Čuljak.
A lineage from the hill of Klobuk (near Ljubuški) — and the history of the place that gave it its name.
This name has a place of its own. On the western edge of Herzegovina, where the rocky karst of Bekija gives way to the plain, a solitary hill rises — steep-sided like a cap, a klobuk. It gave its name to the village at its foot, and the village passed it on to a family that still bears it today: Čuljak.
Čuljak — the origins of the name
A name from Herzegovina with a clear homeland: “The Čuljak are Croats and come predominantly from Herzegovina — from Klobuk (near Ljubuški).”
The Name’s Origin
Two interpretations offer competing explanations for the name’s origin — and both lead, each in its own way, back to stone and the shape of the land.
From the Summit
From the Dalmatian word čulj — “tip, peak, mountain summit”. A Čuljak would then be someone who lived on high ground. An interpretation that seems especially fitting in the shadow of a cone-shaped hill called Klobuk (near Ljubuški).
From a Physical Trait
From the adjective čulav / čuljav — “small-eared or stubby-eared”. A nickname transferred from livestock to people, much as many old family names arose from a physical trait.
The Family Coat of Arms Čuljak
The Family Coat of Arms
The family coat of arms bears two inscriptions that say all that matters: the year 1701 and the name of the place — Klobuk (near Ljubuški). Its two fields tell the story of this lineage, shaped by faith, land and origins.
- Stars & Lambin the upper field — symbols of faith and gentleness; the lamb is an ancient Christian emblem.
- Cross & Chalicethe cross above a vessel — the deeply Catholic character of the family’s homeland in Herzegovina.
- Barrel & Oxa wine barrel and an ox — winegrowing and farming, working the meagre karst soil.
- Hill & Sunin the lower field, the hill of Klobuk (near Ljubuški) against a radiant sun — the hill whose shape gave rise to the name.
- Vine & Grapesthe grapevine — winegrowing in Herzegovina, which continues to shape the region today.
- Checkerboardthe red-and-white šahovnicapattern — an affirmation of Croatian identity.
This interpretation draws on the visible imagery and the traditions of Herzegovina; the family itself knows the precise meaning best — additions are welcome.
From Brdo to Čuljkove Njive
The Hamlet of the Čuljci
No name is as deeply rooted in Klobuk (near Ljubuški) as this one: an entire hamlet bears it.
Parish tradition tells the story clearly: the Čuljci originally lived on Brdo — the “hill”, above the present-day transmitter mast. As space there grew scarce, they gradually moved down to their fields. These fields gave the new hamlet its name: Čuljkove Njive, the “Čuljak fields”. The Međugorci also settled here alongside the Čuljak, following the same route down from Brdo.
The name first appears in the parish registers in 1860 — at the baptism of Iva, daughter of Martin Čuljak. The hamlet itself is not mentioned separately until the early 20th century; before then, it was counted as part of Šiljevišta, although its residents’ names had long identified it as Čuljkova Njiva. The site is still home to Čuljkovo groblje — the family cemetery.
Klobuk (near Ljubuški) — a borderland of stone and water
Klobuk and Its Landscape
Klobuk (near Ljubuški) lies at the far western edge of the municipality of Ljubuški, forming its western gateway — the last settlement in Herzegovina before the Croatian border.
Hill, Hamlets and River
Here, the rocky Bekija — the uplands around Imotski and Grude — meets the Nahija (Bezirk), the fertile plain of Vitinsko and Ljubuško polje. Flowing through the area is the river Trebižat, which changes its name several times along its course; below the hamlet of Poljane, the karst spring Klokun emerges.
The hill gave the village its name: the word klobuk means “hat” and can be traced through the Old Slavic klobukъ to the Eastern term kalpak — a tall, pointed cap. This is precisely the shape of the hill, which rises equally steeply from the plain on all sides. The village consists of around a dozen hamlets — zaseoci — including Čuljkove Njive.
A Map of the Hill
The hill, its hamlets and the river — and at their heart, the family’s land: Brdo and Čuljkove Njive.
Schematic map — not to scale; hamlet locations are approximate.
Three Thousand Years on One Hill
History of the Place
The homeland of the Čuljak family has ancient roots. The hill served as a stronghold, a border lookout and a burial ground long before its name was first put to paper.
1st millennium BC — Illyrian Gradina
Hidden on the western slope of the hill is an Illyrian hillfort (Gradina) with a dry-stone rampart 230–250 m long — possibly built by the Ardiaei, who awaited the arrival of the Slavs here.
1st–4th centuries AD — Rome on the Tihaljina
The Ljubuški area comes under Roman rule; funerary inscriptions attest to the presence of legionary detachments and auxiliary cohorts. A major military camp is established near Humac, just a few kilometres away.
14th–15th centuries — The Bosnian State & the Kosača
The region belongs to the medieval Bosnian state and passes to the noble family of Kosača under Duke Stjepan Vukčić — after whom Herzegovina is named. This period saw the creation of the stećci (medieval tombstones), which are also found near Klobuk (near Ljubuški).
1585 — the place name comes to light
In an Ottoman list of villages from 1585 we find the first documented mention of Klobuk (near Ljubuški). Catholics celebrate Mass in secret on the hill of Markovište — a practice still remembered today.
1701 · 1860 — coat of arms & first record
The family coat of arms bears the year 1701 and the place name Klobuk (near Ljubuški). In the parish registers, the name Čuljak first appears in 1860 at the baptism of Iva, daughter of Martin Čuljak.
1873 · 1907 — parish and school
On 1 May 1873 Klobuk (near Ljubuški) becomes an independent parish (sv. Marka) — with 5 villages, 243 houses and 1,607 parishioners. 1907 sees the village school open.
today — out into the world
Like much of Herzegovina, Klobuk (near Ljubuški) experiences large-scale emigration — to Croatia, Germany and the New World, as far as Argentina. In 2023, the parish celebrates its 150th anniversary.
The silent witnesses — stećci (medieval tombstones), Gradina, Markovište
In the Ljubuški area, 45 sites contain around 600 stećci on record — medieval tombstones from the 14th and 15th centuries, also found in Klobuk (near Ljubuški). Their edges are often framed by a braided rope motif; their surfaces feature crosses and crescents, rosettes and human figures.
The Catholic identity of this region is deep-rooted and enduring. During Ottoman rule, Mass was celebrated at a secluded spot on Markovište ; today, the parish and its faithful return there once a year to commemorate those difficult times.
The history of the parish and its hamlets was documented by the historian Fra Dr. Robert Jolić in his 2015 monograph “Župa sv. Marka u Klobuku” — 472 pages, 331 photographs and seven maps.
A small village with a far-reaching impact
From Klobuk to the World
From Klobuk (near Ljubuški), the name spread across the world — to Dalmatia and Slavonia, to Germany and as far as Argentina. And for its size, the village has produced a remarkable number of well-known sons and daughters.
Marija Pejčinović Burić
Born in Mostar in 1963, with roots in Klobuk (near Ljubuški), she attended secondary school in Ljubuški. Croatia’s Minister of Foreign and European Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister — and, from October 2019, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, becoming only the second woman and the first person from Central and Southeastern Europe to lead the organisation.
Milijan Brkić
Originally from the hamlet of Brkići-Vlaka. A long-serving member and Deputy Speaker of the Croatian Parliament (Sabor).
Venerable Petar Barbarić
Born on 19 May 1874 in the hamlet of Šiljevišta. A Jesuit scholastic, he died in Travnik on 15 April 1897 with a reputation for holiness. In 2015, Pope Francis recognised his heroic virtue — since then, Venerabilis, on the path to beatification.
Photos from Klobuk (near Ljubuški)
This is the place for your photos — of the hill, the village and the family.
Sources & Further Reading
Compiled from publicly available Croatian, Bosnian-Herzegovinian, German and English sources. Where accounts differ, the best-supported version has been chosen.