The coast and the islands, including the island of Pag, were already inhabited during the Neolithic Age, but the first known inhabitants were the Illyrian tribe called the Liburni.
In the first century BC the island was invaded by the Romans, who defeated the Liburni. On the island you find numerous numerous vestiges from that period, including the famous aqueduct whose well-preserved underground segments can be still seen in Novalja.
It is in the seventh century that the Croats settle on the island. In the turbulent centuries that followed, different ruling authorities took turns: Croato-Hungarian, Venetian, Austrian and French, and the island finally became an administrative unit during the Habsburg monarchy.
The disease phylloxera laid ruin to the vineyards at the beginning of the 20th century in Dalmatia, Pag included, which led to mass emigration, especially to overseas countries.
The beauties of Pag, it is said, were discovered in 1925 by tourists from the Czech Republic and Poland, and in that year Pag registered 6580 overnight stays, but a real boost to tourism came with the construction of the Bridge of Pag in 1968.
