History Makarska - Historical and Cultural Information about Makarska
The area of Makarska was inhabited by the Illyrians. The city appeares in the Tabula Peutingeriana as the port of Inaronia, but is mentioned as Muccurum in a document of the synod held in the Salona (533), when also the town's diocese was created. In the 7th century the region between rivers Cetina and Neretva was occupied by the Slavs, who established the Neretva Principality, with Makarska as its administrative centre. The doge of Venice Pietro I Candiano, whose Venetian fleet aimed to punish the piratesque activities of the city's vessels, was defeated here on September 18, 877. The principality was annexed to the Kingdom of Croatia in the 12th century, and was conquered by the Republic of Venice a century later. In the late 15th century the Ottomans conquered Makarska (cited by this name for the first time in 1502), sourrounding it with walls provided with three towers, not disappeared. After the return tunder the Venetian aegis from 1646, it was given to the Austrians by the Treaty of Campo Formio (1797). In 1805-1815 it was under French rule, which brought cultural, social and economic development. The Congress of Vienna assigned Makarska to Austria-Hungary, under which it remained until 1918.
In the early 20th century agriculture, trade and fishing remained the mainstay of economy. In 1914 the first hotel was built, beginning the tourism tradition in the area.
