Ploče (; it, Porto Tolero) is a town and

seaport A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as ...

in the

Dubrovnik-Neretva County The Dubrovnik-Neretva County (; hr, Dubrovačko-neretvanska županija, ) is the southernmost county of Croatia, located in south Dalmatia. The county seat is Dubrovnik and other large towns are Korčula, Metković, Opuzen and Ploče. The ...

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 ...

Geography

Ploče is located on the

Adriatic 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 the ...

coast in

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 ...

just north of the

Neretva Delta Neretva Delta is the river delta of the Neretva, a river that flows through Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia and empties in the Adriatic Sea. The delta is a unique landscape in southern Croatia, and a wetland that is listed under the Ramsar ...

and is the natural seaside endpoint of most north-south routes through the central

Dinaric Alps The Dinaric Alps (), also Dinarides, are a mountain range in Southern and Southcentral Europe, separating the continental Balkan Peninsula from the Adriatic Sea. They stretch from Italy in the northwest through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herz ...

. This makes it the primary seaport used by

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 ...

and the endpoint of the Pan-European corridor 5C. Čeveljuša is a toponym in Ploče, located to the east of the town, on the intersection of the D8 highway and the D425.

Climate

Ploče is the location of Croatia's high temperature record, measured at on 4 and 5 August 1981.

History

The town was first mentioned in 1387 as ''Ploča''. During the

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 191 ...

, a port named ''Aleksandrovo'' after

Alexander I of Yugoslavia Alexander I ( sr-Cyrl, Александар I Карађорђевић, Aleksandar I Karađorđević, ) ( – 9 October 1934), also known as Alexander the Unifier, was the prince regent of the Kingdom of Serbia from 1914 and later the King of Yu ...

was constructed in 1939. During the socialist Yugoslavia, between 1950 and 1954, and again from 1980 to 1990, Ploče was named ''Kardeljevo'' after the Yugoslav politician

Edvard Kardelj Edvard Kardelj (; 27 January 1910 – 10 February 1979), also known by the pseudonyms Bevc, Sperans and Krištof, was a Yugoslav politician and economist. He was one of the leading members of the Communist Party of Slovenia before World War II ...

. Some locals call their city Ploča (''the stone'').

Population

The total population of Ploče is 10,135 (2011), in the following settlements: * Baćina, population 572 * Banja, population 173 * Komin, population 1,243 *

Peračko Blato Peračko Blato is a village in Dubrovnik-Neretva County The Dubrovnik-Neretva County (; hr, Dubrovačko-neretvanska županija, ) is the southernmost county of Croatia, located in south Dalmatia. The county seat is Dubrovnik and other large tow ...

, population 288 *

Plina Jezero Plina Jezero is a village in Dubrovnik-Neretva County in Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") ...

, population 44 * Ploče, population 6,013 *

Rogotin Rogotin is a village in southern Dalmatia, Croatia, located between Ploče and Metković Metković () is a town in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia, located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the river Neretva and on the b ...

, population 665 * Staševica, population 902 * Šarić Struga, population 235 In the 2011 census, the majority of its citizens were

Croats The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic ...

at 95.93%.

Port

The Port of Ploče was first mentioned on 6 November 1387, but the building of a larger port was done in recent modern times. Work on the present day harbour first began in 1939 but was destroyed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. It was rebuilt in 1945 and the village of Ploče grew up to 480 inhabitants in 1948. After the Adriatic road and Neretva railway lines were built to the port in the mid-1960s, the town experienced a steady growth. Bosnia and Croatia are currently in negotiations as regards the establishment of a "privileged economic zone" for Bosnian businesses within the Ploče port facilities, though this development is hindered by the opposition of local government, and Croatian people to the concept of a partial loss of sovereignty over the port. The Bosnian government would like a concession, with sovereignty features, for at least 99 years, whereas the Croatian government only wishes to offer commercial passage through Croatian territory for Bosnian and Herzegovinian goods. This topic was a subject of lengthy negotiations; easier passage for Croatian citizens through the narrow strip of Bosnia and Herzegovina territory (that divides Croatia's land territory) near

Neum Neum ( cyrl, Неум, ) is a town and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina, located in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the only town to be situated along the Bosnia and Herzegovina's coastline, m ...

, in exchange for privileges for Bosnia and Herzegovina in Ploče. The

Pelješac Bridge The Pelješac Bridge ( hr, Pelješki most, ) is a cable-stayed bridge in Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Croatia. The bridge provides a fixed link from the southeastern Croatian semi-exclave to the rest of the country while bypassing Bosnia and Herzeg ...

that bypasses Neum and Bosnian territory completely opened in 2022 although at first the project was strongly resisted by the Bosnian government.

Sister Cities

Twin towns – Sister cities

Ploče is twinned with: *

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...

, Slovenia *

Rodi Garganico Rodi Garganico (; Garganico: ) is a town and commune in the province of Foggia, Apulia, south-eastern Italy. Located on a promontory east of the Lago di Varano, it is part of the Gargano National Park and of the Mountain Community of Garg ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ploce Cities and towns in Croatia Port cities and towns of the Adriatic Sea Populated places in Dubrovnik-Neretva County Mediterranean port cities and towns in Croatia Populated coastal places in Croatia 14th-century establishments in Croatia 1387 establishments in Europe