The Linden Tree Retreat and Ranch creator turned his visionary idea of a sustainable retreat in the wilderness of Croatia’s Lika region into a place where nature and people are treated with respect
Croatian-American entrepreneur Bruce Yerkovich came up with the idea to build a beautiful ranch at the northern slopes of Velebit Mountain, called Linden Tree Retreat & Ranch.
During the ranch’s 15 years, he welcomed guests from 138 countries around the world, which indicates that something truly unique is happening in Velika Plana, a village near Gospić.
Visitors can enjoy 15 types of activities, mainly linked to horse riding and spending time with horses in nature, but there’s also an exercise and meditation area, a small pool, kayaking, archery and many other activities that give special meaning to the terms ranch and retreat.
Creating something like that requires true vision, so it gives us great pleasure to be able to present the man behind the Linden Tree project in the pages of our magazine. A man whose life story is truly fascinating.
An even more special reason for this conversation is the fact that the ranch is now closed to the public after 15 years, so the owner can enjoy his property and live at the frequency of the nature around him.
While planning for the future, we listened to his story about how the ranch came into being and astute observations that surfaced when discussing such a bold and well-thought-out project.
‘One of the biggest values of my project is the fact that I’ve reached a phase where I can say no, whether it’s a booking or an inquiry that didn’t sit well with me. I came to the conclusion that I don’t need many material things to have it all. When I combined the two, I told myself that I would enjoy it here this year, which gives me a chance to spend time with the people I care about, and not only those who paid to stay here. It’s the ultimate freedom of living in a civilisation where everything revolves around money.
I’m still not sure whether I’ll be open for business next year. I needed some time to be by myself, which is very challenging when you’re at home, so that was one of the exercises I did over the summer. To let everything be as it is, observe how this space moves through time without responding to it. That was my Tao this year.’
HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE RANCH IDEA IN THE FIRST PLACE?
I finished high school in Split, university in Zagreb and then two postdocs in the USA, where I got a job in the pharmaceutical industry. While I was in the USA, I realised that their way of life is like a hamster in a wheel. I had a rich neighbour, successful in the marina business, who told me in his old age that he would change one thing in his life – become a theatre actor. I didn’t want to reach his age and talk about wanting to be a cowboy. So, after a couple of years, my business was at a level where I could truly become a cowboy, so I decided to build a ranch.
BUT YOU ALSO FELL ILL?
Some people need a slap in the face, others a kick in the butt, I needed to wake up. It was always a matter of ‘I need another year’ or ‘I need to earn this much money’, but when I got sick, I realised that what you have to do is – hold your horses. I thought that that was it and I wouldn’t get another chance. In my state of massive cellular imbalance, or illness in medical terms, I asked for a second chance. I found God inside me and made a pact with myself that, if given the chance, I would change my life immediately. That’s what happened, I went into spontaneous remission, became cancer-free and moved here a few months later.
WHY HERE?
Even before, when I decided to change my life, I was looking into ranches for sale in the USA, and due to certain events in my private life, I decided to move to Croatia and see if I could find something similar. Even though being a cowboy in Croatia was nothing like in the movies, I understood the concept of genetic memory, which was present in my profession, so I knew that I would have the access to knowledge and skills in Croatia that I wouldn’t have access to in the USA. I’m rooted here. And that’s when Velika Plana happened. On my way to New Zealand, I saw a photo I really liked, of rolling green hills.
While I was looking for ranches in Croatia, I couldn’t find anything, so I picked a ranch in Montana and decided to buy it instead. I came here two days before returning to the USA, but I was told that there was no property for sale. As I was going back home, this valley caught my eye – it was the same image of rolling green hills I saw on my way to New Zealand, and I felt that this was my home. I went to America and found out that there was property for sale here after all, so I bought my first piece of land three days later. The rest is history, and now I own 135 acres of land.
WHAT DID LIKA TEACH YOU?
It taught me that land needs a servant, not a master. Nature reduces you to your true self and puts things into perspective. We live in an anthropocentric world, believing that the entire Big Bang happened because of us and that we’re the ultimate form of life. Now I understand that we’re nothing but a grain of sand, and it’s truly a miracle that we live as long as we do, that we are able to do as much as we are, because we’re so fragile, like an autumn leaf that no one notices is gone. But I think there’s a divine spark in us. I believe the secret is doing what you love, if that’s possible, so it stops being work and becomes a way of life. If you can do that, we’re more advanced than animals.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THE NAME LINDEN TREE?
When I decided to become a cowboy, I wanted to build a place that would help people restore their natural frequency. A linden tree has the same natural frequency as the human body (7.5 Hz) and brings many benefits to our lives. Early Slavs thought it was sacred, and science explained its benefits with the so-called Schumann Resonance. Without even knowing it, people would plant linden trees in villages, and there are many stories and pieces of evidence indicating that this brought peace and harmony. During the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, a linden tree-lined avenue stretching 1 kilometre was planted from the seaside to Blato, a small town on Korčula Island, because Blato was known as a town of bandits and thieves. Bees also sense the frequency, which is why hives are made from the wood of linden trees as well.
YOU HAVE A BEEHIVE, WAS THAT PART OF THE PLAN?
Yes, I had wanted to keep bees for a long time, but I only have one beehive, for myself. I came here with a vision that was complete because I had learnt at a very young age that training and preparation is 80 percent of the work. When I arrived, I built it all at once, because completing the vision was very important to me.
WHAT IS YOUR NEW VISION?
I also bought a property high up in Velebit Mountain and I’m developing a project there. So, it’s not that I’m not doing anything at the moment, it’s just that I’m not hosting people. It sounds pretentious, but I’m interested in creating a type of Noah’s Ark. In the 15 years I’ve welcomed guests, I realised that every single one of them, regardless of their financial situation, had the same outlook on life. Everyone resonated at the same frequency and believed that the world was headed towards an unsustainable model. Maybe this sounded like a conspiracy theory 10 years ago, but nowadays we see reports of fires and floods on the news every day. All these people are looking for a place where they can feel safe, an oasis where they can spend time. I’ve applied a filter to my business setup so far, so the people that don’t belong simply didn’t come here. I’m planning to do the same with my new project, envisaged as a ‘private island’, a haven for like-minded people.
Text Darko Šupuk
Photos Kristina Peračić & Linden Tree Retreat & Ranch
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