The City of Omiš, located in Split-Dalmatia County, spans 266.2 km² and is home to 14,139 inhabitants according to the 2021 census, comprising thirty-one settlements at the mouth of the Cetina River where it meets the Adriatic Sea. It borders the City of Split and several municipalities along the coast and inland regions.
The ancient name Oneum (or Onaeum) is recorded up until the 7th century, while Roman artifacts have been discovered in the hamlet of Baučići – including inscriptions of the emperors Tiberius and Claudius, a portrait of Tiberius, and an altar dedicated to Augustus – all of which point to the municipal significance of the settlement.
The Middle Ages brought the Kačić princes and pirate activity directed against the Venetian Republic and papal ships, which in turn led to crusades in 1221 and Venetian campaigns in 1286–1287. The pirates employed shallow-draft vessels known as “Omiš arrows” (Omiške strijele) and an underwater wall called the “Mostina” at the river mouth, which controlled the passage of ships by means of a chain barrier.
The fortresses of Mirabela and Starigrad overlooked the river mouth and the Brač Channel, while Gomilica, situated on the left bank, lies in ruins today. Following the sale of Dalmatia to the Venetian Republic in 1409, Omiš entered its Venetian period, which lasted until 1797.
In more recent times, the town’s politics and economy have included riverside industry and the development of tourism, which capitalizes on the Cetina Canyon and adrenaline-fueled activities alongside the cultural heritage of the old town.
Dvigrad, nestled in the Draga Valley of central Istria, is one of Croatia’s most famous abandoned medieval towns. Its name, meaning “Two Towns,” originates from two settlements – Moncastel and Parentin – of which only Moncastel survived through history. The history of Dvigrad reaches back to prehistory, and the settlement was continuously inhabited until the 18th century, when it was abandoned due to disease and war.
One of the most intriguing legends tied to Dvigrad is the tale of the pirate Henry Morgan. According to local lore, after his infamous raids in Panama and his flight from British authorities, Morgan is said to have sailed into the Lim Bay and discovered the ruins of abandoned Dvigrad, where he allegedly hid his treasure – with the nearby village of Mrgani supposedly named after him and his men. Though historical sources do not confirm this story, it remains deeply rooted in local tradition and continues to attract treasure hunters and curious visitors. Beyond the Morgan legend, Dvigrad is renowned for its imposing walls and the Church of St. Sophia. While traces of an early Christian basilica from the 5th or 6th century exist on the site, the striking ruins visible today belong to a three-nave basilica that acquired its Romanesque form in the 13th century – notable for having no apse, but rather three rectangular sanctuaries, as confirmed by research from the Archaeological Museum of Istria. More than 200 buildings once stood within the walls, and the double defensive ramparts testify to the town’s strategic importance throughout history.
By 1714, the captain had abandoned the town, and the parish Church of St. Sophia was officially deserted when its inventory was transferred to Kanfanar; the last three families left Dvigrad in 1717. Today, the ruins are a popular tourist destination and a venue for cultural events such as the Dvigrad Festival of Early Music, which further enhances the mystical atmosphere of this historic site. Dvigrad has thus become a symbol of Istria’s vanished towns – a place where history and legend intertwine, inviting visitors to explore the remains of St. Sophia’s Church, wander among the ruins, and savor the stories that have shaped this fascinating location for centuries.
Dubrovnik is a city in the far south of Croatia, the administrative center of Dubrovnik-Neretva County and one of the most important historical and tourist centers in Europe, with 41,562 inhabitants according to the 2021 census. Since 1979, the Old City of Dubrovnik has been on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The city was formed by the merger of two settlements – the Latin Lausa on the rocks by the sea and the Slavic Dubrava on the mainland – whose suburbs physically joined in the 11th century when the narrow channel dividing them was filled in, corresponding today to the famous Stradun (Placa) street.
The Republic of Dubrovnik, which existed from the 14th to the early 19th century, abounded in innovative institutions that were pioneering on a European scale. On January 27, 1416, the Republic passed a decree abolishing slavery and banning the transport of slaves – the first such ban in Europe. In 1377, the world’s first quarantine was established in Dubrovnik, and the orphanage within the Convent of St. Clare, opened in 1432, was among the first such institutions in the world. The pharmacy in the Franciscan monastery, operating continuously since 1317, is the third-oldest active pharmacy in Europe. The Republic’s core economic activities were intermediary trade and seafaring; in the 16th century, the Dubrovnik navy had around 180 ships, was the third-strongest in the world, and employed about 4,000 sailors. In 1783, the Republic of Dubrovnik became the first state in the world to diplomatically recognize the United States of America.
The architecture of Dubrovnik was shaped over centuries of fortification and sacral construction. The city walls, built from the 13th to the 17th century, are 1,940 meters long, up to 25 meters high, and 4 to 6 meters thick on the landward side. The Minčeta Tower to the north, completed in 1464 with the participation of Juraj Dalmatinac, was built in response to the fall of Constantinople in 1453, while Lovrijenac Fortress, set 37 meters above the sea, was a key symbol of resistance to the Republic of Venice. The city is equally rich in cultural and literary heritage: the Dubrovnik humanist circle of the 16th and 17th centuries produced writers such as Marin Držić and Ivan Gundulić, author of the epic “Osman” and the pastoral drama “Dubravka” with its famous verses “O lovely, o dear, o sweet liberty!” The language of Gundulić and the Dubrovnik writers was later chosen by Ljudevit Gaj and the Illyrians as the basis for the standard Croatian language.
Rijeka is Croatia’s largest port and the third-largest city in the Republic of Croatia, located on the northern coast of the Bay of Rijeka within the Kvarner Gulf. As the administrative center of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, it had 107,964 inhabitants according to the 2021 census — significantly fewer than its record 165,904 in 1991. In 2020, the city was European Capital of Culture, alongside Galway, Ireland. Throughout its modern history, Rijeka has gone through extraordinarily turbulent political upheavals. Residents born in 1913 who lived to see 1991 changed six different states: Austria-Hungary, the Free State of Fiume, the Kingdom of Italy, the Third Reich, SFR Yugoslavia, and the Republic of Croatia. The Free State of Fiume, created by the Treaty of Rapallo in 1920, was internationally recognized by all world powers, issued its own postage stamps, and had its own currency, the Fiume krone.
Rijeka boasts a remarkable legacy of scientific and technical firsts. The torpedo was designed and built here by Ivan Vukić, a naval captain, and Robert Whitehead, an English engineer who ran a factory in the city. In 1878, Dr. Peter Salcher became the first person in history to photograph the flight of a bullet, while in 1907 surgeon Anton Grossich introduced the use of iodine tincture in preparation for surgical procedures. The city was also home to the first chocolate factory in the Balkans (1896) and the first car garage in southeastern Europe (1905). Rijeka’s university tradition dates back to 1627, when the Jesuits founded a grammar school regarded in the literature as the origin of the University of Rijeka.
The Korzo promenade and the old town form the heart of the city’s urban identity. The Cathedral of St. Vitus, built between 1638 and 1659 to a design by the Venetian architect Francesco Olivieri, houses valuable Baroque altars. On Trsat hill stands the Trsat Sanctuary, the oldest Marian sanctuary in Croatia and an important pilgrimage site, alongside the Trsat Castle, restored in the 19th century in the Historicist style. The Rijeka Carnival, which grew from just three masked groups in 1982 into an event with over 15,000 participants in 200 groups and more than 100,000 spectators annually, blends Venetian and Austrian bourgeois carnival traditions with Slavic folklore elements and the zvončari (bell-ringers), making it one of Europe’s largest carnival parades. The city also preserves world-class industrial heritage, including the Hartera Paper Factory, the Torpedo Factory, and the Sugar Refinery Palace at Brajda.
On the northwestern part of the Pelješac peninsula, in Dubrovnik-Neretva County in southern Croatia, lies Ston – a small town whose historical significance far exceeds its modest size. With just over 2,500 inhabitants, this place was for centuries one of the most strategically important strongholds of the Republic of Dubrovnik. Ston is best known for its monumental defensive walls, which stretch from Ston all the way to neighboring Mali Ston over a length of approximately 5.5 kilometers, making them the longest fortification system in Europe and the second longest in the world – right behind the Great Wall of China. Alongside the walls, Ston was immensely important throughout history thanks to its salt pans, one of the most valuable economic resources of the Republic of Dubrovnik, which remain in operation today as some of the oldest working salt pans in the world.
The history of Ston reaches back to antiquity, with Roman settlements once located in the area and traces of human presence confirmed in even earlier periods. A key turning point came in 1333, when the Republic of Dubrovnik acquired Pelješac and Ston from the Bosnian ban Stjepan II Kotromanić. Recognizing Ston’s exceptional strategic and economic importance, the people of Dubrovnik immediately began building a powerful defensive system. The walls were raised gradually throughout the 14th and 15th centuries, with their primary purpose being the protection of the salt pans that brought the Republic enormous revenue. Salt was a highly prized commodity in the medieval world, and the Ston salt pans secured Dubrovnik a monopoly over the salt trade across a wide area, significantly contributing to the wealth and political power of this small Adriatic state. The fortification system, reinforced with around forty towers and five fortresses, connects Ston and Mali Ston and is considered one of the most ambitious building undertakings of the Republic; today, visitors from around the world can climb the walls and enjoy stunning views of Pelješac, the Bay of Mali Ston, and the surrounding islands.
Today, Ston offers a unique blend of historical heritage, natural beauty, and gastronomic tradition. Its salt pans rank among Croatia’s most valuable cultural and economic monuments — salt production here has continued uninterrupted for more than 4,000 years, using traditional methods of evaporating seawater in shallow basins under the sun and wind. Ston and Mali Ston are also renowned for shellfish farming, particularly oysters and mussels, in the clean waters of the Bay of Mali Ston, with the Mali Ston oysters reputed to be among the finest in the entire Mediterranean. Beyond the walls and salt pans, the town features numerous churches and public buildings from the era of the Republic of Dubrovnik – notably the Rector’s Palace, the Church of St. Blaise, and the Franciscan monastery – that testify to its former importance. Tourism is now the most important economic activity, with visitors arriving to tour the walls, taste fresh oysters and local Ston salt, and enjoy the authentic Dalmatian atmosphere of a town that for centuries played a role far greater than its size, while also serving as a gateway for exploring the vineyards, beaches, and picturesque villages of the Pelješac peninsula.
Bale is a municipality in Istria County on the Adriatic, with an area of 82.1 km² and three municipal settlements; its center lies thirteen kilometers from Rovinj and twenty from Pula. Administratively, it borders Rovinj and the municipalities of Kanfanar, Svetvinčenat, and Vodnjan.
The municipal territory also includes the islets of Kolona and Porer, which expands its maritime-geographical framework beyond the classic rural hilltop. In recent censuses, the population across the entire municipality has generally hovered around a thousand people — the number varies depending on the census year and the municipal territory at the time.
Its economy and identity encompass the agricultural landscapes of Istria, as well as the cultural features of a small municipality that lives in the shadow of larger tourist towns but functionally complements them as a continuous settlement with parish life and services. The travel corridor toward Rovinj and Pula makes Bale a hub for excursion routes through the Istrian interior; the combination of storm-battered islets and inland hills offers both a fishing and sailing perspective alongside the agrarian hinterland.
Vrbnik is a settlement and municipality in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on the eastern side of the island of Krk, facing Novi Vinodolski on the mainland. It sits on a cliff that rises steeply about fifty meters above the sea, bordered to the east by the Vinodol Channel. It lies about eight kilometers from Punat and Dobrinj, and around twenty-eight kilometers from the Krk Bridge. The municipality is undulating and hilly in the south, with peaks over 400 meters in altitude; its shores are often steep and inaccessible, especially in the southern part, while they are more accessible toward the north.
Vrbnik is first mentioned in written sources, together with Dobrinj, in the Glagolitic charter of Dragoslav dated January 1, 1100. It then came under Venetian influence in 1118, although the Counts of Krk ruled it until 1480. In 1388 it received the Vrbnik Statute, written in the Croatian language and Glagolitic script; it is the second oldest among Croatian statutes, right after the Vinodol Statute, and devotes most of its provisions to criminal law. The statute has not survived in its original form but in a transcript made by the priest Grgur Žašković in 1526, now held in the National and University Library in Zagreb. Vrbnik was a Glagolitic center for centuries; the Vrbnik Glagolitic scriptorium produced the largest number of Glagolitic manuscripts surviving today – for example, Blaž Baromić wrote the Mavar Breviary there.
Today, the most important economic sector is agriculture, primarily viticulture. The Vrbnik field in the hinterland of the settlement, alongside the Baška valley, is the largest area of fertile land on the island; across roughly one hundred and fifty hectares, the indigenous žlahtina grape variety is grown, with an annual production of around 1.2 million bottles. The higher-quality wine is exported to Western European countries and the USA, and the Valomet sparkling wine is also produced, with its bottles stored in the sea in front of Vrbnik to mature. Among Krk’s seven municipalities, tourism is the least developed in Vrbnik despite favorable conditions; with one smaller hotel and a modest number of apartments, fishing and seafaring were not primary activities due to the changeable conditions in the Velebit Channel toward which the settlement gravitates.
Trogir is a town in Split-Dalmatia County, located 25 kilometers west of Split at the northwestern end of the Bay of Kaštela, with 12,393 inhabitants according to the 2021 census. Its historic core sits on a small islet between the mainland and the island of Čiovo, connected to both sides by stone bridges, and has been on UNESCO’s World Heritage List since 1997. The town was founded in the 3rd century BC by Greek colonists, traders from the island of Vis (Issa), and the Roman writer Pliny the Elder mentions it under the name Tragurium, noting its renown for the stone still quarried today on the slopes of St. Elias hill. Trogir is counted among the most completely preserved Romanesque-Gothic towns in Central Europe.
The town’s most significant cultural monument is the Cathedral of St. Lawrence, whose western portal was created by Master Radovan, one of the most prominent medieval sculptors and builders. Completed in 1240, the portal is exceptionally rich in figurative scenes from the life of Christ, with a lunette depicting the Annunciation. Alongside the cathedral stand the Kamerlengo tower and a series of palaces dating from the Romanesque to the Renaissance periods, such as the Cipiko and Garagnin-Fanfogna palaces. Under Venetian rule, which lasted from 1420 until 1797, the largest fortifications were built – the Kamerlengo castle and St. Mark’s Tower. The 13th-century town loggia on St. John Paul II Square was the center of public and judicial life, preserving a relief of Justice with the Venetian lion by the workshop of Nicholas of Florence, as well as a relief of Ban Petar Berislavić on horseback by Ivan Meštrović.
Trogir also holds a place in European history through its civilizational milestones: in 1271, the first pharmacy in Europe opened here, near the cathedral and town loggia. The town’s core has remained almost unchanged in size since the 12th century, when it had around 3,000 inhabitants. In modern times, Trogir is recognized for its developed nautical tourism, with the ACI Marina Trogir on Čiovo able to accommodate up to 500 vessels, and the Brodotrogir shipyard – drawing on a two-thousand-year shipbuilding tradition – ranking among the five largest in Croatia. The cultivation of mandarins and olives remains a traditional economic activity, while tuna-farming cages off the islands of Drvenik Veli and Drvenik Mali are among the examples of aquaculture in Split-Dalmatia County.
On the northwestern part of the Istrian peninsula, atop a hill from which the view extends all the way to the sea and the Alpine peaks, lies the town of Buje (Italian: Buie). Known by the nickname “the sentinel of Istria” (Italian: la vedetta dell’Istria), the town owes this epithet to its exceptional strategic position, which gave it remarkable importance over the centuries. Administratively part of Istria County, it has around 5,000 inhabitants, while the narrower town center numbers slightly fewer than 3,000. Like many other Istrian towns, Buje is a bilingual community where Croatian and Italian are equally present in public life. The town is the center of Bujština, the wider area of northwestern Istria known for its olive groves, vineyards, and fertile Mediterranean agriculture.
Buje’s history reaches far back into prehistory. Archaeological research confirms the area was inhabited as early as the Bronze Age, when fortified Illyrian settlements known as hillforts (castellieri) sprang up on Istria’s strategically favorable hills. In antiquity, the Buje area fell under Roman rule, and the settlement was known by the Latin names Bullea or Bulla. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Buje – like all of Istria – passed through various rulers, from the Ostrogoths and Byzantium to the Franks. In the Middle Ages, the town first came under the Patriarchate of Aquileia and then under the Republic of Venice, which ruled until its end in 1797. The Venetian period lasted more than four centuries and profoundly shaped the town’s architecture, culture, and linguistic character.
Buje lies at 222 meters above sea level, atop a hill dominating the landscape of northwestern Istria. This prominent position was crucial to the town’s development throughout history – from its highest point, a panorama opens up encompassing the Adriatic Sea, the Gulf of Trieste, the slopes of the Slovenian and Italian Alps, and the surrounding Istrian hills cloaked in vineyards and olive groves. Its old core preserves the characteristic Istrian medieval urban form – narrow stone streets spiraling up toward the hilltop, where the main church and central square stand. Among the most important religious buildings is the church of St. Servulus (San Servolo), the town’s patron, whose silhouette dominates the skyline.
The economy of Buje has always rested on agriculture, primarily olive growing and viticulture, for which the climate and soil quality provide excellent conditions. In recent years, tourism has taken on an increasingly significant role — Buje attracts visitors with its authentic Istrian atmosphere, rich gastronomy, and relative proximity to the sea, forming part of the wider tourist offer of northwestern Istria alongside nearby coastal centers like Umag and Novigrad. The centuries-long coexistence of the Croatian and Italian communities has shaped a unique cultural amalgam evident in the language, cuisine, architecture, and local customs, which the town continues to nurture as a valuable resource in the modern European context.
Bakar is a town and port located in the Bay of Bakar, part of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on the northern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It sits on a hill in the northwestern part of the bay, surrounded by hills reaching up to 300 m in altitude. Its historic core, declared a cultural monument in 1968, is divided into the older upper section known as “Grad” (Town), once enclosed by city walls, and the lower section comprising the “Zagrad” and “Primorje” districts. With its Mediterranean climate and architecture, the town is full of winding, narrow, steep, and stepped streets and small squares. The town of Rijeka lies about 15 km to the northwest.
Various legends surround the town’s origins, from Jews fleeing the Roman emperor Titus’s destruction of Jerusalem in the 1st century, to a settlement founded by the Illyrians who assimilated the earlier Celtic inhabitants. Most likely, a sizeable Roman settlement named Volcera once stood here. The names Bukar and Bkri, along with the Italian name Buccari, appear in the 13th century, and the town’s name is first recorded in the Vinodol Codex (1288). It may derive from a nearby copper-ore mine (“bakar” means copper) or from the word “bukara,” a wooden jug whose shape resembles the Bay of Bakar.
The town’s fortification dates back to the early Middle Ages and the Migration Period, when the population relocated to a hill rising 50 m above the sea, whose flat top proved ideal for a castle, the Kaštel. Under the Counts of Krk, the fortress gained thick defensive walls and reinforced towers, with comfortable interiors that included chapels, kitchens, a cistern, and spacious halls. After a strong earthquake destroyed its upper floors in 1775, repairs left it covered by a single roof, stripping away its picturesque appearance. The fortress later served as a textile manufactory, a maritime school cabinet, and an Austrian army barracks. In 1848, the great stone Ban’s Gate, commissioned by Ban Josip Jelačić, was built and still stands today.