A small town in South Dalmatia, on the Pelješac peninsula, located at the junction of the peninsula with the mainland.
Founded in 1333 … Consists of two parts - Mali-Ston and Veli-Ston. In the Middle Ages, these lands belonged to the Dubrovnik Republic and were an important acquisition of it, since the shallow bay of the Ston Isthmus is incredibly rich in salt deposits. High quality salt is mined here to this day.
The city very often suffered from earthquakes, so few architectural antiquities have survived to this day. The main attraction of the small Ston is the Ston Walls on the mountain. They have been partially preserved and have recently been restored. The Walls of Ston are the longest defensive complex in Europe, the second longest in the world, after the Great Wall of China.
A complex of fortifications stretches between Ston and Maly Ston. Their construction began in 1334 to protect the Dubrovnik Republic, which included the Peljesac Peninsula in 1333, from invasion from the mountains, mainly in order to protect the economically important basins of Ston salt from capture.
During the times of the Republic of Dubrovnik, the walls were renewed and completed, and their total length was 5.5 km. The walls had 40 towers and 7 fortifications, and due to their monumentality and power, they were called the "European Chinese wall". The basis of the defensive structures, built so talentedly that the city was really impregnable from the coast, consisted of three fortresses - Velikiy Kashtio in Ston, Koruna in Maly Ston and a fortress on the Podzvizd hill. Great Kashtio was at the same time a residential building, a granary and an armory. Koruna - a powerful fortress with five towers overlooking the sea, began to be built in 1347, and for centuries served as a port for the import of salt.
After the fall of the Republic of Dubrovnik, the destruction of the walls began, and the stone blocks of which they consisted were sold as building material for the construction of schools and public buildings. The remains of three towers and magnificent walls are visible today. Arriving in Ston, in addition to inspecting the walls, you must taste the famous shells - "kamenitsy" - grown here.
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Tourists especially enjoy the night battle, when the city is bombarded with lighted arrows and fiery cannonballs. In that theatrical performance, the knights fight for the old town of the Zrinskys. Afterwards, guests set off to sample the medieval cuisine. On an open fire, cook porridge from a variety of cereals, baked ducks doused with honey. At the exhibition of ancient crafts, visitors can taste the popular drink "gvirtz", which is made from honey, as well as see how the sometimes forgotten household items were made.
During the celebration of the Battle of St. Helena, special attention is paid to children. In the purpose-built Princess Palace, which spreads over 300 square meters, parents and children can participate in numerous games and competitions. Adults can try their hand at archery. Experienced instructors will explain to everyone all the subtleties of this skill. Also, guests will be able to walk on stilts, compete in wrestling with wooden swords, etc.
If you climb to the very top of the restored part of the wall, which will be discussed below, you can see the lagoon. A unique place where the river slowly flows into a narrow sea bay, due to which the salinity in the latter is an order of magnitude lower than the average for the Adriatic.
They say that oysters grown in such water are incomparable.
The Republic of Dubrovnik has become a thing of the past, and in 1808, power over Dubrovnik and Ston passed to the French. Napoleon was not very interested in salt. The reason for this was the cheap salt from Malta supplied by the British.
But the French also disappeared, and in 1813 the Austrians came. In the beginning it was planned to invest in the expansion of Solana, but this was not destined to come true, despite the fact that the salt from Ston was served at the Vienna Court. Salt production during the Austro-Hungarian monarchy averaged 200 to 400 wagons.
During the times of the Republic of Dubrovnik, when sea water was admitted to the pools, a certain ritual was performed. The procession from the Church of St. Blaus went to Solana and the blessing of the whole complex was given, a mass was held in the Church of Our Lady of Luzhinsky. The Prince, the workers of Solana and the inhabitants of Ston took part in the mass and in the procession. The same thing was repeated on August 15, the Day of the Nativity of the Virgin. The main festival was held on 24 August on the day of St. Bartul, who is considered the protector of the miners. The Church of St. Bartul and the fortress Bartholomiya are located at the very top of the Podzvizd mountain above the Ston on its northern side. In the annals it is written that all the inhabitants of Ston and the surrounding area baked oxen and sheep that day, sang and danced all night.
In the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, in 1925, one of the salt crystallization basins received an asphalt substrate. And that was all that the state did for Stonskaya Solana.
During the reign of the Tito in Stonska Solana, which at that time was called "Solana Ivan Morgin Crny", a railway was built in 1925, along which a small locomotive transported wagons of salt from salt pools to warehouses. Thus, the time-consuming and arduous process of loading salt with a shovel into trolleys under the burning sun was a little mechanized. But production continued to depend on the number of sunny days that were for the crystallization process.
Salt characteristics: the only salt that is not bitter and the only salt that does not require anti-caking additives - it is always friable.
The average production of salt in recent years is 1,500 tons. If the year is rainy, then there is no salt collection at all. The largest harvest of salt was harvested in 1611 - 6011 tons, then the salt was paid for in gold. The Adriatic Sea is the northernmost in the world, where salt is extracted naturally - by evaporation.
What is the future for Stonskaya Solana? Over the past 20 years, the average production of salt here is about 1,500 tons. Salt consumption in Croatia ranges from 100 to 120,000 tons, which means that about 90-100,000 tons of salt are imported into the country annually. It seems that the future of the oldest Solana in Europe is not all that rosy. Its director and owner Svetan Sveto Peich says: “The future of Stonskaya Solana is in the production of environmentally friendly salt. And for this it is necessary to lay the pools for crystallization with granite tiles. It's expensive, but worth it. And this must be done to preserve the one-of-a-kind Solana, whose work has not stopped for 4,000 years. No country in our environment can boast of anything like that."
Anyone who believes that with goodwill and good material support from the relevant ministries, salt of such a quality can be produced in these territories that the whole of Europe will envy us. This is the only way to preserve the unique Stonskaya Solana, which every day is becoming an increasingly desirable object of attention of numerous tourists. Solana attracts many people, especially young people, who are looking forward to getting involved in the salt collection process themselves.