Croatian Music Society TAMBURICA / Croatia

"When the gods wanted to crown their work, on the last day they made from tears, stars and the breath of the sea the Kornati Islands", wrote George Bernard Shaw about this archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea, which comprises 140 islands, small islands and cliffs. Other authors too described the beauties of Croatia in many books. Carlo Goldoni, Jack London, Eugene Ionesco are only some examples. Even Shakespeare’s comedy "What You Will" plays in this region. Agatha Christie spent in Dubrovnik and Split her honeymoon. In this region also played one of the most beautiful love stories of our century - the escape of the British King Edward VIII. and the American Wallis Simpson in Dalmatia.

Croatia (Croatian: Hrvatska) is a republic in southeastern Europe, bounded on the north by Slovenia and Hungary, on the east and south by Bosnia-Hercegovina, Serbia and Montenegro. Formerly a constituent republic of Yugoslavia, Croatia declared its independence in June 1991 and was formally recognized by the international community in early 1992. The Adriatic Sea forms the republic's long western boundary. The republic of Croatia has a territory of about 56,538 sq. km. Zagreb is the republic's capital and largest city, with a population of 933.914. The total population of Croatia according to the 1991 census was 4,784,265.

In Croatia totally different types of landscapes come together, which gives the country its rare beauty. What in other countries is very distant from each other lies here very near together:

Dalmatia in the west is a narrow, barren strip of land within the Dinaric Alps, that slopes down to the Adriatic Sea, which is one of the clearest seas in the world. The Dinaric Alps consists of several parallel ranges of mountains. The coastal range is partially submerged; a phenomenon that explains the republic's numerous bays, gulfs, inlets, and more than 1000 offshore islands. Istria, a peninsula that stretches out into the Adriatic from Slovenia, lies to the north and west of Dalmatia. The coastal region enjoys a Mediterranean climate with mild, rainy winters and warm, dry summers.

In the east, the Pannonian Plains are a low-lying, fertile, agricultural region drained by the Drava and Sava rivers. Both rivers flow into the Danube River, one of the most important waterways in Europe. In the continental region predominates a climate with hot summers and cold winters.
In ecological respect Croatia is one of the least stressed regions in Europe. Several national parks can be visited - a meeting with the nature in its originality. Three of them are in the mountain regions. Those are Risnjak, Paklenica and the Plitvice Lakes. The four others are in the coastal region. Those are The Kornats, Mljet, Brijuni and Krka. 1979 the Plitvice Lakes even have been included in the list of the Worlds Natural Heritage.

Once one of the most prosperous among the six constituent republics of the former Yugoslavia, Croatia's economy has suffered greatly due to the war in the Balkans. Nearly two-thirds of the republic's land was cultivated, and sugar beets, wheat, and maize were the principal agricultural products. Croatia is rich in mineral resources and mining was one of the most productive of the republic's industries. Other industries included petroleum refineries, iron and steelworks, shipyards, and plants producing chemicals, foodstuffs, machinery, cement and concrete, metal products, and textiles.

As a result of the Serb aggression and the subsequent war in early 1991, industrial output as a whole fell by one-third. The war took its toll on the economy in various ways: The war inhibited the republic's once highly profitable tourist trade. The government was forced to contend with the costs of the more than 600.000 refugees. Critical infrastructure was destroyed and Serbian militias took control of more than one-fourth of the republic's territory. Despite the dismal state of its economy, Croatia received recommendations for admission to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and gained membership to the International Monetary Fund. Renewed fighting in the region in 1993 caused further destabilization of the republic's economy, causing high levels of unemployment and shortages of many goods. In May 1994 Croatia changed currencies from the Dinar to the Kuna.

Ethnically, Croats constituted about 78 percent of Croatia's population according to the 1991 census; war, however, has taken a toll on the population since then. The official language is Croatian which is closely related to Serbian. Croatian is written in the Roman alphabet, while Serbian utilizes the Cyrillic alphabet. A further difference between the two ethnic groups is religion. While most Croats are Roman Catholic, the majority of Serbs belong to the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Following ethnic groups also live in Croatia: Serbs, Muslims, Hungarians, Slovenes, Czechs, Albanians,...
Slightly more than half of all Croatians live in urban areas, particularly in the republic's largest cities, including Zagreb, the republic's primary industrial center; Split and Rijeka, two important seaports; and Osijek, an industrial center. The remainders live in smaller towns and villages.

Children between the ages of 6 and 15 are required to attend school, while secondary education is optional. The republic has four universities (one each in Zagreb, Split, Rijeka, and Osijek) and three polytechnic institutes for students wishing to earn higher degrees.

In the last century the croatian people have spread all over the world. Generally it can be determined that - by counting all people together - in all countries of the world, live as many Croatians as there are now living in their home country. After Puerto Rico Croatia has the biggest migration rate in the world.
With the changes in former Yugoslavia many people decided to come back to their country of birth to help building a new, modern Croatian Republic. Hopefully this trend will continue in future.

Croatia formed part of the province of Pannonia during the reign of the Roman Empire. The Avars, a Mongolian people conquered Pannonia, in the 6th century after Christ. Later they forced further to the south and even threatened the East-Roman Empire. The emperor Heraklion pledged the Croats for help. They defeated the Avars and settled in the area between the Adriatic coast and the rivers Drina in the east and Drava in the north. There they established two duchies: The Duchy of Dalmatia and the Duchy of Slavonia.

In 925 Croatia became an independent kingdom, which lasted until the end of the 11th century. Successively the Croatian Kingdom came to Hungary. An agreement ensured the Croats rights of autonomy. Croatia was united with Hungary until the end of the 1st World War. 1526 the Croatian and Hungarian Kingdom was intensely threatened by the Turks.
1527 the Croatian Aristocracy elected Ferdinand of Habsburg as the Croatian King, because he supported them in the war. So the Hungarian aristocracy and the Croatian and Hungarian Kingdom became part of the Habsburg Monarchy. (Later called Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy). Along the border to the Turkish Empire a defense territory, called "Krajina", was established. In the depopulated region the - from the Turks escaping - Serbs settled. So the ethnic composition of this territory changed, which had serious consequences for the Croatian History. Bad times of fights against the Turks began. Croatia was the most important defense of the Christian World.
In the following centuries the Croats were exploited and suppressed by Hungarians and Austrians.

When 1848 the Hungarians started a revolution against Vienna the Croats wanted to get rid of them. They fought together with the Austrians against the revolution - with no big success; Croatia was soon again put in charge of the Hungarians. The disappointment about this development led to national movements and to the birth of the Yugoslavian Idea - the uniting of all Southern Slavs.
After the 1st World War the Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy declined. Under the influence of Great Britain and France the kingdom of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs - later called Yugoslavia - was established. For the croatian people this was not a good solution. The Serbs seized the leadership in the state and exploited all the other nations. Soon a dictatorship was introduced. The dissatisfaction of the people was very big. When 1941 Hitler marched in Belgrade the Serbian King flew away to London. Inside the country it came to a civil war in which the communistic partisans under Josip Broz Tito were decisive.
After the confusions of the 2nd World War it came to the establishment of a new Yugoslavia, in which the communists ruled. The situation of the Croats became even more worse by the persecution of all who were not devoted to the regime.
After the death of president Tito, the Serbs under the leadership of Slobodan Milošević wanted to make a greater Serbia. The Croats voted for an independent Croatian State. Consequently the Serb Aggression followed in which a third of Croatia was conquered, devastated and plundered. The rest of the world watched inactively. Only in January 1992 Croatia has formally been recognized.
After 4 years of Serbian occupation in August 1995 the Croatian Army freed the biggest part of the occupied territory. Now the homecomers hope for reconstruction help from western states. The tourism also expects many guests, who will bring the country an economical increase.

Between the West and East Roman Empire, between the Franks and the Bycantinic Empire, between the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox Church, between the Christian West and the Osmotic Islam and between the Western and the Eastern Bloc.

The history of the past centuries is still very lively in the croatian towns - a cultural fertile meeting, which you can see on many monuments.

In the coastal towns you can find the traces of the Roman and Greek antiquity as well as Bycantinic characteristics, Romanesque and Renaissance - Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar, Rab and so on.

In the north of the country Baroque and Renaissance predominate the main picture - for example Zagreb, Varaždin, Požega, Osijek etc.

The capital Zagreb is the cultural center of Croatia and has a 900 year long history. It is a European metropolis, the town of history and legends, museums and stores, science and art - and the infectious joy of life.

...that it was a Croat, who in 1906 invented the first ballpoint pen and the fountain pen. Engineer S. Edward Penkala registered it for patent.

...that the word cravat is closely related to the name Croatia (Croat).
Why? Because since the 17^th century the Croatian Army wore this piece of cloth around the neck. From Croatia the cravat spread all over the world and began its stylish career. You can read that in the French Encyclopedia too.
More information to the cravat: www.croata.com

...that in the 14^th century Dubrovnik already had a public health care. In case of epidemies the ill people had been put in quarantaine. They had been isolated to the near adriatic islands, everything at the cost of the state. This institution nearly existed as long as the free, independent, republic of Dubrovnik - four and a half centuries.

Ruđer Bošković (1711-1787), born in Dubrovnik, worked in many european cities. One of the biggest physicists, mathematicians and astronomes of his time. Forerunner in modern physics. Founder of dynamic atomistics. His most famous book: "Theory of Natural Philosophy"

Josip Broz-Tito (1892-1980): politician and statesman; organized the anti-fascist revolt in former Yugoslavia at the time of the II^nd World War.

Juraj Dalmatinac (George of Dalmatia) (around 1420-1473), sculptor and architect of the cathedral of Šibenik. Inventor of prefabrication with stone slabs.

Marin Držić (1508-1567): writer; chronicler of the Dubrovnik Republic; one of the biggest authors of comedies in Renaissance (predecessor of Molière).

Ivan Generalić (1914-1992): painter of naive arts; founder of the world-famous Hlebine painting school.

Marin Getaldić (Marin Ghetaldus) (1566-1606): mathematician; famous for his use of algebra in geometrics and a pioneer in development of conic lenses.

Ivan Gundulić (1589-1638): writer; famous for his work "Osman", which celebrates the spirit of freedom of the Republic of Dubrovnik.

Julije Klović (Giulio Clovio) (1498-1578), one of the most important miniatury painters of his time ("a new Michelangelo"). He painted for the Pope and for the Medici family in Florence.

Miroslav Krleža (1893-1981), one of the most renowned croatian writers of the 20^th century. Essayist and encyclopedian, poet, author of novels and dramaturgist, whose works had been translated into all languages of the world. Founder of Croatian Lexicography.

Vatroslav Lisinski (1819-1854): composer; author of the first croatian opera "Love and Malice" from 1846.

Ivan Lupis (1813-1875): navy officer from Rijeka; inventor of the torpedo, that has first been produced in 1866 in the Whitehead factory in Rijeka.

Marin (4^th century): stonemason from the Island of Rab; founder of San Marino, the first republic in europe.

Ivan Meštrović (1883-1962), famous croatian sculptor, known for his monumental sculptures with national thematics; particularly known for his indian-sculptures in Chicago, lived and worked in the USA till the end of his life.

Slavoljub Penkala (1871-1922): inventor of the ballpoint pen and the fountain-pen in 1906, as well as the first croatian, two-seated airplane.

Marco Polo (1253-1324): adventurer, explorer and scientist; he discovered China way from europe; brought the silk-worm from China to Europe; born on the island of Korčula, which at this point of time was under Venecian power.

Vladimir Prelog (1906-1998): chemist; worked in Switzerland; awarded with the Nobel-prize for chemistry in 1975.

Stjepan Radić (1871-1928): politician; founder of the Croatian Peasant Party (HSS); democrat and fighter for freedom of Croatia; died after an assassination in the People's Assembly of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

Lavoslav Ružička (1887-1976): chemist; worked in Switzerland; awarded with the Nobel-prize for chemistry in 1939.

David Schwartz (1852-1897): constructor of the airship with metal-construction; Ferdinand Zeppelin bought out his work and, based on them, built the aircraft which bears his name.

Ante Starčević (1823-1896): politician; founder of the Croatian Party of Right (HSP); he stood for an absolute independence of Croatia; named the "Father of the Nation".

Alojzije Stepinac (1898-1960): Archbishop of Zagreb; cardinal and theologian; publicly condemned fascist persecution during World War II; was imprisoned after the establishment of Communist rule. Died in confinement. Proclaimed a martyr. The Pope JOHN PAUL II beatificated Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac on 3rd October 1998.

Nikola Tesla (1856-1943): physicist; worked in the USA; one of the most famous researchers and inventors of our century in the field of electrotechnics and radiophonics (three-phase-current); drew up plans for the first hydrolelectric power plant at Niagara Falls using alternating current, laid the groundwork for the making of radar equipment; named for him is the measuring unit for magnetic indiction (Tesla, T).

Franjo Tuđman (1922-1999): politician and historian; member of the antifascistic movement; sentenced for his efforts for croatian national rights by the communist regime; founder of the Croatian Democratic Association (HDZ), which won the first democratic elections in 1990; first president of the independent country of Croatia.

Faust Vrančić (lat. Faustus Verantius) (1551-1617): inventor, philosopher and lexicographer; anticipated a whole string of technical inventions, among others the parachute.

Ivan Vučetić (1858-1925), one of the inventors of dactyloscopy, the method for identifying persons by their fingerprints.

These are only some examples of croatian personalities, who considerably marked the cultural life in europe and still do it.
To them we could also add several architects, painters and sculptors, that you maybe know under the name of Schiavoni in Italian arts. Actually they were Croats (Schiavoni - Slavs) from the east coast of the Adriatic Sea: In Renaissance those were the brothers Vranjanin, architect Lucijan and sculptor Franjo (Luciano and Francesco) Laurana, the painter Juraj Ćulinović (Giorgio Schiavone), the sculptor Ivan Duknović (John Dalmata), the painter Andrija Medulić (Medova), the miniaturist Julije Klović (Clovio) and others.
The biggest croatian constructor and sculptor of the 15^th century Juraj Dalmatinac, who except in Dalmatia also built three important monuments in Ancona, is also well-known under the name of Giorgio da Sebenico. His cathedral in Šibenik is world-famous. In the epoche of Baroque the painter Frederik Benković has to be mentioned, who is known in Italian and Austrian arts.

Since 1991 Croatia is an independent parliamentary democracy. The highest representative of the state is the President. He is also commander of the armed forces. The first croatian president and the founder of todays Croatian Republic was dr. Franjo Tuđman (HDZ), whose statements and opinions were very controversial at the end of his career. He was criticised for cronyism, autocratic leadership and superior nationalism. Tuđman died in december 1999.
The winner of the following presidential elections on february 7^th 2000 was Stjepan Mesić. The principal difference to his precedent Tuđman, his relaxed manner and his big sense for humour are surely responsible for his big popularity. Because of the will of certain politicians and the people Stipe Mesić had already been the last president of decaying Yugoslavia, but only for a short time and having no big power.
He now gives much effort on abstention and economy in state finances and so wants to reform Croatia to a modern, western republic. Expenditures for the Army should be reduced and freedom of media should be exercised more than ever. As soon as possible Croatia wants to join NATO and the EU. Since May 2000 Croatia is also member of the NATO programme "Partnership for Peace".

According to the constitution of 1990 (with some changes in 1993), every 4 years the Croatian Parliament ("Sabor") has to be voted. The Sabor consists of the house of representatives and the house of government.

After the elections on january 4^th 2000 the coalition between Social-Democrats (SDP) and Social-Liberals (HSLS) together with 4 smaller parties took with an overwhelming majority the place of the longtime governing HDZ (Croatian Democratic Association), whose politicians at this point of time were confronted by big corruption.
Some parties: the Peasant Party (HSS), the Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS), the Christian-Democratic Union (HKDU), the Party of Justice (HSP) etc.

(We will publish the results of the 2001 census as soon as they are available.)
You can find the newest facts in the CIA World Factbook.

Land area: 21,829.44 sq mi
56,538.00 sq km
(slightly smaller than West Virginia)

Main Export Countries:
   Italy (23%)
   Germany (21,5%)
   Slovenia (13,1%)
   Bosnia-Hercegovina (8,3%)
   Austria (4,3%)

Main Import Countries:
   Germany (20,1%)
   Italy (18,2%)
   Slovenia (10,7%)
   Austria (7,7%)
   Great Britain (6,1%)

*region*	area (sq. km)	population (1991)	*number of beds*	*number of tourists*	*overnights*
*region*	area (sq. km)	population (1991)	*number of beds*	*number of tourists*	*total*	foreign guests
Croatia in total	56 538	4 784 265	926 349	10 354 000	67 298 000	42 192 000
Istria	2 820	204 346	266 309	2 441 000	21 762 000	15 297 000
Kvarner	4 946	338 808	220 098	2 268 000	15 781 000	11 015 000
Northern-Dalmatia	5 441	351 293	135 476	957 000	7 212 000	4 420 000
Middle-Dalmatia	4 501	472 224	172 488	1 354 000	10 822 000	5 654 000
South-Dalmatia	1 816	128 124	94 481	1 105 000	7 424 000	4 459 000
Mountain region	7 041	133 475	10 223	375 000	691 000	449 000
Middle-Croatia	16 629	2 145 412	21 478	1 496 000	2 935 000	776 000
Slavonia and Baranja	13 344	1 011 033	5 796	356 000	672 000	122 000

Foreign visitors (1997): 3.777.981
Overnights by foreign visitors (1997): 24.531.645
Total number of overnights (1997): 34,3 Mio. (increase of more than 42%)