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MEET CROATIA vol. 4

Day 1,488, 15:01 • Published in Brazil Croatia

• by TradeMaster

Hi there, dear readers.

My goal is to make 50 articles about our small country and show the world all the beauty Croatia has.

So far, I`ve noted that foreigners have great interest in Croatia.

In future articles, I`ll do my best to show you Croatia most honestly and with great honour.

! Notice: These article is only made to promote Croatia and Croatian nature, culture, cities, heritage, history, art, cuisine, sports and people (either born in Croatia or others) and is not made to usurp, tease or start any sort of controversy, so please have this on your mind when you post comment.

Part 5 will be published on 17th December 2011

Enjoy!

The Park is characterised by different karst phenomena and forms so the rich vegetation hides many potholes, sinkholes and grykes.

Source area of river Kupa

View to the Schlosser lodge (Schlosserov dom (1418 m)) from the Veliki Risnjak

The highest peak of Risnjak mountain is "Risnjak" or Veliki Risnjak ("Big Risnjak") at 1528 meters above sea level

Risnjak National Park is a national park in Croatia since 1953.

It is located in entirely in Primorje-Gorski Kotar county, hinterland of the city of Rijeka and Kvarner Gulf, in the north-western part of Gorski kotar region, the most mountainous and heavily forested region of the country.

The park covers an area of 63.5 square kilometers including the central part of Risnjak mountain and Snježnik massif and the source area of the river Kupa.

Flora

Although the park occupies only a relatively small area it is home to a very diverse types of flora, with variety of rare and sometimes endangered species.

Fauna

The fauna is just as diverse as the flora.

The wealth of vegetation and extensive geomorphological diversity provide shelter to a large number of animal species, especially birds.

It is a habitat of three large carnivores: lynx (Croatian: Ris) by which Risnjak was named, wolf and brown bear.

! Video: Risnjak - Croatia Airlines video
! More info on: Risnjak NP Official Website
! More info on: Risnjak NP on Wikipedia
! Tourist info: Risnjak NP on Croatian National Tourist Board

In English folk mythology and old wive's tales, storks deliver newborn babies to mothers by dropping them down chimneys

Čigoć, a small village in Lonjsko Polje Nature Park has been a European Stork Village (awarder by EuroNatur) since 1994 and a nature and culture monument of the country.

Since this time the place has celebrated Stork Day (last Saturday in June) every year, and several thousand people are gladdened by the little wooden houses with their storks’ nests.

The 45 active nests resides more than 200 white storks, and about seventy houses only 120 people, which tells about the harmonious relationship between man and nature in this region.

! Video: Čigoć
! More info on: Lonjsko Polje Nature Park Official page
! More info on: Where storks are "honorary citizens" - euronatur.org
! More info on: European Stork Villages (EuroNatur)
! Tourist info: Nature Park Lonjsko Polje

The goal of seismology is to study the interior of the Earth, and to continue where the geologist stops; it has in modern seismographs a sort of binoculars that enables us to look into the largest of depths

He is best known for the eponymous Mohorovičić discontinuity and is considered a founder of modern seismology.

Andrija Mohorovičić (Volosko near Opatija, 1857. - Zagreb, 1936.) was a Croatian meteorologist and seismologist.

Although his name is mostly associated with the discovery of the crust-mantle boundary, his other achievements in seismology, as well as those in other geophysical disciplines, certainly deserve to be remembered.

! Video: Explanation of Moho Discontinuity
! More info on: Andrija Mohorovičić on Wikipedia

Licitars are colorfully decorated biscuits made of sweet honey/gingerbread dough that are part of Croatia's cultural heritage and a traditional symbol of Zagreb.

They are used as an ornamental gift often given at celebrations of love such as weddings, St. Valentine's Day, birthdays.

The tradition of making and giving Licitars is very old, stretching as far back as the 14th Century.

Licitar makers, known as Medičari, were highly regarded in society, and their Licitars were very much sought after.

In 2010, UNESCO added the Gingerbread craft from Northern Croatia to the "Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage" for Croatian culture.

! Video: Croatian Licitars
! More info on: Licitar on Wikipedia
! More info on: Licitar - Croatia`s warm heart
! More info one: Make licitars on your own

The Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus) is a large Old World vulture in the bird of prey family Accipitridae.

Like other vultures, it is a scavenger, feeding mostly from carcasses of dead animals which it finds by soaring over open areas, often moving in flocks.

In Croatia, a colony of Griffon Vultures can be found near the town of Beli on the island of Cres.

There they breed at lower elevations, with some nests just 10 m above sea level.

! More info on: Griffon Vulture on Wikipedia
! More info: Eco-Center Caput Insulae – Beli, Cres
! Tourist info: Cres Island

The legend of Veli Jože - Motovun is known among today's population of Istria as the city of Veli Jože, the good gentle giant who represents the Croatian people of Istria in the national struggles of the Croats for equality against fascism

It is best - preserved medieval fortress of Istria peninsula, which developed on top of a 277m high steep hill.

The late-Renaissance church of St. Stephen was built right at the beginning of the 17th century

Motovun, is a village in central Istria, Croatia.

medieval town grew up on the site of an ancient city called Kastelijer.

In prehistoric times, the Illyrian and Celtic tribes built their fortress on the site of Motovun.

The forest of Motovun

The river Mirna flows below the hill and on the other side of the river there is the famous Motovun forest, an area of about 10 square kilometres in the valley of the river Mirna, of which 280 hectares (2.8 km2 is specially protected.

Motovun Film Festival

Motovun Film Festival is entirely dedicated to films made in small cinematographies and independent productions, films that broke out through their innovation, ideas, and the power of their stories.

In everything, except for the ambition and the quality, Motovun wants to be a small festival showing small films, small in the warmest sense od the word.

! Video: Motovun Promo - Time of your life
! More info on: Motovun on Wikipedia
! More info on: Motovun FIlm Festival
! Tourist info: Motovun on Croatian National Tourist Board Website

The cave is one of the best known natural beauty spots on the Adriatic and a popular show cave because of the glowing blue light that appears at certain times of day

The Blue Grotto (Italian: Grotta Azzurra) on the island of Capri in Italy is also famous for this type of phenomenon.

Entrance to The Blue Cave (Biševo)

The Blue Grotto or Blue Cave (Croatian: Modra špilja), is a water-logged sea cave located in a small bay called Balun, on the east side of the island of Biševo and about 8 km from Komiža, in the Croatian Adriatic.

The Blue Cave is a cave with the sea-entrance. Geomorphologically very interesting, with a typical karst forms. Unusual attractions are specific lighting effects, which arise by breaking up the sunlight.

It is situated in the central Dalmatian archipelago, 5 kilometers south-west of the island of Vis.

The cave receives more than 10,000 tourist visits every year, and tourist boats often include a visit to another similar cave on the island, the Zelena špilja (English: The Green Grotto), which is bigger in size and appears to be of an emerald-green tone due to a similar effect.

! Video: Blue Cave Bisevo Island HD
! More info on: Blue Grotto (Biševo)
! Tourist info: Biševo Island

Ivanišević celebreting 2001 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Singles Trophy

Goran Ivanišević (Split, 1971.) is a retired Croatian professional tennis player.

He is best remembered for being the only person to win the men's singles title at Wimbledon as a wildcard.

He achieved this in 2001, having previously been runner-up at the championships in 1992, 1994 and 1998.

He also won 2005 Davis Cup with Croatia Davis Cup Team.

Ivanišević is famous for his strong serve, which is considered among the greatest to date.

His career-high singles ranking was World No. 2 (behind Pete Sampras) in 1994.

! Video: Golden Moment: Goran Ivanisevic Vs Patrick Rafter 2001 Wimbledon
! Video: Funny Ivanišević
! More info on: Goran Ivanišević on Wikipedia
! Tourist info: Split

Matija Gubec led the peasant army during its last stand at the Battle of Stubičko Polje in 1573. (Krsto Hegedušić, Bitka kod Stubice, 1939.)

A representation of the execution of Matija Gubec in front of St. Mark's Church in Zagreb, by Oton Iveković

Ambroz "Matija" Gubec (Hižakovac, 1548 – 15 February 1573) was a Croatian peasant and a revolutionary, best known as the leader of the Croatian-Slovenian peasant revolt.

The peasants elected Matija Gubec to be one of the leaders in a Croatian - Slovenian revolt, and renowned for his personal qualities, he became the most influential leader of the rebellion.

During his brief tenure he showed ability as a capable administrator and inspiring leader that would later create a legend.

Before the battle at Stubičko Polje, Gubec made a speech trying to convince the men that only victory could bring them freedom, while the defeat would bring more misery.

After the defeat he was captured and taken to Zagreb.

According to legend, on 15 February he was publicly tortured, being forced to wear a red-hot iron crown, cruelly dragged along the streets of the city, pinched with red-hot iron pincers, and was subsequently quartered.

He earned the nickname Gubec Beg.

! Video: Video Biography with Croatian subtitles
! More info on: Matija Gubec on Wikipedia

Prosciutto on a table trestle

Istarski pršut - "Istrian Prosciutto"

Prosciutto (English pronunciation: /prəˈʃuːtoʊ/) or Parma ham is a dry-cured ham that is usually thinly sliced and served uncooked; this style is called prosciutto crudo in Italian and is distinguished from cooked ham, prosciutto cotto.

Prosciutto is well known in Croatia (Dalmatia, Croatian Littoral, Lika and Istria), parts of western Slovenia, Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia where it is known as "pršut".

! Video: Slicing of Istrian pršut (prosciutto) in Fažana
! More info on: Prosciutto on Wikipedia