Metković () is a town in the

Dubrovnik-Neretva County The Dubrovnik-Neretva County (; hr, Dubrovačko-neretvanska županija, ) is the southernmost county of Croatia, located in south Dalmatia. The county seat is Dubrovnik and other large towns are Korčula, Metković, Opuzen and Ploče. The ...

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...

, located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the river

Neretva The Neretva ( sr-cyrl, Неретва, ), also known as Narenta, is one of the largest rivers of the eastern part of the Adriatic basin. Four HE power-plants with large dams (higher than 150,5 metres) provide flood protection, power and water s ...

and on the border with

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...

Demographics

The total population of the city municipality is 16,788 inhabitants (2011 census), in the following settlements: * Dubravica, population 90 * Glušci, population 76 *Metković, population 15,329 * Prud, population 497 * Vid, population 796 In the census of 2011, 96.8% of the population self-identified as Croats.

History

The city was first mentioned in a 1422 court document as a small farming town. It remained this way until the nineteenth century. During this period the city found renewed investment from the country's

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

rulers. With the arrival of the area's first post office and school, as well as the increase of trade with the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...

, the city began to flourish. It was ruled by Ottoman Empire as part of

Sanjak of Herzegovina The Sanjak of Herzegovina ( tr, Hersek Sancağı; sh, Hercegovački sandžak) was an Ottoman administrative unit established in 1470. The seat was in Foča until 1572 when it was moved to Taşlıca (Pljevlja). The sanjak was initially part of ...

between 1494 and 1685, then by

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia ...

till 1797 and finally by French Empire before the Austrian Habsburgs took over. In 1875 and 1910 Emperor Francis Joseph I visited the city. Metković is located near the ancient

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

settlement of

Narona Narona ( grc, Ναρῶνα) was an Ancient Greek trading post on the Illyrian coast and later Roman city and bishopric, located in the Neretva valley in present-day Croatia, which remains a Latin Catholic titular see. History It was founded ...

(today Vid). Narona was established as a Roman trading post, after Rome's successful war (

Illyrian Wars The Illyro-Roman Wars were a series of wars fought between the Roman Republic and the Ardiaei kingdom. In the ''First Illyrian War'', which lasted from 229 BC to 228 BC, Rome's concern was that the trade across the Adriatic Sea increased after the ...

) with the neighboring

Illyrian tribe This is a list of ancient tribes in the ancient territory of Illyria ( grc-gre, Ἰλλυρία; la, Illyria). The name ''Illyrians'' seems to be the name of a single Illyrian tribe that was the first to come into contact with the ancient Greek ...

Daors Daorson ( Ancient Greek: Δαορσών) was the capital of the Illyrian tribe of the Daorsi ( Ancient Greek Δαόριζοι, Δαούρσιοι; Latin ''Daorsei''). The Daorsi lived in the valley of the Neretva River between 300 BC and 50 BC. Th ...

(ruins of their main city are located near

Stolac Stolac is an ancient city located in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in the region of Herzegovina. Stolac is one of the oldest cities in Bosnia and Herzego ...

), and successfully grew until the 3rd century AD. After that it went on a steady decline especially after a large 4th-century AD earthquake. Upon the arrival of Slavonic tribes in the mid-6th century AD, the city of Narona was abandoned with most parts being covered under silt that was carried by the river Neretva. Only minor excavations were done, most of them being concentrated on the location of Vid. One of the city's landmarks is its Church of St.

Elijah Elijah ( ; he, אֵלִיָּהוּ, ʾĒlīyyāhū, meaning "My El (deity), God is Yahweh/YHWH"; Greek form: Elias, ''Elías''; syr, ܐܸܠܝܼܵܐ, ''Elyāe''; Arabic language, Arabic: إلياس or إليا, ''Ilyās'' or ''Ilyā''. ) w ...

, the city's

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

Education

Metković has the following education facilities: * Primary schools: ** Stjepan Radić Primary school (

Croatian language Croatian (; ' ) is the standardized variety of the Serbo-Croatian pluricentric language used by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina, and other neighboring countries. It is the offici ...

medium school) ** Don

Mihovil Pavlinović Mihovil Pavlinović (28 January 1831 – 18 May 1887) was a Croatian Roman Catholic priest, politician, and writer who led Croatian National Revival in the Kingdom of Dalmatia. He is known as a keen promoter of Croatian political thought in Dalma ...

Primary school (Croatian language medium school) * Secondary schools: ** Metković High School ** Metković Gymnasium (classical high school)
For tertiary education students need to move to another city, the most common destinations are:

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik (), historically known as Ragusa (; see notes on naming), is a city on the Adriatic Sea in the region of Dalmatia, in the southeastern semi-exclave of Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranea ...

(business, management, accounting, music),

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, entertai ...

(sciences, management, accounting),

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

(music, arts, sciences, applied sciences, engineering, architecture, education, humanities, management, accounting, business),

Zadar Zadar ( , ; historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian: ); see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited Croatian city. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar ser ...

(humanities, education, early childhood education) and

Mostar , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = Mostar (collage image).jpg , image_caption = From top, left to right: A panoramic view of the heritage town site and the Neretva river from Lučki Bridge, Koski Mehmed Pasha ...

Sports (most notably)

* NK Neretva *ONK Metković * RK Metković – Mehanika

Notable people

Clergy

* Marin Barišić,

Metropolitan Archbishop Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...

of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Split-Makarska The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Split-Makarska ( hr, Splitsko-makarska nadbiskupija; la, Archidioecesis Spalatensis-Macarscensis) is a Metropolitan archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church in Croatia and Montenegro.

* Josip Marija Carević (1883–1945), bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Dubrovnik The Diocese of Dubrovnik ( hr, Dubrovačka biskupija); or Ragusa ( la, Dioecesis Ragusiensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in southern Croatia.Milana Vlaović Milana Vlaović (; born 1971 in Metković) is a Croatian journalist, composer, writer and columnist. Journalistic career She had finished her elementary school as well as high school in Metković, and as she turned 18, she started to study at th ...

, writer and music producer

Literature, theater, art

* Obrad Gluščević (1913–1980), film director *

Ivan Slamnig Ivan Slamnig (24 June 1930 – 3 July 2001) was a Croatian poet, novelist, literary theorist and translator. Slamnig was born in Metković. He graduated from the University of Zagreb Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in 1955 and later taug ...

(1930–2001), poet *

Vera Zima Vjeročka Zimova (21 March 1953 – 7 November 2020), better known as Vera Zima, was a Croatian actress. She appeared in more than fifty films since 1975. She was of paternal Slovak descent. Selected filmography References External links ...

, actress

Sport

* Andrija Anković (1937–1980),

football (soccer) Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player, gold olympic medallist 1960 * Željko Babić,

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the ...

player, Croatian national team player and head-coach, bronze olympic medallist 2012 as assistant coach. * Ivica Barbarić,

player, Yugoslavia national team member at the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

* Patrik Ćavar, Croatian national team player in

, gold olympic medallist 1996 * Ivan Čupić, Croatian national team player in

, bronze olympic medallist 2012 * Davor Dominiković, Croatian national team player in

, gold olympic medallist 2004 *

Slavko Goluža Slavko Goluža (born 17 September 1971) is a retired Croatian handball player and current coach of RK Zagreb. Club career Goluža was born in the village of Pješivac-Kula near Stolac. He began his career with RK Mehanika Metković. At the a ...

coach, Croatian national team player and head-coach, double gold olympic medallist 1996 and

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...

as player, and bronze olympic medallist 2012 as head coach. * Sergej Jakirović,

Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team The Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team ( bs, Nogometna/Fudbalska reprezentacija Bosne i Hercegovine; sr, Фудбалска репрезентација Боснe и Херцеговинe, Fudbalska reprezentacija Bosne i Hercegovi ...

player * Vladimir Jelčić, Croatian national team player in

, gold olympic medallist 1996, handball coach * Nikša Kaleb, Croatian national team player in

, gold olympic medallist 2004 * Juraj Nikolac, chess grandmaster * Frane Nonković,

Yugoslavia men's national water polo team Yugoslavia men's national water polo team was the national water polo team that represented the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (1920–1929), the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1929–1941) and the Federal Yugoslavia (1946–1992). They were o ...

player, silver olympic medallist 1964 * Ivica Obrvan, Croatian national team player in

, handball coach and head coach * Ante Pavlović, general secretary of the

Croatian Football Federation The Croatian Football Federation ( hr, Hrvatski nogometni savez, HNS) is the governing body of association football in Croatia. It was originally formed in 1912 and is based in the capital city of Zagreb. The organisation is a member of both FIF ...

and

Football Association of Yugoslavia The Football Association of Yugoslavia (FSJ) ( sr, Фудбалски савез Југославије, Fudbalski savez Jugoslavije, hr, Nogometni savez Jugoslavije; bs, Fudbalski savez Jugoslavije; sl, Nogometna zveza Jugoslavije; mk, Фуд ...

GNK Dinamo Zagreb Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb ( en, Dinamo Zagreb Citizens' Football Club, link=yes, italics=yes), commonly referred to as GNK Dinamo Zagreb or simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinam ...

director * Bruno Sorić,

rower Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is ...

, bronze olympic medallist 1924 * Darijo Srna,

Croatia national football team The Croatia national football team ( hr, Hrvatska nogometna reprezentacija) represents Croatia in international football matches. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS), the governing body for football in Croatia. It is a ...

player and captain * Igor Štimac,

player and head coach, president of the Union of professional clubs in

Croatian First Football League The Hrvatska nogometna liga () ( en, Croatian football league), also known as HNL or for sponsorship reasons the SuperSport HNL, is the top Croatian professional football league competition, established in 1992. Previously, it was called Prva ...

* Mate Trojanović,

, gold olympic medallist 1952

Other

* Branka Bebić Krstulović, Miss Croatia 1994 *

Luka Bebić Luka Bebić (born 21 August 1937) is a former Croatian politician who served as Speaker of the Croatian Parliament from 11 January 2008 to 22 December 2011. He is a member of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and has been a representative in th ...

, President of

Croatian Parliament The Croatian Parliament ( hr, Hrvatski sabor) or the Sabor is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of Croatia. Under the terms of the Croatian Constitution, the Sabor represents the people and is vested with legislative power. The Sa ...

and former Minister of Defence * Ana Bebić,

opera singer Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libretti ...

; participant in Operacija trijumf * Miljenko Grgić (aka Mike Grgich), California

vintner A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by wineries or wine companies, where their work includes: *Cooperating with viticulturists *Monitoring the maturity of grapes to ensure their quality and to dete ...

* Damir Magaš, first rector of the University of Zadar * Stanko Marević, National Heroes of Yugoslavia in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

* Mate Obradović, Minister of Defence Chief inspector * Božo Petrov, Croatian

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...

and politician;

Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...

in the cabinet of Prime Minister

Tihomir Orešković Tihomir "Tim" Orešković (; born 1 January 1966) is a Croatian Canadian businessman who was Prime Minister of Croatia from January to October 2016. Born in Zagreb, Orešković emigrated to Canada at a young age and spent most of his life there ...

, former mayor of Metković * Krešo Rakić, National Heroes of Yugoslavia in the

Ante Šprlje Ante Šprlje (born 20 August 1979) is a Croatian lawyer who served as the Minister of Justice in the cabinets of Prime Ministers Tihomir Orešković and Andrej Plenković from 22 January 2016 until being dismissed by Plenković on 27 April 2017 ...

, former Minister of Justice * Nikica Gabrić, ophtamologist, politician and

freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

leader

References

External links

*
Metkovic NEWs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Metkovic Cities and towns in Croatia Kingdom of Dalmatia Bosnia and Herzegovina–Croatia border crossings 1422 establishments in Europe 15th-century establishments in Croatia