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About Croatia...
Situation
The Republic of Croatia is perfectly placed between Eastern and Central Europe. To the north it borders Hungary and Slovenia, to the east and south are Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, and to the west, across the Adriatic Sea, is Italy. Venice is a mere 70 miles from the western coast of Croatia.
Scenery
Croatia has a huge variety of differing scenery; a magnificent coastline dotted with islands (1,185 in total), snow covered mountains, rolling hills, vast forests and beautiful lakes. At Croatia Select, we originally focussed on the idyllic inland areas to the north, east and west of the capital city, Zagreb which embody many of the key features of the Croatian landscape (except for the sea !). However, we can now offer prospective buyers an excellent choice of value for money properties both Inland and at the Coast, too !
Recent History
After the second world war, Josip Broz 'Tito', who led the partisans during the war against the Nazis and fascists, assumed power in Yugoslavia. Tito died in 1980 and, with no leader waiting "in the wings", a presidential council took charge of the federation, which consisted of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia. Suffice to say, economic and nationalist issues were prominent on the agenda.
In the late 1980's Slobodan Milosevic became prominent as a Serb nationalist with "hard line" communist views. His actions caused dissension amongst the Yugoslav leaders and resulted in Slovenia, and later Croatia, pressing for independence from the league of Yugoslav communists.
Croatians held their first elections in 1990 and their first non-communist president, Franjo Tudjman, was appointed. In 1991 Croatia held a referendum which showed public opinion was overwhelmingly in support of Croatia becoming independent from Yugoslavia. An extremely complicated series of "skirmishes" between Serb and Croatian forces eventually led to a bloody war. In 1992, UN peace keepers entered the conflict zone and brokered a peace agreement. The new Republic of Croatia was recognised by the EU in January 1992,, Croatia joined the UN in May 1992 and are currently members of the UN Security Council. The war officially ended in August 1995. In 1999 Trudjman died and the Prime minister, Stipe Mesic, became President.. Croatia became a member of the post NATO security organisation, ''Partnership for Peace'' and the World Trade Organisation. Croatia applied to join the EU in 2003 and, it is hoped, will be accepted in 2009.
Population
With a population of around 4.5 million Croatia is hardly jam-packed with people, and it is particularly refreshing to experience the "wide open spaces" in the inland hills, valleys lakes and forests. The majority of people live in the city of Zagreb (780,000) and the larger towns. With a birth rate of 9.57 / 1,000 people annually and a death rate of 11.38 / 1,000, plus an emigration rate of approx. 1.5 / 1,000 people, it can be readily appreciated that overcrowding will NOT be a problem in the near future. The population is largely Croatian (89.6 %), with Serbs being the next largest ethnic group (4.5 %) and Bosnians, Hungarians, Slovenes, Czechs and Romanians comprising the majority of the balance. This is a significant number of Italians in Istria, too..
Currency
The unit of currency is the Croatian Kuna (abbreviated to HRK) which usually hovers around an equivalent value of 10 pence. Note: we have found it very advantageous to change our Sterling into Kuna whilst in Croatia, rather than at a UK bank or travel agency !
Croatian properties are usually priced in Euros, anyway.....so please use the currency selector on our Home page to enable all of the property listings to "magically" price themselves in your own currency.
Transport
Croatia is about 2½ hours flight time from the UK and, once in Croatia, getting around is fairly straightforward. Internal flights are relatively cheap, (approximately £70.00 return from Zagreb to Dubrovnik), and leave daily from Zagreb to other main towns and cities along the coast and inland. Trains are pretty efficient and are one of the cheaper forms of travel, but journey times can be very long due to the meandering nature of Croatia's railway lines, which tend to follow the contours of the hills, often stopping at very small stations to pick up "local" traffic. Bus services are excellent between major towns and cities. The buses are usually modern, well maintained vehicles and the fare prices are significantly lower than in the UK. The quality of the road system in Croatia varies considerably. A number of new motorways have been opened in the last few years making journeys from the northern and western borders, past Zagreb, to the Istrian coast, much quicker and easier than previously. However, once you leave the motorway, the standard of road varies from proper asphalt surfaces in a good state of repair, to little more than mud tracks (complete with potholes) in the more remote villages and hamlets.
People and Culture
The nature of the Croatian people is typically Mediterranean, with many similarities between them and the Italians or Spanish. Croatians tend to be very "laid back", (sometimes to the point of being horizontal !) and do not believe in rushing (other than when they are driving or on the way to a football match !). Never make the mistake of believing that something will happen when you want, or expect it to. The most common phrase in Croatia seems to be 'nema problema' - no problem....and this can be extremely frustrating and infuriating, especially when YOU want something to happen NOW. However, you will very soon come to realise that, generally, there is no problem; and things will usually get sorted out (although maybe not as you had originally planned !). It is all part of the charm of the country and its people. More often than not, it is contagious and you find yourself relaxing and enjoying the culture and pace of life. Other typically Mediterranean traits exhibited by Croatians are their love of children (Croatian children are always very respectful of their elders), the afternoon siesta, and (especially in the towns and cities) in fine weather, the evening stroll. The Croatians are a proud people and may seem somewhat cool at first, but within a very short time you will be sure to experience the genuine kindness and welcome they extend to visitors, (and who knows, would be new neighbours). The overall crime rate in Croatia is very low by European standards, but street crime is starting to rear its ugly head in the cities, so take all of the usual precautions. Women are treated with great respect, and you can feel safe when walking around, although this is not to say that the local Croatian men won't try to impress you with their charm and good looks !
Food and Drink
Croatians generally eat 'simple' fresh food, and the type of fare on offer depends largely on where you are in the country and the time of year. Along the coast, the food is very similar to that found in Italy or around the Mediterranean, with lots of fish dishes on offer. Inland, the selection is more like that of central Europe, with grilled meats and soups, (Zagoria soup or 'Zagorska juha' is wonderful and should most definitely be sampled). Whichever region you are visiting, salads and bread are commonly offered as an accompaniment, as well as potatoes, rice or pasta. Cold meats and Croatian cheeses are excellent, as are the cakes, which are reminiscent of Austrian and German pastries. Not surprisingly, there is also a wide choice of alcoholic beverages ! Most Croatian beers are tasty light lagers, but dark beer is also available, the most popular being 'Tomislav' which is made in Zagreb. Croatian wines, both red and white, are usually very good. Prices do vary, but you should find even the more "expensive" ones to be very affordable. Of the most widely available Croatian spirits, the most fiery ones are typically served as an apéritif at the beginning of a meal. Try Sljivovica, (plum brandy), or Viljamovka, (pear brandy). For those with a "sweet tooth" Kruskovac (pear based), or Maraskino, (cherry), are both delicious. Whatever your taste in food and drink, you will definitely find that Croatia has something to tempt you !
(Photos courtesy of the Croatian National Tourist Board)