Have you ever been in Croatia?

   As you put on your tie before a business meeting of a theatre performance, as you write with your ball point pen, as you turn on the light do you ever think of Croatia ? Our guess is that you don't. Why should you ?

   But let us press the point. Your tie is, after all, a direct descendant of the very same cravat that Croatian soldiers, as the French encyclopedia tells us, used to tie around their necks in the 17th century. We have light thanks to Tesla's system of alternating-current. And the ball-pen you write with, was invented by Slavoljub Penkala, a Croatian engineer who constructed the first ball point pen and the first fountain pen in 1906.

   The gods wanted to crown their creation and on the last day they turned tears, stars and the sea breeze into the isles of Kornati. " Thus spoke George Bernard Shaw, referring to the largest archipelago in the Mediterranean with its 140 islands, islets and reefs. Few people realize that Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" takes place here, or that Carlo Goldoni, Jack London, Eugene Ionesco, to name but a few, .were enchanted by the beauty of the Croatian landscape. Immortalized in words or in paintings, the Croatian towns are discreet witnesses to so many lives. Trsteno, a small place near Dubrovnik, never found its place in the works of Lord Byron. Nevertheless, it apparently had a special place in the heart of one of the fathers of European romanticism. The reason, so the legend has it, is a beautiful blonde from the North. The famous master of plots and intrigues Agatha Christie also had a good reason to find a special place in her heart for Dubrovnik and Split: she spent her second honeymoon there.

One of the most beautiful love stories of the century progressed towards its denouement here. The Dalmatian escape of the British sovereign, Edward VIII and the American divorcee Wallis Simpson caused a stir in the worlds of politics and fashion. A love more important than the crown turned the attention of the British and American press to the spot where the lovers chose to stay, to the beautiful Dalmatia. It was then that stylized parts of the Dalmatian folk costume first appeared on the catwalks and streets of New York. The king, soon to become a mere Duke of Windsor, learned the popular Dalmatian game "balote", which is similar to bowling. But above all, he enjoyed the beauties of the region. There are many elegant villas and old hotels in Opatija, the tourist centre of the Northern Adriatic, and they all have their stories. Opatija used to be the resort of the fashionable set and its reputation has survived. Many European kings and emperors, heirs, dukes and famous artists came here to conduct their affairs -of state or otherwise. Or to seek inspiration. "Under the window of our villa, " wrote the famous dancer Isadora Duncan, who spent some time in the villa Amalia in Opatija in 1902, "grew a palm which fascinated me. I had never before seen a palm growing free. I watched it every morning, as its beautiful leaves trembled in the morning breeze, and I copied from it that slight trembling of the shoulders, arms and fingers. " We could tell a lot of tales of the famous who came here. Some of them are public, some are secret and some are open secrets. Let us, instead, tell the tale of the country they have choose, not without reason.

You can only come to Croatia by chance once. It warrants every subsequent visit by its variety, beauty and hospitality. A place where the Mediterranean, the Alps and the Pannonian plain come together: this country has taken something from every one of them and blended those parts into a unique harmony and a rare beauty. Side by side in Croatia there are phenomena which are usually many miles apart. Within a hundred kilometers you will find the sea, the karsts, densely wooded mountains and fertile plains. Although the Adriatic is undoubtedly the most popular tourist destination, continental Croatia abounds in beauty: a land of forests and underground streams, the Plitvice lakes, the region of Lika, the forests of Gorski Kotar, the wheat fields of Slavonia, rivers seeming with fish, and the picturesque rolling hills of Zagorje. Croatia is among the smallest of European countries ~ only 56,500 km2 of land and less than 32,000 km2 of sea, yet things which are found alone in other countries are all here in this small country. And all those beauties are just a few hours' drive away from the European centers on whose traditions, through constant giving and receiving, Croatia has been building its history and culture, past and present. And above all, its future. If we want to be honest, the seaside towns of Porec, Rovinj, Makarska, Hvar, Korcula and other tourist resorts in Croatia do not deserve the title of a jet set European summer resort. But then we have to be completely honest: practically nowhere else will you find the sea as clean as the Croatian Adriatic. The shore is not lined with concrete hotels, and Zagreb has managed, despite its size, to retain its soul, untouched by alienation, endless streets and high-rise buildings. In Croatia, the beauties of nature are not something one reads about in books. Ecologically, it has one of the best preserved environments, with as many as seven national parks.

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  Did you know...

Many events in the history of mankind eventually fade into oblivion, but others, leave their indelible marks for the entire world to see. More than 350 years ago, the Croats initiated one such influential occurrence. Although started in the 17th century in a small region on the Adriatic coast, the consequences of this event are still very much evident the world over. 600 million people now wear the ubiquitous symbol of Croatia around their necks, close to their hearts. Did you know that Croatia is the mother country of the necktie?

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Since the very beginning of production of office writing equipment (since 1906.), the name Penkala represents the pinnacle of quality and exclusivity beyond comparison. In 1999., adopting the highest technological and quality standards, TOZ began the production of Penkala products, and by the end of last year, based on the Contract of exclusive rights, as well as use of the name and registered trademark, TOZ accepts into its name the name of Penkala, including all the rights and obligations. The assortment of Penkala includes fountain pens and pens, as well as wood pastels, products of the highest quality, which guarantees TOZ Penkala the reputation as a manufacturer of top quality products in the world.

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Maraschino is a bittersweet, clear liqueur flavored with Marasca cherries, which are grown around the Dalmatian city of Zadar in Croatia. It is one of the very few liqueurs in the world produced by distillation. The liqueur's distinctive flavor comes from the Marasca cherry, and the crushed cherry pits lend an almond-like flavor to Maraschino. Honey is also part of the ancient recipe. The distillate is allowed to mature for two years in Finnish ash vats (this wood does not lend its colour even after many years of maturing), and is then diluted and sugared. It is typically bottled in a straw-coated bottle. The liqueur has been made sinced the Middle Ages in Zadar. In peace and quietness of Zadar Dominican monastery, at the beginning of 16th century, the recipe of authentic Zadar liqueur was made and noted, liqueur which for the first time was prepared just by the apothecaries of the Dominican monastery. Special and full flavored liqueur was known under the name of “ROSOLJ” (which came from the word “ros solis”- “the sun dew”). Later on, this liqueur was named MARASCHINO, as it was produced from the essence of ripe fruits of Dalmatian cherry marasca as well as from the leaves of its sprigs. In 18th century when at Zadar started the industrial production of liqueurs, Maraschino set out from Zadar and “sailed” into every more important European ports and metropolis. After the destruction of the city of Zara in the Second World War, two original factories were closed and one moved to Italy. A new factory was established in Zadar in Croatia. At present, two factories are the holders of the brand Maraschino Zadarski / Maraschino di Zara, in Croatia and Italy. Although Maraschino cherries are traditionally preserved in maraschino liqueur, today most maraschino cherries are made using artificial ingredients and are non-alcoholic.

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  Did you know...

Croats first settled the eastern coast of the Adriatic sea in the seventh century A.D. Tomislav, the first Croatian king, was crowned in the year 925 A.D.

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The Roman emperor Diocletian built a palace in Dalmatia in 305 A.D., which became the foundation of today’s city of Split, one of Croatia’s six monuments under UNESCO protection.

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Croatia is the homeland of Marco Polo, the world renowned 13th century traveller, who was born on the Dalmatian island of Korčula.

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The famous scientist Nikola Tesla (1856-1943), inventor of alternating current, was born in Smiljan, Croatia, died in New York, USA.

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The parachute was invented and first trialled by the Croatian Faust Vrancic in the 17th century. He also designed the first wind turbine.

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The stone which built the White House in Washington D.C. comes from the island of Brac.

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The Republic of Dubrovnik was the first state to recognize the United States of America as a sovereign state.

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That the national parks Plitvice and Krka have been used as the locations for scenes in the films about the indian Winnetou?

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