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 =
, capi ...
, 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, str ...
, 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). 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
A1, A-1, A01 or A.1. may refer to:
Education
* A1, the Basic Language Certificate of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
* Language A1, the former name for "Language A: literature", one of the IB Group 1 subjects
* A1, a ...
is accessed at the
Zagvozd Interchange, next to the D76 expressway.
Imotski is known for its medieval fortress on the rocks of
Blue Lake. 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 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) to th ...
.
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 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 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 between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
.
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 (1922–1943), Fascist It ...
. 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 meteorologi ...
is
modified Mediterranean, with the highest
air temperature
Atmospheric temperature is a measure of temperature at different levels of the Earth's atmosphere. It is governed by many factors, including incoming solar radiation, humidity and altitude. When discussing surface air temperature, the annual ...
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 - 2,169
* Glavina Donja - 1,748
* Glavina Gornja - 283
* Gornji Vinjani - 1,422
* Imotski - 4,757
* Medvidovića Draga - 385
Notable people
Žarko Domljan, the first
Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, was born in Imotski. The famous poet
Tin Ujević
Augustin Josip "Tin" Ujević (; 5 July 1891 – 12 November 1955) was a Croatian poet, considered by many to be the greatest poet in 20th century Croatian literature.
From 1921, he ceased to sign his name as Augustin, thereafter using the sig ...
spent part of his childhood in Imotski. Politician, poet and Croatian dissident
Vlado Gotovac was born and spent his early years in Imotski. The town itself is home to the Croatian league football club
NK Imotski
NK Imotski is a Croatian football club based in the town of Imotski, in the region of Dalmatia
Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see names in other languages) is one of the four historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia p ...
.
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
Neda Ukraden ( sr-Cyrl, Неда Украден; born 16 August 1950) is a Serbian-Croatian singer. Her professional career stretches back to 1967.
Personal life
Ukraden was born in Glavina Donja, a village near the small Croatian town of Imot ...
and film director
Antun Vrdoljak. Sports stars include female tennis player
Silvija Talaja and footballers
Zvonimir Boban,
Ante Rebić
Ante Rebić (; born 21 September 1993) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a winger for club AC Milan and the Croatia national team. He can play on both wings, as well as a second striker.
He began his senior career at RNK Spli ...
,
Tomislav Bušić
Tomislav Bušić (born 2 February 1986) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a forward.
Club career
Early career
He also formerly played for Slaven Belupo and Hajduk Split with whom he won the Croatian League in 2005. In the ...
and
Ivan Gudelj
Ivan Gudelj (born 21 September 1960) is a Croatian former football midfielder who represented Yugoslavia.
Club career
Zmijavci-bred Gudelj started his player career in a club from the neighbouring village of Runovići — NK Mračaj. There, h ...
. The father of former
Canada national men's ice hockey team captain
Joe Sakic
Joseph Steven Sakic (; born July 7, 1969) is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player. He played his entire 21-year National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Quebec Nordiques/ Colorado Avalanche franchise. Named captain ...
, Marijan Šakić, is from Imotski. The famous boxer
Mate Parlov
Mate Parlov (16 November 1948 – 29 July 2008) was a Croatian- Yugoslavian boxer and Olympic gold medalist who was European and World Champion as an amateur and as a professional.
Background
Mate Parlov was born in Split, the youngest of four ...
was born near Imotski in the village of Ričice, and a Croatian emigrant notorious for aircraft hijacking
Zvonko Bušić is also from Imotski.
Dinko Šakić, a
fascist leader in the
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
puppet state 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 (1922–1943), Fascist It ...
, was born in Imotski, and
Veljko Kadijević
Veljko Kadijević ( sr-Cyrl, Вељко Кадијевић; 21 November 1925 – 2 November 2014) was a Serbian general of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA). He was the Minister of Defence in the Yugoslav government from 1988 until his resignatio ...
,
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-ei ...
.
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 =
, capi ...
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