Veli Ston, Mali Ston and Great Croatian Wall

Source www.kraeved1147.ru

The longest fortress wall in Europe stretches from Veli Ston to Mali Ston. Mali Ston lies on the opposite side of the isthmus that connects the Peljesac peninsula with the mainland. That is, the wall completely blocks access to Veli Ston and Mali Ston from the land. The wall was originally one and a half kilometers longer, reaching 7 kilometres. But with the fall of the Dubrovnik Republic, part of the wall was destroyed.

Attention! Climbing the wall in the heat is an extreme activity. The sun is blazing, there is no shade, and you are halfway up the mountain!

We took a short route, bypassing only Ston. We entered at point A, exited at point C.

We had a lot of impressions! On the square to the right of the Town Hall and the supermarket (if you stand facing them) there is a long one-story structure. Apparently, it is part of the fortifications.

You can climb up on its roof and take some interesting photos.

Ston salt marshes

The salt mine in Ston is still in operation today. But the salt mines are open for viewing as a museum.
Hours of operation:
During the summer, the museum is open from 07:00 to 19:00.
Ticket for individual visitors is 15 kuna.

When we entered the museum grounds, we could only see the salt wagon,

rails and salt marshes at close range.

Salt production is the key and city-forming activity in Ston. If there were no "white gold" here, there would be no town. Ston was founded as a settlement near salt pools. "The Great Wall of Ston is a by-product of the salt mining industry, but a very necessary product. Salt had not only to be mined, but also guarded. With the fortified wall, the Dubrovnik Republic completely blocked off access to Ston from the mainland. Thus they stopped any encroachment by the Turks and Venetians on this strategic state value. The income from Ston salt in other years reached two-thirds of the gross income of the Republic. It is striking that the technology of salt production has almost unchanged to this day.

Church of Saint Michael

The cathedral was built in the IX-XI centuries inside the ancient castle, as a house temple of Zahumian princes. Late Romanesque frescoes have survived inside. One of them depicts the Zahum ruler Michael (XI century) with a model of a church in his hands.

Mali Ston

Mali Ston was also born thanks to salt. If Ston was the center of its production, Mali Ston was the center of its transportation. It is located on the opposite side of the isthmus from Ston. Mali Ston served as a port facing to the Neretva region. Salt was exported along the Neretva River to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Now Mali Ston is the center of oyster breeding. Tourists have the opportunity to visit an oyster farm. Or simply to eat the shellfish.

Restaurant in Ston

Konoba Bakus is another reason to come to Ston is a konoba Bakus.

 

What to do in Ston?

First of all, Ston is very beautiful. It is beautiful in its gray stone arrangement and unhurriedness.

It is charming with straight, narrow streets framed by simple walls of houses. The buildings are constructed without much architectural intricacy.

Note the intricate platband, balcony or bracket from the former balcony.

Everything is banal and gray, even the palaces.

But once you are in the geometrically regular grid of streets, you will forget about the current time. You will imagine yourself as the hero of a novel, looking for the right house to deliver an important message.

You will be fascinated by everyday life. The inhabitants don't particularly flaunt it. But they don't hide their closeness to nature - to flowers, to gardens.

For citizens accustomed to stone monsters, every flower on a city street is a miracle!

Here we saw the lemon tree blossom for the first time. And we were even more surprised that the tree was blooming and fruiting at the same time!

The town of Ston is very small, more like a compact village. Take a look at it from the city walls. The whole town is included in the picture.

When the second most important city in the Dubrovnik Republic after Ragusa was being rebuilt, it was ruled by squares. In Ston, there were only 15 quarters with 10 houses in each. The total was 150 houses. Now there are even fewer left. Many houses were destroyed in the earthquake. They were never rebuilt.

Ston is especially good in the early morning and late evening. Imagine you wake up in the morning and see a deserted medieval street through the window. You listen to see if a carriage with a cart driver is rumbling by. It's already time for him to put fresh strawberries on the counter of the market! Won't the rider's hooves clatter? He has brought an important dispatch to the town officials!

Ston is a city with seven hundred years of history. Four hundred year old houses. (Let's pretend we didn't know about the earthquake). Bicentennial sidewalks and steps.

And fleeting time. It's ticking away somewhere, behind a wall, behind a mountain, behind a strait... And here, it's not there at all. Just you and this tiny town, this little dot on the world.

Ston City. City Walls. Schedule. Cost.

The schedules of the city walls of the Ston (possibility of access).

April - May: 08.00 - 18.30
June - July: 08.00 - 19.30
August - September 08.00 - 19.00
October 08.00 - 17.30
November - March 09.00 - 15.00

Ticket price for the walls: 70 kuna (approximately 10 euros) per person. There are group discounts. Children under 18 years old - 30 kuna (about 4.3 euros).

You can choose any route from the two. The cost does not vary. One route is short, it includes only a detour around Ston. Ston's tourist website announces a 20-minute walk. The second route is long - from Ston to Mali Ston, lasting 40 minutes.

On the map, the three entrances to the walls are marked with the letters A, B, C. You can start (and finish) from any point.

Sightseeing map of Ston

All of the above-mentioned landmarks are mapped, including parking lots, hotel, Bacchus restaurant, Mali Ston, entrances to the fortress wall, and salt marshes. We offer two hiking routes: Mali Ston - Ston, and Ston - Church of St. Michael.