Until recently I did not question the origin of the toponym Zlatni rat. Then, in the Toponimija hrvatskoga jadranskog pros-tora (Toponymy of the Croatian Adriatic area, 2005) by Petar Šimunović, I’ve noticed that the author, while comment-ing on some meaningless toponyms introduced by tourist business, gives Zlatni Rat as an example. However, he did not mention the older name, so I’ve reached for the oldest source at hand, Enciklopedija Jugoslavije (Encyclopedia Yugoslavica). And yes, on a map in Vol. 4 (1960), Zlatni Rat appears under the name Dugi Rat (Long Cape). Well, besides tourism, I can see another reason to abandon name Dugi Rat: the same toponym exist on the central Dalmatian coast, one which is known as a heavy industrialized area (and there are some dirty ecological jokes on the subject).

Interestingly enough, in Vol. 1 (1955) of Enciklopedija Jugoslavije, in the text on the town of Bol, the cited name is Zlatna Punta, not Dugi Rat; "punta" in everyday Dalmatian terminology points to any promontory, including artificially built pier. So, the map on the left, although published in 1960, must be older.

 2008-02-10 

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