St. George – The Peak of Biokovo

The highest peak of Biokovo and the second-highest peak in Croatia, Sveti Jure (1762 m), has always been spoken of with awe. There are many “Juras” across Dalmatia, but only one is the highest and most fearsome. When a hurricane-force Bura blows up there or a snowstorm sets in, this is not a place you would want to find yourself!

It is not unusual for summer to reign on the beaches of the Makarska Riviera in spring and autumn while it is winter on Sveti Jure. So it was during our visit too. The weather was warm and sunny, but when we rounded the northern side behind the summit, we were met by a sharp, cold wind, and there was snow on the trail. It was as if we had entered another world.

The best time to visit is perhaps late autumn, before the first snows. That is when the tourist season ends and the real hiking season begins. Tickets for Biokovo Nature Park are no longer charged then, and from the main entrance to the summit it is some 23 km, which takes about 50 minutes of driving. At the very summit there is a relay tower, which is fenced off, and a loop trail about 400 m long runs around it. The trail starts from the car park to the west, and at its easternmost point stands the chapel of St. George.

The construction style of the little church is shocking. It is cobbled together from leftover materials that happened to be at hand, which certainly does no credit to either the ecclesiastical or the tourism “authorities”.

The view from the summit is just like in the photographs. Special, and recognisable to those in the know. It reaches in every direction and offers a very distinctive image of a dense field of Biokovo’s countless peaks. Beyond it you can see the sea, and beyond the sea, on a clear day, even Italy.

At 1762 m, Sv. Jure is the second-highest peak in Croatia. The only one higher than it, by 69 m, is Sinjal on Dinara

If you want to “spice it up” a little, you can leave the car a bit lower down and start your ascent from the mountain lodge “Pod Sv. Jurom”. There you have a rather steep 160 m of elevation gain on an interesting, straight-line trail with a rope.