Neum
Neum is the only seaside resort of Bosnia and Herzegovina situated in the southern part of the Adriatic coast in length of 21 km of the Neum-Klek Bay, opposite to the Peljesac semi-peninsula /in Croatia/. Neum features true Mediterranean climate with hot and long summer and short and mild winter. Above Nuem dominate carstic mountains of the Dinaric range which spread in direction north-west and south-east. Neum is a city with population of 5000 inhabitants, a seaside tourist center of Herzegovina-Neretva canton and the only municipal center on the Adriatic coast located on the rugged coastal area along the main road between Dubrovnik /60 km/ and Makarska /80 km/. Ideally located on the Adriatic coast between Split and Dubrovnik /60 km/ and just on a short distance to Mostar and Medugorje /70 km/, and Stolac 50 km, featuring beautiful coves, harbors and tourist and fishing villages, Neum is an ideal and inexpensive holiday destination for pleasant fun and the sun holidays, successful event or tourist visit. Neum is known for cultivation of citrus plants and fruits with production of tobacco, figs, grapes, almond, laurel, cabbage, potato, onion and herbs and spices. Here in Neum locals traditionally grow goats, cows and sheep and produce several types of cheese, wine, herbal brandy, dried and salted fish, smoked ham, figs, honey and wool handwork. Neum features steep surrounding mountains, sandy beaches, clear sea, extremely hospitable locals and numerous comfortable hotels, villas, apartments, boarding houses and private rooms to rent with suitable tourist infrastructure.
Ever since the ancient times the area of Neum was well known as an important crossroad of different roads which led from the seaside to the mainland. The root of the name of Neum comes from “neon” (new), with the name of Neuense that had appeared for the first time at the beginning of the 6th century. The wider area of Neum is dominated by the Žaba mountain with the highest peak of Sveti Ilija, 955 meters, along which is named the medieval Žapsko zhupa and later its central and southern parts which spread from the Hutovo to the sea had the name of Zažablje.
From the middle of the 50’s of the 20th century, when Neum started rapidly developing as a tourist center, the ancient nucleus of the city had only seven families. Beside trade, nowadays tourism makes the leading economic branch of Neum. The town of Neum offers today to a tourist market around 30000 beds, with hotel capacities of some 3000 beds, and the rest of accommodation facilities come in different boarding houses, resting-places, motels, villas and private rooms-homes to rent. Until recently the tourist offer was exclusively based on littoral area for vacations on the sea, but plans of the near future include development of continental tourism with related dynamic activities at the hinterland of Neum. Namely, a large part of Neum’s outback is rich in archaeological findings which can enrich tourist’s offer. This kind of tourist offer could include a visits to archaeological findings, as well to the regions rich in intact nature beauty. Small, but numerous archaeological collections were created in the Museum in Neum thanks to the numerous lovers of everything that represents cultural heritage. Besides this, during their vacations in Neum, visitors are warmly recommended to visit the Hutovo blato Nature Park and explore magnificent stecaks – medieval carved tombstones in localities of Radimlja and Boljuni in Stolac, and the surrounding stecak sites of Herzegovina.
The cave Vjetrenica, which has got the epithet of the most beautiful in its category, presenting very important habitat of endemic species, obviously should be add into the tourist offer of Neum’s hinterland. Well protected from the strong open sea winds by the Peljesac Peninsula and the peninsula of Klek, Neum is considerably warmer comparing to neighboring coastal places, featuring large number of sunny days and sea temperature around 24 degrees Celsius during the summer. Bathing season of Neum lasts from June to October, even longer. Thanks to the smart policy of moderate pricing in Neum a large number of guests choose Neum as vacation destination during the season as well as in off-season period of the year. Of course Neum is not considered only for its beautiful beaches, sea and comfortable accommodation that make the vacations great. A rich, tasty and varied gastronomical offer of Neum in a great number of restaurants and taverns, festivals and folklore events, terraces with “live” music, promenades, sport terrains, water sports and other fun choices make sojourn ampler, pleasant and memorable.
