Galešnjak, Heart-shaped island in Zadar County, Croatia.
Galešnjak is an island in the Pašman Channel of the Adriatic Sea in Croatia. It spans roughly 0.1 square kilometers and features two low peaks rising about 36 meters above sea level.
French cartographer Charles-François Beautemps-Beaupré first documented the island in his 1806 atlas of the Dalmatian coast. This mapping brought the formation to the attention of the wider world.
Three Illyrian burial mounds and ancient building foundations remain on the island, indicating past settlements and historical significance in the region.
Visiting the island requires advance permits, as the land is privately protected by the Jureško family. Private boat tours operate from the nearby village of Tkon on Pašman.
The island maintains its heart shape across different tide levels and weather conditions, making it remarkably rare worldwide. This natural formation resulted from geological processes working over thousands of years.
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