Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Herzegovina, around the resort town of Neum. How is it that Bosnia wound up with
its very own five-and-a-half-mile stretch of the Dalmatian Coast? During the heyday
oftheRepublic ofDubrovnik,thecity'sleaders grantedthislandtotheOttomanEm-
pire to provide a buffer between Dubrovnik's holdings and the Republic of Venice,
to the north. (They knew the Venetians would never enter the territory of the Otto-
mans—their feared enemy—in order to invade Dubrovnik.) Later, as the borders of
Europe were being redrawn in modern times, Bosnia retained possession of this strip
of land as a sort of inheritance from their former rulers.
For years, coastal Bosnians and their Croatian neighbors have coexisted, albeit
tensely at times. Prices for hotel rooms, groceries, and other staples are slightly
cheaper in Neum, whose rest stops lure tourist buses with low prices and generous
kickbacksforbusdrivers.Visitorsareinconveniencedbyhavingtogothroughapass-
port checkpoint as they enter Bosnia and again, just a few minutes later, as they exit
Bosnia. From a practical standpoint, this is rarely an issue. But on busy days, there
canbelines,andit'salwayssmarttohaveyourpassportandrental car's“greencard”
(proof of insurance) ready.
Croatians are irritated with the red tape, and—even more—by the way Neum
merchants undersell the Croatian alternatives nearby. As Croatia extends its ex-
pressway southward, the most logical approach would be a route through Bosnia
to Dubrovnik. But some Croatian politicians have been looking for a way to avoid
Neum altogether. One solution is to build a 1.5-mile-long bridge from just north of
Neum to the Pelješac Peninsula, then re-join the coastal road back in Croatia, just
south of Neum—effectively bypassing Bosnian territory. Environmentalists worry
about the impact the bridge will have on the ecosystem around Mali Ston. But, be-
cause of the proposed bridge's popularity with a certain segment of the voting popu-
lation, work actually began on this project prior to a recent election (notice that one
mountaintop on Pelješac has already been cleared). After the election—and with the
global economic crisis—plans were put on hold. It remains to be seen whether this
very expensive project will ever come to fruition...and if it does, whether the bridge
willbecompletedbeforeCroatiaandBosniabothjointheEU'sSchengenAgreement
and open their borders anyway.
Other than the walls, there's not much to do in Ston. The town's deserted feel is a result
of a devastating 1996 earthquake, from which Ston is still rebuilding. But there are several
inviting cafés for a lazy drink. If you want a meal, skip Ston's mediocre offerings and head
over to Mali Ston instead.
