Land and Climate
In Croatia totally different types of landscapes come together, which
gives the country its rare beauty. What in other countries is very distant
from each other lies here very near together:
The Sea
Offshore islands
Coastline
The karst
Wooded mountains
Fertile plains
Dalmatia in the west is a narrow, barren strip of land within the Dinaric
Alps, that slopes down to the Adriatic Sea, which is one of the clearest
seas in the world. The Dinaric Alps consists of several parallel ranges of
mountains. The coastal range is partially submerged; a phenomenon that
explains the republic's numerous bays, gulfs, inlets, and more than 1000
offshore islands. Istria, a peninsula that stretches out into the Adriatic
from Slovenia, lies to the north and west of Dalmatia. The coastal region
enjoys a Mediterranean climate with mild, rainy winters and warm, dry
summers.
In the east, the Pannonian Plains are a low-lying, fertile, agricultural
region drained by the Drava and Sava rivers. Both rivers flow into the
Danube River, one of the most important waterways in Europe. In the
continental region predominates a climate with hot summers and cold
winters.
In ecological respect Croatia is one of the least stressed regions in
Europe. Several national parks can be visited - a meeting with the nature
in its originality. Three of them are in the mountain regions. Those are
Risnjak, Paklenica and the Plitvice Lakes. The four others are in the
coastal region. Those are The Kornats, Mljet, Brijuni and Krka. 1979 the
Plitvice Lakes even have been included in the list of the Worlds Natural
Heritage.
History
Croatia formed part of the province of Pannonia during the reign of the
Roman Empire. The Avars, a Mongolian people conquered Pannonia, in the 6th
century after Christ. Later they forced further to the south and even
threatened the East-Roman Empire. The emperor Heraklion pledged the Croats
for help. They defeated the Avars and settled in the area between the
Adriatic coast and the rivers Drina in the east and Drava in the north.
There they established two duchies: The Duchy of Dalmatia and the Duchy of
Slavonia.
In 925 Croatia became an independent kingdom, which lasted until the end
of the 11th century. Successively the Croatian Kingdom came to Hungary. An
agreement ensured the Croats rights of autonomy. Croatia was united with
Hungary until the end of the 1st World War. 1526 the Croatian and
Hungarian Kingdom was intensely threatened by the Turks.
1527 the Croatian Aristocracy elected Ferdinand of Habsburg as the
Croatian King, because he supported them in the war. So the Hungarian
aristocracy and the Croatian and Hungarian Kingdom became part of the
Habsburg Monarchy. (Later called Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy). Along the
border to the Turkish Empire a defense territory, called "Krajina", was
established. In the depopulated region the - from the Turks escaping -
Serbs settled. So the ethnic composition of this territory changed, which
had serious consequences for the Croatian History. Bad times of fights
against the Turks began. Croatia was the most important defense of the
Christian World.
In the following centuries the Croats were exploited and suppressed by
Hungarians and Austrians.
When 1848 the Hungarians started a revolution against Vienna the Croats
wanted to get rid of them. They fought together with the Austrians against
the revolution - with no big success; Croatia was soon again put in charge
of the Hungarians. The disappointment about this development led to
national movements and to the birth of the Yugoslavian Idea - the uniting
of all Southern Slavs.
After the 1st World War the Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy declined. Under
the influence of Great Britain and France the kingdom of Slovenes, Croats
and Serbs - later called Yugoslavia - was established. For the croatian
people this was not a good solution. The Serbs seized the leadership in
the state and exploited all the other nations. Soon a dictatorship was
introduced. The dissatisfaction of the people was very big. When 1941
Hitler marched in Belgrade the Serbian King flew away to London. Inside
the country it came to a civil war in which the communistic partisans
under Josip Broz Tito were decisive.
After the confusions of the 2nd World War it came to the establishment of
a new Yugoslavia, in which the communists ruled. The situation of the
Croats became even more worse by the persecution of all who were not
devoted to the regime.
After the death of president Tito, the Serbs under the leadership of
Slobodan Milošević wanted to make a greater Serbia. The Croats voted for
an independent Croatian State. Consequently the Serb Aggression followed
in which a third of Croatia was conquered, devastated and plundered. The
rest of the world watched inactively. Only in January 1992 Croatia has
formally been recognized.
After 4 years of Serbian occupation in August 1995 the Croatian Army freed
the biggest part of the occupied territory. Now the homecomers hope for
reconstruction help from western states. The tourism also expects many
guests, who will bring the country an economical increase.
Culture
For several centuries Croatia existed on the border between the cultures:
Between the West and East Roman Empire, between the Franks and the
Bycantinic Empire, between the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox Church,
between the Christian West and the Osmotic Islam and between the Western
and the Eastern Bloc.
The history of the past centuries is still very lively in the croatian
towns - a cultural fertile meeting, which you can see on many monuments.
In the coastal towns you can find the traces of the Roman and Greek
antiquity as well as Bycantinic characteristics, Romanesque and
Renaissance - Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar, Rab and so on.
In the north of the country Baroque and Renaissance predominate the main
picture - for example Zagreb, Varaždin, Požega, Osijek etc.
The capital Zagreb is the cultural center of Croatia and has a 900 year
long history. It is a European metropolis, the town of history and
legends, museums and stores, science and art - and the infectious joy of
life.
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