Trsteno is a tourist place with a population of 240 at an elevation of 30 m. on the Adriatic freeway North -West from Dubrovnik. Two giant plane trees grow on the square in the middle of the place. They are more than 400 years old, which makes them the unique specimens of the kind in Europe, with a perimeter of over 11 m. The settlement existed in the prehistoric times.
An aristocratic family from Dubrovnik builds their summer residence here in the 15th Century. The parish church has a rich art inventory. The summer resort of governor Nerdelij and the Be-nesic family dates from the 16th Century. The Gucetic summer residence has a park with Mediterranean vegetation, which was the most famous arboretum in Croatia and a test station of the Institute of the Croatian Academy of Science and Fine Arts.
A historic collection is on display here. The "cetniks" destroyed the place and the arboretum with artillery which shelled the area from sea and from land. It will take centuries before the arboretum reaches its pre-war value and beauty. This is yet another example of ruthless destruction and savagery on the part of the Serbian army, which caused this world famous part of the Croatian heritage to cease to exist.
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