Sveti Jure

Sveti Jure
Highest point
Elevation1,762 m (5,781 ft)[1]
Coordinates43°20′32.2″N 17°3′12.6″E / 43.342278°N 17.053500°E / 43.342278; 17.053500[2]
Geography
Sveti Jure is located in Dinaric Alps
Sveti Jure
Sveti Jure
CountryCroatia
RegionSplit-Dalmatia County
Parent rangeDinaric Alps

Sveti Jure (English: Saint George) is a mountain in Croatia near the town of Makarska that is part of the Dinaric Alps. At 1,762 m.a.s.l., it is the highest point in the Biokovo mountain range and one of the highest peaks of Croatia.

History

Sveti Jure is named after the Christian martyr Saint George, who has a chapel dedicated to him 50 metres below the mountain's summit.[3][4] The chapel is the highest church in Croatia; it was likely built or renovated in the 13th century, and its existence was first recorded in 1640.[4][5] The chapel holds Mass annually on the last Saturday of July, rather than the traditional celebration of Saint George's Day on April 23, due to frequent bad weather in April.[4][5]

The summit of Sveti Jure is accessible via the Biokovo Road, the highest road in Croatia.[3][6] The road was extended in the mid-1960s to facilitate the construction of a television tower at the mountain's summit by Television Zagreb, and was paved in 1979.[5][6] The original stone chapel was demolished in 1965 as part of the construction, and was rebuilt in 1968 in concrete with a stone covering.[4]

Sveti Jure was originally included as part of the 2017 Tour of Croatia cycling race, but was removed due to inclement weather. The mountain was readded the following year to the 2018 Tour of Croatia, serving as the summit finish of the race's third stage.[3]

Geography and climbing

Sveti Jure is the highest peak of Biokovo, a karst mountain range along Croatia's Adriatic Sea coast.[1][7] The Croatian Mountaineering Association refers to Sveti Jure as either the second-highest or the third-highest peak in Croatia.[a]

If Sveti Jure's television tower—with a height of roughly 80–90 metres (260–300 ft)—is included in the calculation, the top of this tower becomes the country's highest point at approximately 1,850 m.a.s.l.[5][6] The mountain's true summit is inside a fence around the tower and not accessible to visitors.[2]

The summit offers views of the nearby town of Makarska, the Makarska Riviera, and Brač and other islands. On clear days, the Apennine Mountains in Italy are visible 252 kilometres (157 mi) away.[2][3][6]

Most visitors arrive at the summit of Sveti Jure via car; it can also be reached on bicycle or on foot.[2][3] From Makarska, the journey to the summit lasts 31 kilometres (19 mi) along the Biokovo Road.[3] Hikers can approach the summit from multiple starting points: via Milići; via Turija and Ljubović; and via Makarska and the Štropac and Vošac peaks of Biokovo.[2] The "Pod Jurom" mountain hut is located along the Biokovo Road beneath the summit. It was built as part of the television tower's construction and opened to hikers in 1983.[10]

Climate and ecology

The mean annual temperature at the summit of Sveti Jure is 3.9 °C (39.0 °F), making it one of the coldest points of Croatia.[5][11] The peak has snow for most of the year.[5]

The summit of Sveti Jure is home to several species of lizard, including the Mosor rock lizard, the common wall lizard, and the Dalmatian wall lizard.[12] Plant species in and around the summit include silvery dwarf harebell, rock bell, sandwort, leopard's bane, and martagon lily.[13]

  • View of Sveti Jure summit
    View of Sveti Jure summit
  • Church of Sveti Jure
    Church of Sveti Jure
  • Sveti Jure television tower
    Sveti Jure television tower
  • Climbers ascending Sveti Jure
    Climbers ascending Sveti Jure
  • Sveti Jure summit marker
    Sveti Jure summit marker
  • Biokovo Road to Sveti Jure
    Biokovo Road to Sveti Jure
  • Panoramic view from Sveti Jure summit
    Panoramic view from Sveti Jure summit
  • View north from Sveti Jure summit
    View north from Sveti Jure summit

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Sveti Jure is the second-highest Croatian peak after Dinara (1,831 m.a.s.l.),[2] and the third-highest when including Žrvanj (1,768 m.a.s.l.), a subsidiary peak southwest of Jančiji (1,790 m.a.s.l.). While Jančiji is located entirely within Bosnia and Herzegovina, Žrvanj is located on the two countries' border; according to the association's criteria, however, Žrvanj would not be considered an independent peak.[8][9]

References

  1. ^ a b Ostroški, Ljiljana, ed. (December 2015). Statistički ljetopis Republike Hrvatske 2015 [Statistical Yearbook of the Republic of Croatia 2015] (PDF). Statistical Yearbook of the Republic of Croatia (in Croatian and English). Vol. 47. Zagreb: Croatian Bureau of Statistics. p. 48. ISSN 1333-3305. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Sv. Jure – vrh - Hrvatski vrhovi - Hrvatski planinarski savez" [Sv. Jure – peak - Croatian peaks - Croatian Mountaineering Association]. Croatian Mountaineering Association (in Croatian). Archived from the original on January 22, 2025. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Challis, Sam (February 2019). "Big Ride: Slaying the beast in Croatia". Cyclist. pp. 52–67. ProQuest 2167706718.
  4. ^ a b c d "Održavanje tradicionalne mise na vrhu Sv. Jure | Park prirode Biokovo" [Holding of a traditional Mass at the summit of Sv. Jure | Biokovo Nature Park]. Biokovo Nature Park. Archived from the original on September 24, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Vodič kroz Biokovo. Prigodom 40. rođendana Parka prirode Biokovo 1981.- 2021" [Guide through Biokovo. Occasionally the 40th birthday of the Nature Park Biokovo 1981.- 2021.] (PDF). Biokovo Nature Park. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 25, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d "Osvojili smo najvišu cestu Hrvatske s koje se pogled pruža sve do Italije" [We conquered the highest road in Croatia, with a view all the way to Italy]. Tportal.hr (in Croatian). Archived from the original on June 8, 2025. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  7. ^ "Biokovo Range, Croatia". NASA. Archived from the original on June 30, 2025. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  8. ^ "Najviši vrhovi Republike Hrvatske - Hrvatski planinarski savez" [Highest peaks of the Republic of Croatia - Croatian Mountaineering Association]. Croatian Mountaineering Association (in Croatian). Archived from the original on January 20, 2025. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  9. ^ Volenec, Vladimir (February 2015). "Naši najviši vrhovi" [Our highest peaks] (PDF). Hrvatski planinar (in Croatian). 107 (2): 56–59. ISSN 0354-0650. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 29, 2024.
  10. ^ "Accommodation | Biokovo Nature Park". Biokovo Nature Park. Archived from the original on April 25, 2025. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  11. ^ "Climate | Biokovo Nature Park". Biokovo Nature Park. Archived from the original on June 18, 2025. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  12. ^ "Wildlife | Biokovo Nature Park". Biokovo Nature Park. Archived from the original on June 18, 2025. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  13. ^ "Vegetation | Biokovo Nature Park". Biokovo Nature Park. Archived from the original on January 26, 2025. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
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