In 1848 the first auxiliary elementary school began work and a regular state elementary school began work in the village which gave an impulse to improvement of cultural and economic life. After
the road had been constructed through the coastal Poljica in 1856,
present-day places Strozanac, Grljevac, Sv. Martin and Mutogras
started to set up.
A Public Library was opened, a school building was constructed as well as a social hall of culture, a port etc.
In 1908 Podstrana takes part in founding the Mosor Tourist Association for the Poljica region and in 1937 Tourist Association of Podstrana was founded.
Due to the intensive settling down of inhabitants in the recent twenty years Podstrana has been integrating into the process of Split growth. In that period Podstrana has transformed from an agricultural area into an urban part of Split agglomeration in which agricultural households have been losing ground steadily. Traditional farming has now very little importance. There are more than a hundred owners of private business in activities like catering, trade, transportation and handicrafts.
Podstrana is birthplace of famous Croatian artist Ante Kastelancic so in his family house is kept
great colletion of his paintings. He mostly painted everyday motives; nature; tipical dalmatian motives of his
village Podstrana (sea, boats, sky and trees), everyday people (fishermen, old women) etc. creating his own
expression.
ARCHEOLOGICAL FINDINGS
The Romans left there several
outbuildings, the traces of which are still to be found on Vinine
and Javor localities and on the graveyard in Sv. Martin.
Remains of roman stone statues, tombstones and mosaics were founded on the graveyard in St. Martin. Also remains of roman vilae rusticae was found in Strozanac.
There are also some records of Strozanac in the documents
from 11th century.
Medieval early Croatian churches, preserved
on the hillsides extending all along the coastal Poljica, are
also the testimony to existence of medieval settlements.
There
are some preserved buildings with characteristic style of the
time they belong to, telling us that the old village Podstrana
had been probably established at some time in 17th century.
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