Harsh and tough was life back then, whether it was sun dried, rough soil offering so little, or enemies all around. Omis has very interesting history. It can count its history in thousands of years. The mouth of the Cetina river was first permanently inhabited in ancient times, more than 2000 years ago, and historians believe that the origins of the present day Omis are to be found in the small settlement of Oneum, which lay at the very foot  of the impressive mountain guarding the town from the north – Omiska Dinara.

The Ancient Pirate Stronghold

Throughout the entire 12th  and 13th centuries the pirates of Omis ruled the seas from Omis to Dubrovnik, and all ships  sailing by this small town at the Cetina mouth were  forced to pay tribute for free passage or risked enaging in a battle. In the Old Ages and in the Middle Ages, piracy was a legitimate and widespread type of economy. The rise of power of Omis begins with the arrival of family Kacic at the end of the 11th century. Family Kacic probably comes from Zadar, and the first of them was a nobleman Ljubomir.

How even today we are continuing to drill and change these beautiful mighty mountains in service of a mighty money brought by tourists.

Harsh DJI panorama feature inside drone is by far the best way for me to present harsh realities of the region.

I have special connection with seas and my fondness is visible in above image.

Neretva and its piracy

Neretva region was another great piracy centre. Especially before 10th century. Venetians have tried for centuries to suppress the famous pirates from Neretva, but they never succeeded. The most famous is the battle near Makarska on the 18th September 887. This date is taken as the Day of the Croatian Navy. Named Narentani in Venetian sources, Greek sources call them Paganoi, “pagans”, as they were for long pagan, in a time when neighbouring tribes were Christianized. The word Narentine is a demonym derived from the local Neretva river (Latin language: Narenta). It is all about river here.

The Neretva River is the largest river of the eastern part of the Adriatic basin which stretches for 220 km in Bosnia and Herzegovina and for the last 20 km in Croatia. It is extremely rich in water and in natural resources with many endemic and fragile life forms which are threatened. It is still recognized for its natural beauty and diversity of its landscapes and contains the significant portion of fresh drinking water.

My prints on https://silaart.picfair.com

Browse through blog posts for the beginning of the series Summer Croatia Trip