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Boosting a rich cultural
heritage that dates back to medieval days, Zagreb
remains delightfully alluring as both a historic gem
and modern-day economic hub. Its ancient cobble
stone streets, majestic ruins, landscaped promenades
and stately architecture speak volumes about a past
defined by the glories of the Roman empire,
centuries of the Venetian rule and imprints of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire. Ban Josip Jelacic Square,
with the equestrian statue of Ban Jelacic (made by
the sculptor Antun Fernkorn, 1866), is the usual
starting point for sightseeing tours through the
three historical parts of Zagreb: the Upper Town
(Gornji Grad), Kaptol and the Lower Town (Donji
Grad).
Gornji Grad is a more recent name for the mediaeval
town which was chartered in 1242. (by the so-called
Golden Bull) and thus obtained the status of "the
free royal town on Gradec Hill of Zagreb". It lies
on a slope between the walls constructed around the
mid-13th century. The town used to have four gates.
The Stone Gate (Kamenita Vrata), the only preserved
city gate, represents the entrance to the Upper
Town. It was first mentioned in the Middle Ages, and
its present aspect dates from 1760, when the Baroque
chapel of the Mother of God was constructed around
the old painting by a local master, which survived
the fire of 1731.
St. Mark Square is the centre of the Upper Town, the
main square of the former Gradec. The town parish
church of St. Mark was built in the mid-13th
century. Catherine's Square is another square in the
Upper Town, dominated by the church of St.
Catherine, the most beautiful Baroque church in
Zagreb. It was erected by the Jesuits between 1620.
and 1632.
The Gothic Cathedral, built from the 13th to the end
of the 15th century, was renovated after the
earthquake of 1880, when the neo-Gothic façade with
two high bell towers (105 m), which have become the
symbol of Zagreb, was built. The central city
cemetery Mirogoj, opened in 1876, lies outside the
heart of the city. The mortuary, the impressive and
picturesque arcades with the church of Christ the
King (architect H. Bollé, 1883-1914) in particular,
as well as the tombs, in which notable personalities
were buried, monuments and the greenery make Mirogoj
a distinguished monument of the culture and history
of Zagreb and Croatia. |
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Its been called a classic
medieval heart-stopper, with ancient fairy tales and
orange-tiled roofs draped over the high-cliffed
Adriatic Coastline. A World Heritage Site, Dubrovnik
is filled with fountains, palaces and cathedrals,
rich in history and culture dating back to the 7th
century. The monument-city of Dubrovnik was the
first place to be inscribed on the List of the World
Heritage Sites by UNESCO. The former city of Ragusa
is widely considered to be most beautiful place of
Croatia. Throughout the history the city has
competed with mighty Venice to control the waters of
Adriatic. Today it still continues to rival Venice
with its beauty and charming atmosphere. It would be
really hard to single out any of the most
fascinating pieces of architecture. The Franciscan
an the Dominican Monastery, the Cathedral, the
Rector's Palace, Stradun, the imposing city walls
and St. Blaise's church figure among the most
impressive and interesting sites which simply
deserve attention and admiration. |
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Split is the second largest
city in Croatia, with just under 200,000
inhabitants, and is the largest city on the Adriatic
coast. Emerging from a Greek settlement founded
between the 3rd and 4th centuries, the height of
Split's history came in 295 AD when Roman emperor
Diocletian ordered a residence to be built there for
his retirement. It took ten years to build this
magnificent palace and Diocletian lived there until
his death in 313 AD.
Trogir is a town - museum in
the very meaning of the word. Lovers of cultural and
historical monuments, art, original architecture and
nice alleys are given the opportunity in Trogir to
learn about the manifold and complex heritage - from
the Romanesque yard to the modern interiors. The
unique historical core, Radovan's portal, the art
collections which have been arousing excitement
among visitors and travelers for centuries offer a
tourist beauty, personified in the relief of Kairos
as an appropriate souvenir. The wider surroundings
of Trogir (Trogir - Seget - Ciovo Riviera) is
characterized by lavish green vegetation, numerous
islands and islets, rocky and pebble beaches.
Solin (Salona), formerly the
capital of a Roman province, and describing its
important monuments, is a task both appealing and
hard. It is well known, namely, that Salona
disappeared at the end of the classical époque,
never to be renewed again. In the Middle Ages, the
Salonitan town area, the entire former Salonitan
ager (agricultural lands), established at the end of
the Roman Republic, was between three important
centers that were often in collision: between the
towns of Trogir and Split, and the Klis fortress,
for a long time in the possession of the Croatian
dignitary families, and then by the Turks.
This inevitably determined the destiny of the former
town of Salona, the present Solin, and its
environments. |
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The Plitvice Lakes National
Park, Croatia's most popular tourist attraction, was
granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 1979.
Located roughly halfway between capital city Zagreb
and Zadar on the coast, the lakes are definitely a
must-see. The beauty of the National Park lies in
its sixteen lakes, inter-connected by a series of
waterfalls, and set in deep woodland populated by
deer, bears, wolves, boars and rare bird species.
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Mljet is an island of forests
and saltwater lakes, with one third of the island
protected by national-park status. Mljet is almost
an untouched island where you can enjoy its sights,
scents and sounds and feel like you're in the most
tranquil place on earth.
The most attractive area is western part of the
island which is protected national park. There, in
the midst of a hilly forest are two saltwater lakes.
In the middle of bigger lake is a tiny island with a
12th-century Benedictine monastery. The whole area
is perfect for walking, kayaking or cycling and
enjoying peace and tranquility. |
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Zadar Old Town is located on
the tip of a narrow peninsula. Most of the town is
surrounded by city walls, with towers and the two
city gates being of interest. For centuries the
capital city of Dalmatia and today the centre of the
region. A city with a rich heritage of world
importance, visible at every step. The Roman Forum
from the 1st century, St. Donatus Church from the
9th century is the most famous medieval basilica and
trademark of the city. The reconstructed Romanesque
St. Grisigono's Church from the 12th century and the
St. Mary's bell tower from the year 1105; the St.
Anastasia's Cathedral from the 13th century; the
People's Square with the City's Lodge and Guardhouse
from the 16th century, as well as the mighty
fortification walls with first class Sea (farer's)
and Land gates from the 16th century followed by the
Three and Five Wells Squares and many palaces,
villas and other historic monuments. Its
attractiveness is due greatly to its fantastic
natural position in the very middle of the Adriatic
coast, and to the four National Parks surrounding
it: Plitvice Lakes, Paklenica mountain, the unique
Rivera Krka waterfalls and a string of wondrous
islands called Kornati. No less attractive are the
nature Parks of Telascica, the canyon of the Zrmanja
River and the largest natural lake in Croatia –Lake
Vrana in the vicinity of Biograd. |
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The Roman Amphitheatre
(commonly called Arena), from the 1st and 2nd
centuries, occupies a dominant position above the
harbour. It has an elliptic ground-plan (132.45 x
105.10 m); the walls are 30.45 m high; it could seat
23,000 spectators. It is the world's sixth largest
preserved amphitheatre. Through the Triumphal Arch
of the Sergi one enters Sergi Street, the busiest
street in the old part of the town. Clerisseau
Street leads to the Dante Square, where a
15th-century Gothic church, reconstructed on several
occasions, stands. Flacius Street leads to the
Byzantine memorial chapel from the 6th century,
which was a part of the collapsed, grandiose
basilica Santa Maria Formosa (Canneto), built around
AD 556; the marble ornamentation and columns of the
basilica were used in the construction of the San
Marco Basilica in Venice. The first tourist
excursions to Pula were recorded at the beginning of
the 19th century. Giovanni Carrara, a conservator of
antiquities in Pula, guided the sightseeing tours
for distinguished personalities and organized groups
in 1828. In 1832 Pula was visited by the Austrian
emperor Ferdinand I. |
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The historic town of Sibenik,
connected with the expansion and development of the
early Croatian state, is rich in cultural and
historical monuments. The most representative among
them is the famous Cathedral of Sibenik, one of the
most original architectural projects of the late
Middle Ages, primarily linked to the local master
Juraj Matejev Dalmatinac (George of Dalmatia). The
city is arranged amphitheatrically around the
natural harbour and on the surrounding hill slopes.
The city, with the old fortresses of St. Anne, St.
John and Subicevac overlooking it, consists of the
Old Town, characterized by narrow and steep alleys
in the west, and the modern part in the north and
southeast.
Afternoon at leisure for individual sightseeing
followed by departure to Sibenik.
The Krka National Park is a
spacious, largely unchanged region of exceptional
and multifaceted natural value, and includes one or
more preserved or insignificantly altered
ecosystems. It is intended primarily for scientific,
cultural, educational, recreational, and tourism
activities such as visiting and sightseeing. It was
proclaimed a national park in 1985 as a seventh
national park in Croatia. Dalmatia has numerous
karst "beauties", rivers that flow into the sea from
the mountain hinterland, but the Krka has the
greatest natural and scenic importance. A deep gorge
and seven systems of travertine or tufa cascades
form flowing lakes leaving no one indifferent, and
experts talk about the great scientific value of the
river and its surroundings. About two thirds of the
river course are part of the existing national park,
which includes most of the river lakes and the two
richest cascade system (Roski slap and Skradinski
Buk). |
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Opatija, often called the Nice
of the Adriatic, is one of the most popular tourist
resorts in Croatia and a place with the longest
tourist tradition on the eastern coast of the
Adriatic. Named after the Benedictine abbey of St.
James first mentioned in 1449. Between 1560 and 1723
owned by the Augustinians from Rijeka, and since
1774 a property of the chapter of Rijeka. The
present chapel of St. James was built in 1506 and
extended in 1937. The architecture of hotels,
boarding houses and villas has historicist neo-style
features, with occasional examples of Art Nouveau;
structured fronts, the size and type of the openings
(balconies, loggias) and the ornamentation on the
fronts render the buildings a Mediterranean aspect. |
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Korcula is often refereed as
the romantic island. It is a 30 miles long and no
more than 5 miles wide island. You can walk
romantic streets of old Korcula town, or you can
enjoy hills and valleys of the interior, and nearly
200 unspoiled coves and beaches. Perfect for
swimming and underwater diving Korcula is ideal for
an active holiday with some excellent walks through
pine woods and many caves. Windsurfing and sailing
are also available. |
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Crystal blue sea, marvelous
bays and pebble beaches, mild climate, lush
vegetation, vineyards, olive groves, endless fields
of lavender, historical and cultural sights make the
island of Hvar, undoubtedly, the most beautiful
island. The island of Hvar was put among the ten
most beautiful islands in 1997 by the Traveler
Magazine.
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