Croatia

Republic of Croatia
Republika Hrvatska

Flag

Anthem: Lijepa naa domovino

Our Beautiful Homeland

More

Location of Croatia (green)

in Europe (dark grey) [Legend]
Capital
(and largest city)

Zagreb
4548N 160E

Official language(s)

Croatian

Ethnic groups (2001)

89.6% Croats,
4.5% Serbs,
5.9% others and
unspecified[1]

Government

Unitary
parliamentary
constitutional
republic

President

Ivo Josipovi

Prime Minister

Zoran Milanovi

Speaker of Parliament

Boris prem

President of the
- Constitutional Court

Jasna Omejec

Population
2011 census

4,290,612[2]

Density

75.8/km2
196.3/sq mi

GDP (PPP)

2011 estimate

Total

$80.334
billion[3] (75th)

Per capita

$18,191[3] (48th)

GDP (nominal)

2011 estimate

Total

$63.842
billion[3] (65th)

Per capita

$14,457[3] (44th)

HDI (2011)

0.796[5] (very
high) (46th)

Currency

Kuna (HRK)

(Croatian: Republika Hrvatska is a unitary democratic parliamentary

republic. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. has diverse,. The
country's population is 4.29 million, most of whom are Croats, with the
most common religious denomination being Roman Catholicism.
Croatia today has a very high Human Development Index. The
International Monetary Fund classified Croatia as an emerging and
developing economy, and the World Bank identified it as a high income
economy. Croatia is a member of the United Nations, the Council of
Europe, NATO, the World Trade Organization, CEFTA and a founding
member of the Union for the Mediterranean. Croatia is an acceding
state of the European Union, with full membership expected in July
2013. As an active participant in the UN peacekeeping forces, Croatia
has contributed troops to the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan and took
a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 20082009
term.
The service sector dominates Croatia's economy, followed by the
industrial sector and agriculture. Tourism is a significant source of
revenue during the summer, with Croatia ranked the 18th most popular
tourist destination in the world. The European Union is Croatia's most
important trading partner. Croatia provides a universal health care
system and free primary and secondary education, while supporting
culture through numerous public institutions and through corporate
investments in media and publishing. The nation prides itself in its
cultural, artistic and scientific contributions to the world, as well as in its
cuisine, wines and sporting achievements.

History
Main article: History of Croatia

Branimir Inscription

The name of Croatia The origin of the name is uncertain, but is thought
to be a Gothic or Indo-Aryan term assigned to a Slavic tribe.[7] The
oldest preserved record of the Croatian ethnonym *xrvat is of
variable stem, attested in the Baka tablet in style zvnmir kral
xrvatsk ("Zvonimir, Croatian king").[8]
The first attestation of the Latin term is attributed to a charter of duke
Trpimir from the year 852. The original is lost, and just a 1568 copy is
preservedleading to doubts on the authenticity of the claim.[9] The
oldest preserved stone inscription is the 9th century Branimir Inscription
(found near Benkovac), where Duke Branimir is styled as Dux
Cruatorvm. The inscription is not dated accurately, however, Branimir
ruled Croatia in 879892.[10]

Prehistory and antiquity

Main articles: Prehistoric Croatia, Illyria, and Dalmatia (Roman province)

Tanais Tablet B, name Khorothos highlighted.

The area known as Croatia today was inhabited Neanderthals

Much later, in 9 AD the territory of today's Croatia became part of the

Roman Empire.

Middle Ages
Main articles: Kingdom of Croatia (medieval) and Republic of Ragusa

Baka tablet, the oldest evidence of the glagolitic script.

the Croats had arrived in what is today Croatia in the early 7th century,
however that claim is disputed and competing hypotheses date the
event between the 6th and the 9th centuries.[22] Eventually two
dukedoms were formedDuchy of Pannonia and Duchy of Dalmatia]
christianization is associated with the 9th century.[25] The first native
Croatian ruler recognised by the Pope was duke Branimir, whom Pope
John VIII referred to as Dux Croatorum ("Duke of Croats") in 879.[10]

The walls of Dubrovnik, which helped the defence of Dubrovnik in the Middle Ages
and the 19911992 siege

Tomislav was the first ruler of Croatia who was styled a king in a letter
from the Pope John X, dating kingdom of Croatia to year 925. The
medieval Croatian kingdom reached its peak in the 11th century during
the reigns of Petar Kreimir IV (10581074) and Dmitar Zvonimir (1075
1089).[27]

Habsburg Monarchy and Austria-Hungary

Main articles: Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg), CroatianOttoman Wars,

and Austria-Hungary

Ban Josip Jelai fought Hungarians in 1848 and 1849

Following the decisive Ottoman victories, Croatia was split into civilian
and military territories, with the partition formed in 1538. The military
territories would become known as the Croatian Military Frontier and
were directly controlled by the Austrian emperor..[32] The Ottoman wars
instigated great demographic changes. Croats migrated towards Austria
and the present-day Burgenland Croats are direct descendants of these
settlers.[33] To replace the fleeing Croats the Habsburgs called on the
Orthodox populations of Bosnia and Serbia to provide military service in
the Croatian Military Frontier. Serb migration into this region peaked
during the Great Serb Migrations of 1690 and 173739.[34]
Between 1797 and 1809 the First French Empire gradually occupied the
entire eastern Adriatic coastline. In response the Royal Navy started the
blockade of the Adriatic Sea leading to the Battle of Vis in 1811.[35] The
Illyrian Provinces were captured by the Austrians in 1813, and absorbed
by the Austrian Empire following the Congress of Vienna in 1815. This
led to formation of the Kingdom of Dalmatia and restoration of the
Croatian Littoral to the Kingdom of Croatia, now both under the same
crown.[36]

HSS leader Stjepan Radi

During the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 Croatia sided with the

Austrians, Ban Josip Jelai helping defeat the Hungarian forces in

1849, and ushering a period of Germanization policy.[38] By the 1860s,

failure of the policy became apparent, leading to the Austro-Hungarian
Compromise of 1867 and creation of a personal union between the
crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary. After
Austria-Hungary occupied Bosnia and Herzegovina following the 1878
Treaty of Berlin, the Croatian Military Frontier was abolished. Renewed
efforts to reform Austria-Hungary, entailing federalisation with Croatia as
a federal unit, were stopped by advent of World War I.[42]

Kingdom of Yugoslavia and World War II

Main articles: Creation of Yugoslavia, Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Banovina
of Croatia, Independent State of Croatia, and Yugoslav Front

Resistance leader and Yugoslav president Marshal Josip Broz Tito

On 29 October 1918 the Croatian declared independence and decided

to join the newly formed State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs,[29] The
political situation deteriorated further as Radi was assassinated in the
National Assembly in 1928, leading to the dictatorship of King Alexander
in January 1929.[45] The dictatorship formally ended in 1931 when the
king imposed a more unitarian constitution, and changed the name of
the country to Yugoslavia.[46] In April 1941, Yugoslavia was occupied by
Germany and Italy. Following the invasion the territory, parts of Croatia,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the region of Syrmia were incorporated
into the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), a Nazi-backed puppet
state..[49] It is estimated that out of 39,000 Jews in the country only
9,000 survived; the rest were either killed or deported to Germany, both
by the local authorities and the German Army itself.[50]

Franjo Tuman, 1st President of Croatia

Federal Yugoslavia and independence

Main articles: Socialist Republic of Croatia and Croatian War of
Independence
After the World War II, Croatia became a single-party Socialist federal
unit of the SFR Yugoslavia, ruled by the Communists, but enjoying a
degree of autonomy within the federation.

A Yugoslav tank destroyed during the Battle of Vukovar

In the 1980s the political situation in Yugoslavia deteriorated with

national tension fanned by the 1986 Serbian In January 1990, the
Communist Party fragmented along national lines, As tensions rose,
Croatia declared independence in June 1991, however the declaration
came into effect on 8 October 1991.[69][70]
The tensions escalated into the Croatian War of Independence. On 15
January 1992, Croatia gained diplomatic recognition by the European
Economic Community members, and subsequently the United Nations.
[74][75] The war effectively ended in 1995 with a decisive victory by
Croatia in August 1995.[76]

Languages
Main article: Languages of Croatia
Croatian language is the official language of Croatia,] Minority
languages are in official use in local government units where more than
a third of population consists of national minorities or where local
legislation defines so. Those languages are Czech, Hungarian, Italian,
Ruthenian, Serbian and Slovakian.[175]
The flag of Croatia is one of the state symbols of Croatia. It consists of
three equal size, horizontal stripes in colours red, white and blue. The
flag combines the colours of the flags of the Kingdom of Croatia (red
and white), the Kingdom of Slavonia (white and blue) and the Kingdom
of Dalmatia (red and blue). Those three kingdoms are the historic
constituent states of the Croatian Kingdom. In the middle is the coat of
arms of Croatia.
The red-white-blue tricolour has been used as the Croatian flag since
1848. While the Banovina of Croatia existed within the Kingdom of
Yugoslavia, it had a similar flag without the modern crown above the
chequy. During the Independent State of Croatia, flag was like the
modern, but without crown and there was letter "U" at the top left of the
flag. Also, first field of Croatian chequy was white. While Croatia was
part of SFR Yugoslavia its tricolour was the same, but it had a fivepointed red star with a yellow border in place of the coat of arms. The
star was replaced by the coat in May 1990, shortly after the first
multiparty elections. The current flag and the coat of arms were officially
adopted on 21 December 1990, about ten months before the
proclamation of independence from Yugoslavia and a day before the
Constitution of Croatia on 22 December 1990. The shield is in the red
and white checks of Croatia. Above is a crown made of shields of its
various regions. From left to right they are the ancient arms of Croatia,
Dubrovnik, Dalmatia, Istria, and Slavonia.
The coat of arms of Croatia consists of one main shield and five
smaller shields which form a crown over the main shield. The main coat

of arms is a checkerboard (chequy) that consists of 13 red and 12 silver

(white) fields. It's commonly known as ahovnica ("chessboard", from
ah, "chess" in Croatian) or grb (literally coat of arms). The five smaller
shields represent five different historical regions within Croatia.
[edit]

History

The Croatian chequy, known in Croatian as the "ahovnica". "ahovnica" means

"chessboard" in Croatian, but the term can also mean "chequy".

The checkerboard coat of arms (ahovnica) is first attested as an official

symbol of the kingdom of Croatia on an Innsbruck tower depicting the
emblem of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor in 1499.[1][2] In 1525 it
was used on a votive medal.[citation needed] It appeared on a seal from
the charter that confirmed the 1527 election of Emperor Ferdinand I as
king of Croatia at the Parliament on Cetin.[3][4][5]
The origin of the design has often been purported as being medieval.
Historic tradition states it to be the arms of Stephen Drislav in the 10th
century.[6] Also, the falcons on a stone plate from the time of Peter
Kreimir IV (r. 10581074/5) carry something that resembles a
traditional Croatian chequy on their wings.[7]
The size of the checkerboard ranges from 33 to 88, but most
commonly 55, like in the current design. It was traditionally conjectured
that the colours originally represented two ancient Croat states, Red
Croatia and White Croatia, but there is no historical evidence to support
this.[citation needed]
Towards the Late Middle Ages the distinction for the three crown lands

(Croatia 'proper', Dalmatia, Slavonia) was made. The ahovnica was

used as the coat of arms of Croatia proper & together with the shields of
Slavonia and Dalmatia was often used to represent the whole of Croatia
in Austria-Hungary. It was used as an unofficial coat of arms of the
Kingdom of Croatia adopted in 1848,[citation needed] and as an official
coat of arms of the post-1868 Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia. The two are
the same except for the position of the ahovnica and Dalmatian coat of
arms which are switched around & with different crowns used above the
shield - the later employing St Stephen's crown (associated with
Hungarian kings).
By late 19th century ahovnica had come to be considered a generally
recognized symbol for Croats and Croatia and in 1919, it was included
in the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later
the Kingdom of Yugoslavia) to represent Croats. When the Banovina of
Croatia was formed, the ahovnica (chequy gules and argent) was
retained as the official symbol.
The Ustashe regime which had ruled Croatia during the World War II
superimposed their ideological symbol, the letter "U" above or around
the ahovnica (upper left square white) as the official national symbol
during their rule.
After the Second World War, the new Socialist Republic of Croatia
became a part of the federal Second Yugoslavia. The ahovnica was
included in the new socialist coat of arms with superimposed red star as
a socialist ideological symbol.[8] It was designed in the socialist tradition,
including symbols like wheat for peasants and an anvil for workers, as
well as a rising sun to symbolize a new morning and a red star for
communism.
During the change to multiparty elections in Croatia (as part of the
collapse of Communist rule in Eastern Europe from the late 1980s), and
prior to the establishment of the current design, the ahovnica, shedding
the communist symbols that were the hallmark of Croatia in the second
Yugoslavia, reappeared as a stand-alone symbol as both the 'upper left
square red' and 'upper left square white' variants. The choice of 'upper
left square red' or 'upper left square white' was often dictated by heraldic
laws and aesthetic requirements.

[edit]

The current design

On 21 December 1990, the post-socialist government of Croatia,
passed a law prescribing the design created by the graphic designer
Miroslav utej, under the aegis of a commission chaired by Nika
Stani, then head of the Department of Croatian History at the Faculty
of Philosophy, University of Zagreb.
The new design added the five crowning shields which represent the
historical regions from which Croatia originated. They are, from left to
right:
the oldest known Croatian coat of arms: a golden six-pointed star
(representing the morning star) over a silver moon on a blue
shield.
an older coat of arms of the Republic of Ragusa: two red stripes on a
dark blue shield. The coat of arms on the flags and stone portals
of Dubrovnik were painted black as a sign of grief by Dubrovnik' s
citizens after the invasion by Napoleon.
the coat of arms of Dalmatia: three golden, crowned leopards, two
over one, on a blue shield. This coat of arms originates from the
Roman Emperor Diocletian who made his palace (the core of city
of Split) the capital of the Western Roman Empire. His palace, to
this day, still stands in Split.
the coat of arms of Istria: a golden goat with red hooves and horns, on
a dark blue shield.
the coat of arms of Slavonia: two silver stripes on blue shield
(representing the rivers Drava and Sava that mark the northern
and the southern border of Slavonia), between them on a red field
a black, running marten (kuna in Croatian - note national currency
is related to the marten - Croatian kuna), above a six-pointed,
golden star. This coat was to Slavonia was officially recognised by
king Ladislaus Jagiello in 1496.
Some of the more traditional heraldic pundits have criticized the latest
design for various design solutions, such as adding a crown to the coat,
varying shades of blue in its even fields, and adding the red border

around the coat. The government has accepted their criticism insofar as
not accepting further non-traditional designs for the county coats of
arms, but the national symbol has remained intact.
Unlike in many countries, Croatian design more commonly uses
symbolism from the coat of arms, rather than from the Croatian flag.
This is partly due to the geometric design of the shield which makes it
appropriate for use in many graphic contexts (e.g. the insignia of Croatia
Airlines or the design of the shirt for the Croatia national football team),
and partly because the Pan-Slavic colours are present in many
European flags.
[edit]

Gallery

Coat of arms of Croatia used in 1527 as part of a seal on a document.

Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia (18681918). The official version had St.

Stephen's crown on it, symbolizing Hungarian ruler over Croatia.

Coat of arms of Hungary in 1910, before the Treaty of Trianon

 Common coat of arms of Austria-Hungary 19151918

Austria-Hungary lesser version, around 1916

Kingdom of Yugoslavia (19181941)

Banovina of Croatia (19391943)

 Banovina of Croatia greater version (19391943)

Federal State of Croatia (19431947)

Independent State of Croatia (19411945)

Socialist Republic of Croatia (19471990)

Republic of Croatia variant, adopted and used briefly in 1990. [9] According
to constitutional changes which came into effect on 26 June 1990 the
red star in the flag of SR Croatia was to be replaced by the "historical
Croatian coat of arms with 25 red and white fields", without specifying
order of fields.[10] The first-field-white variant was used at the official
flag hoisting ceremony on 25 July and was later occasionally used on
par with the first-field-red variant until 12 December 1990 when the

current coat of arms was officially adopted.[11][10]

Republic of Croatia current coat of arms, adopted officially 21 December 1990

Lijepa naa domovino

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Lijepa naa domovino

Lyrics

Antun Mihanovi, 1835

Music

Josip Runjanin, 1861

Adopted

29 February 1972

"Lijepa naa domovino" ("Our Beautiful Homeland") is the national

anthem of Croatia. It is often referred to as just "Lijepa naa" ("Our
Beautiful") in Croatia, which is also a phrase widely used as a metonym
for the country.
The original lyrics were written by Antun Mihanovi and first published
under the title "Horvatska domovina" ("Croatian homeland") in 1835.
The author of music has not been indisputably determined although the
late 19th century tradition suggests that it might have been the music
amateur Josip Runjanin (18211878). It has not been known what was
the original form of the melody because the first copy has not been
recovered to this day.
The complete song was reportedly scored and harmonized by Vatroslav
Lichtenegger in 1861 and based on the singing of his students, trainee
teachers. It was first performed as the Croatian anthem in the same
year, under the title "Lijepa naa". The original anthem has 15 verses.
Since then it has come to be known under the slightly longer present

title and a few minor adjustments have been made to the lyrics.
Between 1918 and 1941, segments of the Croatian national anthem
were part of the national anthem of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and it
was unofficial hymn of Croats.
During World War II, in the Independent State of Croatia it was also
used as state anthem, but never officially recognized as one.
Contents [hide]
1 Lyrics

2 Lyrics of
"Horvatska domovina"
3

References

4 External

links

[edit]

Lyrics

Monument to Croatian national anthem in Zelenjak

Croatian[1]
Lijepa naa domovino,
Oj junaka zemljo mila,
Stare slave djedovino,
Da bi vazda sretna bila!
Mila, kano si nam slavna,
Mila si nam ti jedina.
Mila, kuda si nam ravna,
Mila, kuda si planina!
Teci Dravo, Savo teci,
Nit' ti Dunav silu gubi,
Sinje more svijetu reci,
Da svoj narod Hrvat ljubi.
Dok mu njive sunce grije,
Dok mu hrae bura vije,
Dok mu mrtve grobak krije,
Dok mu ivo srce bije!
[edit]

English translation[2]
Our beautiful homeland,
O so fearless and gracious.
Our fathers' ancient glory,
May you be blessed forever.
Dear, you are our only glory,
Dear, you are our only one,
Dear, we love your plains,
Dear, we love your mountains.
Sava, Drava, keep on flowing,
Danube, do not lose your vigour,
Deep blue sea, tell the world,
That a Croat loves his homeland.
Whilst his fields are kissed by sunshine,
Whilst his oaks are whipped by wild winds,
Whilst his dear ones go to heaven,
Whilst his live heart beats.

Lyrics of "Horvatska domovina"

The composer Josip Runjanin

The song originally consisted of fourteen verses but today, only verses
one, two, thirteen, and fourteen are part of the national anthem.
Croatian
Lpa naa domovino,
Oj junaka zemljo mila,
Stare slave ddovino,
Da bi vazda estna bila!
Mila, kano si nam slavna,
Mila si nam ti jedina,
Mila, kuda si nam ravna,
Mila, kuda si planina!
Vedro nebo, vedro elo,
Blaga persa, blage noi,
Toplo lto, toplo dlo,
Bistre vode, bistre oi:
Vele gore, veli ljudi,
Rujna lica, rujna vina,
Silni gromi, silni udi;
To je naa domovina!
enju serpi, mau kose,
Dd se uri, snope broji,
kriplju vozi, brano nose,
Snaa predu mlo doji:
Pase marha, rog se uje,
Oj, oj zveni, oj, u tmine,
K ognju star i mlad etuje;
Evo t nake domovine!
Lu iz mraka dalko sija,
Po veseloj livadici,
Psme glasno brg odbija,
Ljubni poje k tamburici:
Kolo vode, ivo kolo,
I na berdu, i v dolini,
Pleu mladji sve okolo;

English Translation
Our beautiful homeland,
O so fearless and gracious,
Our father's ancient glory,
May you be blessed forever.
Beloved, you are our sole glory,
Beloved, you are our only one,
Beloved, where you are plain,
Beloved, where you are mountain
Clear skies, clear forehead,
Mild personalities, mild nights,
Hot summer, hot work,
Clear water, clear eyes:
Great hills, great people,
Red faces, red vines,
Mighty thunders, mighty wonders; This is our home!
Sickles are reaping, scythe are waging,
Old man is in hurry, he counts the sheaves,
Stacked hay he rides, flour they are carrying
Bride knits and breastfeeds a child
Cattle is eating, horn is heard,
Oj, oj it rings, oj in blackness,
To fire, youth and elders are going;Here is our homeland!
Kindling wood from dark shines far,
All around cheerful meadow,
Songs are loudly echoed by hills,
In loved are singing to tamburica:
They lead kolo, cheery kolo,
On the hills, and on the valley,
Youth is dancing all around;-

Mi smo, pobre, v domovini!

Magla, to li, Unu skriva?
Ni l to naiu jauk turobni?
Tko li mole smert naziva?
Il slobodni, il su robni?
Rat je, bratjo, rat junaci,
Puku hvataj, sablju pai,
Sedlaj konje, hajd pejaci,
Slava budi, gdi su nai!
Bui bura, magla projde,
Puca zora, tmina bi,
Tuga mine, radost dojde,
Zdravo slobost, duman lei!
Veseli se, tuna mati,
Padoe ti verli sini,
Ko junaci, ko Horvati,
Ljae kervcu domovini!
Teci, Sava hitra, teci
Nit ti Dunaj silu gubi,
Kud li umi, svtu reci:
Da svog doma Horvat ljubi,
Dok mu njive sunce grije,
Dok mu hrastje bura vije,
Dok mu mertve grob sakrije,
Dok mu ivo serdce bije!

We are, friend, in homeland!

Is it the fog what hides the Una?
Or it's of our people dreary scream?
Who prays for death?
Are the free ones or the slaves?
"It is war, brothers, war heroes,
Snatch your rifle, take a saber,
Saddle horses, go on foot,
May be glory, where ours are!"
Bora roars, fog is gone,Dawn breaks, blackness runs,Sorrow dies, joy comes,Hello freedom, - enemy is down!
Be happy, sad mother,
Your sons have fallen,
Like heroes, like Croats,
They poured blood for homeland!
Flow, fast Sava, flow,
Nor you Danube, lose your power,
Where you murmuring, tell whole world:
That a Croat loves his home,
Whilst the sun warms his fields,
Whilst winds lash his oak trees,
Whilst his lost ones are with grave covered,
Whilst his living heart beats.