CROATIA & USA - 1996 AND BEYOND
All over Croatia, peace has broken out, and there are unmistakable signs that tourists are again selecting Croatia for vacations and holidays. Croatia offers a broad array of vacation attractions, but the most famous are our marvelous pebble stone beaches that are kissed lovingly by the amazing waters of the Adriatic Sea.
Tourism has always been a part of Croatia. And today, it is a booming industry. Through public and private sector partnerships, Croatia has approached the revitalization of the tourism industry as a priority with a major program aimed at protecting and improving tourist facilities and services. As a result, modern support services and infrastructure are becoming more widespread on a constant basis, and tourism in Croatia is both affordable and welcoming.
Croatia has always been located at the crossroads of civilizations. This location results in a diverse blend of histories, traditions and culture. A look at the past provides a deep impression of antiquity, which includes the amphitheater in Pula and the Diocletian palace in Split. In the 9th century Croatia was at the cusp of the Frankish and Byzantine empires, and the influence of those eras can still be seen, heard, felt, and tasted all across Croatia. In the 13th century, Croatia was the fulcrum of the schism between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. Between the 15th and 19th centuries Croatia served as border between the Christian West and the Ottoman Empire.
Today, Croatia is unmistakably part
of Central Europe and the Mediterranean. Leading tourist magazines
stress that the Croatian coast remains "the last unspoiled
stretch of the Mediterranean."
Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, has been called "Europe's
new boomtown." Parts of the city boast the charm and history
of nine centuries while other sections buzz with the vibrance
and technology of a dynamic place to live and work. Zagreb first
appeared on the maps of Europe in 1094. It emerged on two historic
hills under the Medvednica mountain. As it developed, Zagreb
spread across the plain between Medvednica and the Sava river.
The thousand year history has left its mark on Zagreb's architecture,
religious and secular monuments. Zagreb offers many opportunities
to travelers. Zagreb is also a wonderful spring board for tourists
to experience Croatia's Panonnian region, the fertile fields
of Slavonia, and castles of Zagorje. Zagreb is also the point
of departure for the world renowned national park Plitvice Lakes,
which is protected by unesco, halfway to the coastline of Croatia.
Istria, with its baroque hotels from the 18th and 19th centuries, is historically a vacation spot for European nobility and aristocracy. Today, it is popular with tourists and visitors from across Europe and is simply a delightful place. Blessed with spectacular scenery, a genteel people, and a comfortable temperate climate, Istria continues to charm all who visit there.
Dalmatia-an oasis on the Adriatic Sea-is unique for its blending of architecture along a rugged coastline with Mediterranean vegetation and a deep blue sea. The cuisine in this famous part of Croatia adds to the area's charm by combining the best foods of the land and the sea into a special and wonderful array of tastes, scents and flavors. And as Mim Swartz of Scripps Howard recently said, with its mild Mediterranean climate, clear blue skies and sea, dramatically craggy coastline, brilliantly blooming bougainvillea and flourishing forests of firs, cypresses, laurels and junipers, the Dalmatian coast is back in business.
Croatia's most famous tourist landmark, Dubrovnik, is accepted the world over as the jewel of the Adriatic. The bells in Dubrovnik are ringing for the return of normalcy. More and more tourists are coming to this unique spectacle. Dubrovnik boasts more than 250 sunny days a year, and all its visitors marvel at the monuments of this city. One of the most striking features of Dubrovnik is its walls. The walls were built between the 13th and 17th centuries, and range between 3 and 19 feet in thickness. Dubrovnik's motto is today the metaphor for all Croatians. The words "Non bene pro toto libertas venditur auro" are inscribed on the Lovrijenac fortress high above the sea, and mean: "Freedom is not sold for all the gold in the world."
Croatia is a land of many things. It is the country of 101 Dalmatians and 1,100 Islands. Croatia boasts over 1,100 Islands, islets and reefs that offer many attractions to tourists.
Wine Enthusiast magazine in August 1996 summed up best tourism in Croatia: "Croatia is an inexpensive and welcoming country to visit, especially the Dalmatian Coast along the Adriatic Sea and the nearby islands, where the scenery is breathtaking and there are numerous large resort hotels."
