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So you heard about Croatia, right? Everyone that was there fell in love with Croatian culture, food, coast and people. We all love to spend our vacation there but many don’t know some less known little facts about Croatia. Yeah, we thought so, this is why we will add this little fact list about Croatia to test your knowledge! Make sure you leave in comments which facts you did know, and which you had no clue about. This is definitely worth reading if you are going to visit Croatia as it will give you that much more information on which you can focus during your stay there.
1 Fact – Croatian famous dogs
Zagreb is the capital of Croatia today, but both Nin on the Dalmatian coast and Varazdin in the north have been capitals at one time in history.
The oldest inhabited city in Europe is the eastern Croatian city of Vinkovci. The city has been inhabited for the past 8,000 years.
Split’s Diocletian Palace has a genuine Egyptian sphinx thanks to Emperor Diocletian who had it brought in from Egypt to adorn the entrance to his tomb.
The dog breed Dalmatian can be traced back to Croatia and the Dalmatia region.
Croatia has the highest number of UNESCO Intangible Goods of any European country together with Spain.
On the island of Susak women wear the shortest folk costumes in Europe.
Rice chocolate was invented in Croatia in 1963 at the Zvečevo factory in the western Slavonian city of Požega.
Zadar has the world’s first pipe organ played by the sea and is also known for its sunset which Alfred Hitchcock said was the most beautiful in the world.
The first King of Croatia was named Tomislav in 925 – this elevated Croatia to the status of a kingdom.
Nikola Tesla was born in Smiljan, Croatia.
One of the first medieval places in Europe to have a sewage system was Dubrovnik.
The Krapina Neanderthal Museum covers a surface area of around 1,200 m² and is one of the most modern museums in Croatia and central Europe.
The world’s first pipe organ that is played by the sea’s rhythmic waves is in Zadar, on the Dalmatian Coast.
There are names of two Croatian’s on the map of the Moon. Scientists J. R. Boskovic and A. Mohorovicic.
Croatian Slavoljub Penkala invented a mechanical pencil, called the Penkala in 1906.The patent was registered in 35 countries, and his company TOZ – Penkala is still in operation today in the capital of
Zagreb.Constructed by Ivan Lupis Vukic in Rijeka in the 19th century was the world’s first torpedo.
DNA tests have proven that the yummy Zinfandel grape variety originates from Croatia.The most famous beach in all of Croatia is in Bol, on the island of Brac.
20.Zlatni Rat Beach changes in shape and color depending on the wind.
The world’s first torpedo was constructed in Rijeka. Ivan Luppis (Ivan Vukić) developed the first prototypes of the self-propelled torpedo in 1866.
The national flower of Croatia is the Iris.
The island of Vis plays Greece in the Hollywood film ‘Mamma Mia 2’.
Croatia is ranked 127th in the world when it comes to the size of the country.
Croatia won the biggest haul of gold medals in Europe (per capita) at the Olympic Games in 2016 in Rio.
The highest mountain in Croatia is the Dinara peak at 1,831 metres.
10% of Croatia is protected via 11 Nature Parks, 8 National Parks, and 2 Nature Reserves.
The richest collection in the world of remains of Neanderthals was discovered in Krapina in central Croatia.
The island of Hvar off the Dalmatian coast is the island with the most hours of sunshine in Europe – more than 2,800 hours a year.
Shakespeare’s comedy Twelfth Night was set in Dalmatia.
A sculptor from the island of Rab, Marin, founded San Marino.
There are nearly more Croatians living outside of the country as living in Croatia (4.2 million).
The Maglite flashlight which was designed by Croatian Anthony ‘Tony’ Maglica.
Croatia has over 1,200 islands, isles, and inlets.
Krk Island in the north part of Adriatic sea is the largest island in Croatia covering an area of 409 sq km (38 km length – up to 20 km width). It is also the most populated.
The island of Biševo has only 13 residents.
Famous Zlatni rat beach changes shape when winds are strong enough.
Croatia has the top two ace servers in tennis history – No.1 Ivo Karlović, No.2 Goran Ivanišević.
There are 41,188 winemakers and vineyards covering 20,885 hectares of land in Croatia.
Croatia is ranked 4th in the world for alcohol consumption per capita.
Croatia is the home of the necktie.
The biggest ever necktie in the world, measuring 808 metres, was displayed in Croatia. It took five days to complete and was tied around the Pula Arena in 2003.
The most-watched Croatian film of all time at the cinema is the 1996 film “Kako je počeo rat na mom otoku“ (How the War Started on My Island) with 342,000 tickets sold.
The highest ever temperature recorded in Croatia was 42.8°C in the town of Ploče back on 4 August 1981.
Dalmatian Klapa singing is protected by UNESCO.
Croatian Slavoljub Penkala was the inventor of the mechanical pencil.
The capital Zagreb used to be known by the name Agram.
The Griffon vultures on Cres are the only ones that roost by the sea anywhere in the world
Croatia has a leaning tower in Istria.The belfry in Završje is 22 meters high and is tilted 40cm to the north.
Wine is produced in Croatia thanks to the influence of Greeks from two and a half thousand years ago.
