Incantato Destinations: Fun Facts about Croatia

Did you know..?

• That in Croatia you can, within a span of only 62 miles, see the sea, forests, mountains and plains.
• Croatia is one of the ecologically best preserved countries in Europe. It is one of the few countries on the old continent which supplies its citizens with drinking water from the public water supply system.
• That Slavoljub Penkala (1871-1922) of Zagreb invented the mechanical pencil and fountain pen in 1906.
• That St. Martin, a stone mason from the island of Rab who moved to the Italian Peninsula, founded the Republic of San Marino in the year 301!
• That Istria has its own leaning tower - the 72 foot tall tower in Zavrsje. Its inclination is 16 inches to the north.
• The scientist and physicist Nikola Tesla, a world-renowned inventor in the field of energy transfer telecommunications, was born in Croatia. His most valuable contribution was alternating current.
• The Opatija Riviera was, next to the Cote D'Azur, the main destination of the Habsburg elite and it still carries the nickname "Nice of the Adriatic"
• The Croats have their own script. It is called Glagolitic and originates from the 9th century. It was in regular use, together with Latin, until the 18th century!
• The city of Zadar has the first sea organ in the world. It produces sounds using only the power of wind and sea waves.
• The Republic of Dubrovnik was the first state to recognize the independence of the United States of America.