Neum
For notation of Gregorian chant, see Neume. |
The coastal city of Neum. |
Neum is the only seaside town in
Bosnia and Herzegovina. Around it there is about 21 km of coastline which is the only access of this country to the
Adriatic Sea. It is located in the
Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity.
Neum has steep hills, sandy beaches and several large tourist hotels. Prices tend to be lower here than in neighboring
Croatia, making it popular with shoppers.
Tourism, and the commerce it brings, is the leading contributor to the economy of the area. Border formalities with Croatia are relaxed at peak times.
Neum has around 5000 beds for tourists, 1810 in hotels with the remaining capacity in motels, villas and in private accommodation. Tourism in Neum is active only in the coastal region. The inland area behind Neum has a rich
archaeological history and untouched
wilderness and is starting to develop agricultural tourism.
The city hosts a yearly music festival called
Etnofest Neum.
Neum has long, warm summers and short, mild winters. It ranks among the coastal towns with the most sunny days per year.The average sea temperature ranges from 13 degrees Celsius in January to 32 degrees Celsius in July and August. Popular activities include
swimming and
sun bathing, walks along the beach, boating and various water-sports.
Neum is 60 km from
Dubrovnik (80 km from the Dubrovnik airport), 70 km from
Mostar and
Međugorje and 30 km from
Ploče and
Metković, both of which have railway stations.
The town was host to a conference entitled the
Constitutional-law position of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina in late October
2005.
The Neum region cuts Croatia into two non-contiguous parts. This is a result of the
Treaty of Karlowitz of
1699. In this treaty the
Republic of Dubrovnik gave the Neum region to the Ottoman Empire to ensure that it would not border on the encroaching
Venetian Republic.
The fact that the border into Bosnia and Herzegovina must be crossed to reach the southernmost region of Croatia has caused the
Croatian Government to plan a
bridge from Klek to Pelješac to circumvent the area.
In 1991, the municipality of Neum had 4,268 people:
*3738
Croats (87.6%)
*209
Serbs (4.9%)
*196
Bosniaks (4.7%)
*92
Yugoslavs (2.1%)
*33 others (Mixed) (0.7%).
The town of Neum itself had 1,993 residents:
*84% Croats
*5% Bosniaks
*5% Serbs
*5% Yugoslavs
*1% others (Mixed).
*
Tourism in Bosnia and Herzegovina*
Official website of Neum (In Croatian and English)
*
Bosnian cities - Neum
