Split-Dalmatia County, and therefore the Head Office of the Croatian Tourist Board, the Tourist Board of the Split-Dalmatia County, the Tourist Board of the City of Split and other local tourist boards from the SDŽ area regularly and actively participate in them.

The projects of the Cronaves association, which are regularly highly rated in the domestic and foreign media due to their organizational quality, also include the presentation of traditional ethno music and folklore and the presentation of the gastro-enological culture of our region.

With the lute 'Slobodna Dalmacija' built in 1894 in Korčula, which it has been taking care of since 2015, the association actively participates in various events, regattas and presentations throughout the Croatian coastal towns, in accordance with the capabilities of its members. In the territory of Croatia, the association has promoted the Split-Dalmatia County in its ten-year activity at various cultural events, of which it is particularly proud of the Festival 'Days in Vala' - Stari Grad, which it has been successfully organizing every other year since 2016, together with the City of Stari Grad and the Stari Grad Tourist Board. By expanding this Festival, its internationalization and close cooperation with similar Croatian and foreign associations, 'Cronaves' is achieving its planned plan to promote the Festival to the national level of the Croatian Festival of Ships, Sea and Sailors 'Days in Vala' - Stari Grad.