Did you know?
- That Pelješac is the second largest Croatian peninsula with a surface of 348 km2, an elevation that ranges from 1 to 962 m and a population of 8000 people, most of which live in Orebić.
- That Pelješac is 77 km long with a coastline of 200 km, 35 of which are at cape Lovište.
- That Lovište is the youngest settlement on the peninsula and that its first resident came here in 1878 from Hvar. He was later joined by women from Nakovana. Lovište now counts 250 residents and the first tourists arrived as early as 1935.
- That in all of Croatia, only the Dalmatian coast and Islands have a real Mediterranean climate and the number of hours of sunshine in Lovište rises to 3000 hours a year which is more than the sunniest island of Hvar situated opposite Lovište.
- That Lovište, in comparison with the predominantly upland landscape of Pelješac, has a gentle relief, has no traffic and is situated in a bay that protects it from strong winds.
- That the highest peak of Pelješac is St. Ilia (962 m) and is one of the most beautiful viewpoints in Croatia as well as one of the richest sites of wild orchids in Croatia.
- That the jackal – a subspecies of coyote, which howls in the night – can be found only on Pelješac, primarily in Lovište.
- That in the waters of Lovište you can find the largest endangered seashells in the Adriatic – the pen shell that inhabits only clean waters.
- That Lovište has over 100 species of birds.
- That the best wines in Croatia are made in Lovište and that Dingač and Postup are the first protected Croatian wines (1961/1967).
- That Pelješac is the most important Croatian shellfish breeding ground, especially the Bay of Mali Ston and the coast of Brijesta.
- That Viganj on Pelješac is one of the world’s most famous surfing and kite-surfing places thanks to strong winds in the Pelješac Canal.
- That the biggest settlements are located in the inland parts of Pelješac because of a several centuries old farming tradition, and because of the frequency of pirate attacks.
- That Pelješac was a principality within the Republic of Ragusa and the seat of the Doge was in Ston, which had a strategic importance in the control of sailing around Neretva and in the Mljet Canal.
- That the Republic of Ragusa was abolished by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1808, after which it became part of Austria-Hungary, and interestingly, during its short reign on these territories, the French built several roads that are still used today.
- That Dubrovnik had 40 000 inhabitants in the 15th century and was one of the largest cities in Europe. At the time, London had 40 000 inhabitants and Florence 100 000.
- That in the 16th century, the naval fleet of the Republic of Ragusa had around 40 000 sailors and 180 large ships and was one of the biggest fleets in the Mediterranean.
- That Orebić was the seat of the Doge from the 14th century to the 19th century. It was also an important shipbuilding centre where most of Ragusan merchant navy ships were made.
- That Dubrovnik boasts with 1436 buildings under the protection of UNESCO.
- That the Trsteno Arboretum near Dubrovnik was founded in the 15th century and is the oldest arboretum in the world.
- That Mljet is the oldest national park established in 1960 and occupies one third of the island’s surface.
- That the Island of Korčula, located just across from Pelješac has been inhabited since the Roman and Greek times, is the sixth largest Croatian island and the second most populated island after Krk with a population of around 16 000.