Croatia – Did You Know? 10 Fascinating Facts, Firsts & Surprises

Fingerprinting

The famous island of Hvar, loved for Renaissance architecture, stylish hotels, island swimming, great food and wine is also connected to the unique method of identification. Ivan Vucetic was the pioneer of dactyloscopy, the science offorensic fingerprint identification. He developed the first system of fingerprint classification and was born on Hvar in 1858. A monument to himstands in the centre of the harbour in Hvar Town.

Swimming with horses

There are few places in Europe where this is possible. On the island of Brac, near to Supetar and just 50 minutes by ferry from Split, the Wild Brac Ranch offers horseriding along coastal paths including a dip in the sea with your horse. Wide range of horse riding experiences.

Croatian television and the British sense of humour

The mostpopular television programme imported from the UK to Croatia and loved by Croatian people was – and still is– “Only Fools and Horses”. It continues to be shown on Croatian TV, people have DVD’s of the series at home and there is a rumour that a new hotel opening in Zagreb in 2027 plans a bar called “Dell’sBar” embracing many aspects of the programme. Quite a thought!

The torpedo,a Croatian-British collaboration

The torpedo was invented in Rijeka, Croatia’s third city. In 1866, Ivan Luppis was the inventor and  Robert Whitehead, an Englishman was the technical creator. In 1867 Whitehead moved from Trieste to Rijeka and founded the first torpedo factory in the world. He considered Rijeka his second home and was actively involved in public life and city matters. He died in 1905 and was buried in West Sussex, England while the Kozala Cemetary in Rijeka is home to the vast and grand Whitehead Family Mausoleum which serves as a memorial for family members and which he had built in 1900.

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A plaque on the wall of an Italian restaurant in Opatija

Leo Sternbachwas born in 1908 in a house on the main street of Opatija in Austria-Hungary(later Croatia). He held a master’s degree in pharmacy and is credited as the inventor of the group of medicines called benzodiazepines which include Valium and  Librium. His birthplace, at presentday Ulica Marsala Tita (street) in Opatija is now a very popular Italian restaurant called ‘Roko’ which has a prominent plaque on the main outside wall commemorating the famous inventor.  

Michelin star dining

In 2026 Croatia now has restaurants with both one and two Michelin stars.  There are one star Michelin restaurants in Rovinj (two), Dubrovnik, Zagreb (two), Pag, Korcula, Rijeka, Jastrebarsko, Mali Losinj, Split, Sibenik while Agli Amici in Rovinj holds a two star Michelin award. Over 20 more restaurants are Michelin recommended.

The most popular name for a boy in Croatia

Is Luka. The word means “port” (as in ships). While it has always been a favourite name, it might be the success and fame of a certain Croatian footballer called Luka Modric that has increased the popularity even more.  Born in the hills near Zadar Modric who has won practically every footballing award going including Ballon d’Or, six UEFA Champion League Titles, The Best FIFA Men’s Player Award and a World Cup Golden Ball. He has been captain of the Croatian National Team at World Cup in 2018 (reachingthe final against France), in 2022 and in 2026.

While many world-class,professional footballers fly first class or by private flight, Luka Modricbucked the trend (not for the first time) by choosing a low cost carrier.

Following a short stay at his Croatian home on the Zadar coast, he needed to return to his team AC Milan forpre-season training. On 11 August 2026, he took a Ryanair flight from Zadar to Milan-Malpensa, at not the most convenient time, landing in Italy aftermidnight. Selfies granted ? Yes. Autographs signed? Yes. Special person, much loved by fellow Croatians? Absolutely.

Sea therapy

The Croatian Adriatic has over 80 minerals and essential trace elements plus high levels of salt. The most important include magnesium, potassium, calcium, iodine, sodium. Health experts claim that these, together with high salinity and extremely low pollution, combine to produce valuable health benefits. There are some highly sought after medical clinics on the coast which treat both local and international patients (including sports persons) and treatments often include physiotherapy in the sea.

Smallcountry and nine international airports

Surprisingly,Croatia, a small country, has nine international airports.

Zagreb (ZAG),the capital is the busiest followed by the coastal airports of Pula (PUY),Rijeka (RJK), Zadar (ZAD), Split (SPU), Dubrovnik (DBV).

Two smallerisland airports are Brac (BWK) and Losinj (LSZ) and inland in the eastern partof the country is Osijek (OSI) which currently has international flights to Munich and London together with a number of domestic routes including Dubrovnik.

Declaringlove the Zagreb way

The licitar heart is a symbol of love from the North of Croatia, notably from Zagreb. A pretty souvenir or a loving gift (often given at weddings and celebrations of love),the heart is made of a kind of gingerbread and is decorated with a red glaze which contains a tiny mirror. In past times, men would give the licitar heart to the girl he loved telling her to look carefully into the heart and there she would see who he truly loves!

‍Croatia’s success, how did that happen?

A small country of just 3.8 million people was visited by over 21 million travellers in 2025,most of them between April and October. And everything worked perfectly: ferries and catamarans operated as planned, there were no shortages and the streets of main towns were, as usual, jet-washed during the night in peak months. People ask how did this success happen?

Surveys suggest that two main things continue to attract visitors – the sheer natural, unspoilt beauty of the place that returning visitors people enthuse about and the truly authentic experience of a stay in Croatia. This is not a land of high-risedense tourist resorts that exist in some other Mediterranean countries and there are no dancing dolphin shows: in Croatia they swim wild and free, as Nature intended (over 200 of them live in a colony near the island of Losinj yet swim all over the Croatian Adriatic)

CompletelyCroatia

The fastestgrowing specialist tour operator to Croatia. Perhaps that isn’t a surprise after all?