The tiny coastal strip that once served as a strategic buffer zone

Cultures · Published 1 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: For centuries, a narrow 20-kilometre corridor of land has physically separated the two halves of Croatia. This small stretch of Bosnia and Herzegovina, known as Neum, exists today because of 17th-century diplomacy designed to prevent a Mediterranean war.

The existence of the Neum corridor is a relic of the Treaty of Karlowitz in 1699. To prevent the Republic of Venice from invading via land, the Republic of Ragusa ceded two buffer zones to the Ottoman Empire. This strategic maneuver effectively cut off the southernmost Croatian exclave from the rest of the country, creating a tiny Bosnian coastline on the Adriatic Sea.

The borders were further complicated by shifting imperial powers. While the Treaty of Passarowitz in 1718 reaffirmed these boundaries, the Ottomans eventually seized the territory of Gornji Klek. Later, the Austrian Empire attempted to buy back these enclaves but failed, leading to a period where the Austrian Navy even used warships to block access to the port of Neum.

The modern geopolitical landscape was shaped by the 20th century's many upheavals. Following the 1918 defeat of Austria-Hungary, Neum joined the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. After the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991, the region became an international border between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. While the 1943 AVNOJ session principles helped define the current borders, the area remains a point of infrastructure tension.

In 2022, the opening of the Pelješac Bridge fundamentally altered the region's dynamics. By bypassing Neum, the bridge allows traffic to flow between Dubrovnik and mainland Croatia without crossing international borders or facing the customs checks that were previously required twice within a 20-kilometre span. This development marks a significant shift in the connectivity and sovereignty of the Dalmatian coast.

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