Local Travel Facts
Airport: Dubrovnik Airport
Flight from the UK: 2 hours
Time Difference: 1 hour +
Local Currency: Kuna
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This island of stone, sea and sunshine is the largest in central Dalmatia. Brac Island has craggy shores and brown rocks, but also boasts wonderful beaches, such as Zlatni Rat (Golden Tongue), a spectacular jewel of nature.
The limestone karst and scrub alternate with fertile fields in the interior and pine woods on the heights.Villages scattered along the coast and in the interior of Brac Island are like stone monuments, guarding the rich heritage of the past centuries.Brac Island has had many rulers during its history, but its spirit remains unchanged and is best expressed in its most enduring product – the famous Brač stone. Some of that spirit has been incorporated in historical buildings, such as Diocletian's Palace in Split, and more modern edifices, such asThe White House in Washington.From year to year the number of visitors to Brac Island increases, particularly since the island airport was built, and they all find it hard to resist the peculiar charm of this island, which has so much to offer.
Milna on Brac is in a bay cut deep into the rock of Brac Island, where the coastline is most indented. The Croatian writer, Petar Hektorović, described this part of the island as the point where Brač virtually meets Šolta. The name Milna comes from an Old Slavic word, mil, meaning sand, and Milna Bay was the place where the current deposited sand. As time went on, it became known simply as Milna, and this was the name given to the village, whose waterfront was built by the inhabitants of Blaca Hermitage, making Milna on Brac the main trading-point on Brac Island in the 18th century. As trade expanded, so did the seafaring life of Milna on Brac. It was a safe haven in storms, as it is still today. Milna harbour is composed of a wide, outer area and a small, shallow inner area and is the best natural harbour on Brač. The bracera, which used to be the most common type of wooden cargo boat deployed in the Adriatic region, originated in the mid-nineteenth century in Milna. Today there is an ACI marina in Milna on Brac, the only marina on Brac Island and one of the most beautiful on the AdriaticMilna’s beginnings were established by the building of a small church known as Ecclesia Ste Mariae Milnavi. Today, Milna is dominated by the lovely Baroque Church of Our Lady of the Annunciation (1783), with a stone flight of steps and bell-tower typical of a small coastal village – a “place close to my heart”, as the Croatian poet Tin Ujević said, himself a native of Milna. The parish church has a monumental Baroque façade and a cycle of Rococo stuccos from the early nineteenth century. The Late Baroque altar painting of the Annunciation is among the most beautiful on Brač. The first modern Croatian sculptor, Ivan Rendić, also a man of Brač, carved the main altar figures representing St. Joseph and St. Jerome, and his work is also to be seen in the Milna cemetery. The village square also features one of his fountains. In Osibova Cove there are the ruins of a small Gothic church, and a little way out of the village along the shore is the Church of St. Nicholas the Traveller, which used to see sailing ships off on their travels, and now bids farewell to fishing boats.Milna bases its existence today mostly on tourism, particularly nautical tourism. The area around Milna on Brac is perfect for hiking, cycling and rock climbing, as well as sailing or swimming. There are several beautiful sandy or pebble beaches nearby (Vlaška, Pasika, Osibova, Lućice, Maslinova). There is also a sports complex with playing areas for five-a-side football, basketball, volleyball, bowls and table-tennis. Milna is a good place to set out from on all kinds of excursions to other places on Brač or beyond.
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