Croatia
Republic of Croatia
Republika Hrvatska
FlagCoat of arms
Anthem:Lijepa naa domovinoOur Beautiful HomelandMore
Location of Croatia(green)
in Europe(dark grey) [Legend]
Capital(and largest city)Zagreb4548N 160E
Official language(s)Croatian
Ethnic groups(2001)89.6% Croats,
4.5% Serbs,
5.9% others and unspecified[1]
GovernmentUnitary parliamentary constitutional republic
-PresidentIvo Josipovi
-Prime MinisterZoran Milanovi
-Speaker of ParliamentBoris prem
-President of the Constitutional CourtJasna Omejec
Population
-2011census4,290,612[2]
-Density75.8/km2
196.3/sqmi
GDP(PPP)2011estimate
-Total$80.334 billion[3](75th)
-Per capita$18,191[3](48th)
GDP (nominal)2011estimate
-Total$63.842 billion[3](65th)
-Per capita$14,457[3](44th)
HDI(2011)0.796[5](very high)(46th)
CurrencyKuna (HRK)
(Croatian: Republika Hrvatska is a unitary democratic
parliamentary republic. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. has
diverse,. The country's population is 4.29million, 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
HYPERLINK
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branimir_Inscription"
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)
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanais_Tablets"
Tanais Tablet B, name Khorothos highlighted.
The area known as Croatia today was inhabited Neanderthals Much
later, in 9AD the territory of today's Croatia became part of the
Roman Empire.
Middle Ages
Main articles: Kingdom of Croatia (medieval) and Republic of
Ragusa
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba%C5%A1ka_tablet"
Baka tablet, the oldest evidence of the glagolitic script.
the Croats had arrived in what is today Croatia in the early
7thcentury, 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 siegeTomislav 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 (10751089).[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 1849Following 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 RadiDuring 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
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yugoslav_Partisan"
Resistance leader and Yugoslav president Marshal Josip Broz
TitoOn 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]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franjo_Tu%C4%91man"
Franjo Tuman, 1st President of Croatia
Federal Yugoslavia and independence
Main articles: Socialist Republic of Croatia and Croatian War of
IndependenceAfter 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 VukovarIn 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 CroatiaCroatian 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 five-pointed 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
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to: navigation,
searchLijepa naa domovino
English:Our Beautiful Homeland
National anthem of
Croatia
LyricsAntun Mihanovi, 1835
MusicJosip Runjanin, 1861
Adopted29 February 1972
Music sample
Lijepa naa domovino (instrumental)
"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]English translation[2]
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!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.
[edit]
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.
CroatianEnglish Translation
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;
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!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;-
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.