Zelovo is a Croatian village in the Dalmatian hinterland in the Cetina region and at the foot of the southern slopes of the Svilaja mountain.[3]

Zelovo
Zelovo is located in Croatia
Zelovo
Zelovo
Location of Zelovo in Croatia
Coordinates: 43°45′07″N 16°33′04″E / 43.75194°N 16.55111°E / 43.75194; 16.55111
Country Croatia
County Split-Dalmatia
Area
 • Total11.0 km2 (4.2 sq mi)
Elevation
885 m (2,904 ft)
Population
 (2021)[2]
 • Total122
 • Density11/km2 (29/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
21230
Area code+385 021
Vehicle registrationST

The village is located 50 km from Croatia's 2nd largest city – Split, in the district of Sinj, 14 km from the town of Sinj and 7 km from the village of Hrvace, which is also the next largest settlement near Zelovo.

The surroundings of the village include the mountains Plišivica, Gradina and Orlove Stine (part of Svilaja mountain with a steep face), which are known for the occasional settlement of griffon vultures during their migration to the island of Cres and towards the Julian Alps in Slovenia.

The village also houses the St. Vitus Church, patron saint of the village, and the village festival takes place on St. Vitus Day, 15 June.

The village is known for its autochthonous Zelovo tobacco pipe made of clay. These clay pipes are made only in Zelovo and nowhere else in Croatia. In addition to pipes, the inhabitants produced also cigarette holders, wooden toys, furniture, wood carving decoration objects and musical instruments ("diple"-flutes, flutes and stringed instruments). Almost every household in Zelovo was a production site for various craft items. There are few rural villages in Croatia where craftsmanship was so developed and promoted.

The most famous product, however, is the famous Zelovo tobacco pipe. The beginnings of pipe production were recorded in the first half of the 18th century, when families with surnames Delaš, Domazet and Jukić moved to Zelovo, where the pipes were made.

Other surnames are Barać, Gabrić, Jelavić, Jelčić, Marović and Šako.

Notable people edit

References edit

  1. ^ Register of spatial units of the State Geodetic Administration of the Republic of Croatia. Wikidata Q119585703.
  2. ^ "Population by Age and Sex, by Settlements, 2021 Census". Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in 2021. Zagreb: Croatian Bureau of Statistics. 2022.
  3. ^ "Zelovske lule" (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 2019-11-11. Retrieved 2023-08-25.