Archive · 2 Aug 2026
Galešnjak: Croatia’s Heart-Shaped Island Revealed
Galešnjak is a tiny Croatian island that looks like a heart.
It is only 0.132 square kilometres big and has a 36‑metre high hill.
The shape came from waves and wind wearing away the land over thousands of years.
People used to live there more than 7,000 years ago, and archaeologists found old stone buildings.
Today the island is owned by the Jureško family and has no hotels, so visitors must bring a boat from nearby towns to see its pebble beaches.
Galešnjak is a 0.132 km² Croatian island shaped like a heart.
Its shape is due to natural erosion and sedimentation over thousands of years.
The island’s highest point is 36 metres and its coastline is 1.55 kilometres long.
Archaeological digs in 2019 uncovered Neolithic habitation and an underwater stone structure.
The island is privately owned by the Jureško family and has no tourist facilities.
- Who
- Jureško family (private owners)
- What
- Galešnjak, a naturally heart‑shaped Croatian island
- When
- Shape formed over thousands of years; first recorded in 1806; highlighted by Google Earth in 2009
- Where
- Pašman Channel, Adriatic Sea, Croatia
- Why
- Natural erosion and sedimentation sculpted its contour
- Location
- Pašman Channel, Adriatic Sea, Croatia
- Area
- 0.132 km²
- Highest point
- 36 m above sea level
- Population
- uninhabited
- Owner
- Jureško family