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Over the past few years, the town of Knin and its surrounding area have become an increasingly distinctive tourist destination. In both Croatia and Europe, Knin is promoted as an attractive tourist destination, largely thanks to Krka River springing above Kr?i? Fall near Knin, but also because of Dinara, a mountain having the highest peak in Croatia, and the rich cultural and historical heritage of the Knin region. The preserved nature, the close proximity of the mountains of Dinara and Svilaja, and Krka River provide the visitors with numerous adventure options such as biking, mountaineering, horseback riding, jeep and quad (ATV) rides, fishing, kayaking, rafting… In addition to the sport & recreation offer, the greater Knin areahas a number of attractive tourist features.

The most important and frequented cultural monument complex in the region is the Knin Fort. The construction of the fort began way back in the 9th century, in the times of Croatian national rulers. Over the past few years, new information boards, a fence, benches and a telescope were provided next to the fort. The Knin area also contains one of the most significant old-Croatian archeological sites called Biskupija, and remains of the former large military settlement of Burnum discovered five years ago. Even though Knin is very near the coast, the town tourist board foresees great tourist activity in Knin not just during the summer months but year-round. While summer mostly brings bathers to the Knin region, autumn and spring show all the wealth of the region’s natural beauties, making it ideal for team building and paintball excursions. November and December are reserved for hunters, especially those coming from Italy. The town of Knin announced the upcoming construction of a hotel in the town, while some families announce agrotourism and equestrian facilities on their estates.

Source: press.croatia.hr

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This year, Sibenik-Knin County co-funds 30 projects in tourism with 300 thousand HRK, which will significantly enrich the offer of recreational, cultural and rural tourism in the area. A large number of biking and hiking tracks, quality enhancement
by numerous events and investments in rural estates will enable Šibenik-Knin County to have an increasing number of satisfied tourists of all profiles. Among others, Šibenik-Knin County supports projects that will provide Vodice, Knin and the Municipality of Tisno with newly developed biking tracks, and the Municipality of Tribunj will get a network of biking tracks. The county also provides financial support for development of biking and hiking tracks in Pirovac and the local event called On Foot to the Beauties of Pirovac. Newly developed hiking and biking tracks in the municipalities of Primošten and Kistanje will also enrich the future recreational tourist offer, while the increase in the cultural offer level will be reflected in the co-funding of harmony singing evenings in Sibenik and other events and festivals held mostly in summertime, in addition to the event in Pirovac. The county allocated smaller amounts of money to numerous rural estates that have been turning to rural tourism for renovation and expansion of the existing capacities. In addition to the most popular tourist destinations – Jurlinovi dvori in the village of Drage in Primošten hinterland and the rural estates in Kalpi?i and Dubrava in Tisno hinterland – the tourists will be able to enjoy an improved offer of numerous other estates in the area. A family estate in Skradin will provide a tasting facility for their sweet delicacies prepared from almonds, dates, figs, carobs and other kinds of fruits and vegetables. A family estate in Miljevci Bogaticki has a meat curing plant and plans to improve the surrounding area to provide the guests with a visual pleasure in addition to the gastronomic one. An estate in Ružic will begin to build swimming pools and bathroom facilities.

Source: press.croatia.hr

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After five years of careful planning and obtaining the necessary permits, construction of the Adriatica project, a replica of the small tourist town of Supetar on the island of Brac, has recently begun in North Texas. This is a result of the emotional devotion of Jeffory Blackard, president of Blackard Group Inc., who has remained fascinated by Supetar after investing in a hotel and other facilities, and wanted to build a replica of the town nearby, in Texas. After a lengthy search, he found the ideal place in Stonebridge, an 18-hectare piece of land having the additional benefit of a lake that should play the role of the Supetar port. Construction of the Texas Supetar began in September and will go on in several phases. The first one is to build a castle with around 2800 square meters of office space that will hold a real estate agency and several other lessees, a café, a wine bar and a spa, as well as a five-story bell tower where the investor company’s will have its head office. The rest of this year will be used to build the infrastructure and paved streets, while the building of the residential units will begin in the early 2009. The project also includes 13 lakeside villas having surface areas of 230 to 600 square meters, and 62 row houses having surface areas of 130 to 320 square meters. Despite the high prices, the villas have already been sold and the houses are selling very well, which makes the entrepreneurial love for Supetar a very lucrative business. In addition to the design, what makes the Adriatica project different than others is the promised lifestyle, the overall atmosphere and offer of which will, according to Mr. Blackard, remind people of the increasingly appreciated Mediterranean lifestyle. To those who find Texas too far, we recommend enjoying the authenticity of the original Supetar on the island of Brac, as well as many other small towns in Dalmatia and the entire Croatian coastal area and the islands.

Source: press.croatia.hr

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The premiere of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Don Carlos to be shown on 14 July in Peristil will mark the beginning of the 54th Split Summer. During the month of this traditional festival of opera, drama and dance, numerous artists from Croatia and abroad will perform, and the shows will take place in other attractive locations in Split, in addition to the old town core. As the festival has stepped out of the city’s boundaries, the Ero s onoga svijeta opera will be performed in Vrlika, in the very ambient where composer Jakov Gotovac placed the plot of this comedic three-act opera. The opera repertoire of this year’s Split Summer is arranged in the honor of the great Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi, so the guests will be able to see a repeat performance of his Nabucco, while the Gripe Fort will be the venue for Mirela Ivcevic’s Za tri lipe.

The final concert Opera Stars in Split will be organized on 18 August in Prokurative and will feature famous soloists Svetla Vasileva, Clifton Forbis and Georgio Surjan. This year’s Split Summer will also include a number concerts featuring, among others, the Croatian Radiotelevision Symphony Orchestra, Varaždin Chamber Orchestra, National Academic Folklore Choir Veriovka, Rucner Quartet, Vlatko Stefanovski and guests, and many other musicians from the country and abroad. The drama program will include ten plays, two of which will be premieres. They are Euripides’s Bahke directed by Oliver Frlji?, and Summerfolk, directed by Jaunusz Kica and based on a piece written by Maxim Gorky, which will be performed in Villa Dalmacija. The 54th Split Summer is also expecting the arrival of the famous French director Peter Brook who will be presenting himself by Samuel Becket’s Fragments, and the play will be performed by Theatre des Bouffes du Nord of Paris. The highlights in this part are the repeat performance of Fedra, directed by Marc Sciaccaluga, which will be shown in the cellars of Diocletian Palace, Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream performed by the Dubrovnik Summer Games troupe, and the performance of Croatia’s theater legend Pero Kvrgic. He will perform in two plays and will present his Stilske vježbe, directed by Tomislav Radic forty years ago and based on a play written by Raymond Queneau, in Bol on Brac. The dance program will feature a premiere of Midsummer Night’s Dream by Felix Mendelssohn, choreographed by Youri Vamos. The play will be given in Sustipan, which will also be the venue for Leonid Jacobson’s ballet school from St. Petersburg. The 54th Split Summer program will be accompanied with various other cultural events.

Source: press.croatia.hr

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