 Allgemeine und geografische
Daten |
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 Surface: 56.542 km2
Surface of the territorial
sea: 31.067 km2
Population:
4.381.352 inhabitants
Capital: Zagreb, 770.058 inhabitants
Coastline: 5.835 km, 4.058 km being the coastline of
islands, cliffs and reefs
Number of islands, cliffs and
reefs: 1.185; the largest islands are Krk and Cres; there
are 67 inhabited islands
Highest peak: Dinara
1.831 m above the sea-level
Climate:
- in the interior: moderate continental climate with hot
and dry summers and cold and humid winters
- mountainous regions: fresh summer and sharp winters with
a large amount of snow
- coastal regions: Mediterranean climate with hot and very
dry summers, and mild but humid winters
- average temperature in January:
the interior -1 to 3° C; mountains -5 to 0° C; coast 5 to
10°C
- average temperature in August:
the interior 22 to 26° C; mountains 15 to 20°C; coast 26
to 30°C
Composition of population: the majority of the population
are Croats; national minorities are Serbs, Slovenes, Hungarians,
Bosniaks, Italians, Czechs and others
Religions:
the majority of the population are Roman Catholics, and in addition
there are a number of those of Orthodox faith, as well as Muslims
and Christians of other denominations
Official language
and alphabet: Croatian language and Latin alphabet
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| Die geschichtlichen Grunddaten |
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around 400 BC - the first Greek colonies are founded on
Adriatic islands
around 100 BC - Romans rule over the east
coast of the Adriatic
305. - Roman emperor Diokletian starts
to live in his palace in present-day Split
around 600. -
Croats start moving to what is today's Croatia
852. - Duke
Trpimir issues the charter in which the name Croatia is mentioned in
official documents for the first time
925. - Tomislav, the
first Croatian king, is mentioned, unifier of Pannonian and Dalmatian
Croatia
1102. - after the death of Petar Svacic, the last
Croatian king, Croatia enters into a union with Hungary
1527.
- because of the danger of the breakthrough of Turks, by the decision
of the Croatian Parliament, the Habsburg dynasty ascends to the Croatian
throne
1699. - Croatia is largely liberated of Turkish rule
1815. - after the short-term rule of the French, almost all of
today's Croatia is included within the Habsburg monarchy
1847.
- Croatian becomes the official language of Croatia
1848.
- Ban (Vice-Roy) Josip Jelacic defends Croatia against attempts of Hungarian
occupation and unites all Croatian provinces ban Josip Jelacic
1918.
- after the downfall of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy in World War I,
Croatia becomes a part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians,
later proclaimed Yugoslavia
1941. - German and Italian forces
occupy Yugoslavia; the Partisan resistance, which was put up by Croatian
antifascists within Yugoslavia, started to be organized
1945.
- the Federative Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia is proclaimed, and
within this, today's Croatia is a federative republic
1990.
- the first multi-party elections after World War II are organized in
Croatia
1991. - Croatian declared independence; after which
the Serbian rebellion supported by the Yugoslavian People's Army started
from Belgrade
1992. - the Republic of Croatia becomes a member
of the United Nations
1995. - the Croatian army quenched
the separatist rebellion
2001. - Croatia signed the Stabilization
and Association Agreement with the European Union
| Kulturhistorisches Erbe |
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Croatia abounds with cultural-historical monuments from all
periods, thanks to stormy historical events and the intertwining
of influences of different cultures. Influences of the Mediterranean
culture, numerous monuments from Antiquity, the Roman period
and early Middle Ages, Romanesque sacral heritage, and a series
of preserved Mediterranean urban complexes characterize its
seaside. Continental Croatia is part of the middle European
cultural circle and its prominent because of numerous prehistoric
finds of world importance, old towns, fortress and castles of
the Middle Ages and cultural monuments and architecture of the
baroque period.
BELEC - the church of St. Mary
of the Snow, from 17th and 18th centuries, with valuable baroque
artifacts
DUBROVNIK - one of the best-preserved medieval
fortified cities on the Mediterranean; built mainly from the
13th to the 16th century; completely preserved city walls with
towers, Rector's palace, the Cathedral, Sponza Palace, the Franciscan
Monastery and Lovrijenac fortress; the old town is the part
of UNESCO's World Heritage List
DJAKOVO - monumental
cathedral of the bishop J. J. Strossmayer from the 19th century
HLEBINE - village near Koprivnica, a cradle of Croatian
naive art
HVAR - preserved historical complex
from the 15th century, encircled by walls; Hvar Theater from
1612. is the oldest city theatre in Europe
KNIN -
medieval fortress above the city; surroundings are the richest
architectural finds of the early Middle Ages in Croatia
KRAPINA - paleontological site, Husnjakovo, one of the
most significant finds of Neanderthal Man in the world
LEPOGLAVA
- the spacious Paulist monastery complex with the Church of
St Mary, where the first college in Croatia was founded
MARIJA BISTRICA - the main Croatian pilgrimage center
with the votive Church of St Mary
MOTOVUN - picturesque
medieval town-museum on top of the hill
NIN - old
Croatian churches of St Kriz and St Nikola from the 11th century
OSIJEK - historical urban center, Tvrdja, with a series
of valuable buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries
OSOR
on island of Cres- historical little town where there are many
buildings from the classic and medieval period and well preserved
medieval walls
OTAVICE near Drnis, town in the region
of Dalmatinska zagora (Dalmatian Hinterland) - mausoleum
of the Mestrovic family
PAG - well-preserved
urban complex of a planned city, built in the15th century
POREC - historical urban complex; Euphrasius' Basilica
from the 6th century, one of the most important early Byzantium
monuments on the Mediterranean, inscribed into the UNESCO
World Heritage List
PULA - Roman amphitheatre from
the 1st century, the third largest in the world; the Roman Golden
Gate
RIJEKA - a castle on Trsat and the sanctuary
of St Mary of Loretta
ROVINJ - historical urban complex
with the Cathedral of St Euphemia from the18th century
SOLIN
- archeological area with remains of the large roman town of
Salona and a number of early Christian monuments
SPLIT
- historical city center with the Antique Diokletian's Palace,
one of the most important preserved late Roman historical monuments
and a part of UNESCO's World Heritage List; the Cathedral
of Saint Dujmo, the old Croatian church of St Trinity and other
significant locations
SIBENIK - historical
urban complex with the famed Renaissance Cathedral of St Jacob,
the work of famous sculptors Juraj Dalmatinac and Nikola Fiorentinac,
and a number of palaces and churches, a part of UNESCO's World
Heritage
TRAKOSCAN - a Romanesque castle above
the Trakoscan Lake
TROGIR - historical town on a
small island; a Cathedral from the 13th century, with the famous
portal of the master Radovan; the town is inscribe into the
UNESCO World Heritage List
VARAZDIN - well preserved
baroque urban complex; a number of valuable palaces, churches
and monasteries; monumental Old town; city cemetery from the
19th century with its unique horticulture
VELIKI
TABOR in Hrvatsko zagorje - the best preserved Renaissance
fortress in Croatia from the 16th century
VUKOVAR
- prehistoric archeological find, Vucedol, one of the most significant
Neolithic finds in Europe; Eltz castle was hardly damaged during
Serbian aggression on Vukovar in 1991.
ZADAR - historical
urban complex with well-preserved walls; several antique and
early medieval monuments, including a Roman forum and the unique
pre-Romanesque circular church of St Donat from the 9th century
ZAGREB - historical urban complex of the medieval Upper
Town and Kaptol; planned Lower Town from the second half of
the 19th century, with a series of parks in the shape of horseshoe;
the Zagreb Cathedral is the most prominent in the country |
| Die wichtigsten Museen |
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 DUBROVNIK - Archaeological
Museum, Ethnographic Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, Maritime
Museum, Treasury of the Cathedral, Marin Drzic House
CAKOVEC - Medjimurje Country Museum
GOSPIC
- Country Museum of Lika, in the nearby Smiljan is the biographical
collection of Nikola Tesla in his birthplace
HLEBINE - Gallery of Naive Art, Museum Collection of
Ivan Generalic
KARLOVAC - Karlovac Country
Museum
KLANJEC - Gallery of the sculptor Antun Augustincic
KRAPINA - Museum of Evolution located next to the site
of Neanderthal Man; the birthplace of Ljudevit Gaj
KUMROVEC - The Old Village - the unique Ethno-museum
with original village houses including the native house of Josip
Broz-Tito
MAKARSKA - Malacological Museum (collection
of shells)
OSIJEK - Museum of Slavonia, Gallery
of Art
PAZIN - Ethnographical Museum of Istria,
Pazin Country Museum
PULA - Archeological Museum
of Istria, Historical Museum of Istria
SPLIT
- Museum of Old Croatian Archeological Monuments, Archeological
Museum of Split, Gallery of the sculptor Ivan Mestrovic
TRAKOSCAN - Castle-Museum Trakoscan where with a huge
collection of old weapons
VARAZDIN - Town Museum
in the Old Town- Historical Section and Entomological Section
(collection of insects)
ZADAR - Archeological Museum,
National Museum, Maritime Museum, the Permanent Exhibition of
Sacral Art
ZAGREB - Archeological Museum, Ethnographic
Museum, Croatian Museum of Naive Art, Modern Gallery, Museum
of the City of Zagreb, Mimara Museum, Museum for Arts and Crafts,
Natural History Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, Strossmayer's
Gallery of Old Masters, Technical Museum
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| Wichtige kulturelle Ereignisse |
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 DUBROVNIK - Dubrovnik Summer
Festival - theatrical and musical performances (July-August)
DJAKOVO - Djakovo Embroideries - festival of Slavonian
folklore (July)
GROZNJAN - in central Istria - Groznjan
Music Evenings (July-August)
DJURDJEVAC -
Picokijada - folklore festival (June)
KRK - Krk Summer
Festival - concerts of classical musicians (July-August)
OSOR - island of Cres, Osor Music Evenings (July-August)
SINJ - Sinjska Alka (Sinj Tilting at the Ring) competitions
of chivalry (August)
SPLIT - Split Summer - theatrical
and musical performances (July-August)
SIBENIK
- International Children's Festival (June-July)
VARAZDIN
- Varazdin Baroque Evenings (September-October)
VINKOVCI
- Vinkovci Autumn Festival (September)
ZAGREB - Zagreb
Summer Festival (July-August), International Festival of Experimental
Theatres (June-July), International Folklore Festival (July),
Biennial Festival of Contemporary Music (April), International
Puppet Festival (August-September), World Festival of Animated
Films (June)
CRIKVENICA, DUBROVNIK, LASTOVO, NOVI VINODOLSKI,
RIJEKA, SAMOBOR, SENJ - Carnival (January-February; Novi
Vinodolski and Senj, also in July and August)
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| Einige berühmte Kroaten |
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BOSKOVIC, RUDJER (1711-1787.) the physicist, mathematician
and astronomer; one of the most recognized scientist of his
time, predecessor of modern physics, founder of dynamic atomistic
BROZ-TITO, JOSIP (1892-1980.) politician and statesman;
organizer of the antifascist rebellion in Yugoslavia during
the World War II
DRZIC, MARIN (1508-1567.) writer;
chronicler of Dubrovnik Republic, one of the greatest comedians
of the Renaissance (predecessor of Moliere)
GENERALIC, IVAN (1914-1992.) naive painter; founder of
the world renowned Hlebine painting school
GETALDIC,
MARIN GHETALDUS (1566-1606.) mathematician; he used algebra
in geometric; pioneer in making of conic lenses
GUNDULIC, IVAN (1589-1638.) writer; famous for his epic
"Osman" where he celebrated a freedom-loving spirit of Dubrovnik
Republic
KLOVIC, JULIJE (1498-1578.) painter; the
greatest European miniaturist of his time, he painted for the
Roman Pope and for the Medici family in Florence
KRLEZA,
MIROSLAV (1893-1981.) the greatest modern Croatian writer
and also one of the most significant Middle European writers
of the first half of the 20th century; founder of Croatian lexicography
LISINSKI, VATROSLAV (1819-1854.) composer; he wrote the
first Croatian opera "Love and Malice" in 1846
LUPIS,
IVAN (1813-1875.) nautical officer from Rijeka; inventor
of the torpedo, which was manufactured for the first time in
Whitehead's factory in Rijeka in 1866
MARIN (4th
century) stonecutter from the island of Rab; founded Republic
of San Marino, the first republic in Europe
MESTROVIC, IVAN (1883-1962.) famous Croatian sculptor;
he created monumental sculptures with national thematic; he
worked in the USA where he made his best known sculpture is
"Indians" in Chicago
PENKALA, SLAVOLJUB (1871-1922.)
inventor of the mechanical pencil and fountain pen in 1906 and
of the first Croatian two-seater plane
POLO, MARCO
(1254-1324.) Venetian adventurer and explorer; meritorious for
his explorations of China; according to tradition, born on Korcula
island
PRELOG, VLADIMIR (1906-1998.) chemist; he
worked in Switzerland, in 1975 he won a Nobel price for chemistry
RADIC, STJEPAN (1871-1928.) politician; founder of the
Croatian Peasant Party, he was democrat leader and champion
of Croatian liberation; he was assassinated at the Assembly
of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
RUZICKA, LAVOSLAV (1887-1976.)
chemist, he worked in Switzerland, in 1939 he won a Nobel price
for chemistry
SCHWARTZ, DAVID (1852-1897.) constructor
of air ship with a metal frame; Ferdinand Zeppelin bought out
his work and, based on them, built the aircraft which bears
his name
STARCEVIC, ANTE (1823-1896.) politician,
founder of the Croatian Party of Rights, advocated the policy
of complete independence of Croatia; named "the father of the
nation"
STEPINAC, ALOJZIJE (1898-1960.) archbishop
from Zagreb, cardinal and theologian; publicly condemned
fascist persecution during the World War II; after establishing
of the Communist rule, was imprisoned. He died in confinement.
Beatified in 1998.
TESLA, NIKOLA (1856-1943.) physicist;
he worked in USA; one of the greatest scientist in the fields
of electrical engineering; he projected the first hydroelectric
power station at Niagara Falls using alternating current; laid
the groundwork for the making of radar equipment; the measuring
unit for magnetic induction (Tesla - T) was named after him
TUDJMAN, FRANJO (1922-1999.) politician and historian,
he participated in antifascist movement. He came into conflict
with Communist regime because he represented Croatian national
interests. He founded Croatian Democratic Party (HDZ), which
won the first multiparty elections in 1990, he was the first
president of independent Croatian state
VRANCIC, FAUST
(1551-1617.) inventor, philosopher and lexicographer; he anticipated
a number of technical inventions, the parachute, among others
VUCETIC, IVAN (1858-1925.) one of the inventors of dactyloscopy,
the method for identifying persons by their fingerprints |
| Nationalparks |
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BRIJUNI - a group of two larger and 12 smaller islands
along the west coast of Istria; preserved Mediterranean vegetation,
zoo in the nature, cultural heritage of Antiquity. Due to its
extraordinary beauty, the Brioni Islands have been, for over
a hundred years now, a favorite tourist destination of world
statesmen.
KORNATI - the most indented archipelago
on the Mediterranean with 140 uninhabited islands, islets and
cliffs- it looks like a labyrinth of rocks and the sea. The
Kornati islands are known for their varied unusual forms and
extraordinary relief structure, and especially the high cliffs.
It is also a very popular destination among the sailors, there
is a marina Piskera in the national park and eight other marinas
nearby.
KRKA - the most beautiful karstic river in
Croatia, occupies the area between Knin and Skradin; deep canyons
are carved in limestone plateaus; among many waterfalls, the
most famous are Skradinski Buk and Roski Slap; between these
two wonderful waterfalls is located Visovac Lake and the Franciscan
monastery, which is located in the point where river enter the
lake.
MLJET - an island of the Southwest of Dubrovnik;
the west part of the island is a national park characterized
by two deep bays which are called lakes due to their very narrow
passages to the open sea; lush and diversified Mediterranean
vegetation, valuable monuments from classical period and Benedictine
monastery from the 12th century on islet in the midst of the
lake.
PAKLENICA - a national park on the southern
side of Velebit, the largest mountain massif of Croatia. Two
impressive canyons of Velika and Mala Paklenica, vertically
cut into the mountain from the sea to the peaks are the main
attraction of the park; there are several unusual carstic forms,
several caves, and extremely rich and varied flora and fauna;
monumental steep rock Anica kuk is the most popular destination
for Croatian alpinists training
THE PLITVICE LAKES (PLITVICKA
JEZERA) - the most beautiful and the most popular Croatian
national park, part of the UNESCO's World Heritage, situated
at the main road from Zagreb to Dalmatia; 16 little lakes interconnected
with waterfalls created by deposition of travertine, dense
forests of beech and fir, partly in the form of primeval virgin
forest, many animal species (including the brown bear); there
is a special vehicle for transporting visitors (panoramic trains
and electric boats).
RISNJAK - a wooded mountain
massif to the north of Rijeka; due to its position at the junction
between the Alps and the Dinarides, almost all types of forests,
as well as many plant and animal species are gathered here,
in a relatively small area, including brown bear, lynxes, leaps,
dears, eagles; the beauty of the forest, carst phenomena, beautiful
springs and magnificent views attract many hikers.
NORTH
VELEBIT (SJEVERNI VELEBIT)- due to its natural beauty is
the most valuable and the most attractive peak part of Velebit.
It includes nature reserves Hajducki and Rozanski kukovi with
attractive Karst forms and Luka's cave, one of the deepest in
the world and the famous Velebit Botanical garden.
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| Naturparks |
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 Nature parks are wide natural or cultivated
areas with high esthetical, ecological, educational, cultural-historical
and tourist-recreation values.
BIOKOVO - a grandiose
mountain above Makarska Riviera; various flora and fauna, beautiful
sights
KOPACKI RIT - an extensive wetland
area located at the confluence of the Rivers Drava and Danube;
rich in plants and animals, particularly wading birds, deer
and wild boars
LONJSKO POLJE - one of the largest
swamps of Europe, located by the river of Sava, east from Sisak;
huge oak forests, rich bird fauna, particularly storks
MEDVEDNICA
- a mountain massif above Zagreb; recreational area where there
are beech and fir-tree forest, attractive caves and deep stream
valleys
TELASCICA - a spacious narrow bay on the
island of Dugi otok, near the National Park Kornati; a navigators'
destination; a small lake next to the sea and the biggest
croatian cliffs (up to 800 m)
VELEBIT - the biggest
and the most beautiful Croatian mountain; due to its unique
relief and its plants and animals, it's declared the World reserve
of Biosphere; the greatest protected area in the country, it
includes both National parks North Velebit and Paklenica
ZUMBERAK-SAMOBOR MOUNTAINS - north of Zagreb; spacious
meadows, picturesque villages with well-indented relief and
deep canyons
PAPUK - the largest mountains in Slavonia;
significant due to its forest cover and partly eruptive relief
UCKA - a mountain on the east of Istria, above the Kvarner
Riviera; interesting relief and flora, magnificent sights
LAKE OF VRANA - the largest lake of Croatia, near Zadar;
due to its vicinity to the sea, there are both sea and freshwater
fish in it and itis also famous for variety of birds
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| Andere geschützte Gebiete |
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- two strict reserve
- 73 special reserve (botanical, geomorphologic, hydrological,
ichthyologic, ornithological, maritime, zoological), 27
park-forests, 28 significant landscapes, 75 natural phenomenon
(geological, geomorphologic, hydrological, paleontological,
rare trees examples) and 120 horticultural locations (arboretum,
botanic gardens, parks, trees and groves)
- a total surface of protected areas is 4.585 km, or 8 per
cent of the Croatian surface; 380 animal species and 44
plants are protected
Other natural sights to visit:
RIVER DRAVA - one
of the largest rivers of Europe a significant part of which
is in its natural condition; proposed as a World Biosphere Reserve
RIVER DOBRA - at Karlovac; known because of its cleanliness,
richness of fishes and attractive canyons and rapids; it's a
perfect place to go rafting, kayaking or canoeing
RIVER
MREZNICA - at Karlovac, with a series of waterfalls on gypsum
barriers; attractive canyons and favorite bathing sports
WHITE ROCKS (BIJELE STIJENE) AND SAMARSKE ROCKS (SAMARSKE
STIJENE) - on Bjelolasica mountain in region of Gorski Kotar;
a multitude of bizarre karstic forms in the wild and wooded
landscape; strictly protected nature reserve
DEVIL'S
PASSAGE (VRAZJI PROLAZ) - at Skrad, a small town
in the central part of Gorski Kotar; a picturesque narrow canyon
with a scary footpath in the rock passing through it; at the
entrance of the canyon is the attractive waterfall Zeleni vir
LIM GULF (LIMSKI ZALJEV) - the picturesque deep sea bay
at the west coast of Istria; it's very narrow and sharp, so
it looks like a Norwegian Fjord
RIVER GACKA - in
Otocac, town in region of Lika; with series of picturesque springs
and old water mills, known as one of the most significant fishing
sports for trout in Europe
GOLDEN CAPE (ZLATNI RAT)
at BOL, a town on island of BRAC - it's probably the most beautiful
beach on Adriatic; it's a pebble cape, surrounded with pine
forest; the cape changes the form according to the direction
of waves
BLUE LAKE and RED LAKE - lakes
at Imotski, town in region of Dalmatinska zagora (Dalmatian
Hinterland); the unique deep karstic phenomenon of two exceptionally
deep holes (Red lake is 500 m deep)
BLUE CAVE - a
famous cave on island of Bisevo, near the island of Vis; prominent
because of its blue color; according to many, much nicer than
the similar but better known cave on Capri
DELTA OF NERETVA
- in the south of the country, the unique swampy area with specific
vegetation of reed, famous for its gathering of a large variety
of birds
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| Sport, Freizeitvergnügen,
Unterhaltung |
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  Sports grounds: next to most
hotels and campgrounds on the Adriatic are numerous grounds
for tennis, basketball, beach volleyball and other sports. Tennis
is especially popular, and Umag in Istria and Zagreb host the
ATP tournament and Bol on Brac hosts the WTA tournament.
Water sports: in bigger tourist
centers, it's possible to rent boats, fishing and diving equipment,
and there are numerous scuba diving schools and schools for
wind-surfing. Rafting is organized on rivers Cetina and Dobra.
You can experience a wild kayak or canoe riding on rivers Kupa,
Korana, Mreznica, Cetina and Una.
Climbing: marked mountain trails, mountains hut and shelters
are on all larger mountains, and especially in Gorski Kotar,
Velebit, Ucka, Mosor, Biokovo, Medvednica, Zumberak, Ivancica
and Papuk.
Stadiums: for Olympic sports
and large sports hall are found in Split and Zagreb, where Students
World Championship (Universiade) and Mediterranean Games were
held. Large stadiums and sports halls are also found in other
major towns.
Entertainment: most highly rated hotels
have casinos and nightclubs, especially in Zagreb, Opatija,
Umag, Porec, Rovinj, Pula and Dubrovnik. All larger cities and
major tourist resorts on the Adriatic have disco clubs, while
in summer, dancing evenings under the open sky and various entertainment
events are regularly organized |
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