Vranjic is a peninsula and a settlement, located north of the Split peninsula, near the mouth of the river Jadro.
In the past, because of its beauty and position directly at the sea it was also called "Little Venice". Latest archaeological research has revealed that Vranjic was inhabited in prehistoric times.
History of Vranjic
Because two years ago, two ancient statues were found in the area, hydro-archaeologists have expected to find ancient remains in recent underwater research. However, it was confirmed that the found ceramics belong to the Late Bronze Age, namely around 1000 BC. In addition to the prehistoric and antique finds, Vranjic is known for its ancient Christian artefacts.
Thomas the Archdeacon (a 13th century Roman Catholic cleric, historian and chronicler from Split) mentions Vranjic as an island, which he calls Hurania or "Huragniz".
The Vranjic population
The population of Vranjic, whose descendants still live in the village, inhabited it since 1650.
After reconquering the fortress Klis in 1648, Vranjic and the surrounding area was populated by Croatian people from the hinterland and from the Ottoman border regions, in order to better defend the country from the Turks-Ottomans in the future.
Today Vranjic is one of the few settlements about which is known when it was settled, the number of people who settled it in history, and their surnames. The most common surnames are: Benzon, Bilic, Bulic, Grgic, Grubić, Ivic, Jelic, Juric, Lalic, Mandic, Mikelić, Poljak, Milišić and others. We should point out the family name Benzon, whose members in Vranjic are the most numerous, and it is derived from baptized Turks (Otomans), rather than from the population of the Dalmatian hinterland. This town has 1,200 people according to the census of the 2001.
