Gradina fortification complex

Rising above the Drvenik coast, east of the hamlet of Kostanić, on a hill called Gradina, is a fortified complex consisting of a battered defensive wall with a number of indentations for guns. The entire complex follows the topographic characteristics of the hill. The easiest way to reach the fort is by trailing a narrow road that connects the main road and Donja vala to the village cemetery and the church of St. Jure. The path to the top of the fortress is marked with red and white mountaineering markings. The fort is visited at your own risk.

Continuity of life all the way from prehistory can be found at this site, as the remains of prehistoric and ancient pottery have been found here as well. The fortress is mentioned as early as 15th century, while in possession of the Hum princes Vlatković. Archaeological remains of the church of St. Cosmas and Damian are preserved at the foot of the fortress.

In his chronicle, Pavao Šilobatović notes that the fort was conquered by the Turks in 1685. Andrija Kačić Miošić, in a poem titled "The song of the castle of Drvenik in the upper coast, conquered by the Turks on April 15, 1687", mentions the struggle of women to save the fort:

AI' u njemu ne bise junaka,
nego zena, jos i divojaka,
udovica i dicice male
i tri starca slipa i nejaka

There were no fighters within it's walls,
but only women, girls even,
widows and small children
and three old men, weak and blind.