Gradac
Encyclopedia
Gradac; , is the southernmost touristic locality of the Makarska riviera
in southern Dalmatia
, Croatia
, located between Makarska
and Ploče
. It is about 42 kilometers from Makarska, situated halfway between Split
and Dubrovnik
.
The town of Gradac is a center of a municipality which consists of the places: Brist
, Drvenik (Makarska)
, Gradac, Podaca
and Zaostrog
and marks the end of the riviera.
and Early Iron Age
s. In Roman times
, the Gradac area was most probably the seat of the Roman civitas
Biston, which as a coastal center belonged to the colony of Narona
, an important Roman stronghold on the nowadays Croatian territory.
At the locality of Gradina a cornice fragment of the monumental building from the 2nd - 3rd century was found, as well as Roman coin pieces. Near the Laguna hotel were found many tombs, hence it is thought that on this location there was once a Roman necropolis
.
The medieval town of Lapčan or Labinac, which, under the name of Labineca, was mentioned by the Byzantine
emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, mid 10th century, was situated on the territory of today's Gradac.
Under the present name Gradac is mentioned for the first time in 1649. It was named after the stronghhold which was situated on the elevation above the present-day church of St. Michael, and which was built probably during the Cretan War (1645–1669)
as a defence against the turks
. According to the drawing made by the Venetian
military engineer and cartographer Giuseppe Santini, representing the naval and continental battles between the Venetians and Ottomans at Gradac in the year 1666, the tower is shown in flames.
During World War II
Gradac was part of the Independent State of Croatia
. At the end of 1944 Yugoslav Partisans captured the friar Anselmo Kamber from the town. They took him to Makarska
where they killed him on February 7, 1945. In 2008 his remains were found in a trench and he was buried in Makarska over 63 years after his death.
Surrounding it, there are still the remnants of rows of abandoned houses with typical architectonic features of tha region. One of the oldest existing edifices in the territory of Gradac is the chapel of St.Pasquale on the Mt. Plana, with a barrel shaped vault, and a saddle roof.
Next to the old parish church of St. Antonio there is a local cemetery and the new parish church of St. Michael built in 1852, precisely in the zone of Gradina, the ancient Roman locality. In the church, there are three marble altars with statues. The most interesting among them is the old wooden statue of St. Rocco. In the church there is also the old baptismal stone font, originating probably from the old church.
Before war in 90-ties, Gradac has memorial statute of unknown soldier made by known croatian
sculpor Antun Augustinčić
dedicated to killed partisans during Second World War. It was
destroyed in vandal act of one croatian brigade at the beginning of war.
Gradac is very known for it antifascist and partisan history which is nowdays covered by
revisionism and difamation.
Gradac has a memorial to citizens killed by the Yugoslav Partisans during World War II
Makarska riviera
The Makarska Riviera is a part of the Croatian coast of the Adriatic Sea, about 60 kilometers long and only several kilometers wide, squeezed under towering mountain Biokovo. Sunny climate and long pebbly beaches make this region a popular tourist destination...
in southern Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, located between Makarska
Makarska
Makarska is a small town on the Adriatic coastline of Croatia, about southeast of Split and northwest of Dubrovnik. It has a population of 13,716 residents. Administratively Makarska has the status of a town and it is part of the Split-Dalmatia County....
and Ploče
Ploce
Ploče is a town and a notable seaport in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia.The total population of Ploče is 10,102 , in the following settlements:* Baćina, population 564* Banja, population 176* Komin, population 1,222...
. It is about 42 kilometers from Makarska, situated halfway between Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
and Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...
.
The town of Gradac is a center of a municipality which consists of the places: Brist
Brist
Brist is a tourist locality in southern Dalmatia, Croatia, located between Makarska and Ploče. It is not a municipality.- External links :...
, Drvenik (Makarska)
Drvenik (Makarska)
Drvenik is a village in southern Dalmatia, Croatia, in Gradac municipality, located between Makarska and Ploče. Drvenik lays in two bays . Drvenik represents a unique symbiosis of sea and mountain beauty with its bay surrounded by the cliffs of mountain Biokovo.- External links :* - Drvenik travel...
, Gradac, Podaca
Podaca
Podaca is a tourist locality in southern Dalmatia, Croatia, located between Makarska and Ploče.-History:Podaca is a village located on the southern part of Makarska Riviera, beneath Biokovo, 35 km away from Makarska. It is made of three parts: Kapec, Viskovica vala and Ravanje.Nowadays, Podaca...
and Zaostrog
Zaostrog
Zaostrog is a tourist town and harbor along the Adriatic Sea in southern Dalmatia, Croatia. It is located between Makarska and Ploče. It consists of two parts, an older part below a steep limestone section of the Biokovo mountain range, and a newer coastal zone...
and marks the end of the riviera.
Gradac history
The Gradac area was inhabited even in prehistoric times. An evidence of this are the numerous stone piles dating back to the BronzeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
and Early Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
s. In Roman times
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, the Gradac area was most probably the seat of the Roman civitas
Civitas
In the history of Rome, the Latin term civitas , according to Cicero in the time of the late Roman Republic, was the social body of the cives, or citizens, united by law . It is the law that binds them together, giving them responsibilities on the one hand and rights of citizenship on the other...
Biston, which as a coastal center belonged to the colony of Narona
Narona
Narona was the name of the ancient Roman city that was located in the Neretva valley in present day Croatia. It was part of the Roman province of Dalmatia. The city was established after the Illyrian Wars and was located on the alluvial planes, between present day city of Metković and village of...
, an important Roman stronghold on the nowadays Croatian territory.
At the locality of Gradina a cornice fragment of the monumental building from the 2nd - 3rd century was found, as well as Roman coin pieces. Near the Laguna hotel were found many tombs, hence it is thought that on this location there was once a Roman necropolis
Necropolis
A necropolis is a large cemetery or burial ground, usually including structural tombs. The word comes from the Greek νεκρόπολις - nekropolis, literally meaning "city of the dead"...
.
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, mid 10th century, was situated on the territory of today's Gradac.
Under the present name Gradac is mentioned for the first time in 1649. It was named after the stronghhold which was situated on the elevation above the present-day church of St. Michael, and which was built probably during the Cretan War (1645–1669)
Cretan War (1645–1669)
The Cretan War or War of Candia , as the Fifth Ottoman–Venetian War is better known, was a conflict between the Republic of Venice and her allies against the Ottoman Empire and the Barbary States, fought over the island of Crete, Venice's largest and richest overseas possession...
as a defence against the turks
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. According to the drawing made by the Venetian
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
military engineer and cartographer Giuseppe Santini, representing the naval and continental battles between the Venetians and Ottomans at Gradac in the year 1666, the tower is shown in flames.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Gradac was part of the Independent State of Croatia
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany, established on a part of Axis-occupied Yugoslavia. The NDH was founded on 10 April 1941, after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers. All of Bosnia and Herzegovina was annexed to NDH, together with some parts...
. At the end of 1944 Yugoslav Partisans captured the friar Anselmo Kamber from the town. They took him to Makarska
Makarska
Makarska is a small town on the Adriatic coastline of Croatia, about southeast of Split and northwest of Dubrovnik. It has a population of 13,716 residents. Administratively Makarska has the status of a town and it is part of the Split-Dalmatia County....
where they killed him on February 7, 1945. In 2008 his remains were found in a trench and he was buried in Makarska over 63 years after his death.
Culture
The remnants of the old tower from the 16th century are still to be found in the abandoned hamlet of Čista above Gradac, the seat of the then Fragostin's district.Surrounding it, there are still the remnants of rows of abandoned houses with typical architectonic features of tha region. One of the oldest existing edifices in the territory of Gradac is the chapel of St.Pasquale on the Mt. Plana, with a barrel shaped vault, and a saddle roof.
Next to the old parish church of St. Antonio there is a local cemetery and the new parish church of St. Michael built in 1852, precisely in the zone of Gradina, the ancient Roman locality. In the church, there are three marble altars with statues. The most interesting among them is the old wooden statue of St. Rocco. In the church there is also the old baptismal stone font, originating probably from the old church.
Before war in 90-ties, Gradac has memorial statute of unknown soldier made by known croatian
sculpor Antun Augustinčić
Antun Augustincic
Antun Augustinčić was a prominent Croatian sculptor. Along with Ivan Meštrović and Frano Kršinić he is considered one of the three most important Croatian sculptors of the 20th century...
dedicated to killed partisans during Second World War. It was
destroyed in vandal act of one croatian brigade at the beginning of war.
Gradac is very known for it antifascist and partisan history which is nowdays covered by
revisionism and difamation.
Gradac has a memorial to citizens killed by the Yugoslav Partisans during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
External links
- Weather forecast for Gradac at AccuWeather.com