ISLAND BRAC CROATIA
The answers are based on our knowledge and our experience
F. A. Q. about island Brac of Croatia
Which is the most popular place on ISLAND Brac IN CROATIA?
Brac island in Croatia has many popular destinations, but Bol town would be the most popular if you ask us.
How far is Brac island from Split?
Brac is around 10 NM from Split and it takes 45 minutes to get there by ferry or 25 minutes by the speedboat.
How to get to Brac island?
Best way is to take the ferry from Split port or private boat tour/transfer to get there.
Which airport serves ISLAND Brac iN CROATIA ?
Although Brac has its own airport for small private planes, Split airport (Resnik) serves Brac island.
Is Brac a big island?
Yes it is, it is one of the largest islands in Croatia.
What to visit on Brac island?
You could visit Vidova gora (the highest peak), Bol town (Golden horn beach), Supetar town (largest town on the island), Pucisca town (famous for its white stone), and many more places and beautiful beaches.
Where to stay in Brac?
Supetar is the largest place and it can accomodate many people, also Milna town, Bol town, Sutivan town and Lucice or Osibova bays are great with a lot of villas to rent.
Where to eat on Brac island?
Vidova gora has the best authentic, famous Brac’s lamb and if you go there try to find the dish called Vitalac. Also there are many great restaurants along the coast in every town we mentioned earlier, the island is famous for its great gastronomic offer with a lot of local ingredients.
Geographical location
The island of Brac is located in the central Adriatic and is the largest Central Dalmatian island, and the third biggest Adriatic island in general. It is also the tallest with an elevation of 778 meters in Vidova gora. It is 40 km long and 12 km wide on average. Due to its proximity to the mainland, it is very well connected with Split but also with other islands of the central Adriatic. There are 10,000 people living in Brac all year long, while in the summer this extremely popular island has seen a huge increase in population and tourists.
History of the island
Like most islands in the Middle Adriatic, the Illyrians also inhabited Brac. Although historically the first inhabitants of the island have existed in the Paleolithic, ever since the remains of human activity were found here. In support of these claims are the remains of fortifications found on the island, of which the most important are the Rat near Ložišće, Velo Gračišće near Selace and Koštilo near Bol. Despite the fact that all the smaller surrounding islands were colonies of the Greeks at that time, Brac was never under their rule. Nowhere on the island are any remains that would support a different interpretation of history. Brač at that time was obviously just a side stop for further travel. Brac was on its way to merchants who sailed from Issa (present-day Vis) towards Salona (Solin), and also to those who sailed towards the Po river valley in Italy.
Roman authority
It is well known that the Illyrians and the Delmatians, who are also Illyrians in the wider sense, but are characteristic of this region from the Neretva to the Krka River, which we refer to as Dalmatia today, ruled in these areas. They were constantly at war with the Romans at that time. Finally, in the first century, the Romans succeeded in breaking their resistance and conquering this territory. The province of Dalmatia, whose capital was Salona,
Probably because of its proximity, no larger settlement was established on Brac, although evidence of Roman presence is found all over the island (villae rusticae, cisterns, wine glasses, wine and oil bottles, sarcophagi, the remains of the pier – Splitska, Bol, Lovrečina bay). The greatest importance for the island, however, was rock-making. The rich layers of limestone favored the development of this craft, as evidenced by monuments in the wider area, especially from Salona and Aspalathos (Split). The most important quarries were Plate, Stražišće and Rasohe between Splitska and Škrip. From there, the stone was transported to the port of Split, and then to the construction sites of Salona and Diocletian’s Palace.
Later history through the centuries
After the Avars and the Slavs destroyed Salona and thus overthrew Roman rule in this area, the inhabitants of Salona fled en masse to Brac. In this way, the rule of the Slavs, and later in VII th centurie, the arrival of the Croats in this area brought Brac under their control. In XII th century the island came under Hungarian rule but retained independence. Subsequently, since 1268, the people of Brac have recognized the Venetian rule, which lasted almost until Napoleon with shorter transitional periods.
Recent History and the Napoleonic Wars
The French administration on the island of Brac (1805-1813) followed the collapse of the Venetian Republic in 1797 and lasted until the collapse of Napoleon in 1813. With the Congress of Vienna in 1814, Brac and all of Dalmatia belonged to Austria. In the spring of 1941, Brac was occupied by the Italian army. Next year, National Liberation Committees are organized in all places and combat action is being taken against the occupiers. The Italians therefore arrested and killed the population and burned Selce (the terrible fire, described in the poems), Novo Selo, Gornji Humac, Praznica, Pucisca, Dracevic and Bol.
After the capitulation of Italy in the fall of 1943, the people disarmed the Italian army and liberated the island for several months. Soon the German army occupied the island in 1944, but at the end of the same year, a Partisan army from the island of Vis liberated it and brought it under control of the Allied forces and later socialist Yugoslavia, led by Marshal Tito. Thus, Brac is still part of Croatia to this day, as it has been since 1944, while Croatia was part of Yugoslavia.
Famous white Brac stone
The Brac stone (white marble) was used to build many famous buildings in the world, such as the Diocletian’s Palace in Split, the lobby of the United Nations building, so over time, claims were made that it was used to build the White House in Washington. Likewise, many European Parliaments and famous monuments are made of this stone, which is known for its exceptional beauty and strength. Today in Brac the stone processing industry (stone-cutting) and its sales are still in full swing.
Other industries are fishing, grapevine production, wine production, olive oil, shipbuilding and tourism. One of the most famous pearls of Brac, recognizable in the World is certainly the place of Bol on the south side of the island. The town of Bol is best known for its amazing beach called Zlatni rat (Golden Horn or Golden Cape). Other major places worth mentioning are: Supetar, Sutivan, Milna, Pucisca, Bobovisca, Nerezisca, Postira, Blaca Desert, Vidova Gora and many other beautiful places. Famous Brač’s lamb is also pastured here on the top of the island in Vidova gora.
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