Croatia: Plitvice natural area (Plitvicka
Jezera) - Supposed to be spectacular.
Near border with Bosnia and Herzegovina.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plitvice
PICTURES
/ MORE
PICTURES / EVEN
MORE PICTURES
Plitvice = Nacionalni Park Plitvice (UNESCO)
By bus from Rijeka, Ljubljana, & other cities, even from resort towns like
Rab. 50 miles inland from main coast road.
Three good hotels in the park - Bellevue, Jezero, Plitvice - change $25 to $60
a night for two in summer (1989).
Sfeti Stefan, Montenegro - wow! PICTURES
Central Slovenia: Belgrade
+ Slovenia: Sarajevo
http://www.burger.si/SLOIndex.htm
International Folklore Festival SloFolk Slovenia - http://users.volja.net/slofolk/
Croatia: Dubrovnik
(on the Adriatic coast)
Croatian National Tourist Board - http://www.croatia.hr/English/Default.aspx
http://www.map-of-croatia.co.uk/
Ethnoambient - Zagreb - August - http://www.ethnoambient.net/english.htm
Brioni Islands Croatia - Google Search
http://www.gradpula.com/c5558/croatia_tourism_-_brijuni_-_brioni_islands/
Brijuni - Brioni Islands
THE BRIJUNI ARCHIPELAGO comprises a group of two larger and twelve smaller islands
lying along the west coast of Istria, not far from the mainland town of Pula,
and which have a total land area of only 7 km2. But since a protection regime
extends over a significant sea area around the archipelago, the total area of
this national park is 36 km2. The Brijuni archipelago, part beautiful landscape
and part safari park, is famed for its preserved Mediterranean flora. It is also
noted for its valuable cultural heritage dating from Roman and Byzantine times.
Because of their extraordinary beauty the Brijuni have been a favourite tourist
destination for world statesmen and members of the international aristocracy for
over a hundred years. 1 2 Although the islands are not populated on a permanent
basis, because of the frequency of visiting tours people are to be found there
the year round. Tourists can be accommodated on the island of Veliki Brijun in
any one of the three small hotels that provide their guests with an atmosphere
of peace and tranquillity set amid wonderful nature far from the bustling crowds
in nearby mainland Pula, just across the water. The island is also the site of
Croatias oldest golf course. Almost half the archipelago is covered with
landscaped parks and meadows containing solitary holm-oak trees with trimmed crowns.
The safari park was introduced over twenty years ago, when the late Josip Broz
Tito, the then President of the former Yugoslavia, had his summer residence here.
The residents of the safari park include mostly exotic herbivores: elephants,
antelopes, gazelles, zebras, llamas, and other species. The area was declared
a national park because of its quite specific cultural and historical heritage.
Particularly rich is its heritage dating from the Roman period when, in the Bay
of Verige, 1st-century Roman emperors maintained their summer residence here;
also dating from the Byzantine period when, in the Bay of Dobrika, a well fortified
castle was built and was used as a residence until the 14th century. In the 19th
century, in the times of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, an impressive system of
forts was built on the islands, designed to protect the city of Pula and used
as a main harbour for its battle fleet. These forts, among the largest of their
kind in the Mediterranean, have been preserved down to modern times and represent
the finest examples of fortification architecture in Europe. However, an Austrian
industrialist, one Paul Kupelwieser, is deserving of the greatest credit for the
present-day cultural landscape of the islands. He purchased the islands in the
late 19th century and, with the able assistance of a certain Robert Koch, a doctor
of great renown, succeeded in eradicating malaria from the islands; then, in the
early 20th century, he converted the islands into a park and an elite tourist
resort.
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Homes Overseas - June 2005
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CROATIA
Brits have been buying. Often dubbed "the new Tuscany'. Mediterranean climate.
Set to join EU 2008, so prices will go up even more in next years. Most foreign
buyers head for sleepy, uncrowded Dalmation coastal resorts like Brela, Mlini
or Cavtat. Istrian coastline more cosmopolitan than rest of Croatia, as well as
pine forests, olive, groves, vineyards, and many old stone houses. Island of Brac
popular. Hvar, noted for vineyards and lavender fields, has good beaches and a
sense of exclusivity, as does Korcula. Alps. Zagreb is reminiscent of Vienna.
Prices rose 40% in some areas in 2003. Dubrovnik three times Istria, rentals 1
1/2 times.
Need permission from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to buy in Croatia, which
can take 3 to 12 months to be granted. Avoid this by setting up a Croatian company
to buy the property. This can be arranged by the estate agent or property consultant.
Estate agents in Croatia are unregulated. Establishing ownership can be complex,
especially with older properties, as they may have been inherited by an extended
family, all of whom are required to agree to the sale.
Income tax for residents rises from 15% for 2,500/year to 35% for over 6,000.
Surtaxes and social security deductions can often increase the total tax burden
to over 50%. Capital gains is 20%, although no capital gains tax payable on properties
owned over 3 years.
Dream Croatia - www.dreamcroatia.com
www.croatiansun.com