It may have the most stunning coastline in Europe but there’s far more to Croatia than beaches. Historic Roman ruins, stunning church architecture and unique contemporary art await discovery from Istria to the tip of Dalmatia. Here are ten not to miss:
Cathedral of St James
Šibenik Cathedral is an exquisite example of Gothic Renaissance craftsmanship. Created from fine white limestone and marble from Brač, this UNESCO World Heritage site, a basilica of three naves, a signature dome but no tower, is mainly the work of two architects who required 100 years to build it. Juraj Dalmatinac, whose statue stands on a tall column outside the main entrance, was originally commissioned to craft a Renaissance jewel from a Gothic model. Before his death in 1473, he left behind the main portal, the Lion Gate and the stunning baptistery. Leaving his signature on the north apse, Dalmatinac also created a frieze showing likenesses in stone of the prominent citizens withheld funds and caused decades-long delays to the project. Niccolò di Giovanni Fiorentino completed the master architect’s work, the signature dome echoing the Florentine roots of this later sculptor. The cathedral still required another 30 years to finish after Fiorentino’s death, and was consecrated in 1555. The Cathedral of St James was significantly restored during the 1990s.
Dubrovnik City Walls
The easiest and most popular itinerary for visitors to Dubrovnik is the stroll around its fortifications. As you arrive in the Old Town through the Pile Gate, you’ll see the main entrance and ticket office to the City Walls. You can set your own pace, take an hour or an afternoon. Audio-guides in English are sold at the main entrance but most visitors are perfectly content with random vistas of red-tiled roofs and the panoramic blue of the Adriatic, interspersed with pristine white stones jutting into it down below from varying angles. An elevated promenade and history lesson in one, they were mainly built after the 1667 earthquake that devastated the town. Of the bastions and fortresses, Lovrijenac is an atmospheric, alfresco location for performances of Shakespeare during the Dubrovnik Festival. On it is carved the inscription, in Latin, that ‘Freedom is not to be sold for all the treasure in the world’.
Dubrovnik Cathedral
Built on the site of several previous churches dating back as far as the 600s, the original Dubrovnik Cathedral, partly funded by Richard the Lionheart in recognition of the local hospitality when shipwrecked on Lokrum in the 1190s, was lost to the 1667 earthquake. In its place was built this Baroque landmark in the centre of Dubrovnik’s Old Town. The main attraction is the treasury at one end, an eclectic collection of holy relics. The arm, skull and lower leg of city patron St Blaise are kept in jewel-encrusted casings, while various medieval ecclesiastical vessels were saved from the 1667 earthquake to remain on display here today.
Greeting to the Sun
Created by the same artist responsible for the equally eccentric Sea Organ on the Zadar seafront nearby, Greeting to the Sun comprises 300 multi-layered glass plates in a circle, synchronised with the same wave energy. Beneath the glass are solar modules that spring into life at sunset to simulate our solar system. Around the glass is a metal ring inscribed with local details from a medieval calendar originating from Zadar but now kept in Oxford. Whatever the technology, kids love it, with their ears to the ground listening to the sounds of the Sea Organ or chasing the light show around the solar system.
Diocletian’s Palace
Some 1,700 years after its construction, the Roman Emperor Diocletian would still recognise his palatial retirement home overlooking the sea – or the shell of it, at least. Wandering aimlessly around the beautiful palace is one of Split’s essential experiences. There is no ticket office or protocol – you just stroll in. Four gates guard its main entrances: Golden, Silver, Iron and Bronze. This provides entrance to the basement of Diocletian’s old Central Hall, which is now filled with souvenir and craft stalls. After shopping your way through the basement, you can either exit straight onto Split's cafe-dotted promenade or explore further, emerging into the ceremonial square called the Peristil. Here you can admire not only Roman but Ancient Egyptian artefacts in the form of an original Sphinx twice as old as the façades surrounding it.
Meštrović in Split
Ivan Meštrović, one of Croatia’s greatest sculptors, spent many years in Split in the 20th century. His local villa and studio have since been converted into two major attractions: the Meštrović Gallery & Kaštelet. The former shows the range of his works, the latter his remarkable 28-piece work of wooden reliefs depicting the life of Christ. Both are set on a leafy boulevard overlooking the seafront, right beneath Marjan hill. You’ll also find the sculptor’s works adorning the city itself. Look for his towering statue of Grgur Ninski next to the Golden Gate (and rub his toe for good luck!) and another of Marko Marulić, the father of the Croatian Renaissance, at the Fruit square.
Euphrasian Basilica
Few man-made sights in Croatia are as stunning as the Euphrasian Basilica by the northern shore of the Poreč peninsula. It was here that the first Christians in the area worshipped – several places of worship, and a Roman villa, were built here before Bishop Euphrasius himself got to work in the mid 500s AD. The complex is quite extensive and you’ll need at least a couple of hours to explore it, taking in the baptistry, the bell tower and what’s left of the Bishop’s Palace from where Euphrasius directed operations. And there’s little doubt this is his work, the bishop having left his likenesses and inscriptions all over the strikingly bright mosaics. Glittering gold colouring and sparkling semi-precious gems all feature amid the sumptuous mosaics, a pristine example of Early Byzantine architecture.
Pula Arena
It doesn’t require much imagination to conjure up the gladiatorial battles that would have taken place in Pula’s Amphitheatre 2,000 years ago. In fact, you can even stand in the tunnels and corridors where warriors and lions were kept before entertaining crowds of up to 25,000. Built over the course of a century, the Amphitheatre was given its final touches in AD81 by the Emperor Titus, also responsible for the Colosseum in Rome. Today Pula’s is more intact, boasting a near complete ring of walls. It is also in regular use, staging the Film Festival, DJ festivals and big-name concerts.
Museum of Contemporary Art
The MCA – MSU in Croatian – is the most significant museum to open in Zagreb for more than a century. Its collection includes pieces from the 1920s and gathered since 1954 when Zagreb's original MCA (in the Upper Town) was founded. Croatia’s outstanding 1950s’ generation of abstract-geometric artists play a starring role in the collection, alongside photographs and films documenting the more outlandish antics of legendary performance artists like Tomislav Gotovac and Vlasta Delimar. The new-media and computer-art works produced by the Zagreb-based New Tendencies movement in the late '60s and early 70s reveals just how ahead-of-its-time much of Croatian art really was. Of particular note are Carsten Höller’s slides, similar to the Test Site installation he built for Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall but custom-made and site-specific for Zagreb – pieces of art that patrons can ride to the car park.
Lotrščak Tower
Guarding the entrance to Zagreb’s historic centre, Gradec, Lotrščak Tower is pretty much the first thing you see once you exit the upper terminus of the funicular from Ilica. Built in the 13th century, it is accessed by climbing a winding wooden staircase. Every day since 1877, a couple of loud cannon blasts from here signal noon sharp. The leafy boulevard of Strossmayerovo šetalište runs past, giving a lovely view of the rooftops.
This article is sponsored by The Croatian National Tourism Board: 'Croatia Full of Life'.
