|
Croatia is truly a land of islands because it has
more than a thousand of them and each one is
different. Many of them are inhabited but each and
every one is exceptional, with its own story and
destiny.
 To
have a weak spot is human and the connoisseurs of
Croatian islands have thousands of them. To be
more precise 1185 of them. That's how many
islands, islets and cliffs are located in front of
1777 kilometers of the Adriatic coast.
The first trip to the Adriatic coast and its
islands is a journey into the unknown. Every other
trip will be a journey to the already familiar
beauty of this country, always different but
equally breathtaking.
We will begin the story about the islands with the
Brijuni islands. These fourteen islands are
situated along seven kilometers between Pula and
Rovinj.With a little help, nature has created a
small paradise here, true harmony of flora and
fauna, historical monuments and modern hotels.
Brijuni offer shade in the rich evergreen
vegetation, pheasants, deer and doe that roam
freely all over the island and the peace and quiet
of the holm oak and hundred- year old olive
groves.
The golden or green Krk ( biggest island in
Croatia ) is and isn't an island. It
is one, if we look at the idyllic nature and
peaceful oasis far away from the everyday world
but as far as traffic connections are concerned,
it isn't. Krk, which also has a small airport, is
divided from the mainland by the sea but is
connected to it by a bridge.
If you are looking for your own special island,
you'll find it on Krk because the islands Plavnik,
Kormat, Galun, Prvicand Zec are special tourist
destinations offering nature untouched by Man. If
you are interested in exciting town bustle and
great hospitality, then the island towns Baska,
Malinska, Omisalj, Njivice, Krk and Punat, which
has the largest marina on the Croatian Adriatic,
are the places you need to visit.
 Cres
and Losinj. One island or two? They were once
connected by a channel, which was dug up by the
Romans, but are now apart. The northern part of
Cres is hidden away in the Rijeka bay and is
exposed to strong gusts of gale, so that sometimes
its peaks are white from the foam of the sea. The
southern part is protected from the gale so its
climate is extremely Mediterranean. In the town of
Cres, is the center of the island. You can enter
its nucleus through three doors and history rears
its head at every corner. There are many monuments
that testify to this. What testifies about the
people, their statuses and professions are the
family crests on the house portals or the engraved
tools: the blacksmith's or carpenter's on the
houses of craftsmen and a fish on the houses of
fishermen.The climate of Losinj is pleasant,
what's more it has lots of woods, so it is both a
holiday and health resort.
Of the 1185 islands and cliffs scattered along the
Adriatic coast, consisting of hard, sharp rocks
and a fist full of soil, Susak is one of the rare
islands that nature created from sand. There are
20 million meters of sand, which gives a specific
flavor to the wine produced on Susak.
The next island of The Kvarner is Rab. In 1889,
the local council proclaimed it a bathing-place
and health resort. The British King, Edward VIII
especially encouraged tourism on Rab when he
stayed there with his great love, the American
Wallis Simpson. They say that he was the first to
go swimming without any clothes. This is how
nudism was founded on Rab.
Rab is one of the islands richest in forests with
as many as three hundred springs of water. Pag is
an island full of mythical olive groves, rich in
sea salt, famous for its lace, cheese a world
known delicacy, sheep's milk, live oil andÉ what
more do you need? Perhaps this: a part of Pag with
its specific relief resembles the surface of the
moon.
Moving along to the middle-Adriatic islands like:
Olib, Silba, Premuda, Vir, Dugi Otok, Lovrada and
Pasman, you notice immediately that you have left
the every day problems and bounds of society far
behind you. In front of you lies untouched nature.
These islands will bewitch you, energize you and
enrich you. They will become your dream, the kind
you dream of with eyes wide open.
 Silba
is an island of ship owners and captains and old
captain's houses as well as a harbor protected
from the gushes of wind. Ist is an island of
fishermen and navigators and is well known to
navigators as a safe haven from the storm.
The island Ugljan is the 'suburban area' and a
garden that lies in front of Zadar and it got its
name because of its richness in oil. There are in
fact more than 100.000 olive trees on this island.
The nearby Pasman island 'grew into' Ugljan. They
are actually twins, only Pasman is a bit more
peaceful. They are equally beautiful and covered
with silvery green olive groves. These two pearls
can be seen from the coastal town of Biograd, the
geographical center of the Adriatic.Iz is the
island situated between Ugljan and Dugi Otok. It
is just as famous for what it does and doesn't
have. It has rich Mediterranean vegetation. It
doesn't have any cars.
Dugi Otok offers rest in preserved nature of an
area of 114 square kilometers. There are fishermen
there, farmers, beautiful secluded beaches and
tourist objects. The town of Telascica is situated
there, which is the biggest natural harbor of all
the Adriatic islands, a nature park and a habitat
for mouflon. Its rich woodsy northwestern coast is
full of wide coves and a beautiful beach with a
41-meter high lighthouse. It's interesting that
while the lighthouse was being built in
1949,around 100.000 yolks were added to the
plaster, which prevented the sun and the sea from
ruining its beauty.
According to the legend, Kornati labyrinth of sea
passages and islands were created from the many
rock cliffs that God had left over after he had
finished making the World. He threw them into the
sea, turned around and concluded that no other
repairs were necessary.
The infamous George Bernard Shaw said of this
group of the most indented islands of the Adriatic
and the Mediterranean that consist of 140 islands,
islets and reefs: 'The Gods wanted to crown their
work, so on the last day, from their tears, the
stars and their breath they created Kornati.
There are many fisherman's villages which are
periodically inhabited on the islands and because
they are rich in fish they are often the
destination of sport fishermen.
 Kornati
are especially interesting for navigators and
thatvs why there are two nautical enters there:
Zut and Piskera. Among the islands another
picturesque one is Murter which has an area of 18
square kilometers. It is connected to the mainland
by a bridge only 12 meters long. This is an island
of fishermen, olive growers and ship builders with
the towns: Tisno, Hramina, Betina and Jezera.
The island Prvicis near the tourist pearl Vodice,
it's an oasis of Mediterranean flora and fauna.
The island Zlarin is southwest of Sibenik. In the
15 th century it was famous for coral and sponge
harvesting and there is a museum that exhibits
this.
West of Zlarin is the island of Obonjan, known as
Otok Mladosti (The island of Youth). Not far is
the island Kaprije, which got its name from the
Mediterranean, plant caper (kapar) whose buds
serve as spices. Many yachts visit Kaprije because
of the many coves and beautiful beaches. Zirje is
the farthest away inhabited island of the Sibenik
archipelago with great fishing-grounds and many
coves for navigators.Krapanj is the smallest and
lowest inhabited island of the archipelago of an
area of only 0,36 kilometers and only seven meters
high but the most inhabited island.
'Across from' Split, a city harmonious in
structure with cultural and historical values,
with an airport and a harbor lies the island Brac,
the highest and by size the third largest island
in the Adriatic. It is covered with pine woods,
vineyards and olive groves and the world famous
stone from Brachas been used in the construction
of many important buildings (e.g. The White House
in Washington DC).The beautiful beach Zlatni rat
is located in Bol, which is the biggest tourist
town on the southern part of the island. The beach
is located on a cape covered in pebbles which
moves, depending on the wind and waves from one
side to another.
You'll have to admit that this is the only beach
that you've heard of that changes its shape from
day to day. There are many bathing-places and
resorts on Brac: Postire, Milna, Supetar...
 South
of Brac is Hvar, the longest island of the
Adriatic. This is an island of vineyards, olive
groves and lavender. The island is surrounded by
crystal cobalt sea, many springs of water and the
largest number of sunny hours. The many stone
houses along both coasts, which are connected by
small bridges, achieve the harmonious unity of
Stari Grad on Hvar, the fishermanvs museum is in
Vrbovska which is unique on the Adriatic...
Hvar is, no doubt , an exceptional island, a
pleasant winter and summer resort, with a mild
climate and exuberant subtropical vegetation.
Pakleni otoci are an especially interesting group
of islands with pebbly, sandyand mostly nudist
beaches and a rocky sea bottom, perfect for
spearfishing. It is also a well-known place for
navigators.
Opposite Split is the island Solta with poor
vegetation, a steep and well - indented coast with
Maslenica - the main harbor and anchorage for
small boats.
Far from the mainland and its worries is the
island Vis, rich in palm trees, known for its
fishermen, sailors, beautiful nature and diverse
tourist offer.
Southwest is the island Bisevo, of an area of 6
square kilometers. There are many caves in
'chiseled' into the steep coasts,among which
'Modra spilja' stands out with an above-sea level
and below-sea level entrance. When the sea is calm
the light rays that shine in the cave break in
such a way against the cave walls that the objects
and people inside it are covered in blue and those
in the water a silvery color.
The Vis archipelago includes the islands Svetac
(Sveti Andrija), Jabuka, Brusnik and the islands
of Palagruza. Although it's formally known as a
peninsula, Peljesac is indeed like an island,
separated from Korcula by a narrow channel.
Ston and Mali Ston are picturesque towns that were
after Dubrovnik in the Dubrovnik republic the most
important towns. Oysters and wines: Postup and
Dingacfrom the Mali Ston bay are famous all over
these parts.
 They
say that Korcula is an island with the most
legends and monuments and along with Lokrum and
Mljet the Croatian island most covered with
forests. Towards the end of the 13 th century near
Korcula there was a naval battle between Venice
and Genoa. Marco Polo, the famous traveler and
travel book writer who was believed to have been
born on Korcula was on the side of the Venetians.
This is an island with many known towns: Korcula,
Lumbarda and Vela Luka, the knight dance 'moreska'
from the end of the 15 th century,famous
stone-cutters, sailors and ship builders. Far away
out in the open sea is the island Lastovo of an
area of 50 square kilometers, with an indented
pebble coast with sandy beaches and a few islands
on the west and east coast. The houses on Lastovo
are built one above the other one: each one is
entitled to its own share in the sun, air and the
view.
Alongside Peljesac is the woodsy island of Mljet
of an area of 100 square kilometers. Because of
its thick alpine and stone pine, Karst caves, two
picturesque lakes connected by the sea, many sandy
and pebble beaches, many fishing-grounds rich in
fish and lobsters, the western part of the island
has been proclaimed a national park.
Not many people can determine the color of the
Adriatic sea. Sometimes it's dark blue, sometimes
greenish-blue. The fact is that the sea, depending
on the time of day and the angle of the sun's rays
overflows into a thousands nuances. However, it is
always beautiful and unique.
Out of the 1185 islands and cliffs, one is
definitely your cup of tea. Come and choose it.
|
