Name and Location

Svjetionik Rt Ražanj, also known as Cape Ražanj Lighthouse, is located at Salbunara 17 (also mapped at Salbunara 18), 21405 Milna, Croatia. The lighthouse stands on the western tip of Brač Island, in the municipality of Općina Milna, Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia.

Construction and History

Built in 1874 under the Austro-Hungarian Empire's maritime signaling programme, Rt Ražanj has guided vessels entering the western approaches to the Brač Channel for nearly a century and a half. Following Croatia's independence, the facility passed to the national maritime authority and was automated in the late 20th century.

Architecture and Materials

The lighthouse is a masonry structure incorporated into a single-storey keeper's house. The walls are made of local limestone, and the roof is covered with traditional clay tiles. The gabled roof shape has a small lantern room above the living quarters.

Light and Navigation

Although specific technical details on tower height, focal height, light range, and characteristic were not publicly disclosed by Plovput at the time of writing, Rt Ražanj is an active aid to navigation, fully automated.

Accessibility and Visiting

The lighthouse itself is fenced and not open to visitors. The exterior and immediate grounds can be approached on foot via a dirt track from the Salbunara-Milna road. Visitors should plan their approach carefully, as the final access path is unpaved and the site sees no regular tourist service.

Notable Views and Landscape

Rt Ražanj commands sweeping panoramas of the open Adriatic to the west, the shores of Hvar island to the south, and the pine-covered slopes of Brač behind. At sunset, the silhouette of the lamp against the Dalmatian archipelago is especially photogenic.

Anecdotes and Folklore

According to local folklore (unverified), fishermen of Milna once believed the light's beam would "chase away" sudden summer storms; this dates to early 20th-century oral tradition.

Technical and Operational Details

Rt Ražanj is an automated lighthouse, likely powered by solar panels with battery backup. The lighthouse does not have a radar or AIS transponder installed on-site, but AIS broadcasting is possible through passing vessels. The Croatian Hydrographic Institute charts for Bra�� Channel (e.g., chart NP 110 series) include information about the lighthouse.

Further Information

Plovput official page: https://www.plovput.hr/pomorska-signalizacija/svjetionici/svjetionik/a/view/id/4

Croatian Wikipedia (hr): https://hr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svjetionik_Rt_Ra%C5%BEanj

OpenStreetMap relation: way/159086764