IMPORTANT DESTINATIONS IN CROATIA

Zagreb

Capital of Croatia, it is found at the feet of the mountainous reliefs of the Medvednica. In ancient times it was perhaps a Roman castrum. In the XI century became an archbishop on the will of the Hungarian king Ladislao the Saint. As a result of the mongol invasions, the city came to be fortified but for a long time remained a theatre of civil fights between bishops and bourgeoisie ending in XVI century.The top part of the city (Gornij Grad) is formed from the two medieval centers of Zagabria and Gradec.

Capital Zagreb View Enlarge

Its style is madieval european with a garden, a baroque, neoclassical and secessionistic palaces and frequently attended theatres between which we quote the National one.

The cultural life of Zagabria is very active so that beside the classic terms of artistic expression they have asserted also the cinematographic industry and a comic strip school.

Between monuments of greater importance, to the gothic dome of 1275 dedicated to Saint Stephan, restructured fully in the last century. Other gothic churches are those of Saint Mark, Saint Maria and Saint Francisco beyond to the archiepiscopal nail head. Monumental cemetary of Mirogoj the Zrinjevac garden and Maksimir park are also remarkable.

The most famous evening promenade is that of via Tkalciceva with many fashionable premises.
The bottom of the nineteenth-century city is rich with public buildings and is more modern as much has been reconstructed entirely after the earthquake of 1880.

Zagabria, today is the center of commercial trade with the dinarici ports of the Adriatic, Hungarian plains countries. It possesses a university and an academy of sciences and arts, with a beautiful picture gallery that contains works of the Tuscany school, umbra and veneta of the 15th & 16th centuries.

Dubrovnik (Ragusa)

Its unique position on a peninsula on the foot of a limestone mountain chain surrounded by subtropical vegetation, apart from the history of the coastal city rival of Venice, makes Dubrovnik a city evocative in many aspects. The most ancient settlement is known by the name of Epidauros, that became Epidaurum in roman age. When in the 7th century it was destroyed by the Barbarians, the inhabitants emigrated towards the village of fishermen that was developed in Ragusium, also thanks to the settlement of the Slaves in the inland.

Dubrovnik (Ragusa) View Enlarge

The venitian threat remained a problem all along of the inhabitants, who for a certain period succeeded to assume the administrative autonomy.

In the XV and XVI centuries the city hit great prosperity, thanks also to the salt monopoly and to the exploitation of the mineral resources of the neighbour Bosnia. The end of the aristocratic republic was sanctioned by the Napoleon troops. Later on the city fell under Austria and to the end of the first World War, it was passed to Yugoslavia.

From the 1919 it was named as Dubrovnik, that means Qak forest heaviling.In the recent war of the Balkans, Dubrovnik had been heavily bombed with serious consequences above all on the tourism.
Important fortifications encircle the city center till today. Apart from walls 6 meters thick and 25 meters high, there are nine bastions and several additional fortifications. Two doors, Pile and Ploce, they permit, entering to the city. Close to the church of Redentore begins a beautiful walk along the walls of the city.

The church of Saint Francisco possesses an important kettledrum with a rapresentation of Mercy; to sides they are saints known as Geronimo and Giovanni Battista. Also the portal is noteworthy and famous.
The Mala Braca, Franciscan convent, were constructed in the XIV and XV centuries and contains a wonderful cloister decorated with masks, animals and plants. Infront of the Door of pile a fountain Velika Onofrijeva Cesma was erected mark of Neapoleon of cana. In the outskirts of the Clarisse is found built up towards the end of the century XIII where came the educated daughters of the nobility and where the first orphanage of Europe has instituted.

The Stradun, in ancient time swamp that divided the Slavic city from that of the Romans extends beyond 200 meters from the Door. All the palaces of the Stradun were built following the earthquake in 1667.

Prijeko is a parallel road full of premises and fashionable restaurants. Ulica or Puca is instead a road to stores, especially jewellary shops managed according to the tradition of Albanians.The Ikonski Muzej exposes precious pictures of artists bizantine, venetian and Russian of various epochs.The Market Square, where at the center we find the statue of the great poet of the city Ivan Dzivo Gundulic, it is crowded in the morning.

Also Dubrovnik possesses its Loggia square, with the column of Rolando at the center carried out in 1418 from Bonino. The Sponza palace (XVI century), richly decorated, full of customs an important place for a city with strong vocational trades. The inner courtyard being used for chamber music, while in summer the opening ceremony of the Festivals of Liberty takes place. Beside the palace the splendid Clock Tower is found with the lodge of the bell tower. In the same public square, in a hollow part of the palace one can find Great Council Small Fountain of Onofrio, built by Pietro Martin of Milan, avnated by symbolic figures. The baroque church of Sv. Vlaho, the patron of the city Saint Biagio, delimits to the south public square. A statue, in golden & silver, dedicated to the saint was sculptured in 15th century.

One of the most beautiful buildings of the city is the Palace of the Chancellor. Planned by Onofrio of the Quarry in late-gothic style, lavishly adorned by a baroque staircase that leads to the Great Council Hall.
The church of Velika Gospa was constructed in 1192. According to one legend, thanks to Elargizione of Riccardo Cuordileone of return from one crossed in order to acquit a ballot, being been escaped from a shipwreck. The earthquakes in 1671 and 1713 destroyed it completely but it was rebuilt by an Italian architect on a roman model. Remarkable artistic objects inside, can be admired: an assumption of the Vergine di Tiziano (1552) and reliquary in gold, silver and filigree of Saint Biagio.

The fortress of Saint Giovanni John today accommodates three museums: the Aquarius, the Etnographic and the Nanal museum.
The Jesuit church of Saint Ignazio is a baroque construction of the 18th century. It is work of Andrew Sink. From the side rises the Collegium Ragusianum where many renowned citizens have received their own education. The Rupe are ancient granaries that preserve at a constant temperature about 1.5 tons of cereals.

The Dominican convent of Bijeli Fratri is one of the most expressive monuments of Dubrovnik, from the gothic renaissance cloister with the beautiful Capital Hall and Treasure of the church.The gate of Ploce crate protected by a 14th century tower and flanked by the fortress of Revelin, on which concerts and folk loristic shows take place today.

The other great city fortress was Lovrijenac, placed on a precipice of 40 meters at a strategic point. During the festival of the Liberty, theatre performances are carried out.From the Srdj mountain (419 meters) a splendid panorama on top of the old city and the Adriatic sea is enjoyed.

Split (Shovelled)

Aspalathos is the name that the Greek colonies of the island of Vis, they gave to the settlement founded between the III and the IV century B.C. In roman era, the city near to Salona gave birth to Dioclezian emperor who, between 295 and 305 A.D., made to construct just the palace in the pressed ones of the place in which he was born. When to the beginning of the ways century the Misers attacked Salona, the inhabitants, most Christian sheltered themselves in palace of Diocleziano. The palace was protected by thick walls which were two meters wide and by sixteen towers.

Split (Shovelled) View Enlarge

The mansoleum of the emperor was later on converted in to a church, while the main temple became a baptistry. The map of the palace traces that of a roman castrum.

The material for construction was carried from the island of Brac and Egypt.The Gold Door represents the main entrance to the citadel; apart from this a monumental sculpture of Ivan Meštrovic represents the bishop Gregory of Nin. When the Sea came upto the southern walls and the Bronze Door served for the operations of drainage of the ships.
The private apartments of the emperor had been destroyed during the Second World war, while the wine cellars, well conserved, host artistic exhibitions today. A corridor leads from the basements to the peristyle, a big courtyard with a colonnade at the center of the citadel.

Today it is the splendid background of theatre performances.
To east of the peristyle, the ancient mausoleum was consecrated Dome of Sv. Duje. There are circular plants inside; fregio that adorns the columns extension ritratto of the Emperor and his wife Prisca.
The precious Flagellazon of Christ is the work of Juraj Dalmatinac of Altar. Opposite to the entrance of the mausoleo, one tightened narrow lane door opens to the temple of Giove, consecrated to Sv. Ivan like baptismal nail head.

In the course of the centuries, the palace of Dioclezian transformed in a lively town; many of the ancient buildings were demolished in order to make place for the new ones. Therefore the Palace of the Pope has been converted today in a town museum showing history of spalat. The infuence of the baroque interests instead the Cindro Palace by the richely, decorated facade. In the year Public square became the true center of the city; Among the buildings those were adorned at one time, only the Obcinski Dome of the 15th century survives today, which is now turned to an Ethnographic Museum.The Porta Argentea was equipped with two imposing octagonal towers, (now destroyed), while at the foot of the Saint Domenico church, stands a colorful market every day.

Outside the ancient center there is the most ancient, Archaeological museum, now accommodates numerous pre historic and medieval remembrances particularly the sarcophagus of Fedra and Ippolito, of the late great ages.The hill of Marjan (178 meters), little distant from the center, is one of the preferred destinations of the spalatini, rich with greenery and a center in the antiquity of a roman temple dedicated to Diana.

Other destination to point out is the museale complex of the sculptor Meštrovic, student of the viennese Otto König, that accommodates all of most important works; it was the summer residence of the artist and he himself restructured this villa in the 17th Century along with a church.

Not far away from Spalat, is Salona, an ancient roman town founded in the 78 B.C. Today it is an archaeological site of great interest. Beyond the numerous temples and seven thermal baths, it possesses a great amphitheater. To the center of the division of Diocleziano between empire of the West and empire of the east, Salona acquired great commercial importance. Center of the Christianity of the antiquity, the town conserves numerous basilicas and a paleo christian metropolis.

Island of Krk (Waking)

It is the largest island of the Croatia, connected to the mainland through the bridge omonimo. In XV century the Krk was one of the important possessions of the Croatian noble family of the (Frangipane). Struck by the bora winter on its western bare and rather barren zone, the island has been developed mainly on the eastern coast. Omišalj, on a hill of 82 meters, it is one of the ancient centers of the peninsula, revolt towards the coast of Rijeka. Many small sandy leads to a tourist marina and to Njivice, a modern bathing locality surrounded by lecceti.

Island of Krk (Waking) View Enlarge

Malinska possesses a great hotel complex well camouflaged in the landscape, beyond to numerous spiaggette. Glavotok, the Franciscan convent of the town (XVI century) conserves the written glagothic alphabets. Numerous small white beaches offer ideal bathing corners.

Krk, an important strategic center of the past, the Curicum Roman is today a beautiful small town with a graceful historical center surrounded by walls. A Romanesque dome was realized on the remains of the ancient thermal springs and today it has remembrances(graves) of the Frankopani family. The castle is instead a center of summer cultural events. The beaches in the city are ideal for bathing.

Vrbnik is a picturesque location that rises on a rocky peak vertical to the sea, a prehistorics settlement.

Punat rises in a protected bay and today it hosts a modern seaside tourist site. At the center of the bay, on the small islands of Kosljun there is an ancient Franciscan convent with garden which is soothing. Not very far from Punat, there is pebbly beach of Stara Baška that reaches across a fresh aired panorama.

Baška faces the two kilometers wide bay and its the center of the seaside of the tourist island; packed narrow lanes, alongside the multicolored typical fishermen houses of the village, that slopeddown gently towards the sea. In the immediate inland, there are approximately wel marked paths approx 35 kilometers long.

Island of Rab (Arbe)

The ecstatic location, with mild climate, the beautiful beaches surrounded by greenery has rendered the island as one of the most attended center of the Adriatic. But the north-western part of the island has very flourished vegetation, as often it happens on the Croatian islands nearly to the end of the sea. The town of Rab is situated on a peninsula at the foot of the Kamenjak chain. It is surrounded by greenery and many beaches of gravel and sand. The historical rich monument center on which the four bell towers of the city stand is also interesting.

Island of Rab View Enlarge

On the top of the Kamenjak, from Straza (408 meters), a charming panorama can be enjoyed.Lopar is a port of ferries to north of the island. But it is also a charming tourist location that offers the beautiful long beach Paradise nearly two kilometers.

The island of Rab is tied to the state of Saint Marino from a legend according to which the homonimous saint was a craftsman of the original stone of the island, engaged in the construction of walls of Rimini. In order to escape from the persecutions of Diocleziano, he departed to Titano Mountain where he founded a religious community and a monastry from where Marino would derive today's Saint.

Trogir
Trogir, one of the beautiful Mediterranean towns of Croatia, is found at only 61 kilometers from Šibenik. Founded by the Greeks in the III century A.D., then was conquered by the Venezia in 1420 brought its golden period. The twisted narrow lanes, the gothic houses and the renaissance palaces give the town appearance quite distinctive.
The historical center is found on a small island reachable by a bridge. It is divided in two parts, in one part peasants used to live in ancient time.
On the main public square of Trogir faces the cathedral of Sv. Lovro, patron of the city.

The entrance is embellished with a Romanesque portale of 1240, Master Radovan's work, representing numerous Biblical episodes and scenes of medieval life. The Orsini chapel is dedicated to the bishop of Trogir, Giovanni Orsini, who became the second patron of the city in the XI century.
The ceiling of the chapel is the masterpiece of Niccolò Fiorentino who, for the first time in antiquity, did not use columns and buttresses for its realization, but only stones to wedge shape.
Just opposite to the dome is Palais Cipiko, an exceptional example of Dalmatian architecture. The venetian lodge that embellishes the south side of the public square served as a hell of court hearing.

The town hall of the 14th and 15th centuries is perhaps the work of the venetian architects but it is not dissimilar from many works of the northern Italy. The church older than Trogir is dedicated to Sv. Barbara and Sv. Marija, while that one of Sv. Ivan Krštitelj, of the XIII century, belonged to the order of the Benedictines, the most important of Trogir.

The convent of these friars conserves a best relief of the hellenistic age God Kairos.
From the promenade the island of Ciovo is seen connected to Trogir by a bridge. One point of time the island accommodated a leper-hospital entrusted to the treatment of the monks. The convent of the Franciscans on the hill of Drid, is the most ancient of the island and was constructed on the remains of the cavern of a hermit. At Levant the beautiful Dominican convent of Sv. Kriz of the XV century is found.

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