Fortica (Starigrad) – The Spectacular Guardian of Omiš

Omiš is a small picturesque town at the mouth of the Cetina River, surrounded by impressive cliffs that leave no one indifferent.

At the highest among them, at an altitude of 300 m, lies the Fortica fortress. It is also known by the name Starigrad.

For centuries, it has defied bura winds and invaders, and it is an indispensable part of the Omiš skyline. Mirabella is the other Omiš fortress, but it is located at the highest point below the cliff, right next to the town.

It is believed that Fortica was built in the late 14th or early 15th century. Some of its parts (like the main tower) likely existed even earlier, on the foundations of the ancient fortress of the town of Oneum.

Fortica was mentioned in 1423 in Venetian sources as “Castella circa Dalmissiam,” and in 1443 under the name Starigrad.

Fortica or Starigrad is one of the most spectacular fortresses in Croatia, not so much for its appearance as for the location where it is situated!

It was built by local residents and the Omiš rulers of that time. At that time, power shifted between the Kačić dukes, nobles like Ivaniš Nelipić, and the Frankopans. Later, during the 16th and 17th centuries, the Venetians significantly upgraded and strengthened it with triangular bastions for defense against the Ottomans.

Although Omiš as a city was the target of many attacks, it never fell under foreign rule. Omiš was the seat of famous pirates. It had a system of walls that protected it, and Fortica was a “reserve” position or the last line of defense. There was a strategy that the defenders, in case of an enemy breakthrough into the city, would send boulders crashing down from Fortica. This would destroy both the city and the attacker. Fortunately, there was never a need for this tactic, as Omiš withstood all attacks even without it.

When mentioning the tactic of throwing boulders, something like that was carried out at this location much earlier, but not at the city, but at Odysseus’s fleet, when the then-inhabitants, the Laestrygonians, sank as many as eleven of his ships. Odysseus was saved because only his ship, likely out of caution, did not enter the Cetina’s flow. Falsifiers of history placed this event on Sicily, which has nothing to do with the descriptions from the Odyssey. The only location in the entire Mediterranean that matches the description is exactly the mouth of the Cetina into the Adriatic.

Several trails lead to Fortica. One of the most attractive in Croatia is certainly the via ferrata that leads along the ridge from the west, but we will review that another time.

This time we chose a more “classic” ascent from the southern side from the direction of Borak, a village on the eastern side of Omiš. The car can be left in a small clearing along the road near the turnaround point. If there is no one at the turnaround, it is also possible to park one car there without bothering anyone. If there is no space there either, one can find some widening in the village, and depending on the distance, walk to the beginning of the trail we marked on the map or take the trail that leads further east above the village and connects to the trail we used. We climbed using the trail that begins right at the turnaround and descended using the branch that goes east. The trail is so beautiful we couldn’t resist it. Long ago, we used only that variation.

The trail is mostly rocky and offers an open view of Omiš and the sea the entire time. It takes about half an hour at a slower pace to reach the fortress. If we add occasional stops, enjoying the views, and touring the fortress itself, it will take you about an hour in total.