Famous Croats

• Blanka Vlašić (1983) - Croatian high jumper, Olympic silver medalist and champion at several European and world high jump competitions.
• David Schwartz (1852 – 1897) - Aviation pioneer whose sketches and plans were bought by Ferdinand Zeppelin who then used them to construct a type of airship – today known as zeppelin.
  
• Dubravka Ugrešić (1949) - Croatian contemporary writer, translator and essayist who won several European literary awards.
  
• Dušan Vukotić (1927 – 1998) - Director, screenwriter, animator, cartoonist, and caricaturist. He is best known for winning an Oscar in the best animated feature category for his film The Substitute.
  
• Faust Vrančić (1551 – 1617) - Inventor, philosopher and lexicographer who foresaw a great number of technical inventions in his book Machinae novae; parachute and suspension bridge to name but a few.
• Goran Ivanišević (1971) - Croatian tennis player famous for winning Wimbledon in 2001. At the time he ranked 125th in the world, entered the tournament as a wildcard and ended up as the winner.
• Ivan Lupis (1813 – 1875) - Navy officer from Rijeka, famous for inventing torpedo. In 1866, a couple of years after he came with the first few prototypes, he developed the first self-propelled torpedo in Whitehead's factory in Rijeka.
  
• Ivan Meštrović (1883 – 1962) - Croatian sculptor and architect considered to be one of the world's greatest modern artist. He is best known for his works such as The source of life situated in Zagreb, Indians in Chicago, Račić family mausoleum in Cavtat and Gregory of Nin in Split, Varaždin and Nin.
  
• Ivan Vučetić (1858 – 1925) - On of the inventors of dactyloscopy, method of identification based on the comparison of fingerprints.
  
• Janica Kostelić (1982) - Croatian ski racer, winner of numerous world and European championships in alpine skiing. Being four time Olympic gold medalist and two time silver medalist, Janica Kostelić is considered to be the most successful alpine ski racer in the history of Winter Olympics.
  
• Lavoslav Ružička (1887 – 1976) - Croatian chemist, winner of Nobel prize in chemistry in 1939.
  
• Marin Getaldić (1566 – 1606) – Mathematician famous for the application of algebra in geometry and construction of parabolic lenses.
  
• Marco Polo (1254 – l324) - Venetian traveler and explorer who introduced Europeans to China. According to some sources, he was born in today's Croatia, on the island of Korčula.
  
• Nikola Tesla (1856 – 1943) – Croatian physicist who worked in the USA. He is considered to be one of the greatest inventors in the fields of electrical engineering. He designed the first AC (alternating current) hydro power plant in Niagara Falls and formed the basis of modern radar technology. Unit for magnetic induction (T-Tesla) is named after him.
• Ruđer Bošković (1711 – 1787) - One of the greatest Croatian scientists. Born in Dubrovnik, this philosopher, mathematician, physicist and astronomer was also active in the fields of optics, mechanics, land survey and construction theory.
  
• Slavoljub Penkala (1871 – 1922) - The inventor of mechanical pencil, fountain pen and first Croatian two-seat airplane.
  
• Vladimir Prelog (1906 – 1998) - Croatian chemist who worked in Switzerland and won Nobel prize in chemistry in 1975.
  
• Zlata Bartl (1920 – 2008) - Known also as Auntie Vegeta because she created Vegeta – mixture of spices and vegetable – which has since become one of the most popular Croatian brands and symbol of quality food condiment, and is now sold in over forty countries worldwide.

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Croatia

Croatia, a land with population just over 4 million offers plenty of vacation possibilities. If you like
to explore nature, culture from ancient times, engage in sport activities or indulge yourself in crisp clean sea and enjoy scenic landscapes – Croatia is an excellent travel choice.

Situated on the east coast of the Adriatic sea, Croatia boasts astonishing natural and cultural heritage. There are over 1200 islands and sea rocks, 8 sites have been declared National parks and there are 11 Nature parks as well. There are 7 monuments that are part of UNESCO World Heritage List in Croatia.

Croatia in numbers

• Population: 4 456 096
• Land area: 56 542 km²
• Capital: Zagreb
• Official language: Croatian
• Currency: Kuna (100 lipa)
• Country code: +385
• Time zone: UTC +1 (UTC +2 during summer)

Croatia varies significantly in its Mediterranean and continental part – from nature and vegetation, over cultural influences form the North and South of Europe, to the gastronomy treats, even when it comes to its people attitude. Often you will hear that the Northerners have more measured manners while their Southern counterparts are louder and more easygoing. There is plenty of adventure to experience in only 55000 square kilometers of Croatia.

Although there are many interesting things to see in the continental part of Croatia, the coastal part is still a bit more popular . It could be due to the fact that Croatia is mostly considered as a summer holiday country, therefore the coast is always the pick.

Adriatic regions – Istria, Kvarner i Dalmatia – will thrill their visitors with the experience which has been described best with “Mediterranean as it once was”, a slogan of the Croatian Tourist Board. Handful of sites that have preserved much of their original beauty, untouched by industrialization, will impress every tourist. Adriatic coast will fascinate everyone with its typical Mediterranean cuisine, together with the fact that fresh fruits and vegetables can still be found at the markets. Numerous cultural monuments dating from prehistorical times, then those from ancient Rome together with the contemporary ones, are an individual treat. Most of all, a holiday on the beautiful beaches near the crisp clean Adriatic sea guarantees you an unforgettable vacation for the entire family.

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