Culture of Croatia
Some of the earliest remaining historical features include 100,000-year-old bones of a Neandertal man on Krapina Neanderthal site, in Hrvatsko Zagorje.The most interesting Copper Age or Eneolithic findings are from Vučedol culture.
One such example was queen Teuta of Ardiaei, whose pirating activities drew the attention of the Roman Republic to Eastern Adriatic Coast in 229 BC.
[16] The monuments created in this period are associated with arrival of Benedictine monks to Croatia, who first came from Frankish monasteries and subsequently from Monte Cassino.
The first benedictine monastery in Dalmatia was constructed during the reign of 9th century duke Trpimir in Rižinice[18] between modern day Solin and Klis.
[20] In second half of 10th century, Croatian queen Helen of Zadar, built a royal mausoleum in church of St. Stephen on the Island in what is today Solin.
[23] The most famous of his donations is recorded in Baška tablet, 11th century inscription written in Glagolitic script and Croatian language.
[25] The Rennaisance period among Croats was influenced by wars against expanding Ottoman Empire, which slowed down Croatian cultural development.
The enlightment period of Croatian history correlates with enlightened despotism rule of empress Maria Theresa and emperor Joseph II.
Some of the literary works of Croatian enlightment period authors are Satir iliti divlji čovik ("Satyr or the wild man") by Matija Antun Relković, Matijaš grabancijaš dijak by Tituš Brezovački, Razgovor ugodni naroda slovinskog ("Pleasant Conversation of Slavic People") by Andrija Kačić Miošić as well as those of Baltazar Adam Krčelić, Matija Petar Katančić or Antun Kanižlić.
The altar enclosure and windows of early medieval churches were highly decorated with a transparent shallow string-like ornament that is called Croatian interlace because the strings were threaded and rethreaded through themselves.
The most beautiful examples of Gothic humanism in Zadar represent reliefs in gilded metal on Chest of St Simeon, made by artisans from Milan in around 1380.
Gothic painting is less well-preserved, and the finest works are in Istria such as the fresco-cycle of Vincent from Kastav in the Church of Holy Mary in Škriljinah near Beram, from 1474.
From that time are two of the best and most decorated illuminated liturgical books made by monks from Split, Hvals’ Zbornik (today in Zagreb) and the Missal of the Bosnian Duke Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić (now in Istanbul).
Vlaho Bukovac brought the spirit of impressionism from Paris, and he strongly influenced the young artists (including the authors of "Golden Hall").
Many strove to bring a native cultural identity into their art, for example themes of national history and legends, and some of the artwork during and following the First World War contained a strong political message against the ruling Austro-Hungarian state.
As Croatian lands joined the Kingdom of Yugoslavia after the war, a change was noticeable in 1919 with a move to flatter forms, and signs of cubism and expressionism were evident.
Following the Second World War, artists everywhere were searching for meaning and identity, leading to abstract expressionism in the U.S. and art informel in Europe.
[27][28] Some of the first churches[29] build by the Croats were royal sanctuaries, and the influences of Roman art were the strongest in Dalmatia where urbanization was most dense, and there were the largest number of monuments.
[32] A group of painters and architects that set the foundations of Croatian modern design was called Exat 51 (Experimental atelier).
It existed in Croatian capital Zagreb between 1950 and 1956 and it consisted of architects: Bernardo Bernardi, Zdravko Bregovac, Zvonimir Radić, Božidar Rašica, Vjenceslav Richter, Vladimir Zarahović as well as painters: Vlado Kristl, Ivan Picelj and Aleksandar Srnec.
Croatian theatre dates back at least as far as the Middle Ages, with a combination of religious liturgical dramas, and secular performances of travelling entertainers.
[55]In other parts of Croatia, theatres started to appear in the late 18th, early 19th century in cities such as Split, Dubrovnik, Šibenik, Zadar, Osijek, Varaždin, Pula, Rijeka, and Zagreb.
The first known printing shop in Croatia was founded in late 15th century in Kosinj under financial support of Croatian magnate Ivan VIII Frankopan of Brinje, while its first known press operator was Ambroz Kacitić of Kolunić tribe.
[62] Other examples of Croatian incunabulae written on Glagolitic script could include: Missale of Senj (Senjski misal) from 1494 or General Confessions (Spovid općena) from 1496.
Television in Croatia, as all other media in the country are criticised for lack of balance of global issues and trends on one hand and national topics covered on the other.
[84] Some video games created by Croatian developers include: Serious Sam franchise, Talos Principle, Gas Guzzlers Extreme, Doodle Jump, I Hate Running Backwards, SEUM: Speedrunners from Hell, Inked, The Ward, etc.
There are thirty two various polytechnic schools, as well as seven universities in seven larger cities: Zagreb, Split, Rijeka, Osijek, Zadar, Dubrovnik, and Pula.
Each of the universities in Croatia is composed of many independent "faculties" (Croatian fakultet, meaning college or department), which focus on specific areas of learning: Natural Sciences, Philosophy, Law, Engineering, Economy, Architecture, Medicine, and so on.
Its modern roots date back to proto-Slavic and ancient periods and the differences in the selection of foodstuffs and forms of cooking are most notable between those on the mainland and those in coastal regions.
There is also Beletristic literature by Marulić, Hektorović, Držić and other writers, down to the work written by Ivan Bierling in 1813 containing recipes for the preparation of 554 various dishes (translated from the German original), and which is considered to be the first Croatian cookbook.
