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Croatia After more than a decade of civil and ethnic unrest, Croatia is once again emerging as an attractive tourist destination. With its magnificent coastline, 1,185 islands, islets and reefs, Roman ruins and picturesque medieval villages, it is fast becoming a rival to the magical Greek islands - alluring for lovers of fun, sun, local colour, great food and a little history. After centuries of fighting for independence, and being sliced and diced geographically to suit political and ethnic divisions, Croatia has ended up arc-shaped. Its long Adriatic coastline forms the western leg, tapering to the unique ancient seaport of Dubrovnik in the south, while the land between the rivers Drava and Sava form the northern section. The capital, Zagreb, sits in-between. The most prominent feature of Croatia's tourist industry is its Dalmatian coastline, which is indented with rocky cliffs, peninsulas and small inlets. Numerous good quality hotels and marinas have been resurrected or constructed in the past few years, and the Croatian province is once again beginning to enjoy a tourist boom reminiscent of its heyday in the 1930s. There is a special atmosphere to Croatian towns and villages, many of which are built on the sites of ancient Greek settlements dating from the 4th century BC. This, coupled with a welcoming and determined population, Mediterranean climate, scenic beauty and lush vegetation, is aiding Croatia's rise from the ashes of war into one of the world's tourist hotspots Andautonia Archaeological Park Near the village of Scitarjevo, close to Zagreb, are the remains of the ancient Roman town of Andautonia which have been excavated and provide a fascinating tourist attraction. Andautonia was a prominent administrative, economic, cultural and religious centre about 400 years ago. Archaeologists are still excavating the site, but visitors can view a 26,910 square foot (2,500 sq m) area of the Roman City including parts of the main street, city baths, colonnades and side streets. Tourists can also visit the present-day village of Scitarjevo, which offers examples of typical rural farms with their characteristic wooden houses. The building that houses Croatia’s history is itself a part of that history. Sited in the historical town centre, it is the beautiful Baroque palace, Vojkovic-Orsic-Rauch, built at the end of the 18th century and formerly the private residence of three successive baronial families. In the late 1930s the palace became the residence of Zagreb’s mayors, before being designated as a repository for the historical relics of the city. It currently houses more than 140,000 artefacts in various collections, from stone monuments to fine art, religious artefacts to heraldry. The exhibitions are not permanent but constantly changing so that all the collections get an airing. The building housing the Croatian National Theatre is as much a national treasure as the world-class dramatic, opera, music and ballet productions that take place on its stage. Construction began on the theatre building in 1894. Croatian painter Vlaho Bukovac painted the ceremonial curtain while Viennese artist Alexander Goltz decorated the ceiling of the auditorium. The building was officially opened by Austro-Hungarian emperor Franz-Joseph I at the end of 1895. The theatre is constantly busy with full performing arts programmes. Praska Street in the lower part of old Zagreb leads on to a sequence of attractive park squares, each flaunting their own attractions and worth a walking tour. Zrinski Square features a music pavilion dating from 1895 and fountains, with the Archaeological Museum at No.17. This square also features a row of busts of distinguished Croations and the palace of the Croatian Academy of Arts and Sciences (1876), which houses the Strossmayer Gallery of old masters. On Strossmayer Square is a monument to bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer, founder of the Academy, and several other historic buildings. Tomislav Square features the Art Pavilion, fronted by a monument to Croatian Renaissance painter Andrija Medulic. King Tomislav rises on horseback at the southern end of the square. Starcevic Square is home to the City Library and Hotel Esplanade, and gives access to the Botanical Gardens and Frane Bulic monument. In Marulic Square the University Library building stands as a magnificent example of Art Nouveau. Mimara Museum is on Roosevelt Square, and the neo-Baroque Croatian National Theatre stands on Marshal Tito Square. Trakoscan is a legendary 13th-century Gothic castle that was home to various influential families for centuries before finally falling into abandoned disrepair in the second half of the 18th century when it belonged to the Draskovic family. In the 1950s the castle was taken over by the state and turned into a living museum, reconstructing life in a medieval castle. Visitors can explore four levels, including the dungeon, and finish their exploration by enjoying the surrounding parklands. The commercial capital of the idyllic Adriatic coast close to Zagreb is the cultural city of Rijeka, which has an international harbour that lends it a cosmopolitan flair. Rijeka is not only the gateway to the beautiful coastal island resorts, but a tourist's delight in itself with its charming historic buildings. A stroll along the Korzo Promenade in the old part of town provides an eyeful of classic buildings and a plethora of street cafes ideal for resting your feet and enjoying the passing parade. Rijeka also has an annual carnival full of joie de vivre, involving plenty of ancient Slavic folklore and mythology. Revellers don masks to scare away evil forces and a good time is had by all in numerous events, concerts and the carnival parade. The economies of both Split and Dubrovnik depend heavily on tourism and the area has exploited the potential by welcoming visitors and providing an efficient infrastructure. The cities claim to be the sunniest in Europe, with a mild Mediterranean climate. The attractions for the tourist are primarily large pebble beaches, walking trails, picturesque villages, delicious cuisine and archaeological remains dating back to the Stone Age and moving through the area’s social and political development to tribal, Greek and Roman occupations. Split The pretty city of Split has a rich history. Since ancient times it has, in various guises, served as the economic and administrative centre of the beautiful Croatian Adriatic coastal region, today called Dalmatia. The city sits mainly on a peninsula on the eastern part of the island of Ciovo, although it has nowadays spread onto the mainland and encompasses the mouth of the River Cetina. From the 5th to the 2nd century BC Greek colonists settled the mainland and adjacent islands. Later, came the Romans: in particular the Emperor Diocletian, who, being of Dalmatian origin, elected to build a huge palace at a spot then called Salona, in AD303. A town grew up around the palace, and eventually, by the Middle Ages, the city of Split had begun to develop. Diocletian’s Palace still stands in the very heart of the old part of Split, which charms visitors with its cobbled streets. The greater Split area is characterised by its lush vegetation and green areas, particularly Marjan Hill on the west of the peninsula with its ancient indigenous forest. The city makes an ideal base from which to explore the islands, beauty spots, and historic villages in central Dalmatia. Diocletian’s Palace Roman Emperor Diocletian, having abdicated his throne in AD 305, decided to spend the last years of his life in Dalmatia and built a palace for that purpose on the bay of Aspalathos, on the south side of a peninsula extending into the Adriatic sea. The spot he chose is now the very heart of the city of Split, and the palace still stands as one of the city’s major tourist attractions. The building and the entire historic Split inner city area around it have been declared a Unesco World Cultural Heritage Site. The palace is interesting in that it is designed to combine a luxurious villa with the defences of a military camp, having towers and fortifications on its landward sides and monumental gates. The palace is built of local white limestone, quarried on the nearby island of Brac. Founded in 1820, the Archaeological Museum in Split is the oldest Museum in Croatia. Its displays include many archaeological artefacts from prehistoric times, the Greek colonial period, and from the Roman, early Christian and Medieval ages. Most of the relics found in excavations of the Roman city of Salona are displayed here. There is also a large collection of antique coins and a large library. Split is world-renowned among seafarers for the quality, and quantity, of its marinas. There are 44 of them in the city area altogether. One of the major marinas is ACI Marina Split, in the southwestern section of the city port, north of Sustipan Peninsula. A long breakwater ensures the marina is protected from the southern winds, and it provides moorings for 360 craft, and can accommodate 120 stored on land. Facilities include a bureau de change, restaurant, ablutions, grocery store, repair shop, slipway and other essentials. About 30 miles (47km) south of Split is the popular holiday town of Makarska, with its stone cobbled streets and natural harbour fringed with the two green peninsulas of Osejava and St Peter. Standing sentinel over the town is Mount Biokovo. This scenically beautiful spot offers secluded beaches washed by an azure sea, and it lies at the heart of a coastal strip characterised by pine forests and glades of wild flowers. The town was an important trading port during its colourful history, which spans occupation by the Venetians, Turks, French and Austrians, all of whom left a taste of their culture and tradition behind. The town boasts a world-renowned collection of sea shells, and a Franciscan monastery dating from the 16th century, a Venetian fountain, several churches and Baroque palaces. Off of the coast of Split, just 15 nautical miles (24km) from Baska Voda and accessible by ferry, is the island of Hvar, which abounds with Romanesque and Renaissance buildings and a true Mediterranean atmosphere. The island is noted for its fertile soil and was the site of the world’s first parcelling out of arable land by the ancient Greeks, who farmed there. It is now mainly a wine-growing area. The island’s main towns are Vrboska and Jelsa, famed for their Dalmatian wines, and it is dotted with picturesque villages. Croatia’s literary genius, Marin Drzic, has been immortalised by turning his Dubrovnik home into a museum which introduces visitors to the writer with a 40-minute presentation on his life and work. The presentation is also a good introduction for visitors to the history and culture of Dubrovnik itself. Despite a turbulent history during which it has been occupied and conquered by a succession of its neighbours and European colonial powers, Dubrovnik is now a town at peace, allowing visitors to make the most of its rich vegetation, beautiful lakes, white pebble beaches and crystal-clear sea. Political upheaval has seldom kept tourists away from this uniquely lovely Adriatic port city; for centuries it has drawn those seeking fine accommodations, excellent cuisine, beautiful surroundings and recreational opportunities. George Bernard Shaw is quoted as describing Dubrovnik as 'heaven on earth'. The old town, dating from the 7th century, is on Unesco's list of World Heritage Sites. Enclosed by city walls built in the 12th century, the buildings of the town represent a cross-section of medieval architectural styles and remain well preserved. The centre of the town is the Stradun, its main street, which was originally a channel separating an island from the mainland, and was filled in to join two opposite towns into the merged city of Dubrovnik. The main tourist area lies southeast of the old town at Ploce, where most hotels and the best beaches can be found. There are numerous churches, monasteries and museums to explore and the coastal belt is awash with marinas, piers and promenades. Franciscan Monastery The 14th-century Franciscan church and monastery enclosed in the walls of medieval Dubrovnik boasts a world-renowned collection of ancient manuscripts, open for viewing to the public in a beautiful reading room. The research library has been utilised by many famous writers and historians, including Croatian literary scholars. The original library of the monastery was destroyed by fire after an earthquake in 1667, and the present collection was put together in the early 19th century by a Franciscan friar, Inocentije Culic, who energetically worked to save the manuscripts of several monasteries that were closed down during the French occupation of the city. The friar donated hundreds of manuscripts and valuable printed works to the library, leaving the city of Dubrovnik a treasure-house of learning and literature. Also at the Franciscan Monastery is a fascinating pharmacy museum, which preserves the relics of the medieval pharmacy that was run in the monastery as far back as 1317. The impressive walls enclosing the ancient city of Dubrovnik were laid out in the 13th century and became an ongoing work for almost two centuries. Today they stand proudly with five bastions, three round towers and 12 square towers, and provide a popular diversion for visitors wishing to explore their 6,365ft (1,940m) length. Dubrovnik has had three cathedrals on the same site during its long history. The first was a Byzantine building dating from the 7th century; the second a Romanesque Cathedral which was destroyed by the great earthquake of the 17th century; and the present beautiful Baroque structure which was designed by Italian architect Buffalini from Urbino and was completed in 1713. The treasury of the cathedral is rich in religious relics, icons, paintings and other items of value. It is also possible to view the archaeological excavations that continue on the cathedral site. In close proximity to the city of Dubrovnik are numerous picturesque villages and resorts to visit and explore. About 11 miles (18km) away on the road to Split is the quiet bay of Zaton, with its sandy beaches and pine forest. The town has numerous restaurants, a relic of the days when it was the chosen retreat for the aristocrats of the Dubrovnik Republic. The village of Tristeno features the 'Arboretum', a Gothic-Renaissance park on the coast, which is currently undergoing restoration. In the centre of this village visitors are awed by two gigantic sycamore trees, reputedly 500 years old, standing 197ft (60m) high. Even closer to the city the towns of Kupari, Srebreno, Mlini, Soline and Plat lie along a chain of hills descending to the rim of Zupa Bay, known as one of the most beautiful resorts on the Dubrovnik Riviera, with modern hotels offering a variety of watersports.
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