My beautiful Croatia! (Part 10)

Day 1,553, 06:48 • Published in Croatia Croatia • by dRobi1990



Dear readers,

thanks for reading, voting and subbing dRobizam newspapers.

72 days have gone since the first article and the first topic (Zagreb) and today is the mini jubilee - the 10th article and 100th topic (Dalmatinska pašticada).

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

Next article will be published on 25th February 2012.

IMPORTANT: ! 360° photos: section was added in this article.

Enjoy!

Read about [International project] - eRepublik Journalists











Famous for their scenic beauty, The Brijuni Islands are a holiday resort and a National Park (declared in 1983).



The Brijuni archipelago is a significant hatching ground and a representative oasis for a typical marine organisms of the northern Adriatic.
On the photo: Gaz Island



The richest site on the Brijuni stretches on an area somewhat greater than 1 hectare. The first villa in Dobrika Bay was built in the 2nd - 1st centuries BC, and it was already destroyed in the civil war, in the beginning of the 1st century BC.

On the photo: Byzantine castrum



On the northern edge of Veli Brijun Island, in an enclosed area stretching over 9 hectares, lies the Safari park that was formed in 1978. The park is the habitat of many exotic plant eaters: Indian elephants, llamas, zebras, nilgais, kob antelopes, Somalian sheep and autochthonous donkeys.

On the photo: Plains Zebra (Equus quagga)



The ancient olive is one of the oldest trees in the Mediterranean - a fact that has been proved by research carried out on samples of this ancient olive tree. The research was conducted by the Ruđer Bošković Institute in Zagreb, in the 1960s. The method of carbon analysis showed that the olive tree is about 1600 years old.

The Brijuni or the Brijuni Islands (also known as the Brionian Islands) are a group of fourteen small islands in the Croatian part of the northern Adriatic Sea near the west coast of the Istrian peninsula.

The largest island, Veliki Brijun Island or Brioni Grande (5.6 km2), lies 2 km off the coast, the others are: Mali Brijun, San Marco, Gaz, Okrugljak, Supin, Supinič, Galija, Grunj, Krasnica, Madona, Vrsar, Jerolim and Kozada.

After World War II the Brijuni became part of Yugoslavia and President Marshal Josip Broz Tito made the Brijuni Islands his personal State Summer Residence.

Did you know?

At four sites on Veliki Brijun Island over 200 dinosaur footprints have been discovered, which can be traced to the Cretaceous Period from where Brijuni Cretaceous Park gets its name.

Almost 100 foreign heads of state visited Tito on his islands, along with film stars including Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida.

Robert Koch visited the islands twice in 1900/1901. He discovered that that the cause of malaria was the anopheles mosquito with multi-colored wings. In 1905 a memorial tablet was set up in honor of Dr. Koch, the great scientist who exterminated malaria from the islands

! Video: Brijuni NP promo - Must see!
! More info on: Brijuni NP on Wikipedia
! More info on: Brijuni NP Official website
! Tourist info: Brijuni NP - Official Website









The Trsteno Arboretum - includes a summer residence, aqueduct, mill, Baroque fountain with Neptune and the nymphs (on the photo) and the Pavilion (a lookout point for the sea and islands) - is the finest example of garden architecture in Croatia.



Its collection of exotic and decorative trees and shrubs includes over 300 species and cultivars.



The Trsteno Arboretum includes a Gothic-Renaissance park surrounding the fifteenth-century summer residence, which is a monument of garden architecture.

The Trsteno Arboretum, located in the surroundings of Dubrovnik, in the small municipality of Trsteno, and covers an area of 25.5 ha (63 acres).

One of the oldest arboretums in the World, established by the end of the 15th century as a park and summer residence of the patrician family Gučetić.

It has been the property of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts since 1948.

The Arboretum reserves a very special place among the old Ragusan, Dalmatian and Mediterranean parks due to its five-century-long continuous development from Gothic-Renaissance, Renaissance-Baroque and Romantic forms to the present.

Did you know?

The pride of the arboretum are two Oriental Planes (Platanus orientalis) located on the central market place of Trsteno.

They are over 500 years old and are unique specimens of its kind in Europe. The ancient trees are both about 45-60 m tall and their trunks are 5 m in diameter.

! Video: Trsteno
! More info on: Trsteno Arboretum on Wikipedia
! Tourist info: Trsteno Arboretum on Dubrovnik Tourist Board









The Košljun island has a museum with an ethnographic collection containing numerous items produced by Krk fishermen and farmers, as well as folk costumes from across the Island of Krk.

On the photo: Košljun island in the center.



It is approximately 300 meters in diameter and covers an area of 6.5 hectares, but is rich in vegetation.

Košljun is a tiny island in Puntarska Draga bay off the coast of Krk island, facing the town of Punat, in the Adriatic Sea, Croatia.

The Franciscan monastery owns a rich zoological collection consisting of a large seashell collection and unique animal specimens, such as the one-eyed lamb. The monastery also has a rich library with around 30,000 titles.

It includes the Ptolemy’s atlas printed in Venice in 1511 (one of the three preserved copies).

The monastery is a zero category monument. There are two churches on the islet – the Church of Blessed Virgin Mary’s Annunciation and the Church of St. Bernard.

The only inhabitants are a group of Franciscan monks living in St. Mary's Monastery.

! Video: Košljun island - Aerial view
! More info on: Košljun on Wikipedia
! Tourist info: Franciscan Monastery Košljun







Despite being a student of the "stuffy, snobbish" classical music genre, Maksim Mrvica has been experimenting with various types of music, incorporating them into classical piano pieces, and churning out sweet crossover melodies in the process, launching his fans into a frenzy.

Maksim Mrvica (born May 3, 1975) is a Croatian pianist.

Mrvica was born in Šibenik, Croatia. He took up piano lessons from the age of nine and gave his first public performance at the same age.

Just three years later he gave his first concert performance of Haydn’s Piano Concerto in C major.

Mrvica went on to study at the Music Academy in Zagreb where he spent five years under Professor Vladimir Krpan, who himself was a pupil of Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli.

He then spent a year at the Franz Liszt Conservatoire in Budapest and during this year he won first prize at the Nikolai Rubinstein International Piano Competition.

Soon after his return to Croatia, Mrvica recorded his first CD, Gestures, an album of contemporary Croatian piano pieces. Gestures became one of the fastest-selling classical recordings to be released in Croatia.

Next album, The Piano Player, gave a new spin to compositions by Handel and Chopin.

Since its release in 2003 it has been very successful, particularly in Asia, where it has achieved Gold status in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and China, Platinum in Taiwan and Croatia and Double Platinum in Hong Kong.

! Video: Original of Flight of the Bumble Bee
! Video: Exodus
! More info on: Maksim Mrvica on Wikipedia







Mirko's signature move was his lightning-quick left head-kick, one famously described his kicks as "right leg, hospital; left leg, cemetery."

Mirko Filipović (born September 10, 1974 in Vinkovci) is a Croatian heavyweight kickboxer, retired mixed martial artist, politician, and law enforcement officer.

His nickname, Cro Cop, short for "Croatian Cop", comes from his membership in the Lučko Anti-Terrorist Unit, Croatia's elite Police Special Forces tactical unit.

Filipović has been successful in both K-1 and Pride Fighting Championships.

On September 10, 2006, he won the 2006 PRIDE World Open-Weight Grand Prix, and in 2007 entered the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Filipović owed his MMA success to a combination of elite-level kickboxing and near-invincible takedown defence, making him one of the most dangerous strikers in MMA history and a prototype for the modern sprawl and brawler.

His legacy remains as a true legend in Mixed Martial Arts, and one of the greatest heavyweights in mixed martial arts history.

! Video: Mirko Cro Cop Highlights - Must see!
! Video: Mirko Cro Cop Documentary
! More info on: Mirko Filipović on Wikipedia
! More info on: Mirko Cro Cop Official Website









City Tourist Association Varaždin is Organizer of one of most visited open air festival event in Croatia and the region - Špancirfest.



During this festival Varaždin pulsates with the creative rhythm of artists.



Špacirfest turns this city into the Capital of Music, the Kingdom of Theatre and the Empire of Beauty created by the hand of the artist.



Streets and squares of the historic nucleus of Varaždin in which the festival takes place become too small because of tens of thousands of visitors.

Špancirfest is a 10 day street festival that is held every year since 1999 in Varaždin, Croatia.

During ten festival days we have over 250 hours of music program - rock, blues, ethno, electro, world music, fusion and other kind of music - programs and theater shows for children, theatre comedies for adults, street performances and street musicians.

The festival presents traditional, as well as contemporary art craft with interactive workshops and provides many gastronomic pleasures.

This Street Festival is made out of several Festivals:

- Komedija fest (Comedy Fest)
- Hlapec fest (Children plays, for Children under 14 years of age)
- Moderato fest (for lovers of classical music, concerts)
- Jazz festival
- Ritam fest (concerts, a variety of musical expressions)
- Ulica fest (street artists, acrobats, jugglers, street musicians, puppet plays)

! Video: Atmosphere on the Festival
! More info on: Špancirfest Official Website
! More info on: Špancirfest on Wikipedia
! Tourist info: About Špancirfest









The Ozalj Castle - located on the stone cliffs above the Kupa river - is one of the best known fortifications of this type in Croatia.



There are a museum and a library in the Castle - which is in a relatively good state after being partially restaurated.



It is a very old stronghold which has been converted into a castle.
On the photo: Bridge and the entrance to the castle.



Inside Castle walls.

Ozalj Castle (Croatian: Gradina Ozalj) is a castle in Ozalj, Croatia. It was constructed in 1244 on a hill overlooking Kupa River.

The castle was popular because it was the joint castle of Croatian noble families of Frankopan and Zrinski.

In fact, it was the scene of the unlucky Zrinski-Frankopan conspiracy, which significantly marked the history of Croatia.

! Video: Ozalj Castle introduction
! More info on: Ozalj Castle on Wikipedia
! Tourist info: Ozalj on Croatian National Tourist Board
! 360° photos: Castle: (1 | 2 | 3), River Kupa









Makarska is a tourist centre, located on a horseshoe shaped bay between the Biokovo mountain and the Adriatic Sea.



Makarska is a picturesque town of impressive beauty which lives off tourism and for tourism; a town of youth, culture, sports and entertainment.



In the summertime tens of thousands of tourists flock to the area.

Makarska is a small town, part of the Split-Dalmatia County, on the Adriatic coastline of Croatia. It has a population of 13,716 residents.

The city is noted for its palm-fringed promenade, where fashionable cafes, bars and boutiques overlook the pretty harbour where many pleasure craft are moored.

Close to the beach are several large capacity hotels as well as a camping ground.

The center of Makarska is an old town with narrow stone-paved streets, a main church square where there is a flower and fruit market, and a Franciscan monastery that houses a sea shell collection featuring a giant clam shell.

Makarska is the center of the Makarska Riviera, a popular tourist destination under the Biokovo mountain.

! Video: Makarska 4 min promo video
! More info on: Makarska on Wikipedia
! Tourist info: Makarska on Croatian National Tourist Board
! Tourist info: Makarska Tourist Board
! 360° photos: Makarska: Boulevard | City Entrance







Tamburica orchestras can have various formats from a trio to a large orchestra. A basic trio consists of a prim, a kontra and a čelo. Larger orchestras also have bas-prims and bass-prim-terc tamburas.



Tamburica was probably brought by the Turks to Bosnia, from where the instrument spread further with migrations of Šokci and Bunjevci above the Sava River to all parts of Croatia. The modern tamburica shape was developed in Hungary (Budapest) in the end of 19th century.

Tamburica or Tamboura refers to any member of a family of long-necked lutes popular in Eastern and Central Europe, particularly Croatia (especially Slavonia), Serbia (Vojvodina) and Hungary.

All took their name and some characteristics from the Persian tanbur but also resemble the mandolin, in that its strings are plucked and often paired.

The frets may be moveable to allow the playing of various modes. The body of the instrument is made of a hollow gourd.

Types of tamburica

- The samica - three double strings
- The prim (prím) - one double string (the smallest tamburica (about 50 cm
long), but is very loud)
- The bas-prim or brač (basszprím or brács) - two double strings and two
single strings
- The čelović - two double sintrings and two single strings
- The bugarija or kontra (brácsó or kontra) - one double string D and three
single strings (similar to a guitar)
- The čelo (cselló) - four strings, similar in size to the bugarija and
used for dynamics
- The bas - four strings (the largest instrument in the tamburica family,
similar to contrabass)

! Video: Croatian Symphony Orchestra - 160 Tamburica orchestra
! More info on: Tamburica on Wikipedia







Pašticada (Pastizzada) is often called Dalmatinska pašticada because it originates from Dalmatia.



In Croatia, it is a meal for important feasts, including weddings and Mardi Gras.
On photo: Pašticada served with gnocchi.

Pašticada is a stewed beef dish cooked in special sauce, popular in Croatia.

It requires long and meticulous preparation, which includes marinating the beef in vinegar, lemon and rosemary for at least 24 hours.

The marinated beef is then cooked with carrots, cloves, nutmeg, red wine and diced prosciutto for two hours, depending on the amount of meat.

Ingredients and Preparation

750-1000g of (yearling) beef (cut), some cloves, several bay leaves, 4 cloves of garlic, smoked bacon, 1 onion, some vinegar, 100g lard, a piece of celery, parsley leaves, salt, pepper, grated mace, half a glass of red wine or Prosecco, 1 tea-spoonful of tomato puree and 100g of carrots.

The day before cooking soak the yearling beef in diluted vinegar into which you have thrown a few bay leaves, salt and grains of pepper. Take the meat out from this marinade and spike it with slices of bacon and cloves. In a big vessel, pan-fry the celery, carrots, parsley and 4 cloves of garlic. Add the meat and roast/fry it from all sides until it acquires a noble golden brown colour. Add a little vinegar, and a glass of red wine, also adding a bit of mace and the teaspoonful of tinned tomato puree. Continue stewing for about one hour, pouring water and wine into the mixture from time to time. Next, take out the meat, cutting it into slices. Sieve the mixture of vegetables and gravy in order to obtain smooth sauce into which meat slices should be laid down. Then stew the pastizzada again for some 10 minutes so that all the ingredients bind and soak into the meat. In Makarska pastizzada is served with home made gnocchi or macaroni.

! Video: Pašticada recipe (Croatian language)
! More info on: Pašticada on Wikipedia

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