Omiš – piracy

The city of Omiš is a tourist destination whose inhabitants were pirates, who in the 12^th and 13^th centuries were the absolute rulers of the sea between the cities of Split and Dubrovnik. In 1221, Pope Honorius III led a crusade against them, which he lost. However, in 1281 the Venetians, also by order of the Pope, made war with the pirates but this time successfully. There are numerous reminders of that part of Omiš’s history to this day and the two major ones are the Mirabela and Fortica fortifications. Every year, a spectacular staging of the battle of Omiš between the pirates and Venetians takes place in Omiš in August.