Maškovića Han in Vrana

If you have rented an apartment, room, or holiday house in Vrana or the surrounding area, you are at a crossroads leading to many cultural and natural attractions of Central Dalmatia. Maškovića Han in Vrana near Pakoštane is a place you will visit if you are looking for romantic testimonies of bygone times and seeking traces of peculiar history in the surrounding landscape. Han is a mansion, a special building, whose construction began back in 1644 but, due to circumstances, was never completed according to the initial idea. During the time of the Ottoman Empire, many young men from Croatian lands left their homes and fought for the conqueror's army. One of them was Jusuf Mašković, originally from Vrana (near Pakoštane) in the vicinity of Lake Vrana. Mašković earned a high-ranking position at the Sultan's court and became the supreme admiral of the fleet. Five hundred workers were employed in building what was supposed to be a summer residence in his homeland. However, fate determined that Jusuf would never see his birthplace again. In 1645, he conquered Crete with 60,000 warriors and spared the captured Venetian soldiers, which angered the Sultan upon his return to the Turkish court, leading to his execution. Today, Maškovića Han in Vrana has been restored and renovated using EU funds, serving as the most imposing monument of Islamic culture on Croatian soil. Entering Han is like stepping into a fairy tale, with stone filigree structures enclosing magical terraces and gardens. The Han has been transformed into a heritage hotel where visitors can learn about the heroic history of the region and Jusuf Mašković. Guests of the Han are not just hotel guests but all those seeking respite from the dry summer amidst the centuries-old walls of the Han, which tell stories from the times of brave viziers and cruel sultans.