About Croatia

Population:4,500,000
Surface area:56,594
Capital:Zagreb
Language: Croatia
Religions : Christian: 95.00%
Muslim: 2.00%
Other: 1.00%



Today’s Croatia was comprised of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the end of the First World War, when Croatia joined the kingdom which, in 1929, became Yugoslavia. Croatia declared independence in 1991. Almost immediately, the country was afflicted with civil war as the Serbian minority (in control of much of the army) fought to create a Serbian state. The war continued until 1995. There were serious human rights violations during the conflicted inflicted by both Croatians and Serbs, including massacres and the widespread use of rape, as well as considerable destruction of villages and houses. The Roman Catholic church has a long history in Croatia, but in 1945 a bloody era of persecution began that lasted into the early 1950s. Many clergy were imprisoned, tortured, and even executed. In 1990 Roman Catholic clergy succeeded in establishing mandatory religious instruction in public schools.



ROGOZNICA is popular tourist place on the Dalmatian coast in Croatia located 25 km north from Šibenik. It is a small settlement in a bay with a very good shelter for yachts and used to be a small island called Kopara. Rogoznica is well known by marina Frapa, considered to be one of the most beautiful and safest in this part of the Adriatic.

The bay of Rogoznica, north of the Ploča cape is a very good shelter for yachts. It's right on the branch road of the M2, E65 state road. There's an artificial isle in the bay, made for the needs of the marina in 1996.

Rogoznica was already inhabited in the ancient Roman times; the parish church was built in 1615, and later renovated in the nineteenth century. At the hilltop of the settlement there are remnants of a fortified castle that the French had begun building in 1809. In the fields of Rogoznica one can find middle-age churches of St. Nicholas (with tomb stones) and of the blessed Ivan of Trogir. Both of these show the architecture styles of the middle age Dalmatian architecture.



More on the festivities: They are held every year, July 2nd, when the painting of Mary is brought on a boat accompanied by a priest and young girls dressed in white. The oat dock at the water front promenade – Caparinova riva – awaited by the Bishop of Šibenik, a dozen other priests and thousands of believers. The painting is then taken to the Church of the Assumption of the holy Virgin Mary, in a procession from the waterfront. The painting stays there until the first Sunday after the Lady of Karmel holiday when in a ceremonial procession by land and ea it is returned to it's sanctified place on the cape of Gradina peninsula. Hundreds of boats and thousands of people participate in these festivities. In the past times, the boat which carried the painting had an entourage of young men swimming. Today, young women join them too.

Dalmatia's Rogoznica will prove to be quite a charming choice of a vacation destination for anyone who ventures to come here. Pictures of the festivities mentioned will no doubt be something you'll happily show all your friends and family.