Ljubač

Ljubač is a small tourist village that stretches along a spacious sandy bay in the southern part of the municipality of Ražanac. This beautiful part of nature is called Ljubač bay, and it looks like a big lake, since the sea seems to be “surrounded” by the mainland and the island of Pag. The town of Ljubač is located only 15 km northeast of the large tourist center, the city of Zadar, and 8 km southwest away from the town of Ražanac and belongs to Zadar County.

This small place has a rich history. In a beautiful part of nature that looks like a peninsula, there is Ljubač hill, on whose grassy plateaus there is a rich archaeological site that speaks of the Middle Paleolithic era. Namely, these are the remains of the Old Town of Ljubač, that is among people called Ljubljana, or more precisely, there is the Castrum Liube (Jubae), which was mentioned as early as 1205, when the fortress was under the rule of the Croatian-Hungarian rulers. This fortress was the headquarters of the Templar St. Ivan. This fort served the Venetians in the 16th century as a strategic point for defense against the Turks. Today you can walk through the remains of the fortification walls and the ruins of the former three-apsed church that was located in this place. This quadrangular fort is surrounded by the sea on three sides, so from its peaks it offers beautiful vistas, i.e. a spectacular view of the bay, the islands and the mainland.

The old part of Ljubač was built in the true Dalmatian style with densely arranged small stone houses with narrow streets between them. This typical coastal town is far from noisy roads, and its beauty and peace attracts more and more tourists. Here, residents and tourists can enjoy the Mediterranean climate. Beautiful wide beaches attract people, especially many families with small children who come here to relax. This place has all the necessary facilities for carefree enjoyment and everyday life, such as beautiful beaches as well as beach bar, bistro, market, camp and a small port for boats.

The main branches of economy these days in Ljubač are olive growing and increasingly popular tourism, which is evidenced by the growing number of accommodation units. According to the last available census from 2021, this small coastal town has around 400 inhabitants. In the vicinity of Ljubač there are several bicycle paths where you can ride and enjoy the untouched nature of this area, and the national park Paklenica is not far away, as well as the inevitable river Zrmanja that flows through the karst where it makes its way through six canyons. In neighboring Vrsi, there is one of the most famous beaches in this area called Duboka Draga, which attracts many local and foreign residents with its uniqueness and natural characteristics.