Why is Omiš called the “Pirate Town”

Omiš is the town here in Dalmatia where our Cetina river meets the Adriatic sea. Quite a spectacular view from above, as the River Cetina carved a canyon and created two mountains: Poljicka planina and Omis Dinara.

Its nickname Pirate Town, Omiš got from its history in the medieval times. During the 12th and the 13th century, the town of Omiš and its infamous pirates were ruled by the powerful dukes of the family Kačić. At that time the pirates of Omiš launched attacks against papal galleons and merchant ships of the powerful Venice, Dubrovnik, Kotor, Split….

At the peak of its power, the Omis Pirates were the scariest and most powerful pirates in the whole Mediterranean Sea. The Croatian coast of the Adriatic sea has had an advantage over the western coast because of its indented coastline.

In the 15th century the dukes of Omiš finally acknowledged the rule of Venice, but preserved their own autonomy. They paid a tribute to the Venetians and fought frequent battles against the Turks.

The medieval town of Omiš had the name of Olmissium, Almivssium and it developed right beneath the fortress of Stari Grad – Fortica, which is located at the very peak of the Omiška Dinara mountain and has been preserved to the present day. Due to the dangers of attacks which it faced both from the sea and from the inland, the town of Omiš was surrounded by fortifications, and one of its proud „guardians“ at the time was also the fortress of Peovica – Mirabella.