Dubrovnik Neretva County - Dubrovnik-Neretva County is the southernmost Croatian county. It covers the area rich in carefully cultivated landscape and places with long history. Dubrovnik is county seat; the other larger towns are Ploce and Metkovic, important harbors, in the Neretva River delta. The County includes islands of Korcula, Mljet, Lastovo, Šipan, Lopud and Kolocep.
The northern part of the island Mljet is a national park and the Bacina lakes near town Ploce are a nature park.
The southernmost park of the county is small peninsula Prevlaka.
There is number of communities with great historical importance - Cavtat, Slano, Lopud, Mali Ston and little villages blending into the landscape of the coast.
Numerous monuments, archives and magnificent treasuries cover this county. Many different rulers and marine powers touched and clashed in this area throughout its turbulent history: Byzantium, the Saracens, Croatia, Normandy, Venice;, later the Hungary - Croatian state and through it the Roman - German empire, the Ottoman empire, Napoleons and Habsburgs empire.
After all, small town Dubrovnik managed, through the political intelligent of its nobles, to achieve a sovereign state, the Republic of Dubrovnik. The town turned its independence into a cult of freedom.
