A wheel of Paški sir — the famous sheep cheese of Pag island

Historic Town

Pag Old Town & Skrivanat Tower

Pag · Northern Dalmatia

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CATEGORY: Historic Town
COUNTRY: Croatia
REGION: Pag · Northern Dalmatia
DURATION: 1 day

ABOUT THIS ATTRACTION

The town of Pag is a rarity: a planned 15th-century city, laid out in a strict grid by Juraj Dalmatinac — the same master who built the Šibenik cathedral — when the old settlement moved to the shore. Its stone lanes hold lace-makers still working the UNESCO-recognised Pag lace, the salt warehouses with their permanent exhibition, and Skrivanat, the only survivor of the original nine towers, now the town’s summer stage.

HISTORY & BACKGROUND

The story behind it

The old Pag stood inland; after its destruction the Venetian authorities approved a new town on the shore, designed around 1443 in Renaissance grid plan and built of the island’s white stone. The town lived from salt, sheep and lace — the Benedictine convent made Pag lace a craft of European rank, recognised by UNESCO as intangible heritage. Skrivanat tower, the last of nine, guards the little beach at the town’s edge.

WHAT TO SEE

What to see here

The grid streets and stone façades of the planned town.

A lace-maker at work (convent and workshops).

Skrivanat tower and its little beach.

The salt exhibition in the warehouses.

GOOD TO KNOW

Facts & Curiosities

Pag town is a planned 15th-century Renaissance grid — designed by Juraj Dalmatinac (c. 1443).

Pag lace, made by the Benedictine convent tradition, is UNESCO-listed intangible cultural heritage.

Skrivanat is the only survivor of the town’s original nine towers — today a summer stage.

The salt warehouses hold a permanent exhibition of a thousand years of salt-making.

WHY IT MATTERS

Why it matters

It is the only Renaissance planned town of the Croatian coast — and the home of lace, salt and cheese.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Before you go

Access

On the island’s southwest coast; the bridge from the mainland runs through town.

Best Time

Evening — the town empties and the stone glows.

Pairing

With the salt pans and a cheese tasting — the Pag day.

THROUGH THE LENS

From the road

MAP & LOCATION