Zaostrog

Zaostrog, Croatia

Zaostrog is a settlement at the Makarska Riviera, 35 km southeast of  Makarska. Chief occupations are farming, olive growing, fishing and tourism. The village consists of an older part below a steep limestone section of Biokovo Mountain , and a newer part, a coastal zone. Zaostrog is mentioned for the first time in 1494., but there are traces of human habitation since prehistoric times. Located in the emerald valley, surrounded by the slopes of Biokovo with beautiful beaches, Zaostrog is an ideal place for a pleasant vacation.

The biggest and the largest cultural monument in this area is the Franciscan monastery of St. Mary. The construction of the Franciscan monastery began in the 16th century and was completed in the 17th century. It was founded by the monks of St. Augustin, who abandoned it after the fall of Bosnia in 1463. and retreated to the islands. The monastery has a huge library with over 20000 volumes and an archive.

Among many famous names of Croatian culture and history one of the most significant is fra Andrija Kacic Miosic, Dalmatian poet, writer and a philosopher (born in Brist in 1704., died in Zaostrog in 1760.), who lived and worked at the monastery in Zaostrog.

The monastery also has a gallery of paintings by Mladen Veza, one of the most famous modern Dalmatian artists (born in Brist in 1916.). In the monastery there is also an ethnographic collection, traditional furniture and tools, various traditional garments and the botanical garden with over 250 plants from all over the world.