Osor

For other uses, see Osor (disambiguation).

Osor channel between islands Lošinj and Cres, Croatia.

Sunset in the Osor.

Osor (Italian: Ossero) is a village and a small port on the Cres island in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in western Croatia, population 63 (2011 census).

Osor lies at a narrow channel that separates islands Cres and Lošinj. The channel was built in Roman times to make sailing possible. Now the islands are connected with a rotating bridge.

The first settlements of the area date in the prehistoric times. In Roman times, Osor, then called Apsoros, was an important center of trade on the route to the ports of Northern Adriatic. After the fall of Roman Empire, Osor became a part of Byzantine Empire and was a seat of archdiocese since the 6th century. In 841 it was burned down by Saracens, in the 10th century, it came under Croatian rule. In The 14th century it was Republic of Venice, in the 19th Austro-Ungarian Empire and after first World World Kingdom of Italy.

After II World War Osor-Ossero was Jugoslav Republic.

Today, Osor is a tourist-oriented town in Republic of Croatia, with sculptures of Ivan Meštrović scattered around the center. Several camping sites are located near.