Did you know

The Maraska Cherry

The Maraska cherry is a sort of a symbol and synonym of the place, an economic jewel of the past century. The Dalmatian maraska is the world’s best quality cherry and Brela are in the very top among the places suitable for its growing.

The sort of the maraska cherry from Brela is called the Sokoluša. Apart from its excellent taste, it has a beneficial effect on human health with its anti-inflammatory, immunostimulating, antibacterial, antiallergic, anti-viral and anti-carcinogenic features.

For many years it was the only source of income for the Brela inhabitants so it is only understandable that they were happy and proud when the crop was good. This is also where the saying “From Brela, so what?” comes from.

The beach Punta Rata

American journal Forbes classified this beach among the 10 most beautiful beaches in the world, placing it as the 6th most beautiful and the 1st in Europe!

In 2014 The Huffington Post website described Brela as dream destination and a perfect reason to get on a plane to Croatia as soon as possible.

According to Belgian website European Best Destinations - Punta rata is one of the most beautiful beaches in 2015.

Business Insider in May 2015 wrote: "Brela Beach, between Split and Makarska, is a Mediterranean oasis with 6km of white sands dotted with fig trees and olive groves. For this reason, it's a favorite with couples..."

http://www.livecamcroatia.com/najljepse-plaze-hrvatske/brela-kamen-atraktivna-plaza-web-kamera/

Šakan

The original name of the rock symbol of Brela, the natural landscape phenomena and the recognizable brand of the Croatian tourism, is Šakan.

Due to ignoring the early history of the town in tourist trends, today it is popularly called Kamen Brela (Rock of Brela), while in the historical period, till the beginning of the 20th century, solely the name Šakan was used.

The name itself originated and was used due to the fact that it was the natural habitat of the Mediterranean monk seal, monachus monachus, today an almost extinct species on the red list of IUCN, popularly called by various mythical names like Šakan.

In addition to this locality, it dwelled on the locality Soline-Loznica as well, which is witnessed by the name Medvidina, a small beach embedded deep in a natural cave, the ideal place for “relaxing” after abundant fish meals in the rich and preserved underwater landscapes of Brela.

In accordance with narrations, the last observations of permanent residence of the sea human on these localities were recorded at the beginning of the 20th century.

In Croatian literature the Mediterranean monk seal was mentioned for the first time by the Benedictines in the 16th century, and in 1779 it was scientifically described for the first time.

It is an interesting fact that exactly this part of today’s Brela was owned and under administration of the Benedictines but it remains a secret whether the name itself is related to the Benedictines.

Due to the ignorance and the lack of knowledge regarding this species, the few inhabitants of Brela who witnessed the presence of this mammal, awarded mythical attributes to this creature such as sea human or sea monk hermit which is also confirmed by the scientific name monachus monahus.

Due to their ignorance, the native inhabitants have shown their fear from this creature and chased it away by shouting "Buuuuuu, Šakane!" They often used this, for them mythical creature, in their threats such as Šakan will come and get you because they believed that it came from the sea with a special purpose, of course, not knowing the scientific facts about the biological requirements of this mammal.

Just like in the broader Mediterranean area, in search for a better, safe and preserved habitat, in search for peace and hermit’s solitude, endangered by the aggressive behaviour of the inhabitants and the fishermen, this sea human has left Brela, und left behind a mark in the name of today’s rock symbol of our tourism.

Arrival of the Croats to the sea

It is said that right on Dupci the exclamation "The sea! The sea!" was shouted.

Gala Dinners

The Brela caterers emphasize with pride the fact that they were the first at the Adriatic to introduce at our hotels in the 9160s lavish gala dinners with several courses, as well as a cocktail show. At the time, these were such events that many guests came even twice a year in order to enjoy the royal feast. These festive events were introduced to the Brela tourism by our seamen and their passenger ships.

The Legend on the Sunken Pelegrin Town

Legends are being told of the sunken Pelegrin town from generation to generation. There are two similar versions.

Pelegrin was a large and beautiful town that one day was damned and sunken. The legend has it that each year on Christmas exactly at midnight a carriage with two white horses at full gallop emerges, in which there are a princess and a prince. In order to open the town, i.e. to make it emerge again, the person who at the time is at that place should jump into the carriage and pass the reins to the prince.

The story was written down by Stipe Zubanović in his book titled "Walking with the Bora" ("Hod s burom").

A somewhat different version has been presented by Ante Putnik (Ante Carević) in his book:

The inhabitants of the sunken town of Pelegrin impatiently await the moment when the town will be reborn. However, in order for this to happen, we are waiting for a hero who, at midnight exactly atChristmas, will come near Gogolj and wait for the girl on a white horse. He will accept her hand and take her to Čerovica.

The road to Čerovica, a votive shrine of the sunken town, is full of perils the largest of which are the wild waters that are closely accompanying the riders in the intention to swallow them.

Anyhow, we are still waiting for a hero who will help that the story on the sunken town of Pelegrin gets its continuation. Good luck!

Hotels
in Brela

Travel
agencies

Brela
hostel

The Blue flower award 2012.

Croatian National Tourist Board BLUE FLOWER action includes evaluating the tidiness of Croatian coastal resorts as a whole and the individual elements.

Brela 9°C

Humidity	66.0 %
Pressure	1016 hPa
Visibility	10 km
Wind	5.4 kph