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Island of Brac
Brač is
an island in the Adriatic Sea within Croatia, making it the third largest
island in the Adriatic, and thus the largest in Dalmatia. Its tallest peak,
Vidova Gora, or Mount St. Vid, stands at 778 m, making it the highest island point in the Adriatic. The island population living in numerous
little towns, ranging from the 'main town' Supetar, with more than 3,500
inhabitants, to Novo Selo, where only a dozen people live. BRAC, the largest
island of the central Dalmatian group of islands, the third largest among the
Adriatic islands; area 394.57 sq km; population 13,824. It is separated from
the mainland by the Brac Channel, from the island of Solta by the so-called
Splitska Vrata (Split Gate) and from the island of Hvar by the Hvar
Channel. The highest peak of the island, Vidova Gora (Vitus' Mount) (778 m), is also the highest peak of all Croatian islands.
The limestone part of the coast is rocky and steep, while the rest is rather
low and sandy (on the southern side from Farska to Bol, and on the northern
side from Sutivan to Supetar). The island landscape is dominated by a karst
limestone relief, with numerous gullies, crevices, cavities, round valleys
and coves. Milder forms of the relief, with brown Primorje soils (the most
fertile on the island), are found mostly in the interior (especially between
Lozisca and Nerezisca, as well as between Selca, Novo Selo and Sumartin).
Average air temperatures in January range between 4.9°C (Praznice) and 7.2 °C (Sutivan), and in July between 22.9 °C (Nerezisca, elevation 360 m) and 24.7 °C (Sutivan).
The economy of Brač is based mostly on tourism, but fishing and agriculture
are very important too, as is its precious white stone (which was used in
building Diocletian's Palace in Split) and White House in Washington, D.C.. Historically, Brač was famous for goats; even Pliny comments that from the island of Brattia (the Latin name for the island) comes excellent cheese, wine and olive
oil.
Rainfall occurs mostly in the winter months. The annual rainfall in Praznice
reaches 1,450 mm and in Sutivan about 830 mm. The climate on the island is mostly moderated by winds, i.e. the sirocco and the bora (the so-called
"vruljska" bora between Pucisca and Povlja). The landward breeze
occurs quite often in the summer months, especially along the north-western
coast. There are no surface water streams on the island. Permanent water
sources are provided only around Bol. Higher parts of the island (above 400 m) are at some places covered with black and Aleppo pine forests; larger or smaller forests of
Aleppo pine are found around all coastal towns and villages; dominant are
dense evergreen underbrush (macchia) and rocky ground.
The largest places are Pucisca and Supetar. Major farming products are olive
oil, wine and fruit; chief occupations include also livestock breeding and
fishing. Fish canneries are located in Postira and Milna. Major quarries,
where the famous Brac building stone is excavated, are located near Pucisca,
Selca, Postira, Splitska and Do-nji Humac (this kind of building stone was
used in the construction of the White House in Washington and the Palace of Diocletian in Split). A road network has been constructed throughout the island;
ferry lines Split - Supetar, Makarska - Sumartin; ship lines with Supetar and
Bol. Airport (for smaller aircraft) above Bol.
Archeological findings date the existence of human communities on the island
back to the palaeolithic. Nevertheless, there are no traces of human
habitation from the neolithic. In the Bronze Age and Iron Age, Illyrian
tribes populated the inner parts of the island. Numerous villages existed at
that time. In the 4th century BC Greek colonization spread over many Adriatic
islands and along the shore, but none of them on Brač. Nevertheless, Greeks
visited the island and also traded with the Illyric tribes; Greek artefacts
were found in the bay of Vičja near Ložišća. Brač lay on the crossroads of
several trade routes from Salona (today Solin) to Issa (today Vis) and the Po River.
Some ten sanctuaries date back to the early Christian times (the three-foil
church in Sutivan, the three-nave basilica with the baptistery in Povlja and
Postira, Supetar). The first churches in pre-Romanesque style appeared in the
10th century after that sacral buildings started to follow the styles of the
development of the Croatian architecture with Romanesque features (St. George
above Brac, St. Elias near Donji Humac). The 15th century was characterized
by more complex architectural forms and the Renaissance order was
applied in the construction of the church in Postira and the Dominican church
in Bol. The Baroque-style architecture saw its best moments in the
construction of churches. The high level of architectural design was
maintained in the 19th century as well.The construction in the 20th century
consisted mainly in a number of accommodation and other tourist facilities.
On the island of Brac you can find accommodation in hotels, apartments,
holiday houses, luxury villas, rooms and camp-sites.
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