The Kornati, except the belt along the shore, is completely privately owned. As a rule, one estate consists of big pasture (karst meadow), several smaller arable lots (enclosures) and house. The Kornati are a particularly settled area. The islanders actually have their domicile outside the archipelago (in Murter, Betina, Zaglav) and consequently "a Kornati house" is the second house in every sense: in importance, in size, in furnishings...
A Kornati house is an extremely humble one-room "shelter" but it's necessary to use the estate and has many functions: vacation place, tool and equipment storage, dining, temporary storage of the crops, shelter from storms, and so on.
There is also a difference between a house on "own land" and a "house in port".
In order to have an easier access to his property on the Kornati, far from his domicile, the owner had to build a house in the closest suitable cove, where he could safely tie his boat. However, very few Kornati owners had a property in suitable coves so, as a rule, the houses in port are built on "other people's" land or, as was the case in Vrulje, on man-made banks (over the sea). In both cases, the space was at premium so the houses were built in the smallest possible sizes and in tight rows.
The house in port lags behind the house on own land in the quality of building, generally has one floor not taller than 220 cm, and is stone built. Beside the doors, the house could have a little window (hurijada), 60x50cm in size.
In order to live on the Kornati, a Kurnatar (a person from the Kornati) had to have many skills. A Kurnatar had to be a sailor, shepherd, peasant, fisherman, artisan, cook... everything in one person. What you take with you, that's what you have on the Kornati. What you mend or produce, that's what you use.
