Orašac is a village in southern

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

, administratively located in the City of Dubrovnik. It is located between Trsteno and Zaton, northwest of Dubrovnik.

History

This village was founded around AD 1040. In the centre of the town the houses are built close to each other. This once was a means of protection from the Narentines. The village's ancient buildings include a church built in 1250 and dedicated to

St Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Patara (Lycia), Patara in Anatolia (in modern-day Antalya ...

Villa Soderini and Sun Gardens complex

The so-called Villa Soderini, also known as the Arapovo or Arapovo-Morovo castle, is a fortified mansion close to the sea that was built in the 15th century. According to local lore, it was the residence of exiled Florentine leader Piero Soderini in 1512–3 before being recalled to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

by the newly elected

Pope Leo X Pope Leo X (; born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, 11 December 14751 December 1521) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 March 1513 to his death in December 1521. Born into the prominent political and banking Med ...

. The house was renovated in 1967 and became a popular venue for events and concerts during the period of the

Croatian Spring The Croatian Spring (), or Maspok, was a political conflict that took place from 1967 to 1971 in the Socialist Republic of Croatia, at the time part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. As one of six republics comprising Yugoslavi ...

, including a performance by popular singer Vice Vukov in 1971 shortly before his exile to France. A large hotel complex was built on the nearby seafront in 1985, branded (). During the

Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence) and (rarely) "War in Krajina" ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Рат у Крајини, Rat u Krajini) are used. was an armed conflict fought in Croatia from 1991 to 1995 between Croats, Croat forces loyal to the Governmen ...

, the complex was occupied and damaged by forces of the

Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (JNA/; Macedonian language, Macedonian, Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian language, Croatian and ; , J ...

. Following privatization in the mid-2000s by the Croatian Privatization Fund, the complex was renovated in 2008-2009 and complemented with a development of more than 200 residential apartments. It ran into financial distress, however, and was repossessed in the early 2010s by lender Erste Group Bank, which put it on sale. In 2015, a China-controlled investment group initiated acquisition of the complex for around €90 million. The transaction was completed in March 2017, after which the new owner exited the Radisson Blu franchise and put the Villa Soderini on sale.

Gallery

File:Srednjovjekovna Crkva svetoga Nikole u Orašcu.jpg, Saint Nicholas church File:SunGardens Soderini.jpg, Villa Soderini File:SunGardens Hotel.jpg, Sun Gardens hotel File:SunGardens Residences.jpg, Sun Gardens residences

Demographics

According to the 2021 census, its population was 742.

References

External links