“We have spent two years of our life on holiday in Dubrovnik,” joked Manfred Keitel as he stood on his beloved beach near Dubrovnik. Manfred and his wife Brigitte from Germany have been coming to Dubrovnik, and to the same beach, for the past fifty years. They first fell in love with the region when friends recommend the beauties of Dubrovnik in 1966, and since then they have been loyal patrons.

Their home away from home

“We still remember the first time we came, there was a strong northerly wind blowing and driving was very difficult,” recounted Manfred on his favourite beach in Dubrovnik, Veliki žal. The beach, and their tiny cove, is like their second living room, a home away from home, and a beach they discovered on their very first trip to Dubrovnik.

Whilst in their second home the Keitels always arrive on their beach at eight o’clock in the morning and spend all day, until four in the afternoon, enjoying the Adriatic and the sunshine. “When we first swam on this beach there weren’t any buildings here but now we have a wonderful restaurant and we eat here every day,” smiled Manfred. And the owners of the restaurant, the Prizmić family, have become friends with the Keitels. “Everyone on the beach knows them, sometimes they arrive before us in the morning and then we all drink coffee together,” explained Vjekoslav Prizmic.

To mark their fiftieth visit to Dubrovnik the Dubrovnik Tourist Board organised a special event on their favourite beach today. Jelka Tepsic from the tourist board thanked the German couple for the long-term connection to Dubrovnik and along with Siniša Žakula presented the pair with gifts and a 50th cake.

The Prizmic family have become best friends with the German couple 

“The Keitels first come to our apartment fifty years ago, but in fact they have been more than fifty times to Dubrovnik as they used to come twice a year,” commented Branko Belohradski, who presented his German friends a panoramic photo of the Veliki žal, which brought a tear to their eyes.

Asked how Dubrovnik has changed over the years that they have been coming Brigitte answered that she remembered paying 30 pfennigs to ride the cable car in 1966.

Branko Belohradski presents a photo of their favourite beach