CROATIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE

Although a rather small country Croatia has an indeed unique cultural heritage.
Croatian culture was developed through centuries under the influence of many different cultures - Greek, Roman, Celtic, Illyrian, Austrian, Hungarian, Byzantine, Islamic, French, Italian and our own Slavic traditions. Although influenced by many, Croatia has its own and unique imprint to the history of European civilization.

Inhabited since the prehistoric time nowadays Croatia is one of the oldest inhabited lands of Europe. Traces of Neanderthals exist in Krapina and Vindija (northwest Croatia) and Mujina pećina (central Dalmatia). In early Neolithic period, the Starčevo, Vučedol and Hvar cultures existed, while in the Iron age traces of the Hallstatt culture (early Illyrian) and the La Tène culture (Celts) are found through the country.

Croats arrived in what is today Croatia in the seventh century and brought their Slavic traditions that can still be found today. A strong pre-Christian Croatian tradition recognized through many rituals, folk stories and gastronomy can be seen in especially remote villages. Traces of our old pre-Christian mythology are still vivid in those areas with its unique fusion along with Roman Catholicism.

Once arrived in nowadays Croatia, Croats found previous settlers of the region Illyrian, Celts, Greeks and Romans. They more-less assimilated with Croats accepting Croatian language, although leaving some of their language in certain regions.
Greek, Roman, Celtic, Illyrian and Byzantine impacts can be found in our costal region, although Illyiran and Celtic traces are strong in the mountain region Lika and Gorski kotar.
Some of the Greek traces in Croatia are:
- Croatian Apoxyomenos
- Bronze head of the goddess Artemis from Issa-island Vis, 4th century BC
- stone relief of Kairos (god of happy moment) - from Tragurion-Trogir, 3rd century BC, associated to famous Greek sculptor Lysippos.
Roman influence can be seen through architecture, especially in Split, Trogir, Zadar, Pula, Salona, Briuni, Porec. In the 4th century Salona became the center of Christianity for entire western Balkans. With numerous basilicas and necropolises Salona is still one of the important sites for exploring early Christianity.
From the Byzantium time is Euphrasian Basilica in Porec from 6th century, one of few preserved basilicas in Western Europe beside ones in Ravenna.

In Middle ages Croats in great migration of Slavs started settling in now days Croatia.
The Kingdom of Croatia (925-1102) became, with the first King of Croatia, Tomislav (910–928) of the Trpimirović dynasty uniting the Pannonian and Dalmatian duchies, a sizeable state. From that period glagolitic scripts can be found like Bascanska ploca on the island Krk. Pre-Romanesque and Romanesque buildings with string-like ornaments called Croatian pleter, were built along the entire Dalmatian coast. Best preserved buildings from Pre-Romanesque and Romanesque style can be found on the island of Rab-St. Peter in Supetarska Draga (11th century), Porec, Zadar-Cathedral of St. Anastasia, Zadar (natively - St. Stošija), Trogir-Stone portal of Trogir cathedral done by artisan Radovan (c. 1240) and Split-wooden doors of Split cathedral done by Andrija Buvina (c.1220).

After the disappearance of the major Croatian dynasty by the end of the 11th century in the Battle of Gvozd Mountain, the Croats eventually recognized the Hungarian ruler Coloman as the common king of Croatia, since then Hungarian later Austrian influence started. In the same period Italy-Venece ruled the coastal region along with periods of Austrian-Hungarian invasion.
For the time of Austrian-Hungarian and Italian authority Croatian towns adopted architecture, gastronomy or clothing and assimilated them with their old customs.
During that period, a Gothic style started to expand through the country. Some of most important Gothic remains are:
- Small and Large Ston, and about a kilometer of the wall with guard towers between them (14th century)
- Gothic fortifications in Istria (Hum, Bale, Motovun, Labin, etc.) and those on north (Medvedgrad above Zagreb from year 1260) or on the south Sokolac in Lika (14th century)
- Franciscan church in Pula (1285) example of Early Gothic
- Early Gothic sculpture is represented by already mentioned Radovan’s Portal in Trogir
- The Church of St Mark in Zagreb was built in 14th and 15th century in Late Gothic style
- Gothic painting is less preserved, and finest works are in Istria as the fresco-cycle of Vincent from Kastv in Church of Holy Mary in Škriljinah near Beram, from 1474
- Paolo Veneziano was the greatest painter of the Adriatic in the 14th century with his icons in Krk, Rab, Zadar, and Trogir. In Dubrovnik, he has done a masterpiece - Dubrovnik Crucifixion
- illuminated liturgies done by monks from Split, – Hvals’ Zbornik (today in Zagreb) and Misal of Bosnian duke Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić (now in Istanbul)

The Ottoman army succeeded to for the first time to invade the territory of Croatia following the battle of Sisak in 1593. The lost territory was mainly returned, except for large parts of today's Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 15th century, Croatia was divided between three states – northern Croatia was a part of Austrian Empire, Dalmatia was under the rule of Venetian Republic (with exception of Dubrovnik) and Slavonia was under Ottoman occupation.
Dalmatia adopted Italian renaissance but yet with its original style. Cathedral of St James in Šibenik, Chapel of Blessed John in Trogir, and Sorkočević’s villa in Dubrovnik are the most famous buildings made in that style. Artists like Juraj Dalmatinac (worked in both gothic and renaissance style) and Nikola Firentinac marked the period. Their works are Cathedral of St James in Šibenik and Trogir cathedral. Another famous artist of that era is Andrija Aleši with his most important work Trogir Baptistery in 1467. Some of the famous Croatian renaissance artists lived and worked in other countries, like brothers Laurana (natively - Vranjanin, Franjo and Luka), miniaturist Juraj Klović (also known as Giulio Clovio) and famous mannerist painter Andrija Medulić (teacher of El Greco).

In 17th and 18th century Croatia was reunited with the parts of the country that were occupied by Venetian Republic and Ottoman Empire. Large fortifications of Slavonski Brod and Osijek were built in that period. Other buildings from that period are Franciscan monastery in Slavonski Brod, the church in Selima near Sisak, Maria of the Snow in Belec.
In the coastal region of Croatia Dubrovnik had the biggest baroque undertaking after a disastrous earthquake in 1667 when an almost entire city was destroyed. In Baroque style were rebuilt the church of St Vlaho on the main square (1715), Main Cathedral and Jesuit monastery with the church of St Ignatius. Paolo Passalaqua united several of those baroque masterpieces with his Jesuit Stairway. That stone stairway connected two separate baroque parts of the city - the Jesuit church above and Ivan Gundulić Square below.
Other coastal towns like in Pula, Šibenik or Hvar got baroque towers and bastions incorporated in their old city walls.
Rococo style in Croatia appeared through various paintings, especially in North-Central and North-Eastern Croatia. Works of famous Rococo painter Ivan Ranger are the church in Lepoglava, and ceiling of Banqueting Hall of Bistra Palace. Rococo wall painting can be found in all parts of Croatia, from illusionist frescoes in church of Holy Mary in Samobor and St. Catherine in Zagreb to Jesuit church in Dubrovnik. Best preserved ones are Rococo frescoes in Miljana mansion.

Nineteenth Century in Croatia was primarily under Austrian influence.
Building in Classicistic Manner prevailed with especially works of an architect Bartol Felbinger, who built City Hall in Samobor (1826) and Januševac Castle near Zagreb.
Romantic movement was represented with simple decorations made of shallow arch like niches around windows. Popular was the Biedermeier style, above all in furniture making.
One of the largest projects of European historicism took place in Zagreb when the architect Hermann Bolle built a half-kilometer long neo-renaissance arcade with twenty domes on Zagreb cemetery Mirogoj. Neo-renaissance building of Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, neo-baroque Croatian National Theatre (HNK, H. Helmer and F. Fellner, 1895), Art Pavilion (1898) with construction of steel and glass – Croatian “Crystal Palace”, and finally the masterpiece of Art Nouveau – The National Library (Lubinski, finished in 1912) where a part of an urban makeover of Zagreb.
In the nineteenth century Croatian painters and sculptures were growing presence comparing to the past centuries when along with Croatian many foreign painters and sculptures existed. Painters that marked the period were Oton Iveković - Meeting of Koloman and Croatian Nobility, Celestin Medović -The Arrival of Croats, Vlaho Bukovac -Frantz Joseph in Zagreb, Vjekoslav Karas with his portraits.

Shortly before the end of the First World War in 1918, Croatia became a part of what we call first Yugoslavia or the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs. This post war period was marked with in Art Nouveau also called 'Secessionism'. Building like Ethnographic Museum in 1901, Kalina House in 1903, National Library in 1912 was built in Zagreb, while Sulphur Bath in 1903, and Croatian National Theatre in 1908, are built in Split. Croatian sculptor Robert Frangeš Mihanović made his well known statue of King Tomislav, now in Zagreb. One of most important Croatian sculptors of that time is Ivan Meštrović. His works are a world famous like the statue The Indian Spearman in Chicago (1928). In Split Mestrovic gallery most of his works can be found, also a statue Gregory of Nin in the city center. Zagreb has his " The source of life" fountain in front of National theater. Emanuel Vidović, Josip Račić, Miroslav Kraljević, Vladimir Becić and Oskar Hermann are all famous painters of that period.
Under the influence of European avant-garde movement artists like Josip Scissel with his dada aquarelle have reached the audience. Cubistic compositions can be found in works of Vlado Gecan, Sonja Kovačević Taljević, and surrealistic are works of Krsto Hegedušić, Vanja Radauš, Anto Motika.
In architecture ones that exceed with their work are Drago Ibler (District Labour Insurance Building Zagreb, District Labour Insurance Building Mostar, House Wellisch Zagreb, District Labour Insurance Building Skopje) and Stjepan Planić (Villa in Kozarčeva street Zaagreb, “Tomislav Home” in Sljeme villa on the Prekrižje,)

Following the Second World War Croatia became a part of SFR Yugoslavia (1945–1991).
Many of the artists mentioned in the period between wars have continued with their work.