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Croatia
Situated in Southern
Central Europe, a roughly horseshoe shaped country with a coastline
5.835 km of which 4.058 km is a coastline of islands, solitary rocks and
reefs. No less than 1.185 islands lie offshore, but only 50 of them are
inhabited. Croatia’s stunning coastline is on the Adriatic Sea, arguably
one of the cleanest seas in the Mediterranean and wonderfully warm.
Croatia is
indeed unique with a thousand years of different cultures that have
replaced each other and sometimes assimilated in these areas.
The east coast of the Adriatic Sea was inhabited as early as the
beginning of the early Stone Age, and there is proof that most of the
accessible islands were also inhabited (archaeological findings in caves
near the islands of Hvar and Palagruza, etc.)
Archaeological discoveries prove that in the 6th century BC the ancient
Greeks had commerce with the Illyrians by means of the sea, and that
they founded their colonies there (for example Pharos, today's
Starigrad, on the islands of Hvar and Issa - or Vis).
Later on, the Romans arrived, and they not only built palaces and summer
residences but they also spent a considerable amount of time on the sea,
and there are many underwater discoveries, mainly amphorae, located
between Pula and Cavtat which show this to be true.
A new era dawned with the arrival of the Slavs in the fifth century, a
period characterized by constant struggle for supremacy and by defence
against diverse enemies. Dubrovnik, eminent in its position as a
republic, played a leading role in culture and trade especially with
Venice.
In the 18th century, Napoleon ruled for a short period of time, after
which he was replaced by the Austrian monarchy. During the next hundred
years, Italy and Austria fought each other for supremacy of the east
coast, culminating in the battle of Vis in 1866.
Testimony to those glorious times can be found not only on the mainland,
but also under the sea in the shape of shipwrecks and remains of the
detritus of great ships. The period of Austro - Hungarian rule commenced
thereafter. Ports were built and fortified, trade and shipbuilding
flourished.
During the two World Wars, the Adriatic was one of the more important
areas of battle, and there are many shipwrecks dating from those
periods. Near Pula, for example, which at the time was a strategically
vital naval harbour, twenty shipwrecks have been located, including a
number of submarines, destroyers, and torpedo-boats.
The Adriatic Sea has always been an important maritime route between
East and West, which can still be seen today because of the numerous
relics, which remind us that the past should never be forgotten, but
rather used as a lesson for the future.
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