Did you know that Croatia... ?

That in Croatia there are several towns, historical monuments and natural phenomenon which are inscribed on the World Heritage List under the protection of UNESCO? These are:
 
The St. Euphrasius Basilica in Porec
This sacral complex was built during the period between the IV and VI centuries and is situated in the north-eastern part of the old town of Porec, on the part of the Istrian peninsula which has been inhabitated since ancient times. The Basilica was been built by the bishop Euphrasius and consists of the three aisled basilica, the atrium, the octagonal baptistry, the bishops palace with its residence from the XIII-XV century and the bell tower from the XVI-XIX century. The apse of the Basilica is decorated with impressive mosaics representing the apostles, which, together with the mosaics of the San Vitale church in Ravenna, are considered as the most unusual mosaics in European art.

The St. James Cathedral in Šibenik (Šibenska cathedral)
The St. James cathedral in Šibenik is a basilica with an apse and three domes which are more than 23 metres high. The building was started in the year 1431, on the site of the former cathedral which had been destroyed. The construction material (rocks) had been brought from the islands of Korcula, Susak, Brac, Rab and Krk.

This sacral monument is the only one in Europe in which the walls, the roof and the domes were built before the XIX century in the technique of the builder “MREŽNO” (the technique used by the famous Dalmatian architect Juraj Dalmatinac), using iron nets and rocks projected in advance, a technique used originally by carpenters. The result of the connection of the rocks in this special technique is a fantastic interior which follows perfectly the form of the exterior of the building.

In the year 2000 the cathedral was inscribed in the World heritage List under the protection of UNESCO.

The Romanesque town of Trogir
The town of Trogir was founded by the ancient Greeks from the island of Vis in the III century b.c. on the fertile land where, in the past, was located the ancient urban nucleus of the town of Trogir, which is representative not only of the Roman-Gothic complexes of the Adriatic, but also of  the whole of eastern Europe.
In the historic town, which is protected by great medieval walls, we will find the well-preserved bell tower, citizen's houses and city palaces in different architectural styles – roman, gothic, reinassance and baroque. The most famous building in Trogir is the St. Laurence cathedral, the portal of which is the masterpiece of the “Master Builder Radovan” and it is the the most important masterpiece in the roman-gothic style in Croatia.

The Palace of the Roman Emperor Diocletia in Split (Diocletian Palace)
The Roman Emperor Diocletia spent the last years of his life in the enormous palace which he had built near his birthplace, Asphalatos, in Dalmatia. In successive centuries the original architecture has been changed but the inhabitants of this town (later named Split) have preserved intact the structure of the palace under all its rulers – the Byzantines, the Venetians and ultimately the Austro-Hungarian empire, keeping the original facade. This beautiful town was thus born inside the Roman walls, today known as Split. The best-preserved parts of the palace are the Peristil, the Jupiter Temple, the “Andrija Buvina” gate and the arcitectural constructions of the Master Builder Juraj Dalmatinac.

The Walls of Dubrovnik
The walls of Dubrovnik surround in a perfect way the complex of the historical town of Dubrovnik, which consists of private houses, sacral buildings and palaces in all the different architectural styles, starting with the style of the foundations of the town in the VII century. It is impossible not to mention the main street of the town – Stradun, the Dukes Palace, the church of St. Vlaho, the cathedral, the three monastaries, the customs building and the City Parliament building.

The Republic of Dubrovnik was once the political centre of an independent state. It was proud of its culture, its trading tradition and expecially of its freedom, which were preserved through the numerous turbulent centuries.

 

The Plitvice Lakes
The Korana river along its path creates a chain of 20 lakes with crystal clear water which has a beautiful emerald green colour, interconnected by rocky barriers upon which the water transforms the wonderful waterfalls into an impressive game of nature. The lakes are immersed in a dense forest in which is possible to find numerous wild animals such as the brown bear, the wolf and rare bird species.

That Croatia is the home of the tie (Cravatta)?
The word cravatta is closely connected with the name Croatia (Croata). The tie, in the beginning, was the name of a kind of a shawl which was worn by Croatian soldiers in the XVII century. In the XVIII century it became part of the traditional costume in the form of a white shawl. The tie, thanks to its originality, was quickly adopted by Parisians as a symbol of their progress. At the time of the French Revolution, the red tie was worn as a symbol of protest against non-progressive and conservative ideas.

In fact, it is Croatia that led the way in conquering the world of fashion, and hand-made Croatian ties are some of the most popular Croatian souvenirs.

Lika

That in the village Kutarevo, in the Lika region, there is a shelter for the babies of brown bears?
In Kutarevo, on the slopes of the Velebit mountain in the Lika region, there is a shelter for young bears which have somehow lost their mother and are left to take care of themselves on their own. Consequently these young animals are not able to learn how to survive in the wilderness so they stay in this shelter, which is the only project of its kind registered in Croatia. Kutarevo was opened thanks to the enthusiasm of animal lovers and the invaluable help of experts in the protection of the brown bear and, in time, it became an interesting destination for excursions.

That the deepest karst cave in Europe is situated in the Velebit mountain?
In the heart of the national park Sjeverni Velebit, at an altitude of 1,475 m above sea level, the Lukina cave is situated. The deepest point reached so far is just 83 m above sea level and therefore this cave, with a total depth of 1,392 m, is the eighth deepest cave in the world.

That the national parks Plitvice and Krka have been used as the locations for scenes in the films about the indian Winnetou?