Croatia - Island Brac

Island Brac is the largest island in the central-Dalmatian region, and the third largest of all the islands in the Croatian Adriatic. It is divided from the mainland by the Channel of Brac, to the west it is divided from Solta by the Gate of Split, and to the south it is divided form Hvar by the Channel of Hvar. The highest peak (Vidova Gora – 778 meters) is at the same time the highest insular peak on the Adriatic.
The coastline of Brac measures 172 kilometers and is divided into numerous bays and beaches. The most popular beaches are "Lovrecina" in the northern part of the island and the famous "Zlatni rat" in the southern part.
Among the interesting characteristics of this area is stone-mason's work, since Brac abounds in high quality marble. There are famous rock quarries near Pucisca, Selca, Postira, Splitska, Donji Humac (the stone from Brac was used in building of the White House in Washington and Diocletian Palace in Split).
Pucisca and Supetar are the two largest cities on the island. The main agricultural products are oil, wine, and fruit (mostly cherries and almonds). Most of the townspeople are occupied with cattle breeding, fishing, and marble processing.
The island has been inhabited since the New Stone Age (cave Kopacina between Donji Humac and Supetar), and there are numerous dig sites from Bronze and Iron Age (Rat near Lozisce, Kastilo above Bol, Skrip-as a main fortification, Velo and Malo Gradiste, Hum, Gradac, piles in the vicinity of Nerezisce, Praznica and so on). The first noted inhabitants of the island were Illyrian. While the Roman Age has also left numerous traces such as country houses and tombs both inland and on the coast, and the rock quarry near Skrip was used by the emperor Diocletian.
Today Island Brac is one of the most developed islands on the Adriatic, and boasts numerous touristic centers like Bol, Supetar, Milna, Pucisca, as well as other smaller towns. The island is easily accessible with the mainland (by ferry-boat services Split-Supetar and Makarska-Sumartin, and with ferry-boat services Supetar-Bol). The island also has its own airport (for smaller planes) just above Bol.
An exclusively mild climate, rich vegetation, lively towns, as well as the blueness of the sea and the cleanliness of its beautiful beaches create a feast for the senses, leaving all guests who visit the island a desire to come back for more.

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DESERT BLACA (Pustinja Blaca)
This was a former hermitage, build by Polish monks in order to escape from the Turks. After permission to settle there given by the local authority, over 400 years they built extremely worthy conventual and economical complexes, and they lived independently until 1963 when the convent was transformed into a museum. Blaca is situated in the eastern slope of the long valley in the south side of the island of Brac between Bol and Milna, and the special rarity of this unique monument consists in its secretive position. The church was built in 1588 and was later renovated. From an ethnographic point of view, as a rare preserved example of an expensive, common dwelling, we can point out one interesting kitchen with a spacious open fireplace.
The hermitage also has an extremely rich library, Glagolitic missals, a number of portraits from 18th century, a couple of baroque paintings, a rich collection of antique arms, numerous antique clocks, as well as an astronomic stationary built in 1926.
Blaca is reachable only via sea (to the bay) and then 2 kilometers uphill (to a height of 250 meters).
DRAGON'S CAVE (Zmajeva spilja)
This unique cave is situated on the northern side of Island Brac, about 200 meters above the village Murvica. It is known under the name of Dragonjina spilja (Dragon's cave; lat. draco, draconis=dragon). The cave was inhabited in the middle of 15th century by Polish monks while they were hiding from Turks. They used the cave as a dwelling and a temple, they founded their monastic way of life there and they raised it to an enviable level.
We can point out first-rate reliefs dating from pagan mythology and also Christian engravings in a stone of its interior. A big image of a dragon dominates on the western wall near the entrance; the cave was named after this image. There are also numerous images of animals, a couple of male and female heads, and a quarter moon with a human face and so on. Historians are baffled as to its meaning, but its cultural, artistic, and also mysterious value is unquestionable.

VIDOVA GORA is the highest peak on the island Brac (778 meters above sea level), and is also the highest insular peak on the Adriatic. It was named after the 13th or 14th century Church of Saint Vid which used to stand on top of the hill, of which today there are only remains.
There is a unique view stretching from the hill to the south, to the picturesque town of Bol and its famous beach Zlatni Rat and all across to the islands of central Dalmatia. The closest island is Hvar, and on a clear day you can see Biokovo, the Peljesac peninsula, Korcula, Vis, Bisevo and Jabuka. During extremely nice weather you can even see the coast of Italy.
There is a small inn on top of the mountain which serves specialties form Brac, like prosciutto ham, cheese, lamb and wine, on small stone tables. Vidova Gora is reachable by car.

ZLATNI RAT is one of the most beautiful beaches on the Adriatic. It is situated in the town of Bol, in the southern part of the island. This pebble-stone, unique cape is half a kilometer long, surrounded by clean, transparent sea. It looks like a long, white tongue and it changes its shape and position depending on the wind and waves. It is extremely attractive for surfers and ski sport lovers.

ISLAND BRAC MUSEUM (Muzej otoka Braca) in Skrip is the oldest place on the island where we can find traces of Illyrian, Roman and Croatian culture. There is a Native Museum of the island of Brac, situated in the Radojkovic fort. You can find there a rich ethnographic collection dating from former times, as well as a collection of paintings, photographs, books, and monographs from the more recent past. It is also important to mention an old Croatian church, Holy Ghost (Sveti Duh), the castle of the Carinic family, a gazebo and a cemetery, and the Church of Saint Helen (Sveta Jelena). The whole place is surrounded by a wall which was built by Illyrians, parts of which are still preserved today.

THE SCHOOL FOR STONE CARVING IN PUCISCA (Kamenoklesarska skola u Puciscima) The pristine white marble from this area has been used throughout history to create famous works of architecture. Some examples are Diocletian Palace in Split, the White House in Washington, the Parliament building and New Castle in Vienna, and the Deputy's Palace in Trieste, to name a few. There is also a unique stone carving school in Pucisca, the only one of its kind in this part of Europe.

LOVRECINA The Lovrecina bay is situated 3 kilometers east of Postira. It has one of the most beautiful sand beaches on the island, and at the same time an important archeological finding. Except for excavations that refer to the once developed Roman economy, Lovrecina is also the site of an Old Christian archeological site, with remains of an Early Christian basilica dating form the 5th century.

Welcome to island Brac!