Croatian cultural heritage - Business - Hrvatska turistička zajednica

THE CROATIAN MAGICAL
CULTURAL HERITAGE
Croatian cultural heritage is not as well known as the cultural heritage of some large and powerful countries. It
has no magnificent monuments, such as for example the Egyptian pyramids, the Pompeii in Italy or the castle
Neuschwanstein in the German Alps. Croatia was not the centre of the great empires of the past and will surprise
many visitors in that, in proportion to its surface, there are more sites of cultural heritage under UNESCO
protection in Croatia than for example in France or Germany. Croatia has many other valuable cultural monuments
which would also be able to find a place on UNESCO's list.
Proportional to its size, what is
particularly significant about
Croatia is its wealth of intangible
heritage; with as many as nine
cultural phenomena inscribed
on the Representative List of the
Intangible Cultural Heritage of
Humanity, Croatia is among the
countries with the most protected
intangible assets in the world.
Inscribed on the UNESCO list
are the Festivity of St. Blaise in
Dubrovnik, lace-making in Lepoglava
and on the islands of Hvar and Pag, the carnival group of bell ringers from the Kastav region, near Rijeka,
a unique religious event – the Hvar Procession “Za Križen” (‘following the Cross’), two-part singing and playing
of the Istrian scale, the spring procession of the women’s folklore group Ljelja in Slavonia, the production of
traditional wooden toys from the Croatian Zagorje region, the Sinjska alka – a knights’ tournament in Sinj and
the gingerbread craft from northern Croatia. Ojkanje singing features on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage
in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.
One reason for this wealth of tangible and intangible cultural heritage is the outstanding position of Croatia on
important traffic routes and at the crossroads of great civilizations, each wanting to leave their mark. There-
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