Imotski (; it, Imoschi; lat, Emotha, later ''Imota'') is a small town on the northern side of the
Biokovo massif in the
Dalmatian Hinterland of southern
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
, near the border with
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...
. Imotski, like the surrounding inland
Dalmatia
Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see names in other languages) is one of the four historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of the Adriatic Sea, stre ...
, has a generally mild
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...
which makes it a popular tourist destination.
Geography
The town is located close to the border with
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...
, 10 km away from
Posušje and 18 km from
Grude. It is located 29 km away from the coast (
Baška Voda
Baška Voda () is a municipality in Croatia in the Split-Dalmatia County. It has a population of 2,775 (2011 census), 96.2% of which are Croats. It is located on the Adriatic coastline of Dalmatia 10 km northwest of Makarska.
Climate
Baš ...
). The nearest coastal town is
Makarska, on the other side of the
Biokovo massif.
The town is located on the crossroad of
D60 and
D76 state roads and 20 km from the Sveti Ilija Tunnel. The
A1 motorway is accessed at the
Zagvozd Interchange, next to the D76 expressway.
Imotski is known for its medieval fortress on the rocks of
Blue Lake Blue Lake may refer to:
Places
;Antarctica
* Blue Lake (Ross Island)
;Australia
* Blue Lake (New South Wales)
* Blue Lake (Queensland)
** Blue Lake National Park, a former protected area in Queensland
* Blue Lake / Warwar, South Australia
;Cro ...
. Another phenomenon is the
Red Lake which looks like an eye in the scenery. Both lakes are said to be connected with underground channels to the
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) ...
.
History
The region around Imotski has been populated in the Neolithic age. At the time of Illyrians and Romans it was known as "Emotha" and later "Imota". It was first mentioned by today's name by Byzantine Emperor Constantin Porphyrogennetos in the 10th century. In medieval historical sources it was mentioned as an important fortress. The fortress above the town,
Topana, was first mentioned in the 9th century, in the times of Croatian sovereigns.
Imotski was held by the
Turks from the
fall of Bosnia in 1492 until 1717 when it was captured by the
Venetians. In April 1717, a small church, dedicated to the Lady of Angels, was built in honour of the victory against the Ottomans. The Lady of Angels has since then been honored as patroness of Imotski and the Imotski region.
The
Hasanaginica
''Hasanaginica'', also ''Asanaginica'', (first published as ''The Mourning Song of the Noble Wife of the Hasan Aga'') is a South Slavic folk ballad, created during the period of 1646–49, in the region of Imotski, which at the time was a part ...
folk ballad was created in the Imotski region in mid 17th century.
In 1912, a secondary school was built in Imotski when the town was part of the
Kingdom of Dalmatia
The Kingdom of Dalmatia ( hr, Kraljevina Dalmacija; german: Königreich Dalmatien; it, Regno di Dalmazia) was a crown land of the Austrian Empire (1815–1867) and the Cisleithanian half of Austria-Hungary (1867–1918). It encompassed the entir ...
within the
Austro-Hungarian Empire
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with t ...
.
From 1941 to 1945, Imotski was part of the
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia ( sh, Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH; german: Unabhängiger Staat Kroatien; it, Stato indipendente di Croazia) was a World War II-era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. It was established in p ...
. In April 1944, German forces shot down three American
B-24s. The local population saved many of the American personnel despite being bombed by them. One airman/paratrooper, Marion Dropulich (Marijan Dropuljić) who crashed near Imotski, but survived and was taken by Italian Soldiers happened to have been a Croatian American with immediate Imotski ancestry.
Climate
The
climate
Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologica ...
is
modified Mediterranean, with the highest
air temperature averaging during July and the lowest averaging , in January. Summers are usually very hot during the day, temperature goes up to 40 °C.
Temperatures above last for more than 250 days a year.
Two kinds of wind are common in the area - the northern to north-eastern
bora, which usually brings cold and clear weather in winter, and the southern to south-eastern
sirocco, which often brings rain.
Population
According to the
2011 census, the town proper has a population of 4,757, while the whole municipality has a population of 10,764.
The absolute majority are Croats with 96.78% of the population.
The Town of Imotski administratively consists of the following
settlements:
*
Donji Vinjani
Donji Vinjani or Vinjani Donji is a village near Imotski, Croatia; population 2,169 (census 2011).
Notable people
*Ivan Bušić Roša, hajduk commander
* Ferdo Bušić, historian
*Bruno Bušić, Croatian dissident
*Ante Rebić
Ante Rebić (; ...
- 2,169
* Glavina Donja - 1,748
* Glavina Gornja - 283
* Gornji Vinjani - 1,422
* Imotski - 4,757
* Medvidovića Draga - 385
Notable people
Žarko Domljan
Žarko Domljan (14 September 1932 – 5 September 2020) was a Croatian politician who served as the first Speaker of the Croatian Parliament following Croatia's independence from Yugoslavia and as the 11th speaker overall. He served in this positi ...
, the first
Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, was born in Imotski. The famous poet
Tin Ujević spent part of his childhood in Imotski. Politician, poet and Croatian dissident
Vlado Gotovac
Vladimir "Vlado" Gotovac (18 September 1930 – 7 December 2000) was a Croatian poet and politician.
Early activism
In the late 1960s, Gotovac joined the Croatian movement demanding political and economic reform, which eventually led to the Croa ...
was born and spent his early years in Imotski. The town itself is home to the Croatian league football club
NK Imotski.
There are other individuals born in Imotski to have made their names known outside of the local region. In the world of entertainment, there is the singer
Neda Ukraden and film director
Antun Vrdoljak. Sports stars include female tennis player
Silvija Talaja and footballers
Zvonimir Boban,
Ante Rebić,
Tomislav Bušić and
Ivan Gudelj. The father of former
Canada national men's ice hockey team captain
Joe Sakic, Marijan Šakić, is from Imotski. The famous boxer
Mate Parlov was born near Imotski in the village of Ričice, and a Croatian emigrant notorious for aircraft hijacking
Zvonko Bušić
Zvonko Bušić (23 January 1946 – 1 September 2013) was a Croatian emigrant, responsible for hijacking TWA Flight 355 in September 1976. He was subsequently convicted of air piracy and spent 32 years in prison in the United States before being ...
is also from Imotski.
Dinko Šakić, a
fascist
Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and the ...
leader in the
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hit ...
puppet state
A puppet state, puppet régime, puppet government or dummy government, is a state that is ''de jure'' independent but ''de facto'' completely dependent upon an outside power and subject to its orders.Compare: Puppet states have nominal sover ...
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia ( sh, Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH; german: Unabhängiger Staat Kroatien; it, Stato indipendente di Croazia) was a World War II-era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. It was established in p ...
, was born in Imotski, and
Veljko Kadijević,
Minister of Defence in the
Yugoslav government from 1988 to 1992, was born in Glavina Donja, near Imotski, but then moved to
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...
.
Twin towns
Imotski is twinned with:
*
Bjelovar,
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
References
Further reading
*
*
*
External links
*
Imotske novine(Newspapers of Imotski)
Imotski forum
extensive overviewRadio Imotski
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in Croatia
Populated places in Split-Dalmatia County
Kingdom of Dalmatia
Territories of the Republic of Venice