Festa Sveti Vlaho Dubrovnik Croatia

CROATIA has 7 UNESCO protected world cultural heritage sites and 7 UNESCO protected world cultural heritage traditions, making it first in Europe and fourth in the world. UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

The music in the video are traditional and unique Croatian “klapa” songs. First is “Vilo Moja” and second song is “Croatio iz duše te ljubim”.

Croatia UNESCO Sites:

1. Dubrovnik – The old city
2. Diocletian’s Palace in Split
3. Plitvice Lakes
4. Euphrasian Basilica in Porec
5. Trogir – The old city
6. St James Cathedral in Sibenik
7. Island Hvar Stari Grad plain

Croatian UNESCO Cultural traditions (intangible heritage) all from 2009:

1. Lace making in Croatia
2. Spring procession of Ljelje queens in Gorjani
3. Festival of St Blaise – patron of city of Dubrovnik
4. Annual carnival Bell Ringers from Kastav region
5. Traditional manufacturing of wooden toys in Zagorje
6. Two-part singing and paying in Istrian scale
7. Procession of the Kross on island Hvar (Holy Thursday)

Ston Walls

After many years of restoration, the Ston walls which are the Europe’s longest fortress system and the also the second largest in the whole world have recently been opened for public viewing. This is the most complete activity in Croatia’s cultural heritage renovations. Fifty years ago the renovation of the walls had begun by the Dubrovnik historian and conservationist Lukša Beritić, and the long term renovations caught speed in 2003. The renovation was carried the same way as the walls were built and this is why they have a long time. The walls have been made by stone sculpting. The Friends of Dubrovnik’s Ancient Sights association has maintained the walls from 1952, and also invested for the renovation project where they have put in around three to five million HRK annually. When the renovations are complete, visitors will have to pay an entrance fee to visit this excellent attraction, which will help the authorities sustain and carry on the renovations and also encourage the tourist and cultural development of Ston. The Ston walls were made in the 14th century, after Pelješac was taken over by the Republic of Dubrovnik in 1334. For protection on the walls a vast defence system was built and it is the biggest urban reinforcement project in Europe of that time. The walls for defence were first constructed on both sides of the Peninsula. The plans were equipped by two towns, northern Mali Ston and southern Ston. Pelješac was detached from the mainland by the Great wall, which has a length of 5.5 km. Now only 5 km of the wall is left as the rest disappeared in the earthquakes of 17th and 20th century.

The walls were supported with 5 fortresses and 40 towers. They started and finished with two large fortresses: Veliki kaštio in Ston Korun in Mali Ston. The most well-known and major fortress is Bartolomeo on the hill. As per the ancient Dubrovnik chronicles, it took one and half year to build the great wall. Within the walls of the town of Ston there are residential houses and palaces in four blocks, a public building, a Bishop’s palace, the church of St. Blaise and a Franciscan monastery. Mali Ston is the oldest preserved plans in Europe. The major buildings in Mali Ston are the salt warehouse, the harbour with the harbour wall, arsenal, parish castle, parish church, Luža bell tower, and also the huge Korun fortress. The Ministry of Culture made an announcement that the Ston walls, Ston and Mali Ston and also the Ston saltpan will be entirely offered as contenders for the UNESCO world cultural heritage list in which recently Croatian cultural heritage phenomena was listed.

Hotel Olympia Vodice

Around 12 million Euros have been invested in the last four years, on the renovation of Vodice’s four star hotels Olympia, and the planning is for another 5 million Euros. This should ensure that the forty year hotel, in the future will be able to receive guests for 11 months of the year, unlike the existing seasonal work. Lately the hotel got a new wellness area “Olympia life” for comforting the body and soul with a wide range of spa facilities and a polyvalent hall. The new halls’ centre is designed in a manner whereby the congress hall for 500 participants, can be swiftly turned into a sports hall with just a few small changes. The hall has a translators’ cabin and audiovisual equipment. There were earlier investments in the renovation of the reception area, a hundred rooms, the cleaning up of the beaches and the horticulture. During the tourist season of this year, the hotel is expected to offer a complete range of attractive and interesting beach facilities such as the “Kouha” bar where all through the day many different entertainment programs will be on offer, and there is also a new restaurant and souvenirs. The final phase of renovation will start at the end of this year and around 5 million Euros will be invested in the redecoration of the remaining accommodation units, and the other hotel buildings. In 2010, this hotel will offer the same quality in all 26 apartments, 215 rooms and other hotel areas. This investment is even more important considering that when the world is hit by recession; the majority of investors in tourism have considerably slowed down or even ceased larger investments. Formerly Olympia focused itself on classical or family or classical type of tourism, but it has now planned to become a hotel which will attract rich tourists with its quality and numerous faculties. In order to get ready for this new type of business, the hotel management has started with the additional training of waiters, cooks, sommeliers, receptionists and ice cream makers. With the renovated hotel Olympia, Vodice has been given an impetus to more development.

Ilocki Podrumi

“Lločki podrumi” is the firm which lately completed the renovation of the abandoned and war torn summer residence of the noble family of Odescalchi. During the homeland war in Principovac the house was damaged and now the renovation cost 20 million HRK. This beautiful summer house and is situated in the picturesque vineyard of Ilok. The people of the place call it “the roof of western Srijem” because of its height. The estate stretches to about 87 hectares of agricultural land and is situated in the middle of a large plantation. The estate after the renovation now has become the only 4 star hotels in the area. The hotel has an amazing restaurant which can accommodate about 100 guests. It also has five apartments and a president’s apartment which is furnished in a very luxurious manner. Wine and souvenirs are on sale and it is expected that very soon the building of Polyvalent hall would commence operations. There are many facilities which the tourists liked like those of badminton and tennis courts, cycling roads, tourist train rides, paths in the vineyards and the grape harvest in autumn and also the chance to taste the best wines. They can also use the picturesque lift which takes the tourists to the summer house from where they can see Srijem , Ilok and Bačka in Vojvodina. By offering the tourists, and also satisfying them with a deeper pocket, Ilok is on the map now in capital letters as a great tourist destination because of the efforts of “Iločki podrumi”. The company bought the annex of the Odescalchi castle complex, which is an imposing building built on the foundations of the castle of King Nikola Ilok. This was constructed in the 15th century and is situated above the old cellars on the old town centre of Ilok. The medieval castle and the whole Ilok estate were given by Emperor Leopold to Pope Innocent XI Odescalchi and his family as a prize for helping to liberate Ilok from the Ottomans. In this phase it covered most of the Srijem area. After the war and exile, the castle was refurbished and repaired and the modern museum of the town of Ilok was returned to it. The renovated three star annex has 18 accommodation units. The total outlay by “Iločki podrumi” in the expansion of the tourist-hospitality offer in Ilok in the last two years, with the planned investment for the current year and the next year will come to an amount of around 35 million HRK.

Following the Cross on island Hvar

For more than 400 years on Hvar, parishioners from the central part of the island have participated in the great ‘Following the Cross’ procession. Beginning on Good Thursday, mass is simultaneously held in the six parishes of Jelsa, Pitve, Vrisnik, Svirče, Vrbanj and Vrboska. The procession then begins, following a 25-kilometer course into the early morning hours of Good Friday. Because each of the six groups starts from their respective churches and follows the course in a clockwise direction, the groups never meet. Each group is lead by a specially chosen cross-bearer who walks the course either barefoot or in socks. Other official members of the procession are dressed in white tunics.

The origins of this unique procession are linked to a period of peasant revolt against Venetian governance when, according to legend, a small cross began to bleed before a conflict. It is also interesting to note that in nearly five centuries of celebration, the tradition has never been interrupted. Even in 1944, when the procession was forbidden by the German authorities, refugees from the island Hvar conducted the procession between their tents in the refugee camp of El Shatt in Africa. This was the only time the annual procession was not conducted on the island.

Different Easter processions are also held in other places on the Island of Hvar. One of the more interesting examples is the procession held on the afternoon of Good Friday in the City of Hvar, called ‘Through God’s Graves’. Fraternities from St. Cross and St. Nicolas, one dressed in black tunics, the other in white, begin their procession in different churches. They later come together in the old Venetian square or Piazza to sing the ancient melody ‘Popule Meus’ in front the St. Stephens Cathedral.

Dubrovnik Port Cruiser Ship

According to the autumn edition of the dream world cruise destination magazine, Dubrovnik is in the tenth place amongst the top 50 most visited world ports. It has been recorded that Dubrovnik is in tenth place according to the number of transit passengers on cruise. When we talk about Mediterranean ports only Naples and livomo have more visitors than Dubrovnik. One of the main reasons why most of the tourists like to visit this area is that the top ten world’s most visited embarkation ports are from the Mediterranean including Barcelona, Barcelona, Civitavecchia, Piraeus, Venice and Palma. The best part of all is that an increase of 38.2% was recorded among the passengers on the ships with more than 890,000 passengers within the ten months.

It was also recorded that including the area of Dubrovnik-neretva most of the foreign cruise ships visited the place and spent an average of two days in Croatia. These ports have recorded the highest number of visits but Dubrovnik is a place in which 642 ships arrived which is truly worth. Well, all these reports have been made by the central bureau of statistics including that the foreign cruise ships and their passengers have spent total 1527 days on Adriatic Sea within a time period of ten months which makes 63.5% more than during the same period of the previous year. Oceanic the first ship was launched in 1945 and was basically built for cruises only around the North America for the home lines company. After the launch of this cruise it was claimed that it would be the beginning of modern cruise but on the other hand, some disagreed to this statement and considered that the beginning of new modern cruise began on 19th December 1966 when the Norwegian Caribbean line became the first company to offer a year round schedule of cruise trips on the sunward ships that were intended for the wider market.

Well, you might be thinking that why a cruise is given such importance and consideration but it is due to the reason that some people are not completely aware of the benefits and use of cruise. A cruiser is actually a floating hotel that helps to transfer passengers from one place to another. This is one the main reasons why these types of ships are given consideration as a primary tourist destination. Usually, the passengers on the ships travel for one day when noticed from destination point of view. Croatia is one the best place to visit; therefore, it has been honored and included on the international cruise destinations list with around twenty destinations along the coast and on the islands. Croatia not only recorded with the highest number of visitors but also recorded a significant increase of foreign cruise ships. The first ports on the list of the cruise are Dubrovnik, Split, Korčula and Zadar because these are the main attraction of visitors and offer conditions necessary for them to dock.

Rijeka - Trsat Castle - Frankopans

Liburnia has a very rich history and it provided the first script to Croatia. It not only provided the script but also presses and code and also the Frankopans story. The Frankopans were a very dignified family who ruled Croatia for centuries and have a major effect on the country’s history. There are remains of their palaces, castles, building and towers and the impact of their rule can be clearly seen from these. The country has many tourists every year and many of these are extremely interested to know more about the past and more details of the Frankopans. For the benefit of these interested tourists a project called “Following the Path of Frankopans” has been started. As a part of this ten fortresses and castles have been improved and decorated. The project not only enables the tourists to know more about the heritage but also enjoy the beauty of Croatia hinterland and the coast making the Croatia holiday great fun.

The main aim of the authorities to undertake this project is not only to preserve the rich heritage and also to show it to the residents of the country and also to the world. County of Primorje-Gorski kotar in 2005 initiated this project and is considered to be a complex project of preservation of cultural heritage.

Grobnik is a town which reflects the rich history and has a monument which is very well preserved. There is a palace which is in of a triangular shape and it has towers and semi towers which fortify it apart from the set of walls around it. Since 10th century this town has been a part of Croatia. From 1225 to 1671 this town was owned by the Frankopans and later due to an agreement it became the property of Zrinski who was a cousin of the Frankopans. After his execution the castle was plundered.

When one follows the map of the “Following the Path of Frankopans”, Bakar is the next destination. On the northwest side it is located on a plateau which is elevated. After two earthquakes the castle had to be renovated and this is the reason it looks different now. Another beautiful castle is that of Hreljin and it was made at a very crucial position as it facilitated communication by connecting the Croatian hinterland with the sea and also the Bakarac via Gorski kotar. The view from here is beautiful but the wall of this castle is not well preserved.

The Frankopans castle in Frankopan castle in Nova Kraljevica and Zrinski Stari grad is a real treat for the people who like to look at historical buildings. The castle has a lower and upper castle and is a complex structure but undeniably is one of the most beautiful buildings of the project. It is located on a cape above the sea and on a hilltop and it rules over the surrounding area and also dominates the entrance to the cape. The property was owned by Katarina Frankopan’s family whose husband; Petar Zrinski began the construction of the castle in the 17th century. Till the Frankopans and Zrinksi were executed the castle was used by them but later it was used a hospital then barracks and a monastery.

In Drvenik the Stari Grad is a very striking fort which was made in the middle Ages and was used to control and protect the traffic route through Vinodol. The fort has a quadrangle base and has round towers on the corners, apart from other structures. The castle was completed in the 15th century and later in 18th century the settlement Bakar – Novi Vinodolski road was made.

In Bribir the Frankopan tower is the only remaining part of the castle. The castle originally had a narrow courtyard, double walls, administration and residential buildings besides the two towers. The castle was later brought down to make a school and a municipal building. The legend of the ten Frankopan towers finishes in Novi Vinodolski and Ledenice where the remnants of the former fort are situated above the sea and the Vinodol valley. One can reach these remains, where St. Stephen the Martyr’s Roman and Gothic church is the finest preserved part, by a narrow mountain trail which takes one around the wall and also into the inner part of the fort.

The Kvadrac fort, a component of the once influential fort around which Novi Vinodolski was built, stands out in the very centre of the town of Novi. It is the only remnant of the innovative architecture since it was changed to a considerable extent at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. The former Novi Vinodolski castle was one of the most dominant and long-lasting Frankopan forts where the Vinodol Code, which is the most important legal text written in the language of Croatia. The content of the code is the most advanced and the best egal acts in feudal Europe.

Pakovo Selo - Ethno Village - Sibenik Croatia

Agro tourism in Miljevci was truly unthinkable as tourism in the Šibenik hinterland was unknown at that place. Since time changed, several family farms, two large factories for production of smoked ham on Miljevci including number of other honey, olive oil and cheese producing firms were opened in the Pakovo Selo area and after the these production firms, the place became quite famous when compared to the previous time and this ultimately led to the development of agro tourism on this area. It was reported that in one of the Miljevci, in Brištani, the family of Ante and Danica Bačić had recently opened a country household “Peace” located in the vicinity of River Krka, on the National Park’s very edge.

Some of the speciality features that have been designed in the family house in Brištani are truly amazing and luxury. What makes the house so special is its three rooms and a guest apartment for all such people who are interested in traditional and original values and top quality homemade dishes, homemade wine, therapeutic brandies, figs, almonds, walnuts and many more things. So people go ahead and check out this family house for all these items and comfort that is provided in the house. The main specialty of the house is its meat roasted under an iron bell (peka), cheese and smoked ham because they are offered as appetizers and guests can choose their own salad from the garden. The owners of the agro tourist estate have cultivated 2000 vines and plenty of olive trees so that their guests can relax and take a walk along the vineyards. In addition, you also get an opportunity to have a look at the view of the attractive river krka basin which is also present in the vicinity.

Many other beautiful scenes can also be seen from this place like on the small island of visovac, there is a Franciscan monastery located there which can also be seen with beautiful Roški waterfall that is located nearby. The best part of all is the theme park which is a best place for kids as well as for youngsters. The first theme park of the area is also not very far and can be easily viewed in Croatia, Etnoland Dalmati in Pakovo Selo near Drniš. The park covers an area of 15,000 square meters and provides an opportunity to see and determine what life was in the Dalmatian hinterland during the past periods and this will help you learn about the customs, traditions, lifestyle of that particular area. The complex located nearby consists of an old Dalmatian house, is a fenced area for animals, a threshing floor, Old crafts workshops, a unique area for performances. With all this, you will get to see and visit the garden at Etnoland which is enriched with indigenous herbs and vegetables as a part of its offer and an area reserved only for animals: a pen for sheep and goats, chicken and donkeys. One of the greatest opportunities that should not be missed is that visitors are allowed to meet a stone-mason, a weaver and a woodworker in the workshops of these old, nearly forgotten trades. Etno land offers unique entertainment area (kolarište), in which the visitors will feel the Dalmatian magic. Singing and dancing are some of the other ways to help people enjoy the place and have fun.

River Drava - Repaski Most

UNESCO “Man & Biosphere” program is helping the creation of biosphere reserves. The Mura-Drava-Danube Biosphere is an example of such a reserve formed in agreement between Croatia & Hungary.
So what’s a Biosphere Reserve? It is an ecological area with 3 key priorities: Protection of natural assets Encourage sustainable ecological development and Stimulate scientific research related to the improvement of the quality of life and sustainable use of natural goods The Mura-Drava-Danube Biosphere covers 500 kilometres of 3 river flows and is located around 630,000 hectares of beautiful natural & cultural landscape comprising very rare but large flood resorts, river islands, pebble & sand coasts and oxbow lakes.

The reserve also serves as the home of several endangered species such as the little tern, black stork, otter or sterlet. This reserve houses the biggest nesting population of the very rare white tailed eagle in Europe and is an extremely important winter habitation for more than 250,000 wading birds every year.
This protected river area is important for the socio-economic development of the surrounding area for the following reasons:
Progress of continental eco-tourism which in turn enhances awareness of the need to protect the natural surroundings & environment of the entire region Agriculture & fishery management. Sustainable forestry. Efficient flood defence system and last but not the least Primary source of drinking water Representatives from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) state that this ecological reserve has the richest biological diversity of species in Europe.

With such a cross-border Croatian & Hungarian biosphere reserve coming in to being, a nomination plan for the Mura-Drava-Danube biosphere reserve has also been formed now with the help of a bilateral work group.
With such a nomination plan, Croatia now needs to develop the Mura-Drava Regional Park, ascertaining efficient management of the central zone of this biosphere reserve of tomorrow. Going by timelines, the biosphere reserve should be declared in 2010 and this in turn should attract people and authorities to develop in harmony with nature and the beautiful environment.

The matter of protecting River Drava is of significant importance within the European framework as this is the only remaining part of the river’s natural flow. A lot of efforts are in progress in other countries to retrieve the river bed’s natural appearance and to renew its biological diversity, while the area remains protected in Croatia.
Certain natural resources of this River Drava area has made Croatia get actively involved in the ecological protection of this area with the creation of the Mura-Drava Regional Park which covers the area of this ecosystem on Croatian territory. That’s not all … for this area also stands enlisted in to the National Ecological Network – NATURA 2000 as a potential area of ecological significance in the European Union.

All this along with the tie-up between Croatia & Hungary on the setting up of the Mura-Drava-Danube biosphere reserve ensures that the total area between the two states would be included and this is a matter of exceptional significance for the protection of the natural surroundings.
Such a joint effort by Croatia & Hungary on the creation of a cross-border reserve copud set the foundation of an international biosphere reserve with countries like Austria, Slovenia & Serbia joining in. A first of its kind, this natural reserve would spread across five European countries and would be the largest protected river area in Europe. Keeping this in mind, members of Croatian and other foreign non-governmental ecological associations have invited Slovenia, Serbia & Austria to join in and contribute to the idea of the proposed biosphere reserve and in the process do their bit to complete the process of protecting a beautiful green zone in the heart of Europe.

Kopacki rit

The local people of Baranja have come up with a new publication called “Baranjski godišnjak” (Baranja yearbook) where they show all the potential and options to develop tourism in this area. The main aim to come out with this yearbook is to promote tourism in the area and it has many photographs besides a calendar of important events and a map. This yearbook is divided into four different parts. The first part of the publication is called “Moja Baranja” (My Baranja) and it talks of the history of the area and also the organisation of the area presently. It also has important information like the numbers of important places and institutions and also plans the direction in which the book moves after this section. The next part of the book is called “Baranjski kalendar” (Baranja Calendar) has an overview of all the districts and the cultural and tourist events. It also gives the contact details of the organizers and dates of important religious gatherings. The third part of the book is called “Baranjski sveznadar” (Baranja Know-It-All) and it lists all the terms which have traditional importance in the area. These terms are about tools, costumes, furniture, equipment and the accessories. The last part of the book is called Baranja u tanjuru” (Baranja on a plate) where one can find the menu of the area and the speciality dishes offered. It talks of the eating habits of local people and in the past and also talks of the traditional recipes of the area. The area of Banjara at different times has been inhabited by people from different nationalities. Because of this there has been diversity in the eating habits and the specialities made in this area and this topic has been of great interest to the travellers and the tourists. By the end of the month of November 2009 many copies of this yearbook are available which will make travel Croatia much easier and convenient.