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 the central third of the Croatian coastline, including the Senj, Zadar, and Šibenik regions. All of this region is within the former borders of Dalmatia. 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.
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Šibenik-Knin County Lighthouses
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Zadar County Lighthouses
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![]() Vir Light, Vir photo copyright Arno Siering; used by permission |
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Lika-Senj County Lighthouses
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![]() Senj Marija Art Breakwater Light, Senj, July 2010 Flickr photo copyright Csaba Jekkel; used by permission |
Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: North: Northern Croatia | South: Southern Croatia
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Posted October 9, 2006. Checked and revised November 7, 2022. Lighthouses: 34. Site copyright 2022 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.