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This town with a port is the centre of tourist on the 60-km-long Makarska Riviera which extends to the settlement of Gradac. A ferry line connects it with the island of Brac (Sumartin). It enjoys nearly as many sunny days as Hvar, but the bora blows strong during the winter. The main economic activities are agriculture, wine growing, olive groves, fruit growing, food industry, navigation, fishing and tourism. The semi-circular town lies on the coast beneath the steep slopes of Mt. Biokovo.
The old core has a Mediterranean appearance, while the new part features hotels, restaurants and shops. The 1.5 km long beach on the Donja Luka Bay is surrounded by a park and a pine forest in the northwest, and there are numerous other sandy beaches further on. The Biokovka Health Resort offers various therapies. The history of Makarska began in the village of Makar 1 km from the town, or rather in the Roman settlement of Muccurum, which was supposedly razed to the ground by the Ostrogoths in 548. Makarska was ruled by the Neretvan rulers, followed by the Bosnian Kotromanic family, the Turks, the Venetians and finally by the Austrians until 1918. The settlement was urbanised by the Austrians, who used its anchorage for their war ships. The first hotel was built in 1914. The present town centre developed in the 17th and 18th centuries around the main square and the Parish Church of sv. Marko (St. Mark) from the 18th century. On the square stands a monument to the Enlightenment writer and Franciscan monk Andrija Kacic Miosic. A ring road leads from the coast around the Sveti Petar Peninsula. Near Cape Dsejava south of the port stands a Franciscan monastery from 1400, whose present appearance dates from 1614. The monastic church houses a gallery. The Malacological Museum exhibits a large collection of sea shells (around 10,000).
The port is exposed to southerly and southwesterly winds. Boats can berth at a pier or in a long harbour with depths between 2 and 5 m. In the western part of the port lies a club harbour with a launch ramp and a 3-ton lift. Anchorage is available in the Donja Luka Bay, which is exposed to westerly and northwesterly winds.