Metković

For other places with the same name, see Metković (disambiguation).
Metković
City

Metković within Dubrovnik-Neretva County
Metković

Metković within Dubrovnik-Neretva County

Coordinates: 43°03′N 17°39′E / 43.05°N 17.65°ECoordinates: 43°03′N 17°39′E / 43.05°N 17.65°E
Country  Croatia
County Dubrovnik-Neretva County
Government
 • Mayor Božo Petrov
Population (2011)[1]
 • City 16,788
 • Urban 15,329
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Passport stamp from Metković's crossing into Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Metković is a city in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia, located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the river Neretva and on the border with Herzegovina.

Demographics

The total population of the city (municipality) is 16,788 inhabitants (2011), in the following settlements:[1]

In the census of 2011, the absolute majority of its citizens (96.80%) were Croats.[2]

History

The city was first mentioned in a 1422 court document as a small farming town. It remained this way until the nineteenth century. During this period the city found renewed investment from the country's Austrian rulers. With the arrival of the area's first post office and school, as well as the increase of trade with the Ottoman Empire, the city began to flourish. In 1875 Emperor Francis Joseph I visited the city.

Metković is located near the ancient Roman settlement of Narona (today Vid). Narona was established as a Roman trading post, after Rome's successful war [3] (Illyrian Wars) with the neighboring Illyrian tribe Daors (ruins of their main city are located near Stolac), and successfully grew until the 3rd century AD. After that it went on a steady decline especially after a large 4th century AD earthquake. Upon the arrival of Slavonic tribes in the mid 6th century AD, the city of Narona was abandoned with most parts being covered under silt that was carried by the river Neretva. Only minor excavations were done, most of them being concentrated on the location of Vid.

During World War II, some 280 Serbs were massacred by the Croatian Ustaše in the town on 25 June 1941.[4]

One of the city's landmarks is its Church of St. Elijah, the city's patron saint.[5]

Education

Metković has the following education facilities:

For tertiary education students need to move to another city, the most common destinations are: Dubrovnik (business, management, accounting, music), Split (sciences, management, accounting), Zagreb (music, arts, sciences, applied sciences, engineering, architecture, education, humanities, management, accounting, business), Zadar (humanities, education, early childhood education) and Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Notable people

A Neretva River bridge in Metković

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Population by Age and Sex, by Settlements, 2011 Census: Metković". Census of Population, Households and Dwellings 2011. Zagreb: Croatian Bureau of Statistics. December 2012.
  2. ↑ "Population by Ethnicity, by Towns/Municipalities, 2011 Census: County of Dubrovnik-Neretva". Census of Population, Households and Dwellings 2011. Zagreb: Croatian Bureau of Statistics. December 2012.
  3. ↑ Wilkes, J. J. The Illyrians, 1992, ISBN 0-631-19807-5
  4. ↑ Ramet, Sabrina P. (2006). The Three Yugoslavias: State-Building and Legitimation, 1918-2004. Indiana University Press. p. 120. ISBN 0-271-01629-9.
  5. ↑ http://www.metkovic.hr/svilija/
  6. ↑ http://www.ossradica-metkovic.hr/
  7. ↑ http://skole.htnet.hr/os-metkovic-002/skola/
  8. ↑ http://ssmetkovic.hr/
  9. ↑ http://gimnazija-metkovic.hr/
  10. ↑ http://www.metkovic.hr/kultura/tereza/index.htm
  11. ↑ http://www.metkovic.hr/kultura/lajla/index.htm
  12. ↑ http://www.metkovic.hr/kultura/dragana/index.htm
  13. ↑ http://www.metkovic.hr/kultura/dunja/
  14. ↑ http://www.metkovic.hr/kultura/vuckovic/index.htm

External links

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