About Lopud Island

Source wikipedia.org, www.biancoloto.com

Lopud is an island in the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea, one of the Elafitski Islands, the second largest island in the archipelago. It belongs to the Dubrovnik-Neretva region of Croatia. It is located five kilometers northwest of the port of Dubrovnik.

The island consists of two low mountains covered with forests and a green valley with a small village. On the island of Lopud no cars are allowed, no smoking. It helps to preserve the unique ecology of the island.

Lopud, like the other islands of the group, has dense forests dominated by Aleppo pine, pine trees, and maquis. Palms, olive and laurel trees also grow on the island.

Archaeological finds on the island suggest that the island has been inhabited for thousands of years. Remains of ancient Greek, Roman and Slavic structures have been preserved on the island. Fragments of Illyrian pottery have been found at the site of the present Spaniola Tower. Many toponyms of Greek and Latin origin have survived to this day. On Lopud, there are remains of a Croatian settlement from the 9th century.

In 1457, Lopud became one of the centers of the Dubrovnik Republic. At that time more than a thousand people lived on the island and its economy was growing consistently. The ship owners of Lopud owned shipyards and a fleet of 80 ships.

The island has a park, formerly a villa garden, where tropical plants from around the world have been growing since the 19th century: bamboos, cacti, and others.

There are 24 churches and a Franciscan monastery on Lopud.