Three Thousand Years on a Hill
The Čuljak family’s homeland is ancient. The hill was a stronghold, a border outpost and a burial ground long before its name first appeared on paper.
1st millennium BC — Illyrian Gradina
On the western flank of the hill lies an Illyrian hillfort (Gradina) with a dry-stone rampart 230–250 m long — possibly built by the Ardiäern, 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 legionary detachments and auxiliary cohorts. A major military camp is established a few kilometres away near Humac.
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 also gave rise to the stećci (medieval tombstones), which can also be found near Klobuk (near Ljubuški).
1585 — The place name comes to light
In an Ottoman village list from 1585 we find the first documented mention of Klobuk (near Ljubuški). Catholics secretly celebrate Mass 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.
Sources & Evidence
Basis of this page: dossier C1-HERKUNFT and dossier C2-STEĆCI-REGION and dossier C5-EMIGRATION (origin and meaning of the names Čuljak and klobuk; stećci, Gradina and regional history; emigration and family history). All sources were retrieved on 16 October 2026; quotations were checked against the full texts.
Stari grad Klobuk (Wikipedia bs)bs.wikipedia.org · Sekundär (Enzyklopädie)Klobuk (Ljubuški, BiH) — Dorf (Wikipedia hr)hr.wikipedia.org · Sekundär (Enzyklopädie)Klobuk, Ljubuški — village (Wikipedia en)en.wikipedia.org · Sekundär (Enzyklopädie)Klobuk fortress (Trebinje) (Wikipedia en)en.wikipedia.org · Sekundär (Enzyklopädie)klobuk — Hrvatski jezični portal (Znanje/IHJJ-Standard)hjp.znanje.hr · Primär (lexikografisch)Prezime Čuljak — Acta Croaticaactacroatica.com · Sekundär (Datenbank, amtliche Statistikbasis)Čuljak Surname Origin & Distribution — Forebearsforebears.io · Sekundär (Datensammlung)Čuljak (surname) (Wikipedia en)en.wikipedia.org · Sekundär (Enzyklopädie)Klobuk — granično područje Bekije i Nahije (iks-portal)iks-portal.info · Sekundär (lokales Portal)Klobuk — selo s desetak zaseoka (bljesak.info)bljesak.info · Sekundär (Presse)Oprostite, moje prezime nije hrvatsko! (bosnjaci.net)bosnjaci.net · Sekundär, Meinungsbeitrag — nur als Hinweis verwertbarBosna i Hercegovina — Hrvatska enciklopedija (LZMK)enciklopedija.hr · Primär/enzylopädisch (LZMK)Stećci Medieval Tombstone Graveyards — UNESCOwhc.unesco.org · Primär (amtlich)UNESCO Nominierungsdossier WHC/16/40.COM/INF.8B1whc.unesco.org · Primär (amtlich)Stećak — Wikipedia (hr)hr.wikipedia.org · Sekundär (Enzyklopädie)Stećci im Raum Ljubuški (Anzahl, Nekropolen)kravica.ba · Sekundär (regionale Tourismusseite)Franjevački muzej i galerija Humacmuzejhumac.com · InstitutionellHum (Humska zemlja) — Hrvatska enciklopedijaenciklopedija.hr · Enzyklopädisch (LZMK)Prapovijesno graditeljstvo (Gradina) — Tehnička enciklopedijatehnika.lzmk.hr · Enzyklopädisch (LZMK)Stećci kao bogumilische Denkmäler (Vertreterthese)bogumili.rs · Einseitig/Laienhaft — für den WiderspruchsteilBBC: Šta otkrivaju misteriozni stećcibbc.com · Presse (BBC)Iseljeništvo općine Ljubuški — Ljubuški in der Geschichte der USAhrvati.ch · Sekundär (Vereins-/Portalseite)Iseljavanje bh. stanovništva u SAD 1892–1924dijak.online · Sekundär (Fachportal)Kroatisches Auswanderertum in den USA — staatliches Amthrvatiizvanrh.gov.hr · Primär (amtlich)Poreklo prezimena, selo Klobuk (Ljubuški)poreklo.rs · Sekundär (Genealogieportal)FamilySearch — Kroatien: Auswanderung (Forschungsleitfaden)familysearch.org · Sekundär (Forschungsanleitung)FamilySearch — Bosnien-Herzegowina: Auswanderungfamilysearch.org · Sekundär (Forschungsanleitung)Iseljavanje Hrvata u Ameriku i Južnu Afrikugeografija.hr · Sekundär (geografisches Portal)Ljubuški — Hrvatska enciklopedija (LZMK)enciklopedija.hr · Enzyklopädisch (LZMK)Iseljavanje iz Kraljevine SHS (1918–1941)bosna.hr · Sekundär (Portal)