The D8 state road is the Croatian section of the Adriatic Highway, running from the Slovenian border at Pasjak via Rijeka, Senj, Zadar, Šibenik, Split, Opuzen and Dubrovnik to the border with Montenegro at Karasovići.
Most of the D8 state road remains single carriageway, though with some dual carriageway stretches. The total length of the road through Croatia is 643.1 kilometers and its most attractive part is via Adriatic coast.
This picture depicts the sixties on the road, at the moment when the D8 was opened. In 1963, the so-called ‘Adriatic Highway’ was ceremonially laid out, marked and opened.
We learn this from the hard-working group of enthusiasts ‘Dubrovnik and its surroundings then and now (Dubrovnik i okolica nekad i sad)’ who collect archival materials of our city and its surroundings. It is their Facebook group that is adorned with a photo of the highway in the early sixties.
Many commented with nostalgia, those a bit older remembered what it was like to be among the first to go for a ride! And today? The highway is the ‘nightmare’ of many drivers during the rush hour – crowds, nervousness, heat…
While this rare photo shows something quite the opposite – the pleasure of driving on the new ‘highway’, as they called the D8 at the time, with the most beautiful view in the world!
