Croatian
History
With its sublime stretch of Adriatic coast, Croatia
has long been regarded as one of the most beautiful parts
of Europe. Despite the tragedy of war, its charms remain
largely intact. Most of the tourist areas have been restored,
but reminders of the country's painful history abound.
The aura of medieval Croatia endures in the cobbled
streets of Rovinj and the recently restored other-worldliness
of Dubrovnik's Stari Grad. The country is also home to
some of Europe's finest Roman ruins, including the immense
palace of Diocletian in Split.
Before 1991, Croatia (then part of Yugoslavia) was shaping
up as the new Costa del Sol. Planeloads of Western Europeans
- 10 million a year - were hitting the Adriatic shores
in search of sun, cheap living, medieval quaintness and
perhaps a spot of naturism. But with Croatia's push for
independence during the violent break-up of Yugoslavia,
war inevitably turned the tourism dream sour.
Full country name: Republic of Croatia
Area: 56,538 sq km
Population: 4.43 million
CapitalCity: Zagreb
(pop: 777,000)
People: Croatian (78%), Serbian (12%), Slavic Muslim (Bosniac),
Hungarian, Slovenian, Italian
Language: Croatian, Serbian, Italian, Slovenian, Hungarian
Religion: Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Islam
Government: Parliamentary democracy
Head of State: President Stipe Mesic
Head of Government: Prime Minister Ivica Racan
GDP: US$22.44 billion
GDP per capita: US$4,566
Annual Growth: 3.7%
Inflation: 6.2%
Major Industries: Steel, cement, chemicals,
fertilisers, textiles
Major Trading Partners: EU( esp. Germany,
Italy), Slovenia
Member of EU: no
History
In 229 BC, Croatia's native Illyrians lost their land
to the Roman empire - in AD 285, Emperor Diocletian built
the palace fortress in Split, now the greatest Roman
ruin in eastern Europe. The Western Roman empire collapsed
in the 5th century, and around 625, Slavic tribes migrated
to Croatia from present-day Poland. The Croatian tribe
moved into what is now Croatia, occupying the former
Roman provinces of Dalmatian Croatia and Pannonian Croatia
to the northeast. The two provinces were united in 925
into a single kingdom which prospered into the 12th century.
In 1242 a Tatar invasion devastated Croatia. In the
16th century, as the Turks threatened to take over the
Balkans, northern Croatia turned to the Habsburgs of
Austria for protection, remaining under their influence
until 1918. Meanwhile, the Dalmatian coast was taken
by Venice in the early 15th century and held until the
end of the 17th century, when it was taken by Napoleonic
France and made part of the Illyrian provinces (along
with Istria and Slovenia).
A revival of Croatian cultural and political life began
in 1835 - the serfs were liberated, and northern Croatia
came under the rule of Hungary, which granted it a degree
of internal autonomy.
When the Austro-Hungarian empire was defeated in WWI,
Croatia became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats & Slovenes,
mercifully shortened to Yugoslavia in 1929. Croatian
nationalists were angered that Belgrade was made capital
of the union and, with the help of Macedonian nationalists,
organized the assassination of King Alexander in 1934
in protest.
In 1941 Germany invaded Yugoslavia and set up a fascist
puppet government (the Ustashe) in Croatia. The Ustashe
tried to expel all Serbs from Croatia, and when this
didn't work they set the pattern for ethnic cleansing
by murdering around 350,000 ethnic Serbs, Jews and Roma.
Not all Croats agreed with this policy, and many joined
with the communist partisans to overthrow the Ustashe.
By the time the war ended, about a million people had
died in Croatia and Bosnia-Hercegovina.
Postwar Croatia was granted republic status within the
Yugoslav Federation, governed by the communist Marshal
Tito. As Croatia outstripped the southern republics economically,
it demanded greater autonomy, bringing a series of purges
down on the heads of its residents during the 1970s.
When Tito died in 1980, a farcical political system was
instituted which resulted in the presidency rotating
annually between the republics, and Croatia's economy
ground to a halt.
In the late 1980s, severe repression of the Albanian
majority in Serbia's Kosovo province sparked fears that
Serbia was trying to impose its rule over the rest of
the Federation. As communist governments fell throughout
eastern Europe, Croats began agitating for autonomy and
an end to communism. In 1990 Franjo Tudjman's Croatian
Democratic Union won elections. A new constitution was
instituted which changed the status of Serbs in Croatia
to a 'national minority' rather than a 'constituent nation'.
Serbian rights were not guaranteed by the new constitution,
and many Serbs lost their government jobs.
In June 1991 Croatia declared its independence from
the Federation, and the Serbian enclave of Krajina declared
its independence from Croatia. Heavy fighting broke out
throughout the country, and the Yugoslav People's Army,
dominated by Serb communists, intervened in support of
the Serbs. When things looked hairy, Croatia agreed to
freeze its independence declaration for three months.
Nonetheless, fighting continued, and a quarter of Croatia
fell to Serb militias and the federal army. In October
1991 the federal army moved against Dubrovnik and bombed
the presidential palace in Zagreb, sparking EU sanctions
against Serbia. In November Vukovar fell to the Serbs
after a three-month siege. In six months, 10,000 people
had died, hundreds of thousands had fled, and tens of
thousands of homes had been destroyed.
After a series of unsuccessful cease-fires, the United
Nations (UN) deployed a protection force in Serbian-held
Croatia in December 1991. The federal army withdrew from
Croatia and in May 1992 Croatia was admitted to the UN,
after amending its constitution to protect minority groups
and human rights. In Krajina, Serb paramilitary groups
retained the upper hand and, in January 1993, Croatia
launched an attack on the area. Krajina responded by
declaring itself a republic and reducing its Croat population
by nearly 98%. In March 1994, Krajina signed a cease-fire
but, in May 1995, violence again exploded. Krajina lost
the support of Belgrade, Croatian forces flooded the
area, and 150,000 Serbs fled, many from towns where their
ancestors had lived for centuries.
The Dayton agreement of December 1995 eventually brought
a sense of stability to the country, allowing the government
to attempt to deal with unemployed ex-soldiers, housing
for displaced Croats and a severely damaged infrastructure.
President Franjo Tudjman died in December 1999, and
in January 2000 his Croatian Democratic Union, which
had ruled since 1990, was convincingly ousted by the
centre-left opposition coalition. The charismatic, earthy
Stipe Mesic was elected president. The new government
has promised to improve international relations, freedom
of the press, the state of the economy and to address
the country's atrocious human-rights record.
Culture
Twentieth century sculptor Ivan Mestrovic is the pride
and joy of Croatia's art world. His work can be seen
in town squares throughout the country, and he has also
designed several imposing buildings, including the Croatian
History Museum in Zagreb. Croatian literary figures include
16th century playwright Marin Drzic and 20th century
novelist, playwright and poet Miroslav Krleza - the latter's
multi-volume work, Banners, is a saga about
Croatian life at the turn of the 20th century.
Croatian folk music is a hotch-potch of styles. The kolo,
a lively Slavic round dance, is accompanied by Roma-style
violinists or players of the tambura, a Croatian
mandolin. Dalmatia's gentle guitar and accordion bands
have a distinctly Italian flavour.
Croats are overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, while virtually
all Serbs are Eastern Orthodox. In addition to various
doctrinal differences, Orthodox Christians venerate icons,
let priests marry, and couldn't care less about the Pope.
Thoroughly suppressed during Yugoslavia's communist period,
Roman Catholicism is now making a comeback, with most
churches strongly attended every Sunday. Muslims make
up 1.1% of the population and Protestants 0.4%. There's
a tiny Jewish population in Zagreb.
Croatians love a bit of oil, and among the greasy delicacies
you'll find here are burek, a layered pie made
with meat or cheese, and piroska, a cheese donut
from the Zagreb region. The Adriatic coast excels in
seafood: regional dishes include scampi and Dalmatian brodet (mixed
fish stewed with rice). Inland look for specialities
such as manistra od bobica (beans and fresh
maize soup) or struki (baked cheese dumpling).
Virtually every region produces it's own varieties of
wine.
Environment
Croatia is located on the northeastern shore of the
Adriatic Sea, bordered by Slovenia and Hungary to the
north, Yugoslavia to the east and Bosnia-Hercegovina
to the south and east. The republic is twice the size
of Belgium and swings around like a boomerang from the
Pannonian plains of Slavonia, across hilly central Croatia
to the Istrian Peninsula and the rugged Adriatic Coast.
The southernmost portion of Croatia's Adriatic Coast,
including the town of Dubrovnik, is separated from the
rest of the country by a knuckle of Bosnia-Hercegovina.
Croatia's main tourist attraction has always been its
beaches. The country has 1778km (1103mi) of coastline;
5790km (3590mi) if you count the islands. Most of the
beaches, however, are slabs of rock rather than sand.
The country's offshore islands are as beautiful as those
in Greece. There are 1185 of them, 66 of which are inhabited.
Croatia has seven excellent national parks. Brijuni,
near Pula, is the most carefully cultivated, with well-preserved
Mediterranean holm oak forests. Mountainous Risnjak National
Park is home to lynx, while the dense forests of Paklenica
National Park harbour insects, reptiles and birds, including
the endangered griffon vulture. At Plitvice Lakes National
Park you'll find bears, wolves and deer.
The climate varies from Mediterranean along the Adriatic
coast to continental inland. The sunny coastal areas
have hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. The high
coastal mountains help to shield the coast from cold
northerly winds, making for an early spring and a late
autumn. In Zagreb, average daily high temperatures peak
at 27°C (80°F) in July and drop to 2°C (35°F)
in January.
Zagreb
Zagreb has been the capital of Croatia since 1557,
and a lot of the medieval city is still around today.
Although Zagreb was hit by rockets in 1995, the damage
was not severe and recovery has been rapid: you'll still
see affluent looking folks shopping and sipping their
way around town in expensive threads.
The twin neo-Gothic spires of the Cathedral of the Assumption
of the Blessed Virgin Mary (formerly St Stephen's Cathedral)
were built in 1899, but you can still see elements of
the medieval cathedral that was once on this site.
Particularly
interesting are the 13th century frescos, Renaissance
pews, marble altars and a baroque pulpit. North-west
of the city center, climb the Lotrscak Tower for a sweeping
360° view of the city, or visit the Galerija Klovicevi
Dvori, which hosts superb art shows. Also in the area
is St Mark's Church, with its colorful painted-tile roof
and sculptures by Ivan Mestrovic, and the Natural History
Museum, Historical Museum of Croatia and the City Museum,
housed in a former convent.
In the Lower Town you can wear down your shoes and your
attention span at a whole host of museums, although many
remain closed, some for 'reinterpretation'. The Art Pavilion
hosts temporary contemporary art exhibitions, the Strossmayer
Gallery features paintings by the old masters and an
ancient inscription in Croatian. The Archaeological Museum,
like its contemporaries around the world, has exhibitions
of prehistoric and medieval artifacts and Egyptian mummies.
Out the back there's a Roman sculpture garden.
Before
you get a gutful of museums, head to the west of the
city where you'll find the Museum Mimara. This is one
of the finest art galleries in Europe. Housed in a
neo-Renaissance building, the gallery is the private
collection of Ante Topic Mimara, who donated thousands
of priceless objects to his hometown. The Spanish, Italian
and Dutch paintings are the highlight, but there are
also displays of glassware, sculpture and Oriental art.
The other real highlight of Zagreb is Mirogoj, one of
the most beautiful cemeteries in Europe - it's in the
north of the city. There are some gorgeous mausoleums
here, and the English-style landscaping is enclosed by
a long 19th century neo-Renaissance arcade.
Karlovac
Karlovac is located 55 km southwest of Zagreb; elevation
112 m; population 59,999. It is known for its trade and
industry: metal-processing (gas and steam turbines, diesel
engines, boilers, pumps, tools), chemical, textile, leather,
wood and timber, food (dairy, brewery) and building material
(brickworks) industries. Karlovac was named after the
founder of the fortress and the burg, the Styrian Archduke
Karl II Habsburg, the commander of the Croatian Military
Border. The construction of Karlovac started on 13th
of July, 1579, according to an Italian model (N. Angelini),
on the estate of the noble family Zrinski. The shape
of a six-pointed star, divided into 24 almost regular
blocks with the quadrangular pattern of streets, was
based in the spirit of Renaissance conception of the
defense and residential space. The only remains of the
fortifications are moats, while the remains of the former
old town include ten-odd nice and regular streets with
valuable Baroque structures and the central square. Among
the sacral buildings, the most prominent are the early
Baroque church of the Holy Trinity with the Franciscan
monastery and the national shrine of St. Joseph. Other
valuable structures include "Zorin Dom", the
Town Museum, the Music School and the very well preserved
medieval fortification Dubovac, today converted into
a hotel.
The attractive position of the town on four rivers (the
Kupa, the Korana, the Mreznica and the Dobra) and an
extremely favorable location in terms of traffic - on
the main road from Zagreb to the Adriatic Coast. They
facilitate the development of tourism, especially transit.
The landscaped park Vrbanicev Perivoj and Marmont Alley
of plane trees are protected horticultural monuments,
and the peat-bog plant community Banski Moravci, east
of the town, is set aside as a special biological reserve.
Among cultural and entertainment events and performances
in the town, the most important are the Beer Days (at
the beginning of autumn), a kind of local variant of
the world-famous Oktoberfest in Munich. One should also
mention pilgrimages to St. Joseph in Dubovac (19th of
March), the floral exhibition and fair (at the beginning
of June), St. John's Bonfires (at the end of June) and
the Karlovac Cultural Days (in October, November and
December).
The most important sports and recreational activities
are connected with the four rivers of Karlovac (swimming,
fishing, etc.). The surroundings also offer hunting and
hiking opportunities.
Karlovac – Heritage
The Karlovac fortress is a fine example of the Renaissance-style
urban planning, i.e. the so-called ideal town. The historical
guidelines imposed the construction of houses within
the defined blocks, respecting the requirements of planning,
which means that military installations and sacral buildings
were the first to be erected on the central, Renaissance
square. The town maps from the beginning of the 17th
century show two military barracks and the church of
the Holy Trinity. This early Baroque Franciscan and parish
church (17th c.) features the main altar made of black
marble with incrustations (an Italian altar type, a work
by M. Cusse in 1698), the Loreto chapel (Madonna Nigra
from 1700 on the 1775 altar), the Baroque altar of St.
Anthony of the Karlovac carpenters' guild (1689). Next
to the church is a monastery (18th c.). The square got
its final aspect with the attachment of two town-planning
verticals, when the imperial military engin-eer and Karlovac
architect J. Stiller extended the bell tower of the Holy
Trinity church and the infantry barracks (1783), and
built a wing of the Franciscan monastery, the arsenal
palace and the Orthodox church of St. Nicholas (1784-1786).
The iconostasis with 65 icons was made by the painter
A. Teodorovic (1813). On the square, in the level with
the front of the Holy Trinity church, is the votive column
(1691) erected during the period of plague, with a statue
of Madonna, in the high Italian Baroque style. In the
middle of the square is a well (1869), adorned with terra
cotta sculptures, symbolizing the seasons of the year.
A semicircular Baroque-style square was completely built
in the north-western part of the "Star" in
the 18th century. It features an early Baroque palace,
intended for a residence and the headquarters of the
fortress commander (general). It was built in the 17th
century by the Karlovac general Vuk Krsto Frankopan (today
housing the Town Museum); it is surrounded by artisans'
houses, military palaces and the Town Hall. Artisans'
houses were built on narrow and deep plots of land, with
shops in the ground floor and residences in the first
floor; they are built under the influence of the Pokuplje-style
architecture with wooden houses, adapted to the urban
way of living in the "Star". The houses that
belonged to merchants were larger, with spacious vestibules.
They often bore inscriptions of the year of construction
and the owner's initials. Military officers and noblemen
used to build the houses of a curiae type, with
very fine and sophisticated details made of wrought iron
or carved in stone. All residential buildings in the
historical core of the town have wooden corridors on
the backyard side, so-called "ganjceci". One
of the features of the entire Biedermeier style is the
construction of bourgeois houses within Renaissance blocks.
The most lively pedestrian zone in the "Star" (
Radiceva Street) features the house of Count Janko Draskovic
(1828), displaying the stylistic features of urban palaces
of the Zagreb architect Felbinger.
Northwest of the historical core of the "Star" is
the old burg Dubovac, situated on a hill, with the parish
church of Our Lady of the Snows, built on its eastern
side in the Baroque order (1683-1732).
Cultural and business institutions are located in the
south-western part of the town (Town Library from 1975,
architect M. Vodicka; Gallery from 1976; Historical Archives
from 1979; marketplace from 1970).
Karlovac has the TownMuseum (established
in 1952), with several collections: natural science,
archaeological, cultural-historical and ethnologic (18,000
exhibits). The "Vjekoslav Karas" Gallery (established
in 1952) displays paintings from the 19th and the 20th
centuries with a special emphasis on Karlovac-born painters
(V. Karas, M. Schieder, J. Sasel, M. Detoni, etc.). ZILIK,
the art colony (founded in 1974) situated in the children's
home, collects the works of contemporary artists. In
1987 the Franciscan monastery opened its Museum of Sacral
Art and Old Rare Books. The parsonage in Dubovac houses
the Museum of Karlovac Deanery (department of the Diocesan
Museum in Zagreb).
Croats as Soldiers
The Croats have a long history of being brave soldiers.
In the recent war of independence, there were many heroic
acts of bravery, particularly in the defence of Vukovar
where 3,000 volunteers stopped the huge onslaught of
the Serbian army and held the city for 45 days against
overwhelming odds.
If you go back through the centuries, the Croats constantly
fought the Ottomans and Croatia was never completely
conquered by them. Although the Turks captured Budapest
and Bratislava, they never took Zagreb. Croatian soldiers
took part in the Thirty Years War and were known for
the toughness and courage. During the Austro-Hungarian
Empire, they were considered the best soldiers the army
of the empire had. In 1848, when the Hungarians rebelled
against Vienna, the Croatian general Jelacic (who was
later a viceroy of Croatia) quelled the rebellion and
captured Budapest. Amongst those who have praised Croatian
soldiers is the English poet Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892).
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