Croatia is a country in southeastern Europe, bordered by Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the southeast, Montenegro to the southeast, and the Adriatic Sea to the southwest. The country is also known as Hrvatska in Croatian, and its capital and largest city is Zagreb. Croatia has a population of approximately 4.05 million people, with the majority of residents identifying as ethnic Croats. Croatia has a rich cultural history that dates back to prehistoric times. Its strategic location between Central Europe and the Mediterranean has made it an important crossroads for various civilizations, including the Illyrians, Romans, Byzantines, Ottomans, and Austro-Hungarians. Croatia gained its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991 and has since become a member of the European Union, NATO, and the United Nations. The country is known for its stunning coastline, beautiful national parks, and rich culinary traditions, and it has become an increasingly popular tourist destination in recent years.
Croatia gained the world's attention during the break-up of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. In this context its image has been overshadowed by visions of ethnic conflict and cleansing, war crimes, virulent nationalism, and occasionally even emergent regionalism. Instead of the norm, this book offers a diverse insight into Croatia in the 1990s by dealing with one of the consequences of the war: the more or less forcible migration of Croats from Serbia and their settlement in Croatia, their "ethnic homeland." This important study shows that at a time in which Croatia was perceived as a homogenized nation-in-the-making, there were tensions and ruptures within Croatian society caused by newly arrived refugees and displaced persons from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Refugees who, in spite of their common ethnicity with the homeland population, were treated as foreigners; indeed, as unwanted aliens.
Introduction to the Croatian and Serbian Language provides an introduction to the language traditionally called Serbo-Croatian, although it is also referred to as Serbian or Croatian. There are two main variants of the language: Croatian (Western) and Serbian (Eastern). Unique in its equal treatment of the two principal variants, this book presents the two alphabets used (Latin and Cyrillic), the representation of lexical items specific to each variant, and pronunciation and syntactic differences. A dictionary is also included.
This volume is the first scholarly study in the English language of Croatia's extraordinary artistic heritage. Leading specialists analyse the key cultural developments in this small country's history, from the extensive Roman remains on the Adriatic coast, through the gothic splendour of the Dalmatian cities in the Middle Ages and intensive artistic exchange with Italy during the Renaissance, to the grand houses and art collections of continental Croatia. The essays address iconic monuments like Diocletian's palace at Split and the walled city of Dubrovnik alongside more unfamiliar treasures, some never published before. This books sets Croatia's cultural past in context, reflecting the country's unique history at the crossroads between Italy, Central Europe and the Mediterranean. With contributions by leading British, American and Croatian writers and scholars, including John Julius Norwich, Timothy Clifford, Marcus Binney, Brian Sewell and Sheila McNally this book presents for the first time a portrait of the culture of this captivating and too little known country.
Viewed from the mainland, the history of the archipelago appears as a long list of non-invited but irresistible disembarkations. Viewed from on an island the archipelago has had a rich and unique history of sustainable use of scarce resources. The main theme of this book is the exploration of the meanings of near islands, of the archipelago. General and particular features of 1,246 islands of the Croatian archipelago are starting points of stories about particular islands, subarchipelagos and urban archipelagos. The chapters question and analyse the archipelago identity from different perspectives. Approached as a group of islands, the analysis investigates features of subarchipelagos, urban subarchipelagos, mainland dependent islands, outlying islands and island emigrant communities that are trying to restore and conserve their island. This book highlights the identity and identities of the archipelago as both complex and multidimensional.
Whether you want to explore Dubrovnik’s Old Town, go sailing in Split, or drink wine in Istria, the local Fodor’s travel experts in Croatia are here to help! Fodor’s Essential Croatia guidebook is packed with maps, carefully curated recommendations, and everything else you need to simplify your trip-planning process and make the most of your time. This new edition has been fully-redesigned with an easy-to-read layout, fresh information, and beautiful color photos. Fodor’s “Essential” guides have been named by Booklist as the Best Travel Guide Series of 2020! Fodor’s Croatia travel guide includes: AN ILLUSTRATED ULTIMATE EXPERIENCES GUIDE to the top things to see and do MULTIPLE ITINERARIES to effectively organize your days and maximize your time MORE THAN 20 DETAILED MAPS to help you navigate confidently COLOR PHOTOS throughout to spark your wanderlust! HONEST RECOMMENDATIONS FROM LOCALS on the best sights, restaurants, hotels, nightlife, shopping, performing arts, activities, and more PHOTO-FILLED “BEST OF” FEATURES on “Croatia’s Best Islands”, “Croatia’s Best Outdoor Adventures”, and more TRIP-PLANNING TOOLS AND PRACTICAL TIPS including when to go, getting around, beating the crowds, and saving time and money HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL INSIGHTS providing rich context on the local people, politics, cuisine, geography and more SPECIAL FEATURES on “Cruising and Sailing in Croatia”,” “What to Watch and Read Before You Visit,” and “What to Eat and Drink” LOCAL WRITERS to help you find the under-the-radar gems CROATIAN-LANGUAGE PRIMER with useful words and essential phrases UP-TO-DATE COVERAGE ON: Dubrovnik, Split, Istria, Hvar, Zagreb, Plitvice Lakes National Park, Krk, Zadar, Montenegro, Slovenia, and more Planning on visiting the rest of Europe? Check out Fodor’s Essential Europe. *Important note for digital editions: The digital edition of this guide does not contain all the images or text included in the physical edition. ABOUT FODOR'S AUTHORS: Each Fodor's Travel Guide is researched and written by local experts. Fodor’s has been offering expert advice for all tastes and budgets for over 80 years. For more travel inspiration, you can sign up for our travel newsletter at fodors.com/newsletter/signup, or follow us @FodorsTravel on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We invite you to join our friendly community of travel experts at fodors.com/community to ask any other questions and share your experience with us!
Croatia, Between Europe and the Balkans addresses the key developments in economics, politics, international relations and social policy in the state over the last decade. It places these developments in their historical context, and shows how current policy dilemmas are structured within the conflicting pressures which historically have pulled Croatia between a European, a Mediterranean and a Balkan orientation. In the new context of European integration however, Croatia may now find a new role in her pivotal position as a bridge between the unruly Balkans and an impatient Europe. This book will be of particular use for courses on Eastern Europe. Its thorough, up-to-date analysis will also be of interest to students and researchers in politics and international relations, but with a broader appeal to diplomats, policy makers, trade officials, the business community and consultants expanding their trading links with the region.
An inside look at the complex roots of Croatian history--from the earliest time to the present--as well as the many influences visitors will see on its towns, ports, and islands. One definite conclusion can be drawn about Croatia in the early 21st century: it has established itself as one of the worlds most coveted tourist destinations. Maps and line drawings.
This collection brings together 13 papers by 16 authors presented at the international conference “Reporting on attacks on Dubrovnik and recognition of Croatia”, held in Dubrovnik, Croatia, in October 2011. It provides a combined scientific and practical overview of the role of the media and journalists during the attack on Dubrovnik in autumn 1991 by the federal army (JNA) and Montenegrin reservists. This book represents a primary source of information about the propaganda war waged during the conflict between Croatia and Serbia in 1991, because some of the contributors were practical journalists and ministers during the events of that year. The book is structured in three parts: global media, international relations, and strategic communication during wartime; the example of Dubrovnik, and the practices of wartime reporting from the Dubrovnik area; and media analysis on the subject of war in Dubrovnik and Croatia. In the first part, the book examines the impact of the attack on Dubrovnik and the recognition of Croatia by the international community, the strategic steps taken by the Croatian government in the media/propaganda war, and the role of the Diaspora in winning over the international public to favour the Croatian side. In the second part, the book examines the reporting practices used to cover the siege of Dubrovnik and the role of local and international journalists, non-governmental organisations and fixers. Special attention is devoted to the conflict which arises when professional journalistic standards and patriotism clash, particularly if the journalist is reporting from his own town and his own family is in danger. The third part of the book brings an analysis of the war propaganda used by the Croatian, Serbian, and Montenegrin media.
A middle class, Midwestern family in search of meaning uproot themselves and move to their ancestral village in Croatia. "We can look at this in two ways," Jim wrote, always the pragmatist. "We can panic and scrap the whole idea. Or we can take this as a sign. They're saying the economy is going to get worse before it gets better. Maybe this is the kick in the pants we needed to do something completely different. There will always be an excuse not to go..." And that, friends, is how a typically sane middle-aged mother decided to drag her family back to a forlorn mountain village in the backwoods of Croatia. So begins author Jennifer Wilson's journey in Running Away to Home. Jen, her architect husband, Jim, and their two children had been living the typical soccer- and ballet-practice life in the most Middle American of places: Des Moines, Iowa. They overindulged themselves and their kids, and as a family they were losing one another in the rush of work, school, and activities. One day, Jen and her husband looked at each other–both holding their Starbucks coffee as they headed out to their SUV in the mall parking lot, while the kids complained about the inferiority of the toys they just got–and asked themselves: "Is this the American dream? Because if it is, it sort of sucks." Jim and Jen had always dreamed of taking a family sabbatical in another country, so when they lost half their savings in the stock-market crash, it seemed like just a crazy enough time to do it. High on wanderlust, they left the troubled landscape of contemporary America for the Croatian mountain village of Mrkopalj, the land of Jennifer's ancestors. It was a village that seemed hermetically sealed for the last one hundred years, with a population of eight hundred (mostly drunken) residents and a herd of sheep milling around the post office. For several months they lived like locals, from milking the neighbor's cows to eating roasted pig on a spit to desperately seeking the village recipe for bootleg liquor. As the Wilson-Hoff family struggled to stay sane (and warm), what they found was much deeper and bigger than themselves.
