Croatian History
Croatians belong to South Slavonic group of nations. They moved from the area north of the Carpathians and they settled in Balkans in VI and VII century. As they settled on the grounds that once were belonging to the Roman Empire, in fact on the borders of the broken Great Roman Empire, Croatians were influenced by both: Byzantium on the east and The Latin world, on the west. The first known Croatian king was Prince Tomislav in the X century. Previously pagans, Croatians were Christianised in IX century. They were mostly influenced by the western church and the western culture and they are Roman Catholics. Hungary took over Croatia in XI century and was ruling it giving to Croatians a certain degree of autonomy. In 1526 the Croatian Parliament selected the Austrian Habsburgs as kings of Croatia. Croatians and their land became consequently a part of Austrian Hungarian Empire. Dalmatia was most of the time under Venetian rule. The military border on the south of Austrian Hungarian Empire was constantly under attack from the Turkish forces. In 1630, in order to protect territory of Austrian Hungarian Empire and further penetration of Turkish soldiers into the country, the Emperor Ferdinand II encouraged and welcomed Serbians, Croatian and Bosnians who lived in territories occupied by Turks and wanted to become professional soldiers to come to the southern borders of Croatia and they were given a right to land, language and their own religion. This territory is known as the Military Frontier. This frontier had the autonomy and its own borders and it was mostly populated by Serbian soldiers and their families. They served Austrian Hungarian Empire and protected it from the Turkish invasions. During Austrian Hungarian rule also some Germans, Hungarians, Checks, Slovaks, Ukrainians and Rusyns came to Croatia and mixed with other ethnic groups throughout central Croatia, but also Italians from the west as the whole Adriatic cost of today’s Croatia was under Italian dominance.
Great national movements across the Europe and fall of the Ottoman Empire influenced Croatians, too. They started looking for the way towards the national independence. In the beginning of the XIX century the Illyrian movement was established by a group of Croatian intellectuals and writers aiming to unite linguistically, culturally and politically with other South Slavs –Serbians and Slovenians. The Serbian Kingdom was formally freed and re-established in 1878 after centuries of Turkish rule. Croatians and Slovenians whose countries were still part of Austrian-Hungarian Empire sought to join Serbians and form a country of South Slavonic people where they would be free to speak, study and work in their own language.
That dream came true with formation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians in 1918. However, for centuries, unfulfilled Croatian desire towards own national state led into collaboration with Nazi Germany and establishing the Independent State of Croatia in 1939. The end of the war resulted with a creation of Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia including Croatia in it. Croatian ambition for independence was fulfilled when Croatia separated from the second Yugoslavia. Serbians who lived in Croatia and were making the quarter of the population of Croatia, resisted to the independence of Croatia which caused the civil war at the end of XX century. Croatia is now an independent national country.
Croatian Character
Historical circumstances and mix of Slavonic, Romanic and Germanic origins and a constant desire for an own independent country influenced and created Croatian spirit. Due to the long battle for the country of their own, Croatians became determined, pragmatic and persistent and at the same time patient. The Dinaric Alps gave them the power of resistance and passion while Adriatic coast gifted them with tenderness and the warmth. Croatians are naturally creative, courageous, analytical, contemplative and self aware. The Croatian character is an extraordinary mix of the Slavic and Mediteranian emotional openness and warmth on one side and the Western restraint and aloofness on the other side.
Croatian Attractions
Croatia is situated in Southeast of Europe on the Balkan Peninsula. It is a country of exceptional beauty. Croatia stretches all the way along the eastern Adriatic coast and curves into the continental part of the South East of Europe. It is renowned for its picturesque, jagged coastline with magnificent beaches and modern classy hotels attracts countless number of tourists and visitors every year. There is something for everyone along the cost: from large cities bursting with nightlife to the small and quiet fishing villages and islands that offer a hideaway. The biggest islands are: Krk, Korčula, Brač, Hvar, Rab, Pag and Lošinj. Dubrovnik that once was a town state is a rich historical site and widely known tourist destination. Croatia is full of examples of Roman architecture and one of the six largest and best preserved Roman amphitheatres in the world dating from the I century BC is situated in Pula. Diocletian’s Palace in Split dating from the IV century AD is one of the important historical sites that are placed in Croatia. In the National Park Plitvice one can find 16 colourful lakes and splendid cascades of amazing waterfalls. These are sites of exceptional beauty and should not be missed when visiting Croatia. National Park Plitvice is the oldest in the Southeast of Europe and it is on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Croatia is a home to a number of medieval castles and fortresses. It also has numerous off the bitten track treasures such as hidden caves, secluded villages and exciting walking paths. Monumental catholic cathedrals are mostly situated in the bigger towns and cities all over Croatia. Zagreb is a capital of Croatia and the main centre for museums, religious organisations, events and education.
Modern Croatian Language
Croatian language belongs to the group of South Slavonic languages. It uses Latin script. It has got three main dialects: Shtocavian (štokavski), Chakavian (čakavski) and Kajkavian (kajkavski). It has three sub dialects: ijekavski, ikavski and ekavski. This difference emerged as a result of a difference in pronunciation of the long vowel JAT that was found in the Old Slavonic which was the common language of all Slavonic tribes. Therefore a noun “milk” can be pronounced as “mlEko” in ekavian sub dialect, “mlIko” in ikavian or “mlIJEko” in ijekavian sub dialect. Ijekavian is used in most of Croatia, while ikavian is spoken in Dalmatia and parts of Western Croatia. As in most languages, there are local accentual variations from region to region – so accents spoken on the East of the country will differ to the accents that can be heard on the West of the country. The alphabet is phonetic and rules for reading are rather simple and easy to grasp. The modern alphabet that is in use today is based on Shtocavian (štokavski) dialect and it was chosen and standardised by Ljudevit Gaj in XIX century. This was the product of the Illyrian movement that united Serbians and Croatians linguistically and culturally. The leading linguists and lexicographers of Croatia and Serbia signed The Vienna Literary Agreement in 1850. This agreement led to the standardisation of the both languages and creating Serbo-Croatian language. After separation from Yugoslavia, Croatian became the official language of Croatia. The characteristic of Croatian language is its linguistic purism is a tendency to distance itself from Serbian but also to keep Slavic words and coinage and avoid foreign words. Recently, this tendency resulted in having many neologisms in Croatian language. Croatian is spoken by Croatians and Croatian descendants in USA, Canada, Chile, Argentina, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, Serbia, Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Australia, Bolivia, New Zealand and South Africa.
Tips for visiting Croatia
When on the Croatian coast try to get some homemade Croatian wines and eat delicious dishes made of fresh fish. Evenings on the coast are great for romantic promenades. Beaches are mostly pebbly and rocky, but Adriatic Sea is warm, clear and clean.
People are very hospitable and always eager to offer assistance. Everywhere you go, you’ll feel free, welcomed and relaxed.
It is recommended to learn Croatian language before travelling for your own comfort, but most of younger Croatians can speak English.
Favourite national specialities and dishes are: ćevapčići, pljeskavice, ražnjići,vešalice, sea fish and all sorts of meat and vegetable soups and stews.
Favourite sports are: Basketball, Football, Volleyball and Tennis.
National dance is kolo.
National instrument is gusle.
Passion of the whole region and a favourite past time is sipping a cup of homemade strong black coffee known as kava or kafa.