Photo: Dragan Zeba · CC BY 3.0
Photo: Miljenko 1960 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Prološko blato is a seasonally flooded karst basin in the north-west of the Imotski field, with a permanent lake, Prološko jezero, in its eastern part. In winter and spring the whole basin fills with water; in the warm months it dries out again, except for the deep eastern lake. It is one of the last typical flooded karst fields of Dalmatia, most of the others having been drained for farmland.
History
On the western edge of the basin stands the small islet of Manastir, also called Školjić. Franciscan friars lived there during Ottoman rule, from the 16th century until 1715, when they left the islet for good on the eve of the last Venetian-Ottoman war; after Imotski was freed in 1717 they founded the monastery in the town. Excavations have uncovered the ruins of their monastery, a two-storey building, and fig and cherry trees now grow on the islet.
Nature
Prološko blato has been protected since 1971. It is a home for wading birds, above all in winter and during migration, with ducks and storks among them, and its waters are a spawning ground for fish. The basin lies in Imotska krajina, part of the Biokovo–Imotski Lakes UNESCO Global Geopark, declared in 2024.
Visit
Swimming
No reliable information
Tips
The basin lies in the municipality of Proložac, near Imotski. It is at its fullest in winter and spring, the best time to see it as a lake and to watch the wading birds; in late summer and early autumn the water recedes a little.
The Camino Imota pilgrim route lists the monastery islet among its sights, and the Blue and Red Lakes of Imotski, the geopark’s best-known sights, are a short drive away.
Nearby lakes
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Sources & data
- Croatia's 2022 Water Framework Directive reporting to the EEA: lake water bodies (SWB, category LW), field cArea, European Environment Agency (WISE WFD), reported by Croatia, 2022
- OpenStreetMap: Prološko jezero (relation 7392098), OpenStreetMap contributors
- Total Croatia News: Prološko Blato, Total Croatia News
- Prološko Blato (Proložac Lake) (2015), Total Croatia News
- Meet Manastir: Imotski’s islet and current excavation site (2019), Total Croatia News
- Monastery, Prološko blato, Camino Croatia
- Biokovo – Imotski Lakes UNESCO Global Geopark, Croatia Week