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Croatian cultural heritage - Business - Hrvatska turistička zajednica

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"Juraj Plančić" paintings, named after the famous <strong>Croatian</strong><br />

painter, originally from the Old Town (62, 71 & 83).<br />

The Old Town also attracts visitors with its primordial atmosphere<br />

of the Mediterranean coast (69) and streets (79).<br />

The most valuable part of the <strong>cultural</strong> <strong>heritage</strong> of the Old<br />

Town is Tvrdalj, a fortified Renaissance castle from the middle<br />

of the 16th century, which was built and occupied by the<br />

great <strong>Croatian</strong> poet Petar Hektorović (72).<br />

Other parts of the island also stand out with their picturesque<br />

scenery, which includes lavender fields, dry-stone<br />

walls and numerous old churches and chapels (64). Jelsa is<br />

emphasised by the Renaissance and Baroque square of Saint<br />

John (68), Vrboska is known for its unique church-fortress<br />

of St. Mary of Mercy from the 16th century (73), while from<br />

the villages with preserved traditional stone architecture,<br />

the village Velo Grablje (59) is particularly interesting.<br />

The largest and the highest is the Dalmatian island of BRAČ,<br />

which does not have so many ancient monuments as Hvar<br />

but attracts the attention of visitors with its magnificent<br />

views, beautiful Mediterranean landscapes with characteristic<br />

dry stone walls (82), the most beautiful beaches and its<br />

white stone houses. It is from the antique quarries in Brač<br />

that the stone used to build a large number of palaces in<br />

Dalmatia and Venice and part of the White House in Washington<br />

was sourced. The inhabitants of Brač are also known<br />

by their peculiar character; they create monuments in honour<br />

of all the people who have marked them in a special<br />

way. Thus, in Selce, there are monuments of Pope John Paul<br />

II., the German politician Hans-Dietrich Genscher and the<br />

Russian writer Leo Tolstoy (80).<br />

The most important <strong>cultural</strong> monument of the island of<br />

Brač is the Monastery Blaca, which was built deep in the<br />

mountains in the 15th century by <strong>Croatian</strong> Glagolitic monks<br />

(74). In the mystical contemplative atmosphere of the monastery<br />

is an old observatory and a museum collection (76).<br />

The island's main <strong>heritage</strong> museum is situated in the hilly<br />

part of the island in the old tower (81), in the picturesque<br />

village of Škrip (77). Visitors are attracted to the island of<br />

Brač by magnificent church bell towers made of the white<br />

stone from the island. The most interesting among them is<br />

the bell tower in the village of Ložišća from the 19th century,<br />

the work of the <strong>Croatian</strong> sculptor Ivan Rendić (75). An<br />

attractive museum of the Petrinović family is also made out<br />

of the white stone and is located in Supetar(78), the biggest<br />

settlement in Brač.<br />

The outermost and the largest island of middle Dalmatia is<br />

the island of VIS. On the open sea, it is known for its valuable<br />

Hellenistic sites but also for the true Mediterranean at-<br />

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