The Republic of Croatia (Republika Hrvatska in Croatian) is located on the east side of the Adriatic Sea and includes most of the coastline of the former Yugoslav federation. Including the historic provinces of Istria and Dalmatia, this coastal region has a very long history. In recent times it was part of the Austrian Empire for several centuries until that empire was dissolved in 1918, at the end of World War I. Most of the Croatian coast then became part of Yugoslavia, but the peninsula of Istria, in the northwestern corner, was annexed by Italy. After the end of World War II in 1945 the northwestern corner of Istria was part of the UN-administered Free Territory of Trieste until 1954, when the entire peninsula was reunited with Yugoslavia (the city of Trieste remained in Italy). Croatia became independent in 1991 when the Yugoslav federation fell apart. The country is divided into 21 counties, 7 of which touch the coast. The principal ports are Rijeka in the north, Split on the central coast, and Dubrovnik in the far south. This page covers lighthouses of the northern third of the Croatian coastline including the counties of Istria and Primorje-Gorski Kotar; the latter includes the islands of the Kvarner Gulf. The Croatian word for a lighthouse is svjetionik. The word rt is a cape or promontory, otok is an island, otočić is an islet, hrid (plural hridi) is a rock, plićak or pličina is a shoal, zaljev is a bay, rijeka is a river, and luka is a port or harbor. Many places in this area were better known in the past by their Italian names. The Italian names of lighthouses, when known, are shown in curved brackets {}. Aids to navigation in Croatia are managed by Plovput, a state-owned corporation. Plovput has developed fourteen of the light stations for vacation rental. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. PS numbers are the numbers, if known, from the Croatian light list Popis Svjetala i Signala za Maglu. Admiralty numbers are from volume E of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 113.
|
|
Lika-Senj County Lighthouses
|
|
Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Lighthouses
|
|
|
|
|
|
![]() Rt Oštro Light, Kraljevica, August 2021 Google Maps photo by Robert Marmilić |
Information available on lost lighthouses: Notable faux lighthouses: |
Adjoining pages: North: Istria | South: Northern Dalmatia
Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key
Posted October 9, 2006. Checked and revised January 24, 2025. Lighthouses: 36. Site copyright 2025 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.