Croatia Online Destinations - Dugi Rat

Dugi Rat, between Split and Omiš, has a fascinating history. Originally, the population of Dugi Rat, and its neighbouring villages was concentrated in the hills. When the steel factory was built, nearly 100 years ago, the coastal settlements grew up around the factory, which employed over 1,000 workers, and the local population also descended to the coast. Although the factory fell into disuse during the civil war, now, with a few notable exceptions, the hilltop settlements are mostly full of derelict houses and only one or two permanent inhabitants. A few locals and the odd “outsider” are restoring some of the buildings and no doubt they will eventually attract more interest, especially once the new road comes through.

Although the factory is an eyesore, there are some lovely little beaches in the area, including some sandy ones, and the water is just as clear, if not clearer, than elsewhere on the coast. Most of the tourists stay in the numerous apartments for rent as there are no major hotels, and, in the summer, the place is buzzing with cafes and restaurants. In the next few years, Dugi Rat seems set to have a prestigious development in place of the factory – hotels, marina, residential units, etc. Watch this space for more news on that in due course. There’s also a local website which we understand is planning to include some English pages in the very near future so we’ll let you know when they are up and running too.

In today’s photo, you can just see the factory underneath this local prototype of a flying boat. We’re told it does get up in the air, with extremely loud accompanying engine noises, but seeing is believing!