Architecture and tourism

Architecture in the service of nature and its challenges
Brela is not just a natural gem, but also one of the most important "laboratories" of modern Croatian architecture. Thanks to the visionary approach of architects in the 1960s and 70s, this part of the riviera became a world-class example of harmony between concrete and pine forests.

The visionaries who preserved the coast
The pioneers of modern tourism in Brela were architects Ante Rožić, Julije De Luca, and Matija Salaj. Their key victory was the Urbanistic Study (1960–1962), which ensured that the Adriatic Highway (Jadranska magistrala) did not pass directly along the coast, thereby preserving the peace and integrity of the beaches.

Hotel Maestral: The most faithful guardian of modernism
Built in 1965, Hotel Maestral is still considered a stellar moment in Croatian architecture.
Harmony with the landscape: With its low profile (only two floors), it barely peeks above the pine canopy.
Authenticity: Unlike the others, Maestral has best preserved its original identity to this day—the spirit of Bernardo Bernardi’s interiors and Rožić’s architecture that unobtrusively recedes before nature.

Soline and Berulia: Transformations
Although the hotels Berulia (1971) and Soline (1983) were originally top-tier architectural achievements, they were significantly altered by later reconstructions.
Loss of authenticity: Critics warn that modern renovations, driven by new tourism trends, have—according to professional assessments—diminished the original architectural value of these buildings. Through reconstruction, Berulia lost part of its subtle integration into the landscape, while Soline, originally a powerful brutalist realization by Julije De Luca, lost the strict purity of its lines through modernization.

These changes bear witness to the eternal conflict between preserving architectural heritage as a cultural asset and the demands of mass tourism.