A TRIP ROUTE
BACK TO THE PAST
The palace in Spalatum (Split) was built at the turn of the 3rd and 4th centuries as the residence of Emperor Diocletian. The last Roman ruler to use it as his headquarters was Julius Nepos, who reigned in the 5th century. In the 7th century, it was repopulated by refugees from nearby Salona (Solin), conquered and occupied by the Avars and Slavs. As a result of the reconstruction, it was transformed into a Byzantine urban settlement called Aspalatos, which gave rise to the present-day Split. In 1979, the palace complex and the historic city center were included on the Unesco list. The residence combined residential, military and religious functions, which is why it is considered more of a fortified castle than a palace. The choice of place was probably influenced by the fact that Diocletian was born in Salon. The huge complex of internal buildings was divided by two streets, the longitudinal cardo and the transverse decumanus. The communication routes ended with gates: Golden (in the north), Bronze (in the south), Silver (in the east) and Iron (in the west). The decumanus separated the ruler's rooms from the part intended for service and protection. In the southern part there was a temple dedicated to Jupiter and Hercules and an impressive mausoleum.INTERESTING STORIES
Relations between Poland and the Republic of Ragusa date back to the Middle Ages. Ivan Gundulić, a poet and playwright from Dubrovnik, who lived in the 17th century, made the epic poem "Osman", in which he described the battle between Poles and Turks at Khotyn, dedicating the work to the Polish king Władysław IV Vasa. The life of the Polish composer and conductor Ludomir Michał Rogowski is also connected with Dubrovnik. During his tour of what was then Yugoslavia, in 1926 he came to Dubrovnik and, fascinated by its extraordinary beauty, remained there forever. Here he composed an opera based on Croatian motifs "Prince Marko" and the oratorio "The Miracle of St. Blaise". After his death, the funeral procession was allowed to pass along Stradun, the main street of old Dubrovnik, honored before him only by the famous Croatian writer Ivo Vojnović.IT IS WORTH KNOWING
Medjugorje is a small town in Bosnia and Herzegovina located southwest of Mostar. It is known mainly thanks to the apparitions of Our Lady that are to take place here from June 24, 1981. On the first day, in a place called Podbrdo, at the foot of the Crnica hill, the Mother of God was seen by two young local girls, Ivanka Ivankowic and Mirjana Dragicević. Over the next few days, the group of people experiencing the apparition grew to six. Medjugorje quickly gained the fame of a miraculous place where pilgrims from all over the world began arriving. The Catholic Church, in its official stance on the events of Medjugorje, has for the time being withheld the final judgment of the apparitions and has so far neither recognized them as true nor rejected as false.August 2003
This was our second trip to Croatia in a row. Last year we were so enchanted by Kvarner and Istria that we targeted this country again, this time heading south to Dalmatia. We organized the trip on our own and with our own means of transport, thanks to which we gained great mobility and independence.
We traveled from Senj towards Dubrovnik, stopping for a few days in other places. Once we had explored everything and we were getting bored, we got in the car and continued our journey. The journey itself along the beautiful karst Dalmatian coast was a pleasure. The only drawback of this way of traveling was the fact that we came to another city in the afternoon and attractive accommodation places were most often rented. It happened in Primosten, but fortunately our lives were saved by a campsite and a tent. Those were unforgettable moments together.CROATIA
Senj and Zadar
We got to Senj late in the evening and we almost spent the night in the open air. At the last minute, we managed to find an accommodation that was hosted by a huge Croatian. For half the night we did not catch a frost, because the over two-meter-tall giant felt mint towards Marta. Fortunately, nothing happened and the next day we quickly got out of the endangered place. We visited the Nehaj fortress and drove south towards Zadar.
Central Dalmatia
The Adriatic Highway, one of the most beautiful scenic routes in southern Europe, runs through central Dalmatia. Driving along the meandering serpentines along the karst coast was an unforgettable experience. During the trip we visited the cities of Trogir and Split, which are included in the list of world heritage. On the other hand, rest in resorts such as Primostem or picturesquely situated Makarska allowed us to rest and recharge our batteries.
Korcula Island
When crossing the island of Korcula, we left the car on the mainland due to high ferry fees. We naturally had limited mobility, so we only visited the capital of the island with the same name. The city itself, surrounded by massive walls, does not stand out with anything special. The house where Marco Polo was born, the legendary Venetian merchant and traveler, who traveled the Silk Road, reached China in the 13th century is an exception.
Dubrovnik
The Old Town of Dubrovnik has been fully inscribed on the Unesco World Cultural Heritage List. The city is one big open-air museum, and terms such as wonderful, amazing or wonderful only partially reflect the actual state of affairs. We were most impressed by a walk along the imposing ramparts from which we could admire the numerous attractions of the capital of the Republic of Ragusa.
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
Medjugorie
Medjugorje is a typical pilgrimage town. We went there out of curiosity, due to its proximity to the Croatian-Bosnian border. Fortunately, there were no religious ceremonies during our stay, so we were able to visit the pilgrimage center and the surrounding area in comfortable conditions. I especially remember the vineyards around the city, where you could taste delicious grapes.
HUNGARY
Budapest
We passed through Budapest during our trip to Croatia. It was a short stop and we didn't have much time for sightseeing. We only walked along the Danube boulevards and visited Castle Hill with the famous Trinity Square Saint and the Royal Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This beautiful city, rich in monuments, certainly requires more return visits and get to know each other more thoroughly.