Pag Salt Pans

The Pag Salt Pans (Paška solana) lie south of Pag Town in the shallow lagoon between the island and the mainland. Working salt pans have been here since at least the medieval period, when Pag salt was one of the Adriatic's most valued commercial products. The evaporation ponds — flat rectangles of shallow water that shade from turquoise to pink to white as salt concentration increases — are clearly visible from the main road and from the bridge approach, and they are managed as an active commercial salt operation.

The salt pans attract flamingos and other wading birds during migration periods, making them unexpectedly good for birdwatching. Salt produced here is available to buy at shops in Pag Town and at some producers directly. The view of the pans from the road, with the karst hills of the island behind and the mainland mountains across the channel, is one of the more striking industrial landscapes in the Dalmatian archipelago.

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A story
Pag salt has been harvested and exported since at least the 10th century. The island's salt was considered among the finest in the Adriatic because of its low humidity — the bora wind dries the evaporating pans faster than in more sheltered locations — and the particular mineral composition of the seawater channelled into them. Venetian merchants controlled the salt trade from Pag for centuries, and wars were fought over the resource. The salt pans visible south of Pag Town today occupy essentially the same ground as in medieval times.