The island of Brač in Croatia

With a surface of almost 400 km², Brač is the largest island of Dalmatia and the third larger island of Croatia after the islands of Krk and Cres in Istrie.

The island of Brač has a population resident of almost 14,000 inhabitants, divided in 23 cities and villages, energy of the main city, the Supetar capital, with more than 3,500 inhabitants, at the village of Novo Selo, where saw only a dozen people. The population is primarily on the coasts north and west (Supetar, Pučišća, Sutivan, Sumartin, Postira and Milna), because the south is rather mountainous - except for the town of Bol - and the inhabitants live there mainly of agriculture.

In Italian, Brač names Brazza. To note that the French explorer Pierre Savorgnan held his title, of Italian count of Brazza, the island of Brač; it transmitted itself this name to Congo-Brazzaville: thus, by a curious filiation, this island of the Adriatic gave its name to this country of central Africa.

It is separated from the continent through Brač, broad 11 km, and island of Hvar through Hvar.

In the west, the strait of the Door of Split (Vrata Splitska) separates it from the island of Šolta.

The Romans succeeded Illyriens in the domination of the island of Brač; they created the first stone quarries. But Brač - that the Romans named Brattia - was also famous for its excellent goat’s cheese, its wine and its olive oil, as indicates it the Pline historian the Old one.

Croatian tribes settled on the island as from the 9th century; at the 11th century, Brač passed under the domination of the Croatian kingdom of Petar Krešimir IV.

The Republic of Venice seized Brač in 1420 and will preserve it until the fall of the Republic in 1797. For this period, the population was decimated by epidemics of plague, and, contrary, was reinforced by driven out Christians of the continent by the invaders Turkish. During the 18th century, the economy of the island developed thanks to the production of wine and olive oil, with the cattle breeding, fishing, and the exploitation of the stone of Brač.

In 1814, after turbulences of the Napoleonean wars, the island passed under the domination of the empire Austro-Hungarian; it will remain there until 1918. The island is prosperous, but, at the beginning of the 20th century, the disease devastates the vineyard and forces most of the population to emigrate towards the Latin America - in particular Argentina and Chile -, New Zealand and Australia.

At the 20th century, the island of Brač follows the destiny of Croatia within the Yugoslav Kingdom, then of the socialist republic of Yugoslavia, and, finally, of independent Croatia starting from 1991.

This stone of Brač is not, strictly speaking, of the marble - which are a metamorphic rock - but a calcareous, very pure and very white sedimentary rock, of an extreme smoothness, which imitates the marble. This rock is polished naturally until obtaining the soft brilliance which one can admire on the paving stones of Dubrovnik, Split or Hvar. It would have moreover the characteristic to harden, with the wire of time, the air, guaranteeing the perenniality of palace like that of Diocletian.

Historically, the most important stone quarries of Brač were near the northern coast, for practical reasons of removal of the rough blocks by the ships of transport during last centuries. They are located close to Pučišća, Selca, Postira, Splitska and Donji Humac.

Qualities of this stone caused its use in decorative masonry and the birth of a tradition of stonecutters, maintained until today. The most famous architects and Dalmatian sculptors of the Rebirth like Georges the Dalmatian one (Juraj Dalmatinac), Andre Alesi (Andrija Alešija) and Nicolas the Florentin (Nikola Firentinac) also exerted their creative talents with the stone of Brač.

The former Romans knew already qualities of this stone and used it to build, in all the province of Dalmatia, of the cities, the amphitheaters, the temples, the tombs and the palaces, like the Palace of Diocletian to Split. Later, the stone of Brač was used with construction of the bell-towers of the medieval cathedrals of Šibenik and Trogir. Abroad it was used to build the White House in Washington, the Parliament of Vienna and that of Budapest, and the Canadian memorial with the combatants of the Great War, in Vimy, in Artois.

The most important vineyard is located on the southern slope of the hills above the town of Bol; the vine is cultivated there on small terraces. The famous red wine, rather dark, that it produces, Bolski Plavac, is characterized by its pleasant bitterness and its specific bouquet.

The island of Brač produces approximately half of the production of olive oil of Dalmatia. Everywhere on Brač, one notices, among the orchards of olive-trees, small round stone huts, with the roofs in the shape of dome; they are old shelters of shepherds, called “bunja”.

With the other end of the island, on the point is, the port of Sumartin is connected to Makarska during the summer months, also by a transporter; 4 passages per day in June; 5 passages per day in July and in August; 50 min of crossing.

A catamaran, fast ship for passengers only, who connects Split to Jelsa (island of Hvar) made stopover with Bol; 1 crossing per day.

Another catamaran connecting Split to Hvar, on the island of Hvar, fact stopover in Milna; 1 only passage, Tuesday. Only in July and August.

Up to date schedules of these three lines on the site of Jadrolinija: www.jadrolinija.hr.

The D114 road connects D113 to the port of Milna in the west, since the junction of Nerežišća. The D115 road connects D113 to the town of Bol since the junction of Gornji Humac.

The principal cities of the island (Bol, Selca, Sumartin, Milna) are connected to Supetar by bus several times per day and all the year; up to 8 ways per day in summer.

Autotrans company

Addresses: Porat 12 - Supetar

Telephone: 00,385 (0) 21,631,122

Website: www.autotrans.hr

From April to October, Croatia Airlines ensures each end of the week a flight between Zagreb and Bol (www.croatiaairlines.com).

Other European companies proposes flights charters in summer.

Airport of Brač

Telephone: 00,385 (0) 21,559,711

Website: www.airport-brac.hr.