On 28 March 1928, the Building and Housing Cooperative "Polish House on the Adriatic" was registered in Warsaw. The initiative for its establishment came from the circles of the Polish-Yugoslav Friendship League. Professor Tadeusz Hilarowicz became its president. The first centre was decided to be located on the island of Šolta near Split in Dalmatia. The idea was to create a small Polish colony where the Polish intelligentsia could rest, research could be carried out and members of the Cooperative could purchase land for their own homes through the Cooperative.

The Cooperative's first acquisition was the so-called Polish Summer House located in Nečujam near the harbour. It was purchased together with a five-hectare estate in 1928, and in 1929 the transaction was approved at the general meeting of the Cooperative. The land was acquired from the local parish. The house was said to be in a very poor condition and through the efforts of the Bartelmus family it was renovated (cf. 'Iz autobiografije don Ante Bezića (rodoslovlje plemena Bezić)', 'Bašćina' 2008, no. 15/16, p. 58). This area, in honour of Bolesław Chrobry, was decided to be called Chrobrzyn. Interesting - although not related to Poland - is the earlier history of the building, which was probably built at the beginning of the 15th century. One of the fathers of Croatian literature, Marku Marulić (1450-1514), stayed there for some time, as did another important Croatian poet Starograđan Petar Hektorovic, who stayed there during his trips to the island.

A few years after the establishment of the Polish House in Nečujam, the property was transformed into a so-called colony house for Polish children - formally named the Polish Health Colony on the Adriatic Sea for Children of Members of Military Families and registered in Warsaw at the residence address of Colonel Bartelmus. In this house, in 1937 and 1938, the young Krzysztof Kamil Baczyński (1921-1944) - poet and Warsaw insurgent - stayed at the summer colony, probably acting as an instructor in 1938. Currently, the building is listed in the register of historical monuments as the Dujma Balistrilić Manor (entry number Z-6982). A question that is not entirely clear is who managed the building. Emma and Jozef Bartelmus are most often cited in this context, and this is also confirmed at least in part by Kamil Baczynski's letter to his parents in which he mentions them. However, according to Wolfgang J. Bryll, the author of a text on the marriage, the matter is not entirely clear. The Bartelmus family probably did not live permanently on the island. Besides, S. Kale reports that in the 1931 census, only one person of Polish nationality was registered on Šolta (possibly referring to Władysława Nazarewska, the administrator of the second Polish House). It seems that the building was used mainly from spring to autumn. Contrary to W.J. Bryll's conjecture, however, it does not appear that the Bartelmus family had a separate house on the island. From the accounts of former residents, and indirectly from Baczyński's letters, it appears that they stayed in the Polish Summer House during their stays on the island.

The history of the second house bearing the name of the Polish House on the Adriatic, and popularly known as 'Zofiówka', is somewhat more complicated. It was located in Rogač and was supposedly purchased in 1927, and according to an unconfirmed account, its first owner was Vladislava Nazarevska, who was to open a year-round guesthouse there (this information is provided by Ž. Bezić, 'Poljaci na otoku Šolt', Hrvatska Obzorja 2001, IX, no. 1, p. 140, followed by S. Kalve in the aforementioned publication). It can be assumed that from the beginning, however, the house was owned by the Cooperative. It cannot be ruled out that initially it was indeed Nazarewska who was listed as its owner, which could be due to the process of constitution and registration of the Cooperative. As for the date of purchase, some ambiguity is also introduced by information from Nazarewska herself, who wrote at the beginning of 1934 that she had returned to Warsaw after a three-year presence at the Polish House. This may indicate that the boarding house was opened around 1930, but was rather purchased in 1929 or 1928. Certainly, however, in 1936 the villa was not her property, since she is clearly indicated as the administrator of the building belonging to the Cooperative ("Polska Zachodnia", 28 May 1936, no. 145, p. 6). The name Zofiówka is supposed to have originated from the name of Zofia Ossendowska, the wife of the well-known writer and scientist Franciszek Ossendowski, who was one of the co-founders of the Polish-Yugoslav League and the Cooperative "Polish House on the Adriatic" The administrator of the Polish House on the Adriatic, which was established, was Professor Ossendowski. From a 1939 report, we know that the "Zofiówka" housed 12 rooms. The building is still preserved today and is located on the promenade in Rogač.

The last building associated with the Cooperative is the chapel in Nečujam, which housed an image of Our Lady of the Dawn Gate (see more on this). According to an oft-repeated account, it was supposed to have been founded by Colonel Bartelmus in 1939. Its builder was supposed to be the local mason Marian Ursić, and the first mass was supposed to have been held on 13 August 1939 (this information is given by S. Kale "Poljaci na Šolti s osvrtom na pjesnika Krzysztofa Kamila Baczyńskoga", "Bašćina" 2014, no. 23 followed by other authors, the source of this news being a 1983 publication. Also according to the entry in the register of monuments, the church was built in 1938). Contradicting this, however, are press accounts from 1932 clearly stating the existence of a chapel in which a copy of the painting of Our Lady of the Dawn Gate, donated from Vilnius, was placed. The press reports on the matter seem unambiguous: "During the Mass, Dr Ivić, the deputy ban of Dalmatia, General Aranjelović, the representative of the Polish MP in Belgrade, Councillor Glinka, and the chairman of the Supreme Committee for Polish-Yugoslav Action, Professor Hilarowicz, sat in the presbytery".

The history of the chapel's erection dates back to 1930, when a committee was set up in Warsaw to build a Polish chapel with a picture of Our Lady of the Dawn Gate. This took place during a meeting of the board of directors of the Cooperative and, as reported in the press, the Bolesław Chrobry order organisation. According to the concept presented by Professor Tadeusz Hilarowicz, the chapel was to be built on land owned by the Cooperative at the site of the ruins of St Peter's Church from the 14th or early 15th century (sometimes the 13th century is also mentioned). Presumably the intention from the outset was to indicate the approximate location, not to destroy a medieval relic. In any case, the ruins of the old church were preserved and the chapel was built next to it. The plans for the building were drawn up by - as the meeting put it - local factors. However, in the proclamation of 1931, Jan Lukasik is indicated as the architect. It is possible that the contractor was the above-mentioned Marian Ursić, which is confirmed by oral accounts. He was undoubtedly a renowned bricklayer with an interesting biography. As a young boy, escaping conscription into the army, he ended up in the USA, where he worked in one of the shipyards. It was there that his talents as a designer were to become apparent, such as the development of a concept for a ship whose chimneys would fold down so that it could pass under a bridge. Even after his return to Croatia, these talents led to him being referred to as the Edison of Šolt. However, he earned his money primarily as a taken mason, also known as meštar Marin. In this context, it seems quite likely that he would have been entrusted with the construction of the chapel (cf. "Bašćina" 2008, no. 15/16, p. 124).

At the meeting, a building committee chaired by Professor Tadeusz Hilarowicz was established, as well as an honorary presidium (cf. "Kurier Warszawski", 24 December 1930, no. 351, p. 3). However, fund-raising was probably going slower than initially anticipated, because in September 1931 the committee issued a proclamation asking for support.

In 1939 the chapel was presumably raised to the dignity of a church, and hence the confusion with the time of its foundation. Perhaps also contributing to the error was the inscription engraved on what was probably donated by Emma and Jozef Bartelmus on the crescent "Pod Twoją Obronę ucieujemy się / Êmma i Józef Bartelmus / 1939 //.

There were also plans to erect a third building with 30 beds, and according to other sources with as many as 300. However, on 14 April, at an extraordinary meeting of the Building Cooperative "Polish House on the Adriatic", a deed was approved for the purchase of a villa on Šolta Island together with the land, where the number of rooms was set at 30, at least that is what the press reported. On 14 June 1928, a lavish ceremony was organised to lay the foundation stone. The initiator and main organiser of the ceremony was the already mentioned Professor Tadeusz Hilarowicz. The ceremony was attended by a Polish delegation led by engineer Jozef Mikulowski, who arrived in Rogacz by steamboat at 9am, accompanied by a large representation of Split residents. Among those present were archaeologist Father Frane Bulić, Auxiliary Bishop of Split, Governor Dr Ivan Perović, Split Mayor Dr Ivo Tartaglia, Professor Josip Barač, Chairman of the Local Committee Roko Stojanov, Deputy Director of the Archaeological Museum Dr Ante Grgin and General Dragutin Stamenković representing the military. Captain Špiro Bezić, who made his ships available, played an important role in organising the event from the Croatian side. Unfortunately, due to lack of sufficient funds, the investment was never realised.

Finances, moreover, were one of the Cooperative's biggest problems. While Zofiówka, which served as a guesthouse, does not seem to have had major problems, the same cannot be said of the Nečujam estate. The buildings were intended to serve the members of the cooperative. It must be remembered that these were not only private individuals, but also organisations; the "Officials' Life" of 1928 reported that the accommodation would be used by members of the Association of Civil Servants. Membership of the Co-operative was open to those who purchased at least one share worth $50. As it seems, there were not many visitors. There was information in the press that it was possible to rent a room at the Polish House in September. Probably tourists may have been discouraged by problems of travel - it was easier to go to Istria than to a small island in Dalmatia. Hence, 'excursions to Yugoslavia' were organised, with visits to Dubrovnik and Split, as well as stops in Vienna, Budapest, Trieste and Zagreb. It is likely that part of the stay was spent on the island, which may also have been a convenient base for visiting other destinations.

Efforts were also made to utilise the building in other ways, establishing cooperation with scientific centres. We know of at least three such ventures. On the one hand, from the very beginning, support for Polish science was also part of the Cooperative's activities, and this was probably not just a rhetorical phrase, but there is no information about what this looked like from the financial side. It also seems that in the long run the idea was not a hit. The cooperative offered a plot of land to the Zoological Museum (State Zoological Museum, studies also refer to the Natural History Museum, which was the name of the institution from 1921 to 1928) in order to establish a facility for biological research on the Adriatic Sea. It was also decided to give up one of the rooms in the Polish House in Nečujam for the purpose of the outpost. It also housed, as Jan Gadomski reported in 1937 ("Urania" 1937, p. 77), a temporary astronomical observatory run by a Polish expedition.

In 1942, when it became necessary to liquidate the estate, the resort was in debt, already in 1939 a debt of 100,000 dinars was recorded on the mortgage, undoubtedly the outbreak of war and the collapse of tourism provided additional problems.

Wolfgang J. Bryll hypothesises that the Bartelmus couple had a house of their own in the neighbourhood "The possession of property by a retired lieutenant colonel is explicitly mentioned in the letter from Lt. Col. Kominkowski w/from the Head of the Personnel Office in March 1931: "Materially well off, as apart from a pension of about 600 zl. He has his own reality". There is no doubt whatsoever that this refers to an estate in Šolta, as no documents or even unofficial oral accounts provide any basis for the claim that he owned any real estate in the country (the flat in Warsaw was rented). Bartelmus himself declared years later that: "the plots of land [of the Cooperative - WJB] in Nečujam lay next to my property". Also a later statement made before notary Pliszczynski confirms that he was the owner of the villa/pension 'Bartelmusówka', the house on Šolci". The case does not seem quite clear-cut; in a later statement he may have been referring to the Polish House, which passed into his ownership. According to the islanders' recollections, they lived in the Polish Summer House, the renovation of which they were to supervise themselves. Interestingly, they were said to have stayed on the island until the end of the war and even adopted Kazimierz Buric-Sule's son (cf. 'Iz autobiografije don Ante Bezića (rodoslovlje plemena Bezić)', 'Bašćina' 2008, no. 15/16, p. 58). According to a resident of the island, Bartelmus was to visit Šolte and the house he and his wife had run for many years once again after the Second World War, that is in the second half of the 1940s.

Presumably, there were also plans to build more houses, since the Co-operative had acquired property on the island of Brač - 40,000 m² - and on the island of Hvar. There are also isolated reminders of the Polish presence on Šolta:
. - a painting of the Virgin Mary in the chapel in Nečujam
- a plaque commemorating Jozef Pilsudski located in the church, where it was supposed to be moved in 1941 in connection with first the occupation of the town by the Germans and then the entry of the Italians, but this could also have happened in 1942 in connection with the sale of the villa.
- banner founded on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the local orchestra Šoltanski glazben zbor "Olinta". The founders Vladislava Nazarevska and don Ante Bezića donated 3,000 dinars for this purpose. The ceremonial consecration of the banner took place on 15 July 1932 in front of the church in Grohan (it is kept in the local community centre)
. - paintings of St. Kinga and St. Salomea donated in 1932 (according to unconfirmed information, they are still preserved and in the church in Grohan)

Post-war traces of Polish presence include the naming of one of the streets in Nečujam after Józef Bartelmus, and a boulder commemorating the presence of Krzysztof Kamil Baczyński on the island.

Although formally the Co-operative functioned until 1948, it was necessary to sell its assets as early as 1942. This was due to a decree of the German authorities in Poland leading to the liquidation of the cooperative. This was handled by the island's resident Jozef Bartelmus, whose legal knowledge and experience were certainly of great use here. The easiest thing to do was to sell "Zofiówka", which was, however, allowed to house Polish emigrants until the end of the war. The money from the sale covered the debts and the rest was handed over in December 1942, interestingly in the form of a loan, to Maria Potocka, a representative of the Swiss Red Cross. She was organising the care of some 70 families of Polish emigrants residing in Yugoslavia. However, the sale of the remaining plots of land was much more difficult, as, according to the notarial provisions, their owner could only be a Pole. In the end, Bartelmus formally acquired these plots for his shares in the Co-operative, with the proviso that settlement would take place at a later date. These actions led to a conflict with Nazarevskaya, who accused Bartelmus of appropriating the property at the Polish embassy in Belgrade after the war. Bartelmus, on the other hand, not only denied this, but indicated that it was Nazarevska who had acted to the detriment of the Cooperative. In 1941, Yugoslavia signed an unconditional surrender, as a result of which part of its territories fell to the Italians, including Dalmatia up to Split, and therefore also the island of Šolta. According to Bartlemus, Nazarevska, who had been removed from the Co-operative in 1941 for activities to its detriment, was alleged to have conspired with the fascist commissioner Antonio Galasso to take over the house in Rogač. Which, he stressed, was particularly dangerous as partisan troops were forming on the site. The case, however, as it seems, was not continued after the liquidation of the Co-operative, presumably the version of Jozef Bartelmus was accepted, who additionally bequeathed 10,000,000 of collateral in the mortgage of his estate to the Co-operative 'Polish House on the Adriatic'.

For valuable comments and additional information, many thanks to Mr Mateusz Jarosz, who collected them on the spot together with Ms Barbara Figurniak.