Sućuraj (known as
San Giorgio in
ItalianItalian is a Romance language spoken by about 60 million people in Italy, and by a total of around 70 million in the world. In Switzerland, Italian is one of four official languages. It is also the official language of San Marino, as well as the primary language of Vatican City...
) is a picturesque small town on the east cape of the island
HvarHvar is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, located off the Dalmatian coast, lying between the islands of Brač, Vis and Korčula. Approximately 68 km long, with a high east-west ridge of Mesozoic limestone and dolomite, the island of Hvar is unusual in the area for having a large fertile coastal...
in
CroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a country in southeast Europe, at the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean Sea. Its capital is Zagreb...
, 3 NM (5 km) from the Dalmatian coast and 77 km from the town of Hvar.
Sućuraj has about 400 residents, with tourism and fishing being the primary economic activities. The town is the official centre of the eastern part of the island of Hvar.
The island of Hvar is famous for its pleasant Mediterranean climate, including a high percentage of sunny days.
Sućuraj (known as
San Giorgio in
ItalianItalian is a Romance language spoken by about 60 million people in Italy, and by a total of around 70 million in the world. In Switzerland, Italian is one of four official languages. It is also the official language of San Marino, as well as the primary language of Vatican City...
) is a picturesque small town on the east cape of the island
HvarHvar is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, located off the Dalmatian coast, lying between the islands of Brač, Vis and Korčula. Approximately 68 km long, with a high east-west ridge of Mesozoic limestone and dolomite, the island of Hvar is unusual in the area for having a large fertile coastal...
in
CroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a country in southeast Europe, at the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean Sea. Its capital is Zagreb...
, 3 NM (5 km) from the Dalmatian coast and 77 km from the town of Hvar.
Sućuraj has about 400 residents, with tourism and fishing being the primary economic activities. The town is the official centre of the eastern part of the island of Hvar.
The island of Hvar is famous for its pleasant Mediterranean climate, including a high percentage of sunny days. Sućuraj is one of the sunniest and hottest places on the island, with more than 2700 hours of sunshine per year. Around the centre of the town, there are two beaches, Cesminica and Bilina.
In the town, tourists can stay in private apartments, pensions, houses, rooms, hotel or car-camp.
Sućuraj can be reached by ferryboat from
DrvenikDrvenik may mean:* Drvenik - a village in southern Dalmatia, Croatia* Drvenik - a village on island Drvenik veli* Drvenik Veliki and Drvenik Mali - two islands in central Dalmatia, Croatia...
on the
Makarska rivieraMakarska 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...
, a trip of about 25 minutes. In the winter, there are 3-4 departures a day, and in summer there are 10-15 per day. The Ferry dock is near the centre of the town. Drvenik is situated on the Adriatic road 96 km southeast of
SplitSplit is the largest Dalmatian city, the second-largest urban centre in Croatia, and the seat of Split-Dalmatia County...
and 128 km northwest of
Dubrovnik||-||-||-||-||-||-||}Dubrovnik , is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast in the extreme south of Dalmatia, 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...
.
History of Sućuraj
Sućuraj has existed for more than 2300 years, although it has been destroyed and rebuilt several times. The first known inhabitants of Sućuraj were the
IllyriaIllyria was in Classical antiquity a region in the western part of today's Balkan Peninsula, inhabited by the Illyrians, a heterogeneous coalition of tribes, about whom very little is known, though a number of them are assumed to have been united by a common Illyrian language.Illyria and the...
ns; their Queen Teuta had a home here in 3rd century BC. In the 7th and 8th century the Croats who lived here till today colonized Sućuraj. Sućuraj has fallen under a myriad of flags in its history, including the Illyrians, Romans, Croats, Venetians, French, Austrians, and Italians. In the 20th century alone, Sućuraj was a part of six different countries.
The oldest building in Sućuraj is the Augustan (today
FranciscanThe term Franciscan is commonly used to refer to members of Catholic religious orders, also known as the Orders of Friars Minor, that follow a body of regulations known as "The rule of St. Francis", or a member of one of these orders. As well as Roman Catholic there are also small Old Catholic and...
)
monasteryMonastery , a term derived from the Greek word μοναστήριον, neut. of μοναστήριος - monasterios denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer Monastery (plural: monasteries), a term derived from the Greek word μοναστήριον, neut. of μοναστήριος - monasterios...
. Its original construction date is not known, but it was first rebuilt in 1309 and most recently in 1994. Sućuraj got its name from the Church of St. George, which is mentioned in the Statue of Hvar from 1331. That church was destroyed at the end of the 19th century, and a new one was built. Most of the inhabitants of Sućuraj came from the coast in the 15th century, fleeing from the
TurksThe Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299 to November 1, 1922 The Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State (Ottoman Turkish: دَوْلَتِ عَلِیَّهِ عُثْمَانِیَّه Dawlet-il ʿAliyyat-il ʿOs̠māniyye, Modern Turkish:...
. From that time till today the church of St. Anthony (built in 1663) has also survived. An old Venetian fortress (fortica) built in 1613 also still stands, although not in its original condition.