Municipality of Lovreć – Archaeology, Stećci and Historic Wells

Above the centre of Lovreć lies Bošnjakova gradina, also known as Vrhgradina, above the old Church of Sv. Duh and its cemetery. The earliest inhabitants of the hillfort lived there at the end of the 10th or beginning of the 9th century BC. The site was continuously inhabited for much of the Iron Age; archaeological finds include bronze jewellery at the eastern rampart.

Hillforts and traces of settlement

Pušina kula in Lovreć is also a prehistoric hillfort, located on Mount Basarovina. Based on surface finds, it can be dated to the Bronze and Iron Ages. The surviving rampart is approximately two to four metres wide and two to three metres high. The archaeological site of Mala Gradina is near Studenci. It dates from around 800 BC and was in use until around AD 200; ramparts up to approximately five to six metres high survive on the eastern and western sides.

Gradina Jova was in use during the Early Bronze Age. It lies on the mountain of the same name at an elevation of 773 metres, south of the Studenci–Imotski road. Together with Bošnjakova gradina and Mala Gradina, it shows that the archaeological evidence in the Municipality of Lovreć belongs to different periods. To get your bearings, look at the dates and surviving structures associated with each site.

Churches, Stećci and remembrance

The Church of Sv. Duh in Lovreć took its final form in 1755. A cemetery with Stećci surrounds the church and lies in its immediate vicinity. Another medieval site is the cemetery in Šakići. It dates from the 15th century and is considered a well-preserved cultural monument; seven rough slab and chest-shaped tombs and one gabled tombstone survive.

At the archaeological site of Zvizda near Studenci, around thirty medieval Stećci survive around the spring. The spring itself lies on the edge of Studenačko polje, beside the road to the hamlet of Glavica. Zvizda thus brings together a precisely located spring and medieval tombstones. Kuća spaljenih is a memorial to civilian victims of the Second World War in this part of the Dalmatian hinterland.

The ethnographic collection of OŠ Silvija Strahimira Kranjčevića in Lovreć is also part of the cultural heritage. It comprises 505 ethnographic objects from the second half of the 19th century and the 20th century. Ancient history is also part of the local landscape: Lovreć was a Roman settlement called Ludrum, situated at a crossroads of old Roman roads.

Historic wells and water sources

Bliznice in the hamlet of Mrnjavci comprises five wells and a livestock watering trough. The complex was built at the end of the 15th or beginning of the 16th century to provide drinking water and water livestock. Pridivišće in Opanci comprises four wells and a livestock watering trough and was probably built for the same purposes at the beginning of the 16th century.

The wells of Bršćanovica in Medov Dolac were probably built at the beginning of the 16th century to provide drinking water and water livestock. Also in Medov Dolac, in the hamlet of Raos, is Raosov bunar. Local residents built it at the beginning of the 16th century for these purposes. The examples differ in form: alongside the individually named Raosov bunar are complexes consisting of several wells and a livestock watering trough.

The 33rd Raosovi Dani is evidence of a cultural event: this edition was held in 2026 in Medov Dolac, in front of Ivan Raos’s birthplace. It included a commemorative Mass and an extensive cultural and artistic programme.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Lovreć, Studenci, Municipality of Okrug, Gradac, Municipality of Omiš, Municipality of Prgomet, Municipality of Baška Voda, Municipality of Primorski Dolac.

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