What Is Croatia Known For, 4 Things That Would Surprise You

08.06.2020
Did you know?

You ever asked yourself what is Croatia known for? Beside crystal clear water of the Adriatic Sea, there are few other spectacular things! Knowing these facts will help you establish a better connection with the local people and thus, enrich your holiday.

That thing around the necks of the males in fancy suits on some gala dinner…

Yes, the necktie or cravat. Originally, part of the military uniform of the Croatian cavalry in the 17th century AD, cravat quickly gained popularity on French court. Pretty soon, it became the dressing code all over the world.

Plus, the handkerchief you push in the upper left pocket of your suit. Again, Croatians did it first.

The thing you use to sign something…

Slavoljub Penkala was the name of the man who invented a type of pen that could hold the ink and draw clean lines thanks to the small ball placed on the tip of the metal extension attached to a container with the ink. He achieved the same with the fountain pen, by the way.

Before that, people were using quill and the old versions of mechanical pens which was a pain in the butt. Penkala successfully changed that and the rest is history. That’s why, in Croatia, the word for the pen is pinkalo or penkala.

And then, there’s this thing called induction motor…

Wherever you look, you’ll see a device that uses an induction motor. Our lives today would be unimaginable without this thing invented by Nikola Tesla, a humble inventor born in central Croatia who will later design the famous Niagara Falls hydroelectric power plant and change the face of our civilization forever.

OK, these were inventions that only upgraded humankind, nothing too important. Is there something more interesting? Something you can use while in Croatia?

Croatia is most likely where your origins are!

Huh! How about that. There’s a strong chance (1 in 4) that one of your ancient ancestors was born and lived in today’s Croatia – one of four major refugia during the last glacial maximum.

You see, there’s this misbelief that Croats are Slavs.

The fact is that ¾ of Croats are old Europeans residing in these areas for over 25,000 years with genetic base closer to Germans than any of the Slavic tribes.

The complex study shows that the specific genetic marker found in Croats is also found in every 4th male residing in Western European countries. These are the progeny of the people who moved west from the Balkans after the ice melted during the last Ice Age.

So, there’s a big chance that one of your ancient ancestors was swimming in the Adriatic sea 25,000 years ago.
Guess you didn’t expect this, did you?

Yes, coming to Croatia is coming home. So come home. For at least a week.

Your CTC Team, I.K.