krow·EY·shuh - /kɹowejˈʃʌ/
From the Latin Croātia, a derivation of Slavic Xərwate / Xorvat, Proto-Slavic Xъrvátъ - which possibly comes from Scytho-Sarmatian, Χοροάθος (or Khoroáthos,) and/ or the Proto-Ossetian / Alanian, xurvæt = one who guards/ guardian, protector
This potential Sarmatian/ Alanian etymology actually puts the ethnogenesis of Croats in dispute. While traditionally most accept the Slavic theory; that Croats are South Slavic White Croats from Great Croatia, the linguistic connection to the Sarmatiam Khoroáthos, name for Iranian equestrian tribes found on some Ancient Greek inscriptions spawned an Iranian theory that the Sarmatian-Alanic are the origin of Proto-Croats, not the Slavs.
Why It's Worth a Visit -
At the crossroads of Roman, Byzantine, European & Mediterranean cultures, Croatia boasts historic walled cities full of Austro-Hungarian charm, stunning Adriatic coastline with crystal-clear waters & over a thousand islands, perfect for sailing all at affordable rates with less crowds.
@ a glance essentials:
Language:
Croatian
Most Locals in larger cities can speak some English.
Country's Visitation Limit:
90 Days
Water safety
Safe to Drink
Emergency #
112 Police: 192 Ambulance:194
.
How to Say - Hello:
Pozdrav
Thank You:
Hvala
Hot Tip:
Nude beaches are common (marked 'FKK' – for German 'Frei-Körper-Kultur' = 'free body culture' – but topless bathing is common everywhere) Even if you choose to go sans swimsuits though you may want to wear swim shoes as many beaches are rocky and the home of stinging sea urchins
Croatia (inhabited since the prehistoric period) has been the center of ethnic and political conflict for it's entire civilized history, right at the geographical schism between the Western Roman and Byzantine Empire, then again at the frontlines of the Ottoman invasions and at the heart of the modern Serbian-Croatian conflicts.
In the late 6th - 7th c. South Slavs, displaced the Romans in the Balkans (who had in turn, had taken the land from various Celts & Illyrians in 9AD.) The Slavs organized the territory into two duchies, one of which was The Duchy of Croatia, or Land of the Croats (which included present day Bosnia.) The Duchy was elevated to the Kingdom of Croatia in 1oth c.
a bit of background...
................Croatia’s country code is HR because the Croatian endonym for the country is Hrvatska or Republika Hrvatska = Republic of Hrvatska.
FUN FACT:
In 1102, with the Ottoman Empire expanding, the Croat Kingdom enter into a union with Hungary for protection. [While some territory was lost over the centuries - resulting in the hollowed out crescent shape of modern Croatia - this union proved successful, in that unlike most of it's Balkan neighbors, Croatia was never part of the Ottoman Empire.]
In the 16th c. Hungary was conjoined to Austria under the Hasburgs, and as part of the ongoing military tensions with the Turks, they soon split Croatia, in 1538, into a civilian and military territory with the Croatian Military Frontier under direct Habsburg control. Later, in 1796, during the Napoleonic Wars they also annexed the Dalmatian Lands, (the Adriatic Sea coast of Croatia,) forming the Kingdom of Dalmatia.
After WWI, the Slove, Croats & Serbs were declared independent from the Habsburg Empire, and were merged into the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Then during WWII most of Croatia was incorporated into a Nazi puppet state, the Independent State of Croatia, from which a resistance movement led first to the creation of the Socialist Republic of Croatia, then to the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia after the war.
Yugoslavia was fraught with ethnic strife throughout it's existence with Serbs & Croats at each others throats in multi-generational blood feuds. In 1991, Croatia declared and fought a War of Independence becoming the current nation of Croatia in 1995.
Must Try Local Cuisine:
Ćevapčići - grilled minced meat rolls & Ražnjići - grilled meat skewers ▪️ Djuvec Rice - a mixture of rice & veg
Grah - white bean soup w/ beef, bacon or sausage ▪️ Sarma - cabbage w/ minced meat, bacon, fried onions & egg
Brudet - tomato, wine/vinegar based fish stew ▪️ Soparnik - chard, parsley pie ▪️ Sataraš - tomato, pepper stew
Čupavci (hairy ones) - sponge cake cubes in chocolate w/ shredded coconut. ▪️ Krofne - deep-fried donut (no hole)
Gibanica - pastry filled w/ soft cheeses ▪️ Paprenjaci - traditional Croatian spiced cookie w/ honey & walnuts
I haven't yet had the opportunity to visit
Croatia
(but it's on the list!) - So I don't have any personal . recommendations, but you can start with the most popular spots . below, and I'll be updated with my favorites, hopefully soon!
(If you get there first send me your best finds!)
♦️ Dalmatian Coast- for sailing & crowded drunken parties on mega-yachts, ($$$$,
celebrities during Yacht week) and idyllic islands like Hvar with Stari Grad Town &
Plain (world's oldest continually-cultivated vineyard planted by ancient Greeks), Pag
with an unusual lunar-like landscape, famous sheep cheese; Paški sir & the Blue Lagoon
between the islands Krknjasi & Veliki UNESCO,
🔸 Fairytale Istrian Villages like: Motovun, Grožnjan, Hum or Pula with the Pula Arena,
one of the best-preserved Roman amphitheatres in Europe.
♦️ Split with the Diocletian Palace UNESCO
🔸 National Parks; Plitvice, Croatia’s oldest: 18.4 km of trails, 16 crystal lakes & 90+ waterfalls
or Kornati in the Adriatic Sea, made up of about 150 karst islands called ‘crowns’. UNESCO
♦️ Dubrovnik - with 13th c. defensive walls, Old Town (the filming location for King’s
Landing on Game of Thrones,) & Lokrum Island - (with the original GOT Iron Throne)
🔸 Dinaric Alps region
♦️ Zagreb - with Kamenita vrata (Stone Gate), Dolac Market, St. Mark’s Cathedral,
Lotrscak Tower, Mirogoj Cemetery, & the world’s shortest funicular
Most Known For:
🌀 Pula's Visualia (September) or Zagreb's Festival of Lights (March) - light show over the whole city w/
animated installations, interactive elements & sometimes short film scenes projected on buildings
🌀 Procession of (Kra)Ljelje & Kraljice (Pentecost Sunday) - girls split into ‘queens," in traditional costume
& 'kings", in men’s clothing* to parade house to house, singing & dancing w/ bagpipers & tambura/
gajde players. Once widely celebrated, today it's only found in the small village of Gorjani.
🌀 Half New Years’ Eve (June 30th) - the week prior hosts street performances, a masked parade, traditional
sword dances & festival food. On the night of the 30th turns into a dance floor & all-night party w/ fireworks
🌀 Rijeka Carnival - w/ parade floats, daily themed masked dancers, (eg, a parade day w/ men dressed
in animal skin chasing away evil spirits w/ loud bells) Practiced in the 1800s but forgotten - until
groups of masked men revived it in 1982, paraded down main street to amuse their neighbors
*Tradition says the woman dressed as men to make soldiers believe they were ghosts (ostensibly of lost war colleges(?))
Cool Local Festivals:
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