160– Enduro St. John

The area of the Dugi Rat municipality stretches towards Omiš. Jesenice, Zeljovići, Krug and Duće on the Adriatic coast, in an area 15 km away from Split are the oldest settlements located at the foot of Perun, a hill named after the Slavic god of thunder and lightning. Built at altitudes of 200 to 250 metres above sea level, their history, dating back to the Stone Age, is told by archaeological finds in the Turska peć and Ponistrice caves. Unlike them, Dugi Rat is the youngest place to emerge right on the coast, around the former Fabrika, a factory built between 1912 and 1913 and opened on March 14, 1914. The connection with the sea was almost non-existent until the end of the 19th century, but now Jesenice gradually descends and expands towards the indented coast, gorgeous bays and hidden natural beaches. The feast of St. John the Baptist is celebrated in June in Greben, at the triple border of Krug, Mali Rat and Dugi Rat, from where there used to be a view over the vineyards. In the saint’s honour and protection, a small church was built here in 1929 on the site of an older, 11th century one, which was renovated in 1982.