Polje Jezero

Polje Jezero is an interesting natural phenomenon shaped by human hands. This now fertile green field, crossed by the Matica River and linking the northern part of Vrgorac with the outskirts of Ploče to the south, was created by draining a former real lake to open up farmland in an otherwise barren karst landscape. The project succeeded, and today Polje Jezero is proud to be Croatia’s largest wine-growing area, while its watery past lives on in the beautiful Matica River that winds through it.

Draining was made possible by a tunnel linking the field with the Baćina Lakes above Ploče. Yet Polje Jezero is still a dynamic landscape that the Matica often floods when it swells in spring, especially at the far southern end.

For cyclists this is a true trekking paradise for anyone who enjoys easy rides through a maze of vineyards, orchards, rocky hillocks that were once islands in the lake, and the winding river. The routes follow a “junction” principle, meaning that you shape them yourself, depending on how far you want to ride and what you want to see.

Trekking paradise here also means a generous range of extras, above all food and drink from the many family farms (OPG), which is no surprise in Croatia’s largest wine-growing area and the “homeland” of the famous Vrgorac prosciutto.