Original historical architecture: traces of tradition

Brela is more than just sea and beaches; its hinterland preserves old house clusters and hamlets that testify to the original architecture of the Biokovo foothills. These stone cultural monuments, with their shared courtyards and narrow streets, tell the story of a bygone way of life.

Brela: stone rows along the sea and the main road
Among the clusters that have preserved suggestive elements of local historical construction, the following stand out:

Ivanci: situated directly below the main road, on a steep slope descending towards the blue sea. They are recognisable by their open shared "dvorovi" (courtyards) which were once the centre of social life.
Krug: located on the very edge of Brela above the main road, towards the hamlet of Topići in Baška Voda.
Donji and Gornji Zelići, Šošići (Banja), and Kričak: clusters that continue to defy time with their stone structures.
Juričići, Ribičići, and Medići: located in the upper part of Brela, above the main road, in the immediate vicinity of the Church of St George.

Gornja Brela: pastoral tradition and "balature"
In Gornja Brela, the architecture takes on an even more authentic, rural character:

Tomaši: located above the Church of Our Lady of Health. They are characterised by rows of houses with authentic external staircases – balature, which are a hallmark of the Dalmatian hinterland.
Prosik: a hamlet situated on a sunny stone plateau (prisoj), offering a view towards the impressive canyon.
Zaveterje: an area comprising the hamlets of Ursići, Brkulji, Tomaši, Drinovci, and Bartulovići. These clusters developed from former shepherd huts, where the people of Brela would drive their livestock for summer grazing.

Seasonal settlements of Biokovo
A special gem is the now mostly abandoned "secondary rural settlements" high in the Biokovo massif. People lived there seasonally, from spring to autumn, following the rhythm of nature and livestock. Today, these settlements represent a precious monument to the coexistence of man and mountain.