Ploce
The town of Ploce is situated west of the river Neretva estuary, where the delta valley meets the rocky karst hills. The most important characteristic of its position is the fact that the town is situated on a natural traffic line along the Neretva river connecting Bosna and Hercegovina with the Adriatic Sea, and again its location on the Adriatic Highway exactly half a way between Split and Dubrovnik. In its vicinity there are Bacina lakes and the Biokovo massif foothills.
In December 1992 Ploce got the status of town within the Dubrovnik-Neretva District, ruled by the Municipality, the Council and the Mayor. The following settlements are included in the town area: Bacina, Banja, Komin, Ploce (Stablina, Birina and the very town centre), Peracko Blato, Plina Jezero, Rogotin, Stasevica and Saric Struga.
On 6.11.1387. the Port of Ploce was first time mentioned in written records in a document kept in the Dubrovnik Annals. It talks about the Port of Ploce by the Neretva estuary (ad quedam locum dictum la porto Ploca que est in orificio fluminis Narenti). It is written in Latin, and only the name Ploca in Croatian, what confirms medieval name of Ploca. There are two more records important for Ploce. The first of the two dates back to 1426. It was written by the Dubrovnik Senate. The second one was written by Vicenzo Maria Coroneli (1650-1718). Among the other things it contains a historical map with the Neretva channel charted. In the middle of the eighteenth century pater Luka Vladimirovic in Cronaca della citta e teritorio di Narenta, talks about the idea to build a port near Sladinac and to dig a canal to solve the problems of the Bacina swamps. The port construction is found in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy plans in the second half of the nineteenth century. Contrary to their predecessors, they actually started building the embankment around the river estuary to the cove of Ploce. Its remains coould be seen even today.
The first real consideration about the port construction can be found in 1922. The first surveying was done then. In 1927 The Trade and Craft Association of Bosna and Hercegovina published a booklet The Port of Aleksandrovo (Ploce) at the Neretva estuary, where the basic guidelines for the port construction are given. After that, in 1936, three suggestions for the construction of a new port on the Adriatic coast were presented. Location of the present Port of Ploce was among them. The following year The Technical Report was made and The Study about the Port of Ploce was done. Here it was noted that the natural port of Ploce fulfilled all the requirements and that the preparations for its construction could start straightaway. Finally, in 1939, the real works began by mining the hill Zminjac.
During the Second World War the narrow gauge railroad Metkovic-Ploce was built. However the port was built just partially, so that a ship could dock. In 1942 an argument arose among The Third Reich, Italy and the Independent State of Croatia in respect with the port construction. The reasons of the conflict were connected with the exploitation of boxite in the area Mostar-Dubrovnik-Ploce. The railroad was used mainly for the occupying forces and their needs. While retreating, they destroyed almost everything that had been constructed.
On 11.07.1945. the Dalmatia Provincial Peoples Liberation Committee made a decision to build the port and a town. The first ships started coming to the partially rebuilt port by the end of 1945. Very soon the narrow gauge railroad was reconstructed, some minor works on the port facilitation were performed and the temporary stores, barracks and the magazines were erected as well. Still there was no settlement there, but the date is deemed as thebirth of the town of Ploce. In 1948 Ploce had 480 inhabitants, growing ever since. Apart from the residential buildings the primary school and the secondary school were built (1947-1954). The outpatient clinic was built (l954) and the infrastructure too. In 1950 Ploce got a new name Kardeljevo. In 1952 Kardeljevo became the centre of the municipality Kardeljevo (Ploce). In 1954 the town got its old name back. It retained the status of municipality till 1962. From 1962 to 1968 Ploce was within the municipality of Metkovic. During that period the most important construction projects having a great impact on the development of the port, the port settlement and the town of Ploce were realized. In 1965 the Adriatic tourist highway was constructed and the transversal road to Mostar as well. In 1966 the railroad Sarajevo-Mostar-Ploce was built. Since then the development of the port-industrial settlement and the town of Ploce was faster.
In 1968 Ploce became a municipality again, with the centre in Ploce. Assembly of the Ploce municipality was active from then up to 1992 when Ploce got the status of town. New municipality was given a part of the Neretva delta and a part of the Biokovo mountain foothills. Up to 1971 an economic profile of the town was formed and the residential buildings in the area of Prisnica and in the cove of Ploce were constructed. In 1980 the town got back the name Kardeljevo. It lasted up to 10.10.1990. For a relatively short period the town has grown into a modern port town with all the qualities necessary for a normal life of its inhabitants.
