Lopud

˝Can life be better anywhere else? Only a crazy person would come to our shores and then leave when they could stay here forever. ˝ - one Croatian poet and his verse from the 18th century;

Lopud is a small island 4.63 square kilometres (1.79 square miles) off the coast of Dubrovnik, Croatia.

It is economically the most developed of the Elaphiti Islands, and can be reached by boat from Dubrovnik or small coastal villages like Trsteno, Brsecine or Orasac.

The island is famous for its sandy beaches, in particular the bay of Šunj.

According to meteorologists, on Lopud island there are on average 215 completely sunny days per year! That kind of climate supports growth of the thick Mediterranean vegetation

Lopud was the seat of one of the republic's vice-rectors and, with a population of some 4000 it was a favoured watering hole of the city's nobles.

A large part of Dubrovnik's merchant fleet was based here

The island has been inhabited for thousands of years. Many remains of ancient Greek, Roman and Slavic buildings and ruins were found on the island.

Remnants of old Croatian culture from the 9th and 10th century are still present in some pre-Romanesque chapels.

Marko Labas from Lopud has a great blog web page with many interessting facts from the past of this island as well as details of famous persons that came from Lopud: http://islandlopud.blogspot.hr