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    Insight Guides Croatia (Travel Guide eBook)
    Insight Guides Croatia (Travel Guide eBook)
    Insight Guides Croatia (Travel Guide eBook)
    Ebook609 pages5 hours

    Insight Guides Croatia (Travel Guide eBook)

    By Insight Guides

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    About this ebook

    Insight Guides: all you need to inspire every step of your journey.

    From deciding when to go, to choosing what to see when you arrive, this is all you need to plan your trip and experience the best of Croatia, with in-depth insider information on must-see, top attractions like the walled city of Dubrovnik, cosmopolitan Split and the stunning islands of Hvar and Vis, and hidden cultural gems like the Baroque architecture in inland Osijek.

    Insight Guide Croatia is ideal for travellers seeking immersive cultural experiences, from exploring the Istrian peninsula in the north, to discovering Dubrovnik, the 'pearl of the Adriatic'
    In-depth on history and culture: enjoy special features on diving, wine country and birdlife, all written by local experts
    Includes innovative, unique extras to keep you up-to-date when you're on the move - this guide comes with a free eBook, and an app that highlights top attractions and regional information and is regularly updated with new hotel, bar, restaurant, shop and local event listings
    Invaluable maps, travel tips and practical information ensure effortless planning, and encourage venturing off the beaten track
    Inspirational colour photography throughout - Insight Guides is a pioneer of full-colour guide books
    Inventive design makes for an engaging, easy reading experience

    About Insight Guides: Insight Guides is a pioneer of full-colour guide books, with almost 50 years' experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides with user-friendly, modern design. We produce around 400 full-colour print guide books and maps, as well as phrasebooks, picture-packed eBooks and apps to meet different travellers' needs. Insight Guides' unique combination of beautiful travel photography and focus on history and culture create a unique visual reference and planning tool to inspire your next adventure.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherInsight Guides
    Release dateMay 1, 2018
    ISBN9781789199017
    Insight Guides Croatia (Travel Guide eBook)
    Author

    Insight Guides

    Pictorial travel guide to Arizona & the Grand Canyon with a free eBook provides all you need for every step of your journey. With in-depth features on culture and history, stunning colour photography and handy maps, it’s perfect for inspiration and finding out when to go to Arizona & the Grand Canyon and what to see in Arizona & the Grand Canyon. 

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      Insight Guides Croatia (Travel Guide eBook) - Insight Guides

      How To Use This E-Book

      Getting around the e-book

      This Insight Guide e-book is designed to give you inspiration for your visit to Croatia, as well as comprehensive planning advice to make sure you have the best travel experience. The guide begins with our selection of Top Attractions, as well as our Editor’s Choice categories of activities and experiences. Detailed features on history, people and culture paint a vivid portrait of contemporary life in Croatia. The extensive Places chapters give a complete guide to all the sights and areas worth visiting. The Travel Tips provide full information on getting around, activities from culture to shopping to sport, plus a wealth of practical information to help you plan your trip.

      In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.

      Maps

      All key attractions and sights in Croatia are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map] just tap this to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.

      Images

      You’ll find hundreds of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of Croatia. Simply double-tap on an image to see it full-screen.

      About Insight Guides

      Insight Guides have more than 40 years’ experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides. We produce 400 full-colour titles, in both print and digital form, covering more than 200 destinations across the globe, in a variety of formats to meet your different needs.

      Insight Guides are written by local authors, whose expertise is evident in the extensive historical and cultural background features. Each destination is carefully researched by regional experts to ensure our guides provide the very latest information. All the reviews in Insight Guides are independent; we strive to maintain an impartial view. Our reviews are carefully selected to guide you to the best places to eat, go out and shop, so you can be confident that when we say a place is special, we really mean it.

      © 2018 Apa Digital (CH) AG and Apa Publications (UK) Ltd

      Table of Contents

      Croatia’s Top 10 Attractions

      Editor’s Choice

      Introduction: A Diverse Nation

      Land and People

      Decisive Dates

      Early Days

      The Middle Ages

      The Habsburgs

      The Modern Age

      Religion and Society

      Insight: Festivals

      The Cultural Scene

      Food and Drink

      The Great Outdoors

      Insight: Architecture

      Introduction: Places

      Istria

      Insight: Birds

      Kvarner

      Zadar, Šibenik and Islands

      Insight: Beaches and Boat Trips

      Split and Islands

      Dubrovnik and Islands

      Zagreb and Around

      Continental Croatia

      Insight: Naïve Art

      Travel Tips: Transport

      Travel Tips: A–Z

      Travel Tips: Language

      Travel Tips: Further Reading

      Croatia’s Top 10 Attractions

      Top Attraction 1

      St Donat. Dating from the 9th century, Zadar’s magnificent, round pre-Romanesque church has exceptional acoustics that are exploited on summer musical evenings. Roman stones were used in its construction. For more information, click here.

      iStockphoto

      Top Attraction 2

      Golden Horn beach (Zlatni rat). This beautiful shore, near Bol on Brač island, is the most famous in Croatia. Nearly 600 metres/yds long, it is constantly shifting with the wind and tide. For more information, click here.

      Gregory Wrona/Apa Publications

      Top Attraction 3

      Stari Grad plain. The agrarian society that toils here on the beautiful, lavender-growing island of Hvar has not changed since the Greeks arrived in the 4th century BC. This ‘cultural landscape’ has made it a Unesco World Heritage Site. For more information, click here.

      Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

      Top Attraction 4

      Rovinj. The star of Istria is a fishing port with Venetian-inspired architecture. The highlight of a visit is simply exploring the old town and wandering around its narrow lanes, visiting its galleries and cafés. For more information, click here.

      Dominic Burdon/Apa Publications

      Top Attraction 5

      Diocletian’s Palace. Eat, sleep and drink in the footsteps of a Roman emperor in Split. Between AD 295 and 305 Diocletian built his waterfront retirement home here on a grand scale. For more information, click here.

      Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

      Top Attraction 6

      Plitvice Lakes National Park. An 8km (5-mile) stretch of dams, caves, waterfalls, of 16 lakes and countless streams and brooks, are at the heart of this water wonderland full of wildlife, including wolves and 126 bird species. For more information, click here or click here.

      Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

      Top Attraction 7

      Varaždin. A musical town with wonderful Baroque flourishes – both in its architecture and its concert performances. A town guard and uniformed burghers love to show their Habsburg heritage. For more information, click here.

      Dominic Burdon/Apa Publications

      Top Attraction 8

      Dubrovnik. The Pearl of the Adriatic doesn’t disappoint. You’ve seen it in pictures – now go and walk the walls, and find out all about this fabled maritime republic. For more information, click here.

      Dominic Burdon/Apa Publications

      Top Attraction 9

      Naïve Art. The first museum in the world dedicated to it opened in Zagreb in 1952, and is still attracting attention today. Check out, too, the gallery in Hlebine, where many of the painters came from. For more information, click here or click here

      Dominic Burdon/Apa Publications

      Top Attraction 10

      Zadar’s public art installations. Side by side on the edge of the peninsula are the flashing Greeting to the Sun and the haunting sound of the Sea Organ. For more information, click here

      Dominic Burdon/Apa Publications

      Editor’s Choice

      Markets

      Bjelovar. Bjelovar’s daily farmers’ market brims with produce and game, and hosts big food fairs. For more information, click here.

      Dubrovnik. The morning market in Gundulić Square has everything fresh from the field and orchard. For more information, click here.

      Rijeka. The Art Nouveau city market is a great place to see the Adriatic’s bounteous seafood. For more information, click here.

      Split. The market in Split is one of the biggest and liveliest in Dalmatia. For more information, click here.

      Zagreb. Dolac is one of the finest markets. Its stalls of produce, plants and textiles are set up from 5am. For more information, click here.

      Stall holder at Dolac market, Zagreb.

      Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

      Museums and Galleries

      Mimara Museum, Zagreb. Exhibits include a fine art collection, the world’s longest Etruscan inscription and the Vučedol Dove, a potent national emblem. For more information, click here.

      Museum of Croatian Tourism, Opatija. The story of the country’s hospitality industry is told in permanent exhibitions at the Villa Angiolina and Juraj Šporer Arts Pavilion in Opatija. For more information, click here.

      Meštrović Gallery, Split. The gallery of Croatia’s greatest 20th-century artist, Ivan Meštrović, is in the house to which he intended to retire, before deciding to emigrate to the US. For more information, click here.

      Place of Memory, Hospital Museum, Vukovar. Chilling reminders of what happened here in 1991, when Vukovar became the first European city to be entirely destroyed since World War II. For more information, click here.

      Rector’s Palace, Dubrovnik. This lovely Renaissance building gives an idea of daily life in the heyday of the Ragusan republic. For more information, click here.

      Staro Selo Ethnographic Museum, Kumrovec. An open-air museum forming part of the village of Tito’s birth. For more information, click here.

      Museum of Broken Relationships, Zagreb. Offers poignant glimpses into dozens of heartbreaks. For more information, click here.

      A Meštrović exhibit.

      Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

      Islands

      Cres. The long, thin island in the Kvarner Gulf is where rare griffon vultures breed. For more information, click here.

      Korčula. Korčula town is a mini Dubrovnik, with the added ghost of Marco Polo. There are good beaches on the island, too. For more information, click here.

      Kornat. Kornat, a centre for agritourism, is the largest uninhabited island in Croatia. For more information, click here.

      Pag. This barren, treeless island is worth visiting as the source of famous cheese and lace. For more information, click here.

      Rab. Pine forests, sandy coves and lagoons make this a fabulous island, and it’s hard not to fall in love with Rab town, one of the most beautiful in Croatia. For more information, click here.

      Vis. This wonderfully rugged mountainous island is a favourite with divers, who have the Blue Grotto and other caves to explore. For more information, click here.

      Korčula town.

      Dominic Burdon/Apa Publications

      Castles

      Kamerlengo Fortress, Trogir. Bristling with castellated walls and towers, the castle is a major feature in this lovely medieval city. Dating from the 15th century, it was once the Venetian governor’s palace. For more information, click here.

      Nehaj Fortress, Senj. This was the stronghold of the Uskoks, the pirates of Senj, who fought valiantly for life and liberty against both Turks and Venetians. For more information, click here.

      Spanish Fortress, Hvar. There are brilliant views over Hvar from the top of this imposing fortress. For more information, click here.

      Trakošćan. A wonderful fairy-tale castle created from the 16th to the early 20th centuries, when it was in the hands of the Drašković dynasty. For more information, click here.

      Veliki Kaštio, Ston. The great fortress that links the Mali Ston and Ston across the Pelješac isthmus, built as a defensive wall by Ragusa. For more information, click here.

      Veliki Tabor, near Krapina. This picturesque castle, one of the best preserved Renaissance forts in Croatia, has been turned into a museum and is also the setting for an international festival of short films every June. For more information, click here.

      Lower Falls, Plitvice National Park.

      Dominic Burdon/Apa Publications

      Sunset at the ‘Greeting to the Sun’ installation, Zadar.

      Dominic Burdon/Apa Publications

      Cathedral of St Domnius built into Diocletian’s Palace in Split.

      Gregory Wrona/Apa Publications

      Introduction: A Diverse Nation

      Croatians are fiercely proud of their country, though geography and history have made it a land of several parts, each with its own specificity.

      However much emphasis Croatians put on a single identity, the country’s odd shape has created a nation of several distinct flavours. One part of the country stretches inland across Continental Croatia to the capital, Zagreb, and here the cultural legacy of the Habsburgs is evident. Another large strip, lapped by the blue Adriatic from Istria down through hundreds of islands and the Dalmatian coast, reveals the stamp of the Venetians and – more recently – the Italians. Then there’s the rugged interior, with dramatic limestone mountain ranges towering over canyons, gorges, waterfalls and rivers.

      This incredible diversity offers a dizzying choice to today’s holidaymaker, and Croatia’s entry to the European Union in 2013 has made the country even easier to visit. The difficult part is deciding on which region to explore. Even the idea of a simple beach holiday becomes pleasantly complicated when choosing between Istria’s Italianate resorts, the elegant Opatija Riviera, the islands that dot the coast from Kvarner southwards, sophisticated Hvar and Dubrovnik with its jewel-like islands.

      Active types can hike and climb in some of Europe’s most scenic national parks – from the karst peaks of Velebit to the rushing waters of Krka. Cycle paths and walking trails wind through Istria’s tranquil landscapes of vineyards, olive groves and orchards. The 16 lakes and countless waterfalls of Plitvice are an extraordinary sight and one of the many reasons to veer away from the sea and head inland. The Adriatic coast is a dream for sailors, where the multitude of islands forms an enchanting backdrop. Zagreb, the European Union’s newest capital, teems with a lively café culture spread around its historic old town. Follow the path of the Romans in the wonderfully preserved amphitheatre in Pula and among the bars colonising Diocletian’s Palace in Split.

      Although scars remain of the 1991–5 Homeland War that ripped the former Yugoslavia apart, Croatia has spent the intervening years quietly turning itself into one of the most sought-after destinations in Europe.

      Resident in the Zagorje region.

      Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

      Trogir’s waterfront.

      Dominic Burdon/Apa Publications

      Worker in a vineyard, Vukovar.

      Dreamstime

      Land and People

      Three vast empires – Austro-Hungarian, Venetian and Ottoman – have mingled to create a varied country that is full of character, where the population is as diverse as the landscapes it inhabits.

      Croatia amounts to around 146,000 sq km (56,500 sq miles), about the size of England and Wales, or the US state of Iowa. Though it’s not large, it often seems less like a single country than a league of nations and small city-states. This partly reflects its odd boomerang shape: one arm flung eastwards along the verdant Pannonian plain, cupping the soft underbelly of Hungary, the other stretching south over the dry mountains that run like a spinal cord along the Adriatic Sea. Then there are the scores of islands that are strung out along the length of the Adriatic coast.

      One part was ruled for centuries by the Habsburg Austro-Hungarians and another was governed for a similar length of time by Venice. No wonder that the 4.2 million population scattered around continental and maritime Croatia has evolved into such different societies – one more reserved, another more Mediterranean.

      Croatia’s borders today lie along five countries, clockwise from the north: Slovenia (455km/285 miles), Hungary (329km/204 miles), Serbia (241km/150 miles), Bosnia Herzegovina (932km/580 miles) and Montenegro (25km/16 miles).

      Italianate Istria

      Istria, the tear-shaped peninsula, is yet another country. Geographically it spreads over its Croatian border to Slovenia. It also touches Italy just below Trieste, making this the land entry point to the country for Italians. Ceded to Italy after World War I and returned to Yugoslavia after World War II, Istria had first an influx, then an exodus of Italians. A number still remain, and Grožnjan is the only town in the country where non-Croatians (Italians, representing 51 percent of the population) outnumber Croatians.

      Istria’s undulating landscape, vineyards, the hilltop towns and the soaring campaniles on the village churches evoke frequent and understandable comparisons with Tuscany. Istrians, however, consider themselves first and foremost Istrian. Street signs written in Italian in the main town of Pula reflect their relaxed patriotism and easy-going relationship with their neighbour – a sentiment that worries and angers more orthodox Croat nationalists living further east. Strong pro-autonomy movements, the Istrian Democratic Party and the Istrian Social Democratic Forum, reflect most people’s determination not to be pushed around by Zagreb.

      Kvarner

      Istria’s immediate neighbour provides the link between the peninsula and the beginning of the Dalmatian coast to the south. The major seaport of Rijeka sits at the head of the Kvarner Gulf, its history as an Austro-Hungarian and then Italian outpost evident in its architecture and atmosphere. The resorts of the Opatija Riviera have been drawing tourists since Habsburg days, its visitors basking in the unique microclimate. Several of Croatia’s greenest islands are dotted in the gulf, notably Krk and Cres (which share the title of Croatia’s biggest islands), as well as exquisite Rab, Lošinj and Pag. Kvarner is also the starting point for Croatia’s largest mountain range, Velebit, which begins near the port of Senj and towers over the Adriatic coast for 145km (90 miles) to northwest of the fortress town of Knin in inland northern Dalmatia.

      At the market in Split.

      Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

      Dalmatia and its hinterland

      Carry along the coast road in Dalmatia and you will have crossed the Dinaric Alps, which run for 645km (400 miles) along the Adriatic coast, sheltering it from cold easterly winds and hemming much of it tightly against the sea. Corroded by water, these rocks are Swiss cheeses of caves, canyons and grottoes. They produce the dramatic gorges of rivers such as the Cetina, while other rivers spring up from their depths, fully formed, their sediment-free waters sparklingly clear.

      The limestone crags of Velebit tumble deeply into the sea, only to emerge again shortly afterwards in a series of islands that make this coast so appealing. Here the contrast between the old world and the new are nowhere more striking than on the island of Hvar, where the main town attracts the mega-yacht brigade and Hollywood stars, while the island’s Stari Grad Plain has a cultural landscape so little changed since the times of the ancient Greeks that it has become a Unesco World Heritage Site.

      At 1,392 metres (4,570ft) deep, Lukina jama in the northern Velebit massif is the deepest cave in Croatia. Discovered in 1992, it was named after Ozren Lukic, a keen caver and volunteer who had been shot by a sniper the previous year.

      The Adriatic, a spur of the Mediterranean, is an omnipresent influence on life in Dalmatia. It has shaped the inhabitants’ dreams and poems, inspired their art and architecture and informs their religion. It shapes the music of this maritime nation, most notably in the klapa a cappella songs.

      It has also fed them. Seafood is an important part of Dalmatian life. Forget schnitzels and the other Austrian winter-warmers that are so beloved further north. This is the land of fish, sold fresh from the quaysides at the crack of dawn every morning. Visitors may opt for tourist menus offering pork chops and pizza; the locals will be eating their favourite dish of squid risotto, washed down with some of the Mediterranean’s most delicious – though least known – wines, the best of which are produced on the islands and on the Pelješac peninsula.

      Palagruža Island

      If you head due south from the Dalmatian coast towards Italy, the most southerly part of Croatia is Palagruža, an island 1.4km (1 mile) long and 300 metres/yds wide with a subtropical climate. At its 90-metre (295ft) summit is a lighthouse, which offers accommodation in one of the most remote spots in Europe. Palagruža is a nature reserve, with two beaches. The island and its islets lie between Italy’s Gargano peninsula and Lastovo, the island to the south of Korčula, from where boats bring visitors on a 2.5-hour journey. It was an important stop in Mesolithic times; an archaeological dig is tracing the island’s past.

      Here the dark hair and eyes of the local people reveal centuries of intermingling with Italians and, before them, Greeks. This is a no-holds-barred Mediterranean society that has little time for what the Dalmatians see as Zagreb’s stiffness and ‘hauteur’. Dalmatians take their manners and their fashion sense from neighbouring Italy. Immaculately pressed white shirts and dark glasses are de rigueur for the suave, not to say arrogant, young men swaggering through the narrow streets of Split on the evening korzo, or revving up their motorbikes on the seafront.

      Though the Homeland War happened a generation ago, there are still a few unhealed scars left on the coast. Serbs formed more than three-quarters of the population of Knin, a former Croatian capital, and a main transport hub between Zagreb and the coast. In 1991 they seized control of the city, declaring the region the Republic of Serbian Krajina. Croatia’s Operation Storm drove them out, and leaders on both sides were charged with war crimes. Croat refugees from Bosnia were encouraged to resettle the town, and today they make up most of the population.

      Continental Croatia

      Central Europe’s great Pannonian plain, once a sea, comes down from Hungary into central and eastern Croatia, and into Serbia. Taking its name from the Roman province of Pannonia, the Croatian part of this plain largely accords with the ancient region of Slavonia (not to be confused with Slovenia, the country to the north, though both roughly mean a region settled by Slavs). This is mostly flat land of forests and farms, and their bounty can be seen in the big markets at Bjelovar, as well as in the daily Dolac market in Zagreb. The islands in this ancient sea are now hills, such as those in Papuk Nature Park where the volcanic pillars of Rupnica became the first geological monument in the country to have a protected status. Other former islands are Psunj, Slavonia’s highest peak at 986 metres (3,235ft), and the 152-metre (500ft) hill at Požega, which provided the fortress on the River Sava between Vukovar and Zagreb.

      The Sava is Slavonia’s drain in the south, the Drava in the north, both running east to reach the Danube at, respectively, Vukovar and Serbia’s capital Belgrade. The Danube, Europe’s great water highway, forms Croatia’s eastern border, creating a flood plain by its confluence with the Drava that is described as ‘Europe’s last remaining wetlands’. The Danube delta is designated a Wetland of International Importance.

      Farmer in the Zagorje region.

      Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

      The southern part of Slavonia is part of the Vojna Krajina, a military buffer zone that stretched from the Adriatic all along the border and into modern Bosnia Herzegovina, and east into Serbia. The Ottomans, who had reached the gates of Vienna 300km (190 miles) north of Croatia, occupied much of Slavonia for around 150 years. As they retreated, the Hungarians carved out this military border to shield their empire from Turkish invasions, populating the region known as Lika with conscript volunteers. Heavily settled over several centuries by Orthodox Serbs, the character of Lika changed drastically in 1991 when Serb separatists drove out all the local Croats. It changed drastically again in July 1995, when the Croatian army drove out most of the Serbs. Almost overnight, a Serb population of 150,000 or so fled to Bosnia or Serbia, leaving many towns and villages empty. The Serb population overall in Croatia is down now from around 12 percent before the war to around 4 percent of the total.

      The greatest problem facing Lika is its poor economy. Its major tourist draw is the popular Plitvice Lakes National Park (a Unesco World Heritage Site), but there are few job prospects. The global recession has not helped. With a small, elderly population, it is difficult to see this ruggedly beautiful region ever realising its massive tourist potential.

      Zagreb residents in traditional clothing.

      Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

      Vineyard in inland Istria, near Beram.

      Dominic Burdon/Apa Publications

      Western Croatia

      By contrast, the Zagorje in western central Croatia has a healthy economy that comes from a rolling landscape of green hills, elegant castles and popular spas, which bring weekenders from Zagreb. Stretching north of the capital to the most northerly city, Varaždin, this is a favourite place of escape, not much explored by foreign visitors. Further stretches of quiet countryside lie west of Zagreb in the sparsely populated Žumberak mountain range, where conditions are ideal for growing vines, especially around the Samobor hills.

      Captain of one of the many boats that ply the waters between Hvar town and the Pakleni islands.

      Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

      Almost 90 percent of Zagreb’s 1.1 million inhabitants are identified as Croats. But the fair complexions of so many Slavonians reflect centuries of intermarriage between Croats, Germans, Hungarians and a dozen other nationalities settled in the region by the Empress Maria Theresa in the 18th century, including Czechs, Slovaks, Ruthenes and Ukrainians. Many of these settler communities maintain a distinct identity, which distinguishes the places where they have settled: the Czechs around Daruvar and Pakrac in western Slavonia; the Hungarians in the Baranja region, north of Osijek; and the Slovaks in Ilok, on the border with Serbia.

      Split’s fish market.

      Dominic Burdon/Apa Publications

      The stamp of Habsburg rule and the cultural influence of Vienna hang heavily over this part of the world in the monumental neoclassical architecture of Zagreb’s National Theatre and the other grand civic buildings of the capital as well as in nearby cities such as Osijek and Baroque Varaždin. But it is not just the buildings. Much of Zagreb looks and feels like a slice of Old Vienna that has been airlifted south, from the schnitzels and strudels served in the restaurants to the formidable old ladies dressed in porkpie hats walking tiny fluffy dogs through the parks in the morning. That other pillar of Viennese life – coffee and cream cake consumed over the daily newspaper in cafés – remains sacrosanct to many Zagrebians.

      Thermal Spas

      In the wooded interior of Croatia, water bubbles up from underground at high temperatures in spa centres that have been enjoyed since Roman times. In the north there are traces of a Roman settlement by the baths at Varaždinske Toplice in the woods above Varaždin, where sulphurous waters come out of the ground at 37°C (98.6°F). There are a number of spa retreats between here and Zagreb, in the Zagorje. In the countryside north of Istria, Istarske Toplice has large indoor and outdoor pools. Many of the modern spas date from the late 19th century, when railways and better roads brought rich Viennese in search of cures.

      Raising a glass of Dalmatian wine on the island of Vis.

      Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

      Murad I is killed in the Battle of Kosovo.

      Mary Evan’s Picture Library

      Decisive Dates

      Gold medallion showing the Roman Emperor Diocletian.

      iStockphoto

      Earliest times

      2500 BC

      The statue of the Vučedol dove confirms Neolithic settlements in the region.

      4th century BC

      Greeks established on the coast, living side by side with native Illyrians.

      1st century BC

      Roman colony of Illiricum established, divided into Dalmatia (southern) and Pannonia (northern) provinces.

      AD 300

      Roman Emperor Diocletian builds palace at Spalatum (Split).

      365

      Collapse of Roman Empire. Eastern (Orthodox) church established in Constantinople (Byzantium).

      7th century

      Slav invasions. Croats settle in Dalmatia and Pannonia.

      852

      First use of the name Croatia. Around the same time, Greek brothers Cyril and Methodius were converting Slavs to Christianity.

      c.910

      Tomislav crowned king of Croatia.

      Saints Cyril and Methodius holding the Cyrillic alphabet.

      iStockphoto

      Foreign rule

      1089

      Invasion by Hungary.

      1094

      Bishopric of Zagreb founded.

      1102

      Croatian autonomy under Hungary with its own ban (governor, or viceroy) and sabor (parliament).

      1126

      The destruction of Biograd by Venice.

      1202

      The sack of Zadar by Fourth Crusaders.

      1238

      Mongol invasion destroys Zagreb cathedral.

      The Battle of Kosovo.

      AKG

      1320–30

      Seizure of Split, Trogir and Pula by Venice.

      1389

      Serbs defeated by Ottoman Turks at battle of Kosovo.

      1493

      Croat nobles slaughtered by Ottomans at the Battle of Krbava Fields.

      1526

      Most of Croatia falls to the Ottoman Turks.

      Habsburg Empire

      1527

      Croatian crown goes to Habsburg Archduke Ferdinand of Austria.

      1593

      Ottomans repulsed at Battle of Šišak, south of Zagreb, and the tide turns.

      1630

      Serb Orthodox settlers in Krajina offered freedoms in exchange for a life of military service.

      1671

      Execution of heads of Zrinski and Frankopan families for conspiring against the Habsburg crown.

      1699

      Croatia mostly liberated from Ottoman rule.

      1797

      Dalmatia comes under French rule as the Illyrian Provinces.

      1815

      The Congress of Vienna: Dalmatia incorporated into Austrian Empire following the defeat of Napoleon.

      National revival

      1847

      Croatian becomes official language.

      1848

      Josip Jelačić made ban of Croatia and leads Croats against Hungarians.

      1861

      Party of Rights founded by Ante Starčević who opposes the idea of South Slav, or ‘Jugoslav’, union proposed by his rival, Bishop Strossmayer.

      1867

      Austrian Empire divided into Austria-Hungary. Inland Croatia becomes part of Hungary. Dalmatia remains under Austria.

      1883–1903

      Rule of Charles Khuen-Hedervary as ban of Croatia, who advances Hungary’s interests.

      Ferdinand I was Holy Roman Emperor from 1558 until his death in 1564.

      iStockphoto

      20th century

      1905–6

      Croatian-Serbian coalition wins elections in Dalmatia and Croatia.

      1914

      Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo (Bosnia Herzegovina) brings Croats into World War I on the side of Austria-Hungary.

      1918

      The kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes proclaimed in Belgrade by Serbian Prince Aleksandar.

      1934

      Assassination of King Aleksandar.

      1939

      Croatian autonomy within Yugoslavia.

      1941–5

      World War II: German invasion. Ustaše proclaim Independent State of Croatia, Nezavisna Država Hrvatska (NDH).

      1945

      Partisans enter Zagreb. The Nezavisna Država Hrvatska army massacred. Croatia becomes a federal republic of Yugoslavia under the

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