Orebic

Orebic was a shipping town: in the nineteenth century its captains and shipowners ran one of the larger merchant fleets in the Adriatic under the Peljesac maritime association, and the money came home as villas along the shore, each with a garden of palms and exotics brought back from voyages. The maritime museum holds the ships' papers, instruments and portraits. Above the town is a Franciscan monastery on a ledge at about 150 metres, founded in the fifteenth century, from which the friars watched shipping in the channel; captains passing below sounded their horns. The ferry to Korcula runs from the harbour.

Background

The town takes its name from the Orebić family, who in 1586 restored the castle within the fortified settlement. Emperor Joseph made the family hereditary nobles in 1707 for their 70+ years of service, and the original Writ of Nobility is held by the Maritime museum, while Croatian and Latin translations are kept at the Franciscan Monastery. Their role in the Dalmatian salt trade brought Dalmatia wealth and standing, and in the 19th century Orebić was home to 17 of the most important captains of the Austria-Hungary Empire. The municipality's 3,705 residents in 2021 lived in 14 settlements, 1794 of them in Orebić itself. In the 1960s many people from larger cities built summer homes here.

Source: Wikipedia, "Orebić"

What to look for

• Captains' villas along the shore - built on nineteenth century shipping money.
• Gardens of brought-back plants - palms and exotics from the voyages.
• A monastery on a ledge above - watching the channel since the 1400s.
• The Korcula ferry - across a channel about two kilometres wide.

When to go

May to September. Half a day.

Before you go

Most villas are private and seen from the road. The monastery is a steep climb or a narrow drive. The town is spread out along the shore rather than compact. Beaches are pebble.

Nearby

Korcula town is across the water; Ston is at the base of the peninsula.

Key facts