1.
Croatian First Football League
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The Croatian First Football League, also known as Prva HNL or 1. HNL) or for reasons the MAXtv Prva Liga, is the top Croatian professional football league competition. The winners enter the qualifying stages of the UEFA Champions League, since its formation, the league went through many changes in its system and number of participating clubs. In the first three seasons two points were awarded for a win, from 1994–95 season this was changed to three points, each season starts in late July or early August and ends in May, with a two-month hiatus between December and February. Currently, there are 10 teams participating in the league, the first season started in February 1992 and ended in June 1992. A total of twelve clubs contested the league and at the end of the season no teams were relegated as it was decided that the league would expand to 16 clubs for the following season. This was followed by expansion to 18 teams in 1993–94 season. The following season, number of teams was reduced again to 16, 1995–96 Prva HNL was the first season to feature separate A- and B- leagues, with a complicated two-stage format to the season. Twelve teams contested the A league, while the B league, formally the second level, in March, the teams were split into three groups, Championship group, A play-off group and B play-off group. The first two teams of the B play-off group were placed in the A league for the following season, in the 1997–98 Prva HNL, the league consisted of 12 team and a new format was used. In March, teams were split into two groups of six, Championship and Relegation group, with 50% of their points taken to this phase of the competition. This system was used for two seasons, followed by 1999–2000 Prva HNL where each club playing every other club three times for a total of 33 rounds, next season featured a return of Championship and Relegation group system but without 50% points cutoff. This system was used until 2005–06 season, with an expansion to 16 teams in 2001–02 season. The 2006–07 season brought back a 33 rounds system previously used in 1999–2000 Prva HNL, in the 2009–10 season, the league was expanded to 16 teams. This lasted for three seasons, and in the 2012–13 Prva HNL season, the league was contested by 12 teams playing a total of 33 rounds, from the 2013–14 Prva HNL season, number of teams was reduced to ten. The leagues main sponsor is T-Hrvatski Telekom, owned by the German telecommunications firm Deutsche Telekom, at the end of the 2014–15 season, Croatian First Football League was ranked 17th in Europe. The winners of the 2015–16 Croatian Football Cup will qualify for the qualifying round of UEFA Europa League. The following ten clubs will contest the 2016–17 Croatian First Football League season, as of 2016, four of the 12 founding members of the league have never been relegated, Dinamo Zagreb, Hajduk Split, Osijek and Rijeka
2.
GNK Dinamo Zagreb
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Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb, commonly referred to as GNK Dinamo Zagreb or simply Dinamo Zagreb, is a professional Croatian football club based in Zagreb. The club was founded in 1911 and they play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Croatian football, having won 18 Prva HNL titles,14 Croatian Football Cups and four Croatian Football Super Cups. The club has spent its entire existence in top flight, having members of the Yugoslav First League from 1946 to 1991. The club was founded in 1911 as HŠK Građanski, after the Second World War, the new communist regime considered clubs like HAŠK and Građanski as fascist and nationalistic. As such, they were banned, and, in 1945, NK Dinamo was founded as a club to act as a successor to HŠK Građanski. They entered the Yugoslav First League in its inaugural 1946–47 season, in their second season in Yugoslav top flight in 1947–48 they finished as Yugoslav champions which was their first major trophy. The club won three league titles and seven Yugoslav Cups. Amid the breakup of Yugoslavia and formation of the Croatian football league system, Dinamo are the only Croatian club with European silverware, having won the 1966–67 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup by defeating Leeds United in the final. They also finished runners-up in the competition in 1963 when they lost to Valencia. In order to reflect this in June 1991, it was renamed HAŠK Građanski and they won five league titles and participated in the 1998–99 and 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League group stages carrying that name before reverting to Dinamo Zagreb in February 2000. The teams traditional colour is blue, which has been replaced for European matches in recent times with the darker navy blue. The clubs biggest rivals are Hajduk Split, and matches between the two teams are referred to as Eternal Derby, Dinamo are currently reigning Croatian league champions having won their eleventh consecutive Prva HNL title in the 2015–16 season. Another notable match was a 0–0 draw against Manchester United in the 1999–2000 season, in the 21st century, a notable win for Dinamo Zagreb was also against Ajax in the 2007–08 season, beating them 3–2 in Amsterdam, and later advancing on away goals. In the immediate aftermath of World War II, the three most successful Zagreb-based clubs—HAŠK, Građanski and Concordia—were all disbanded by an issued by the communist authorities in May 1945. In order to them, a new sports society called FD Dinamo was founded on 9 June 1945. The new club inherited Građanskis colors and fan base, with most of Građanskis players continuing their careers at Dinamo. In the first few years, the club played their matches at Građanskis old ground, Stadion Koturaška
3.
NK Pomorac 1921
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NK Pomorac 1921 is a Croatian football club based in Kostrena, a suburb of Rijeka. Kostrena is known for its tradition, which is reflected in the clubs name. Since the independence of Croatia in 1992 NK Pomorac played in Croatian Third Football League until the 1995–96 season, NK Pomorac played in Druga HNL from 1996–97 to 2000–01, when they were promoted to the Prva HNL, Croatian top tier. The club had two seasons in Prva HNL – 2001–02 and 2002–03, arguably, the 2001–02 season was the most successful in the clubs history, as they finished 7th in the league and managed to reach the semifinal of the Croatian Cup. Since 2003, NK Pomorac have played in Druga HNL, where they performed well. Pomorac had finished the 2009–10 and the 2011–12 seasons as runners-up, in October 2014, due to financial troubles and increasing debt, NK Pomorac was dissolved after 93 years of existence. In November 2014 club was re-established as NK Pomorac 1921, Druga HNL Runners-up, 1996–97, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2009–10, 2011–12 Treća HNL – West, Winners, 1995–96, 1998–99 Top scorer shown in bold when he was also top scorer for the division
4.
HNK Hajduk Split
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HNK Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split or simply Hajduk, is a professional Croatian football club founded in 1911, and based in the city of Split. The clubs home ground, since 1979, is the 35, 000-seat Poljud Stadium, Hajduk was founded by a group of Split students in a famous tavern known as U Fleků in Prague. Between the early 1920s and 1940, Hajduk regularly participated in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia national championship, following World War II and the formation of the Yugoslav league system in 1946, Hajduk went on to spend the entire SFR Yugoslavia period in top level. Their run continued following the breakup of Yugoslavia, as the joined the Croatian First League in its inaugural season in 1992. The clubs golden era came in the 1970s, when they won four Yugoslav leagues, Hajduk is also the only club in Yugoslav football history that has won 5 consecutive Yugoslav cups, and also the only unbeaten champion. Hajduks biggest European achievements are three European Cup quarterfinals, one UEFA Cup semifinal, and one Cup Winners Cup semifinal, the clubs main rivals are Dinamo Zagreb, and a match between the two is referred to as the Eternal Derby. Hajduk Split fans are called Torcida Split, who are the oldest organized firm in Europe, the inspiration of the name were Brazilian fans at the 1950 World Cup that were called Torcida. As of 2008 the club is a company, although not listed on the public stock exchange. It is one of two fan-owned sports teams in Croatia, numbering over 40,000 members and over 50 fan clubs situated mostly across Croatia and Germany. The club was founded in the centuries-old pub U Fleků in Prague, by a group of students from Split, Fabijan Kaliterna, Lucijan Stella, Ivan Šakić and Vjekoslav Ivanišević. They went to the pub following a match between AC Sparta and SK Slavia and decided it was time their own town founded a professional club and they all knew how popular the sport was in their home Split, and how well their friends can play. The club was registered with the authorities on February 13,1911. Be worthy of that great name, Hajduks were romanticized bandits that fought the rule of the Ottoman Turks. It is speculated that famed hajduk Andrija Šimić, who arrived in Split in 1902 to cheering crowds, was perhaps the inspiration for the name. The founders subsequently designed the emblem, and a group of Catholic nuns from a monastery in Split. Both the name and the board on the crest were found provocative by the Monarchy. Hajduk gathered the pro-Croat party of citizens of Split, Croat unionists or puntari and that is why the club specifically has the name hrvatski nogometni klub and has the Croatian coat-of-arms in its crest. The club itself was against the Austrian-Hungarian governments policy of not allowing the unification of the Croatian provinces, Hajduks first opponent were Calcio Spalato, the club of an autonomist party from in Split, and the match ended with a 9–0 victory for Hajduk
5.
NK Kamen Ingrad
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NK Kamen Ingrad was a Croatian football club from Velika, a small town near Požega in the northeast of Croatia. The club was dissolved is July 2008 after serious financial problems, the club was formed as NK Velika in 1929. After World War II the club was renamed to NK Papuk, the current name was adopted in 1999, when the clubs main sponsor became a local construction company called Kamen Ingrad. Since then the club advanced significantly, having promoted to Prva HNL in 2002 and entering the UEFA Cup in 2003. Kamen Ingrad got relegated in the 2006–07 season after winning only 11 points in 33 matches, originally they won 13 points, but after playing with two ineligible players in two matches, HNS punished them by deducting two points. Various financial difficulties, caused by the problems in the club sponsor Kamen Ingrad, reflected on the clubs performance. On 23 July 2008, it was announced that the clubs first team will not compete in any competitions during the 2008–09 season, eventually it became obvious that Kamen Ingrad ceased operations entirely. New club NK Papuk was formed out of the ashes of Kamen Ingrad, but legally it is a distinct and separate club, tomislav Radić Rajko Magić Vjeran Simunić Milan Tomljenović Nenad Gračan Hrvoje Braović Ivica Matković Ante Čačić Milan Tomljenović Stjepan Čordaš Dalibor Bognar
6.
HNK Cibalia
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HNK Cibalia, or just Cibalia, is a Croatian football club from the town of Vinkovci in eastern Croatia. Cibalia currently play in the Prva HNL, Croatias first tier and their stadium is located in the south part of their home town and can hold 12,000 spectators. The name Cibalia comes from the Roman settlement called Colonia Aurelia Cibalae which was the precursor of the town of Vinkovci. In the period from 1945 to 1990 the club was called Dinamo Vinkovci, the club was founded in 1919 as HGŽK Cibalia Vinkovci, and in 1925 the team merged with local rivals RŠK Sloga. In the 1930s the club was coached by Bane Sekulić, Károly Nemes, during World War II the club suspended all activities and ceased to exist. After the war re-established clubs Sloga and OFD Graničar merged and formed NK Dinamo Vinkovci which began competing within the Yugoslav football system, the club would see several humble decades before finally making it to the Yugoslav First League in 1982. They played in the league for five seasons until they were relegated to the Yugoslav Second League in 1987. In 1990 the team returned its name of Cibalia. The club spent much of the 1990s in the Prva HNL and it remained in the Prva HNL until the 2003–04 season when it was relegated to the Druga HNL. The club was penalized by UEFA in the same season with a deduction of six points for failure to fulfill financial obligations related to past player transfers. Nevertheless, in the 2004–05 season, Cibalia outdid all of its opponents in the league by a large margin, won the promotion playoffs. It was in season that they also had Croatian mixed martial arts legend Mirko Filipović play the final 8 minutes of a match vs HNK Vukovar. Cibalia also had success playing in the Croatian Cup, where it reached the final in 1999. The 2009–10 season was Cibalias best ever season in the top division of Croatian football and they finished third after giants Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split, having spent most of the season in second position. They qualified for the qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League but eventually lost to Northern Irish side Cliftonville. Their main supporter group are called Ultrasi and their main rivals are the group Kohorta Osijek from NK Osijek. As of 01 September 2016 Note, Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules, players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Source, uefa. com, Last updated on 10 September 2010Pld = Matches played, W = Matches won, D = Matches drawn, L = Matches lost, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
7.
NK Zagreb
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Nogometni klub Zagreb, commonly known as NK Zagreb or simply Zagreb, is a Croatian football club based in the Croatian capital city of Zagreb, currently playing in the First Croatian Football League. The club was founded in 1908, NK Zagrebs home ground since 1946 is Stadion u Kranjčevićevoj with reduced capacity of 8,850 where they only play their official competitive matches. The teams traditional colours are white shirts, shorts and socks which is the reason why they are referred to as Bijeli in Croatian. Also, NK Zagreb participated several times in the European competitions like UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup Winners Cup, UEFA Intertoto Cup, the club was founded in 1903 as PNIŠK, being one of the first to be formed in Croatia. First secretary was Dragutin Baki, the president was Vilhelm Witte, since there werent any clubs to play with, the first official match was played between the clubs players divided into two groups in 1904. Ticket income from the match was 3 krone and 3 filirs, the first international match was played in 1905. Against Magyar champions Ferencváros on Magyar Athleticai Clubs pitch, home team won with a high 11–1 score. The players who played for Zagreb were, Filipčić, Schwarz, Todl, Mutefelija, Slavnič, Ugrinić, Polivka, Uhrl, Višinger, Koruna, and Torbić. However, after World War II, NK Zagreb has been overshadowed by larger, more successful clubs. One of the most notable matches Zagreb played was on 19 July 1973 when Great drama in Maksimir took place – a match between NK Zagreb and NK Osijek on Maksimir stadium. It was a second of two qualifying matches for entering the first league, the first one in Osijek ended 0–0 with attendance of 25,000. The second match was played in Maksimir because of demand for tickets – the attendance was 64,138 which broke the stadium record. Zagreb won the match after penalty kicks, lineup for this team was, Horvat, Gašparini, Tucak, Antolić, Ivanišević, Lipovac, Markulin, Čopor, Močibob, Rukljač, Smolek. Among NK Zagrebs more notable players was Ivica Olić who led the club to its first championship of the Prva HNL in 2002 with 21 goals scored in 29 appearances for NK Zagreb, also worth mentioning here is Joško Popović, 2nd top-goalscorer ever in Prva HNL. In the championship of 2002, NK Zagreb broke the duopoly of NK Dinamo, standard lineup for the champion team was, Vasilj, Stavrevski, Pirić, Ješe, Bulat, Poldrugač, Duro, Hasančić, Franja, Lovrek, Olić. There are two football competitions being played in Croatia – Cup and Supercup. NK Zagreb were finalist of Cup in 1997 and finalist of Supercup in 2002, the club was in debt, players not receiving wages for six months. Zagreb president Dražen Medić had several offers for players that would at least somewhat stabilized the situation in the first division club from Kranjčevićeva, strike was ongoing for a week ahead of matchday with players demanding to be paid at least partially
8.
HNK Rijeka
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Hrvatski Nogometni Klub Rijeka, commonly referred to as HNK Rijeka or simply Rijeka, is a Croatian football club, from the coastal city of Rijeka. During the reconstruction of Stadion Kantrida, their home ground. Rijekas traditional home colours are all white, the club was founded on 29 July 1946 as Sportsko Društvo Kvarner / Società Sportiva Quarnero. The clubs official name was changed to Nogometni Klub Rijeka on 2 July 1954, in the summer of 1995, the club management added the adjective hrvatski to the official name. HNK Rijeka are the third most successful Croatian football club, having won two Yugoslav Cups, three Croatian Football Cups, one Croatian Football Super Cup and the 1978 Balkans Cup, the club competes in Croatias top division,1. HNL, of which it has been a member since its foundation in 1992, the club was founded as SD Kvarner / SS Quarnero on 29 July 1946, after Rijeka was ceded from Italy to Yugoslavia following the end of World War II. The club was named after the Bay of Kvarner and the broader Kvarner region, in which Rijeka is the administrative centre. The clubs roots can be traced back to 1926, the founding of U. S. Fiumana, the two clubs used the same grounds and eight U. S. Fiumana players later played for Kvarner. During the early period in Yugoslavia, Kvarner had moderate success in various Yugoslav and they were relegated at the end of their inaugural season in the Yugoslav First League in 1946–47. Kvarner changed their name to NK Rijeka on 2 July 1954, Rijeka remained in the top tier for eleven consecutive seasons, until 1969, when they were once again relegated to the Yugoslav Second League. Despite finishing on top in four seasons in the second tier, with varying success, Rijeka remained in top tier until the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991. The clubs greatest success during this period involved back-to-back Yugoslav Cup titles in 1978 and 1979, Rijeka were also a Cup runner-up in 1987, when they lost the final after a penalty shoot-out. In the Yugoslav First League, Rijeka never finished above the fourth place, in 1984, the club came closest to their first championship title, finishing only two points behind Red Star. Rijeka were also the best placed Croatian club in the Yugoslav First League in 1965,1984 and 1987, following the breakup of Yugoslavia, in 1992, Rijeka joined the Croatian First Football League in its inaugural season. Rijeka remain one of four founding member clubs that have never been relegated. In terms of greatest successes in this period, the club won three Croatian Cups, including titles in 2005 and 2006, and in 2014. Rijeka also finished as runner-up in 1994, HNL, the club finished as runner-up on five occasions, in 1999,2006,2014,2015 and 2016. In the final round of the 1998–99 season, a refereeing error denied Rijeka their first championship title, with one match to go, Rijeka were one point ahead of Croatia Zagreb, needing a home win against Osijek to secure the title
9.
NK Zadar
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NK Zadar is a Croatian football club based in Zadar, a city on the Adriatic coast. They currently play in the Croatian Third League, the first football club in Zadar originated in 1876 and it was named AC Dalmazia. The club was running until 1945 when the communist government took over the country, a new club was founded on 26 April 1945 as the Fiskulturno društvo Zadar with the departments of football, basketball and athletics. On 9 February 1949, the department was spun off as NK Zadar. In 1992 as Zadarkomerc the club was founding member of the Prva HNL, since then, the club has always played up to five seasons in the first division of Croatia. Since 2001, the club has officially called NK Zadar. Their greatest success in the Croatian Football Cup was achieved in the 1995–96 season when they reached the semi-finals. After two seasons the Zadar has returned to Prva HNL on 30 May 2007 after beating NK Pula in the playoff, 6–2 on aggregate. The catastrophic situation in the club was most affected their results, NK Zadars home stadium is the Stanovi with a capacity of 5,860. The clubs supporters are known as the Tornado Zadar, but currently do not support because they are not satisfied with the management of the club. Prva B HNL, Runners-up, 1995–96 Druga HNL, Runners-up, 2006–07 As of 10 March 2017 Note, players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Key Top scorer shown in bold when he was top scorer for the division. Years in brackets indicate their spells at the club, jakov Surać Fahrudin Šehić Zvonimir Jurić Dalibor Zebić Dragan Blatnjak Josip Bilaver Želimir Terkeš Note, For a complete list of NK Zadar players, see Category, NK Zadar players. NK Zadar on Facebook NK Zadar profile at UEFA. com NK Zadar at Sportnet. hr
10.
NK Osijek
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NK Osijek is a professional football club from Osijek in eastern Croatia. NK Osijeks early roots are found in club called NK Udarnik that was formed in 1945 under FPR Yugoslavias new communist authorities after the dissolution of HŠK Slavija. Slavija was founded in 1916 and competed in several editions of the league of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1923 and 1940. In 1946, NK Udarnik and another local club NK Jedinstvo, on 2 February 1947, NK Slavonija merged with NK Bratstvo, again creating a new club, NK Proleter, a date that marks the formation of the present club NK Osijek. The clubs colours were red and blue, which in the 1970s were changed to white, the club entered the Yugoslav First League for the first time in 1953. On 1 September 1962, NK Proleter merged with the Boxing and Athletic Club Mladost, the football club started competing under the name NK Slavonija. Until the 1980s, the club played mostly in the Yugoslav Second League, in 1973, Osijek played Zagreb in a play-off for promotion to the First Division. In the second leg in Zagreb, Osijek lost on penalties in front of a record 64,000 attendance, in 1977, the club were promoted to the top division, where with the exception of one season, they remained until the collapse of Yugoslavia. Their best league position was sixth place in 1984, in 1992, in the first season of the new Croatian league, Prva HNL, Osijek finished third. The next two seasons saw weaker results, but in 1994–95, Osijeks Robert Spehar was the top scorer as the club finished third. They were eliminated in the first round by Slovan Bratislava, and they were eliminated from the UEFA Cup on away goals by Anderlecht, after winning 3–1 at home and losing 2–0 in Brussels. The same season, led by Jurica Vranjes, Osijek won their first national trophy, Cibalia led 1–0 until Mitu equalized in injury time, and in extra-time Davor Lasić scored a golden goal to win the cup for Osijek. The following season, Osijek lost 6–1 on aggregate to West Ham United in the UEFA Cup and finished in the third place in the league. In the 2000–01 UEFA Cup, Osijek beat the Danish club Brøndby and Rapid Wien but were eliminated by Slavia Prague in the third round, in 2000, Osijek were the Croatian leagues autumn champions, but finished the championship in third place. They equaled their best league finish in the 2007–08 season, finishing third for the sixth time, the clubs most famous former player is Croatias Davor Šuker, who won the Golden Boot at the 1998 World Cup. NK Osijek host domestic matches at Stadion Gradski vrt which has a capacity of 22,050, the teams fans are known as Kohorta. Slavonian derby match between the two largest Croatia Football Club from eastern Croatia, Osijek and Cibalia, each new match these two great rivals, means a great match on the field, but also in the stands where the overruling of Kohorta from Osijek and Ultrasi from Vinkovci. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality, as of 6 January 2016 Note, Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules
11.
Association football
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Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball. It is played by 250 million players in over 200 countries and dependencies making it the worlds most popular sport, the game is played on a rectangular field with a goal at each end. The object of the game is to score by getting the ball into the opposing goal, players are not allowed to touch the ball with their hands or arms while it is in play, unless they are goalkeepers. Other players mainly use their feet to strike or pass the ball, the team that scores the most goals by the end of the match wins. If the score is level at the end of the game, the Laws of the Game were originally codified in England by The Football Association in 1863. Association football is governed internationally by the International Federation of Association Football, the first written reference to the inflated ball used in the game was in the mid-14th century, Þe heued fro þe body went, Als it were a foteballe. The Online Etymology Dictionary states that the word soccer was split off in 1863, according to Partha Mazumdar, the term soccer originated in England, first appearing in the 1880s as an Oxford -er abbreviation of the word association. Within the English-speaking world, association football is now usually called football in the United Kingdom and mainly soccer in Canada and the United States. People in Australia, Ireland, South Africa and New Zealand use either or both terms, although national associations in Australia and New Zealand now primarily use football for the formal name. According to FIFA, the Chinese competitive game cuju is the earliest form of football for which there is scientific evidence, cuju players could use any part of the body apart from hands and the intent was kicking a ball through an opening into a net. It was remarkably similar to football, though similarities to rugby occurred. During the Han Dynasty, cuju games were standardised and rules were established, phaininda and episkyros were Greek ball games. An image of an episkyros player depicted in low relief on a vase at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens appears on the UEFA European Championship Cup, athenaeus, writing in 228 AD, referenced the Roman ball game harpastum. Phaininda, episkyros and harpastum were played involving hands and violence and they all appear to have resembled rugby football, wrestling and volleyball more than what is recognizable as modern football. As with pre-codified mob football, the antecedent of all football codes. Non-competitive games included kemari in Japan, chuk-guk in Korea and woggabaliri in Australia, Association football in itself does not have a classical history. Notwithstanding any similarities to other games played around the world FIFA have recognised that no historical connection exists with any game played in antiquity outside Europe. The modern rules of football are based on the mid-19th century efforts to standardise the widely varying forms of football played in the public schools of England
12.
Croatia
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Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a sovereign state between Central Europe, Southeast Europe, and the Mediterranean. Its capital city is Zagreb, which one of the countrys primary subdivisions. Croatia covers 56,594 square kilometres and has diverse, mostly continental, Croatias Adriatic Sea coast contains more than a thousand islands. The countrys population is 4.28 million, most of whom are Croats, the Croats arrived in the area of present-day Croatia during the early part of the 7th century AD. They organised the state into two duchies by the 9th century, tomislav became the first king by 925, elevating Croatia to the status of a kingdom. The Kingdom of Croatia retained its sovereignty for nearly two centuries, reaching its peak during the rule of Kings Petar Krešimir IV and Dmitar Zvonimir, Croatia entered a personal union with Hungary in 1102. In 1527, faced with Ottoman conquest, the Croatian Parliament elected Ferdinand I of the House of Habsburg to the Croatian throne. In 1918, after World War I, Croatia was included in the unrecognized State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs which seceded from Austria-Hungary, a fascist Croatian puppet state backed by Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany existed during World War II. After the war, Croatia became a member and a federal constituent of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. On 25 June 1991 Croatia declared independence, which came wholly into effect on 8 October of the same year, the Croatian War of Independence was fought successfully during the four years following the declaration. A unitary state, Croatia is a republic governed under a parliamentary system, the International Monetary Fund classified Croatia as an emerging and developing economy, and the World Bank identified it as a high-income economy. Croatia is a member of the European Union, United Nations, the Council of Europe, NATO, the World Trade Organization, the service sector dominates Croatias economy, followed by the industrial sector and agriculture. Tourism is a significant source of revenue during the summer, with Croatia ranked the 18th most popular tourist destination in the world, the state controls a part of the economy, with substantial government expenditure. The European Union is Croatias most important trading partner, since 2000, the Croatian government constantly invests in infrastructure, especially transport routes and facilities along the Pan-European corridors. Internal sources produce a significant portion of energy in Croatia, the rest is imported, the origin of the name is uncertain, but is thought to be a Gothic or Indo-Aryan term assigned to a Slavic tribe. The oldest preserved record of the Croatian ethnonym *xъrvatъ is of variable stem, the first attestation of the Latin term is attributed to a charter of Duke Trpimir from the year 852. The original is lost, and just a 1568 copy is preserved—leading to doubts over the authenticity of the claim, the oldest preserved stone inscription is the 9th-century Branimir Inscription, where Duke Branimir is styled as Dux Cruatorvm. The inscription is not believed to be dated accurately, but is likely to be from during the period of 879–892, the area known as Croatia today was inhabited throughout the prehistoric period
13.
HNK Vukovar '91
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HNK Vukovar 91 was a Croatian football club based in the river port of Vukovar. Under the name NK Vukovar 91, club was founded in Zagreb by Vukovar refugees during the Croatian War of Independence, in 1992, newly founded Vukovar 91 merged with NK Sloga, traditional Vukovar football club. Clubs greatest success is winning of Croatian second division in the 1998–99 season which earned promotion to Prva HNL. They lasted there only for one season and were relegated after finishing last, in the 2001–02 season, they finished first in the North Division of Druga HNL but were defeated by Šibenik in two-legged promotion play-off. In 2007–08 season they were relegated from Druga HNL, but managed to back after just one season in the third tier of Croatian football. Their third spell in Druga HNL did not last long and they were relegated again at the end of 2010–11 season. In January 2012, the club stepped out from Treća HNL East due to financial difficulties, on 8 February 2012, it was announced that the club was officially dissolved due to high debts. In the summer of 2012, a new club under the name HNK Vukovar 1991 was formed
14.
NK Hrvatski Dragovoljac
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NK Hrvatski Dragovoljac is a Croatian football club based in the Novi Zagreb neighbourhood of the countrys capital city of Zagreb. The teams fans are known as the Black Warriors, the clubs home ground is Stadion NŠC Stjepan Spajić, which has a capacity of 5,000. The club was founded in 1975 as NK Trnsko 75, with its name being changed to ONK Novi Zagreb in 1976, when the Croatian War of Independence began in 1991, many of the clubs members volunteered to fight. In honour of those who fought and those who lost their lives in the war and they also adopted a new logo incorporating black as the teams colour. In 1995, the club won promotion to the former Croatian First B-League, in 1997, the club reached the third place in the Prva HNL and qualified for the UEFA Intertoto Cup, a success they repeated in the following two seasons with fourth and fifth-place finishes. NK Trnsko 75 ONK Novi Zagreb NK Novi Zagreb NK Hrvatski dragovoljac Croatian Second League, 1994–95, 2012–13 Top scorer shown in bold when he was also top scorer for the division. Source, uefa. com, Last updated on 10 September 2010Pld = Matches played, W = Matches won, D = Matches drawn, L = Matches lost, GF = Goals for, players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Official website Hrvatski dragovoljac at Nogometni magazin
15.
NK Marsonia
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NK Marsonia is a Croatian football club based in the town of Slavonski Brod. NK Marsonia was founded in 1909, from 1945 to 1962 the club was called NK Radnički Brod, and then BSK from 1962 to 1992 before the clubs original name was restored. On August 1,2011 NK Marsonia merged with MV Croatia to form NK Marsonia 1909 which will compete in Croatian second division, NK Marsonia will continue functioning as the new clubs second team. Some of Marsonias more notable players include Mario Mandžukić, Ivica Olić, Boris Živković and Josip Weber Druga HNL - North, Winners, 1993–94, 2002–03 Treća HNL - East, Winners
16.
NK Slaven Belupo
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NK Slaven Belupo, often referred to simply as Slaven and known internationally as NK Slaven Koprivnica, is a Croatian football club based in the city of Koprivnica in the north of the country. They play their matches at Gradski stadion in Koprivnica. The first football club in Koprivnica was founded in June 1907, when a student team was formed and named Đački nogometni klub, the club won the Croatian regional championship in 1920. Slaven was subsequently renamed HŠK Victorija, but disbanded six years due to financial difficulties. Subsequently, the city of Koprivnica was without a club for four years. Between 1930 and 1945, the club was known as HŠK Koprivnica, HŠK Danica and RNHŠK Sloga, from 1953, the club was known as SD Podravka, before being renamed to NK Slaven in 1958. The name Slaven remains until today, with changes to the name of the clubs principal sponsors. Slaven gained their first promotion to the Prva HNL in 1997 and have never been relegated, in 2000, they finished fifth in the Prva HNL and qualified for the UEFA Intertoto Cup. One year later, they repeated the success and were eliminated by renowned English club Aston Villa with a 3–2 aggregate defeat, in their next two Intertoto Cup appearances, they were even more successful as they reached the semifinals of the competition on both occasions. They were eliminated after losing to renowned clubs Stuttgart from Germany and Lille from France, respectively. Their last Intertoto Cup appearance in 2005 ended in the round with a 4–0 aggregate defeat to Spanish club Deportivo La Coruña, having lost the first leg by 1–0. In 2007, the reached the Croatian Cup final for the first time. In the final, they lost to Dinamo Zagreb 2–1 on aggregate, in 2008, Slaven finished runners-up in the Croatian league, which remains their best domestic result to date. On 28 August 2008 Slaven Belupo qualified for the 2008–09 UEFA Cup by beating Aris of Greece 2–1 on aggregate, Slaven finished 3rd in the 2011–121. HNL, qualifying for the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League, after defeating Portadown 10–2 on aggregate they bowed out to Spanish giants Athletic Bilbao 4–3 on aggregate. In 2016, Slaven defeated HNK Rijeka 4–2 on aggregate in the 2015–16 Croatian Football Cup semi-final, as of 16 February 2017 Note, Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality, years in brackets indicate their spells at the club
17.
Vinkovci
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Vinkovci is a city in Slavonia, in the Vukovar-Srijem County in eastern Croatia. In the 2011 census, the population of the city was 35,312. Surrounded by many villages, it is a local transport hub. The area around Vinkovci has been inhabited since the Neolithic period. The Romans named the town Colonia Aurelia Cibalae, most likely during the reign of emperor Caracalla and it was the birthplace of Roman emperors Valentinian I and Valens. The Roman thermal bath is still preserved underground, along several other Roman buildings located near the center of todays Vinkovci. The 4th century Battle of Cibalae, between the armies of Constantine I and Licinius, was fought nearby, from 1526 to 1687 it was part of the Ottoman Empire, administratively located in Sirem sanjak within the Budin Eyalet. It was captured by the Habsburg Empire in 1687, which was confirmed by the Treaty of Karlowitz in 1699. Until 1918, Vinkovci was part of the Austrian monarchy, in the Slavonian Military Frontier, under the administration of the Brooder Grenz-Infanterie-Regiment N°VII until 1881, in the late 19th and early 20th century, Vinkovci was a district capital in the Syrmia County of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia. From 1941 to 1945, Vinkovci was part of the Independent State of Croatia, from 17 April 1944 the city was heavily bombed by the Allies due to its important position in transportation. Vinkovci Synagogue was among the largest and the most prestigious synagogues in Croatia and it was destroyed by the government in 1941-42. The city and its surroundings were gravely impacted by the 1991–95 Croatian War of Independence. The city was close to the front lines between the forces of Croatia and the rebel Serbs, but it managed to avoid the fate of nearby Vukovar, the eastern sections of the town were substantially damaged by shelling, and the nearby village of Cerić was almost completely destroyed. The Church of Pentecost was dynamited by local Croatian forces as retaliation after rebel Serbs forces severely damaged the local Catholic rectory, the Croatian Ground Army has stationed the headquarters of its Armored-Mechanized Guard Brigade at Vinkovci barracks. The current brigade was formed in 2007 and it incorporated two former guards brigades as well as other units formed in the 1990s during the war of independence. Vinkovci is located in the part of the Slavonia region,19 km southwest of Vukovar,24 km north of Županja and 43 km south of Osijek. The city lies in a flatland on the Bosut river, at an elevation of approx,90 metres, and has a mild continental climate. Vinkovci is also part of the subregion of Syrmia
18.
Stadion HNK Cibalia
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Stadion Cibalia is a multi-purpose stadium in Vinkovci, Croatia. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the ground of HNK Cibalia. It has a court, surrounded with a clay running surface, and stands. The stadium can hold 10,000 people, with 6,000 seats, of which 2,175 seats are under a roof and it is located in the southern part of the city, across the river Bosut from the city centre. It was built in 1966, and expanded in 1982, when Dinamo Vinkovci entered the Yugoslav First League for the first time, at the time the total capacity was 18,000, but mostly standing-only. It was last upgraded in 2003, when two sets of stands were fitted with a total of 3,700 seats, the stadium was named Stadion Mladosti up to 1992, and it is still common for people to refer to it this way
19.
Zagreb
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Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of Croatia. It is located in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately 122 m above sea level. In the last official census of 2011 the population of the City of Zagreb was 792,875, the wider Zagreb metropolitan area includes the City of Zagreb and the separate Zagreb County bringing the total metropolitan area population up to 1,237,887. It is the biggest metropolitan area in Croatia, and the one with a population of over one million. Zagreb is a city with a history dating from the Roman times to the present day. The oldest settlement located in the vicinity of the city was the Roman Andautonia, the name Zagreb is recorded in 1134, in reference to the foundation of the settlement at Kaptol in 1094. Zagreb became a royal town in 1242. In 1851 Zagreb had its first mayor, Janko Kamauf, and in 1945 it was made the capital of Croatia when the demographic boom, the city extends over 30 kilometres east-west and around 20 kilometres north-south. The transport connections, concentration of industry, scientific, and research institutions, Zagreb is the seat of the central government, administrative bodies, and almost all government ministries. Almost all of the largest Croatian companies, media, and scientific institutions have their headquarters in the city and it is a city known for its diverse economy, high quality of living, museums, sporting, and entertainment events. Its main branches of economy are high-tech industries and the service sector, the etymology of the name Zagreb is unclear. It was used of the city only from 1852, but it had been in use as the name of the Zagreb dioecese since the 12th century. The name is first recorded in a charter by Ostrogon archbishop Felician, dated 1134, the older form of the name is Zagrab, the modern Croatian form Zagreb is first recorded in a 1689 map by Nicolas Sanson. An even older form is reflected in Hungarian Zabrag, for this, Desy proposes the etymology of Chabrag, a well-attested hypocorism of the name Cyprian. The same form is reflected in a number of Hungarian toponyms, the name Agram was used in German in the Habsburg period, this name has been classified as probably of Roman origin but according to Desy it could be an Austrian German reanalysis of *Zugram. In Middle Latin and Modern Latin, Zagreb is known as Agranum, in Croatian folk etymology, the name of the city has been derived from either the verb za-grab-, meaning to scoop or to dig. One folk legend illustrating this derivation ties the name to a drought of the early 14th century, in another legend, a city governor is thirsty and orders a girl named Manda to scoop water from Manduševac well, using the imperative, zagrabi, Mando. The oldest settlement located near todays Zagreb was a Roman town of Andautonia, now Šćitarjevo, Gradec and Kaptol were united in 1851 by ban Josip Jelačić, who was credited for this, with the naming the main city square, Ban Jelačić Square in his honour
20.
Stadion Maksimir
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Stadion Maksimir is a stadium in the Croatian capital of Zagreb. It takes its name from the neighbourhood of Maksimir. The venue is primarily the home of Dinamo Zagreb, the top team in the country. First opened in 1912, it has undergone many facelifts, many of the Croatian national football teams games are played at Maksimir, which competes with Poljud stadium for the biggest matches. The stadium also hosts other events such as rock concerts. The stadium was first opened 5 May 1912, soon afterwards, in June 1941, rebel youths burned the stadium down. In 1977, a movie Operation Stadium was made to commemorate the segregation incident, when the UEFA Euro 1976 final tournament was held in SFR Yugoslavia, Maksimir hosted the Netherlands v. Czechoslovakia semi-final match and the Netherlands v. Yugoslavia third place match. Maksimir was the venue for the 1987 Summer Universiade hosted by the city of Zagreb. In 1990, several events happened at Maksimir, on 13 May, the Dinamo Zagreb–Red Star Belgrade riot took place, an infamous riot involving Dinamo Zagreb and Red Star Belgrade supporters. The last match of the Yugoslavia national football team was hosted at Maksimir on 3 June, on 17 October of the same year, Croatia played the United States in what was Croatias first match in the modern era. In 1998, plans were made for a renovation process, and the first phase started the same year, when the old northern stand was demolished. This renovation increased Maksimirs seating capacity to 38,079, in the summer of 2011, a little, but much needed facelifting was made on the stadium. On 5 September 1990, David Bowie performed a sold out concert as a part of his Sound+Vision Tour, in 2000, Zlatan Stipišić Gibonni performed a concert in front of 32,000 people, promoting his album Judi, zviri i beštimje. On 22 June 2005, Bijelo Dugme performed a concert for a crowd of 70,000 people on their Tour 2005. On 17 June 2007, Marko Perković Thompson performed a concert for a crowd of 70,000 people as a part of his Bilo jednom u Hrvatskoj Tour. On 9 and 10 August 2009, U2 performed two sold out concerts for 124,012 people as a part of their U2 360° Tour. On 8 June 2011, Bon Jovi performed a concert for a crowd of 33,698 people as a part of their Bon Jovi Live Tour, which supports the bands sixth compilation album, The Greatest Hits. On 11 June 2012, Madonna was scheduled to perform a concert as a part of her MDNA Tour, but the concert was cancelled due to logistic reasons
21.
Split, Croatia
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Split is the second-largest city of Croatia and the largest city of the region of Dalmatia. It lies on the shore of the Adriatic Sea, centered on the Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian. Spread over a peninsula and its surroundings, Splits greater area includes the neighboring seaside towns as well. An intraregional transport hub and popular tourist destination, the city is a link to numerous Adriatic islands, Split is one of the oldest cities in the area. Split became a Byzantine city, to gradually drift into the sphere of the Byzantine vassal, the Republic of Venice. For much of the High and Late Middle Ages, Split enjoyed autonomy as a free city, Venice eventually prevailed and during the early modern period Split remained a Venetian city, a heavily fortified outpost surrounded by Ottoman territory. Eventually, its hinterland was won from the Ottomans in the Morean War of 1699, and in 1797, as Venice fell to Napoleon, the Treaty of Campo Formio rendered the city to the Habsburg Monarchy. In 1805, the Peace of Pressburg added it to the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy, during World War II, the city was annexed by Italy, then liberated by the Partisans after the Italian capitulation in 1943. It was then re-occupied by Germany, which granted it to its puppet Independent State of Croatia, the city was liberated again by the Partisans in 1944, and was included in the post-war Federal Yugoslavia, as part of its republic of Croatia. In 1991 Croatia seceded from Yugoslavia amid the Croatian War of Independence, the city draws its name from the spiny broom, a common shrub in the area, after which the Greek colony of Aspálathos or Spálathos was named. The Serbo-Croatian term became Split or Spljet, while the Italian-language version, Spalato, in the late 19th century, the Croatian name increasingly came to prominence, and officially replaced Spalato in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia after World War I. For a significant period, the origin of the name was thought to be related to the Latin word for palace. Various theories were developed, such as the notion that the name derives from S. Palatium, the erroneous palace etymologies were notably due to Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, and were later mentioned by Thomas the Archdeacon. The city, however, is several centuries older than the palace and it was a colony of the polis of Issa, the modern-day town of Vis on the island of the same name. Issa, itself a colony of the Sicilian city of Syracuse, had acquired sovereignty and started founding its own colonies in 367 BCE, the exact year the city was founded is not known, but its estimated to have been in the 3rd or 2nd century BCE. The Greek settlement lived off trade with the surrounding Illyrian tribes, in time, the Roman Republic became the dominant power in the region, conquering the Illyrians in the Illyrian Wars of 229 and 219 BCE. Upon establishing permanent rule, the Romans founded the Province of Dalmatia, the city of Salona, only a short distance from Spálathos, became the capital of the province and evolved into a significant city in the Roman state. The history of Spálathos becomes obscure for a while at this point, being overshadowed by that of nearby Salona, the Roman Emperor Diocletian reformed the government in the late Roman Empire and established the Tetrarchy
22.
Stadion Poljud
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Stadion Poljud is a multi-use stadium in the Croatian city of Split. It takes its name from the neighbourhood of Poljud, and is located on the side of the Split peninsula. Its original name is Gradski stadion u Poljudu, the stadium was built in 1979 and is the home venue of the Hajduk Split football club. Some of the Croatian national football teams games are played at Poljud, the stadium has a capacity of 35,000. The venue was built to host the 1979 Mediterranean Games and was opened by the then Yugoslav president, Josip Broz Tito. It had a capacity of 55,000, increased to 62,000 in the 1980s. Poljud Stadium was also the venue for the 1990 European Athletics Championships and the 2010 IAAF Continental Cup and its trademark is an impressive seashell-like design with roof structure spanning at 205x47 meters, that has been copied by a large number of world stadiums in the years that followed. It was designed as transparent offering views of hills and forests from the stands. Suspended on the west roof shell are 19 cabins,7 of them are used by TV reporters, the lighting on the stadium has also been the subject of much acclaim. Stands are supported by a construction of reinforced concrete with entrances via 12 bridges placed 30–40 meters apart around the stadium as well as eight staircases. Underneath them is a trench holding office areas, area around the stadium is composed of 60,000 square meters of designed landscape with greenery designated for pedestrians with stadium slightly beneath the grade level of surrounding traffic roads. Placed under the stands there are 11,000 square meters of sports facilities, official club offices and restaurants. Battleground is composed of 105x68 meters football pitch and 8 running tracks surrounding it and it was refurbished before hosting the 2010 IAAF Continental Cup athletics competition. New tartan track was constructed, including the introduction of new VIP boxes, in October 2014, following the heavy damage from Ultra Europe, new pitch and drainage system were constructed, replacing the original ones that lasted for 35 years. In November 2015 the stadium was recognized as culture heritage. Virtual Tour Stadium photos at stadionwelt. de Aerial Photo from Google Maps
23.
Stadion Kamen Ingrad
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Kamen Ingrad Stadium is a football stadium in Velika, Croatia. It serves as home stadium for football club NK Kamen Ingrad, the stadium has a capacity of 8,000. It is owned by the company of the same name which built the stadium. The stadiums greatest moment came when it hosted a 2003-04 UEFA Cup first round match between Kamen Ingrad and German side Schalke 04, in the Prva HNL 2006-07 season, the club was relegated from Croatias top level league, and it continues to experience a steep decline ever since. However, the stadium hosted a few football matches in the 2008-09 season. This was due to newly promoted Croatia Sesvetes home ground, Stadion SRC Sesvete, being deemed unfit for first league football
24.
Osijek
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Osijek is the fourth largest city in Croatia with a population of 108,048 in 2011. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, Osijek is located on the right bank of the river Drava,25 kilometres upstream of its confluence with the Danube, at an elevation of 94 metres. The name was given to the city due to its position on elevated ground which prevented the city being flooded by the swamp waters. Its name Osijek comes from the Croatian word oseka which means ebb tide, the origins of human habitation of Osijek dates back to Neolithic times, with the first known inhabitants belonging to the Illyrians and later invading Celtic tribes. Roman emperor Hadrian raised the old settlement of Mursa to a colony with special privileges in 131 and these battles, especially the latter one, had long-term consequences for the colony and the region which was already under ever-increasing pressure from the invading Goths and other invading tribes. The earliest recorded mention of Osijek dates back to 1196, the town was a feudal property of Kórógyi family between 1353 and 1472. After the death of the last Kórógyi, King Mathias granted it to the Rozgonyi family, the city was almost completely destroyed by the Ottoman conquerors on 8 August 1526. The Turks rebuilt it in Ottoman oriental style and it was mentioned in the Turkish census of 1579, in 1566, Suleiman the Magnificent built a famous,8 kilometer-long wooden bridge of boats in Osijek, considered at that time to be one of the wonders of the world. In Ottoman Empire Osijek was part of the Budin Eyalet, following the Battle of Mohács in 1687, Osijek was liberated by the Habsburg Monarchy on 29 September 1687. Osijek was restored to rule on 29 September 1687 when the Turks were ousted. Between 1712 and 1715, the Austrian authorities built a new fortress, outer walls and all five planned bastions known as Tvrđa, in the heart of the town. Holy Trinity Square is surrounded on the north by the building of the Military Command, on the west by the Main Guard building, in the middle of the square there is a monument to the plague which was erected in 1729 by general Maximilian Petras widow. The Gornji Grad was founded in 1692 and Donji Grad followed on 1698 settled mostly by the inhabitants from swampy area of Baranja, Tvrđa, Gornji, and Donji grad continued as separate municipalities until 1786 when they were united into a single entity. In late 18th century it took over from Virovitica as the centre of the Verőce county, the Habsburg empire also facilitated the migration and settlement of German immigrants into the town and region during this period. In 1809, Osijek was granted the title of a Free Royal City, the city developed along the lines of other central European cities, with cultural, architectural and socio-economic influences filtering down from Vienna and Buda. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, Osijek was the seat of the Virovitica County of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia, during the 19th century, cultural life mostly revolved around the theatre, museums, collections, and printing houses. City society, whose development was accompanied by an economy and developed trade relations, was related to religious festivals, public events, entertainment. The Novi Grad section of the city was built in the 19th century, the newest additions to the city include Sjenjak, Vijenac, Jug and Jug II, which were built in the twentieth century
25.
Stadion Gradski vrt
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Gradski vrt is a multi-use stadium in the Croatian city of Osijek. It is home to two Croatian football clubs, NK Osijek and Fortuna VNO Osijek and it has a capacity of 22,050. Construction started in 1949, but works were stopped several times, the first match played on the ground of Gradski Vrt was played between NK Osijek and FK Sloboda Tuzla on 7 September 1958. In 1980, the stadium was officially opened, in 1982, the record of stadium attendance was broken, on the football match between NK Osijek and Dinamo Zagreb. At that match, there were 40,000 attendants, in 1998 seats and reflectors were installed. In 2005, the stadium was renovated, under the west stand, VIP rooms were set and the lodge was rearranged, adding 1,000 new seats. The athletics track was reconstructed, repainted red to blue. After this renovation, the stadium has fulfilled UEFAs stadium criteria, in the same year, the stadium was a part of Croatia and Hungarys failed bid for the 2012 European Football Championship. At that time a project of a new stadium with a capacity was presented. In 2010, the stadium was repaired, the pitch was relaid, fences were painted. The reason was a match between Croatia and Wales, which was held on 23 May that year. In May 2016, the stadium will be hosting the Croatian Cup final, stadion Gradski vrt at Stadium Guide
26.
Rijeka
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Rijeka is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia. It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,624 inhabitants, the metropolitan area, which includes adjacent towns and municipalities, has a population of more than 240,000. According to the 2011 census data, the majority of its citizens are presently Croats, along with small numbers of Bosniaks, Italians. Rijeka is the city of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. The citys economy depends on shipbuilding and maritime transport. Rijeka hosts the Croatian National Theatre Ivan pl. Zajc, first built in 1765, as well as the University of Rijeka, founded in 1973, historically Fiumano served as a lingua franca for the many ethnicities inhabiting the multicultural port-town. In 2016, Rijeka was selected as the European Capital of Culture for 2020, alongside Galway, historically, Rijeka was also called Tharsatica, Vitopolis, or Flumen in Latin. The city is called Rijeka in Croatian, Reka in Slovene and it is called Fiume in Italian. All these names mean river in their respective languages, meanwhile, Hungarian has adopted the Italian name while in German the city has been called Sankt Veit am Flaum or Pflaum. The Bay of Rijeka, which is bordered by Vela Vrata, Srednja Vrata, the City of Rijeka lies at the mouth of river Rječina and in the Vinodol micro-region of the Croatian coast. Two important land transport routes start in Rijeka due to its location, the first route is to the Pannonian Basin given that Rijeka is located alongside the narrowest point of the Dinaric Alps. The other route, across Postojna Gate connects Rijeka with Slovenia, Italy, the city long retained its dual character. Pliny mentioned Tarsatica in his Natural History, in the time of Augustus, the Romans rebuilt Tharsatica as a municipium Flumen, situated on the right bank of small river Rječina. It became a city within the Roman Province of Dalmatia until the 6th century, after the 4th century Rijeka was rededicated to St. Vitus, the citys patron saint, as Terra Fluminis sancti Sancti Viti or in German Sankt Veit am Pflaum. From the 5th century onwards, the town was ruled successively by the Ostrogoths, the Byzantines, the Lombards, Croats settled the city starting in the 7th century giving it the Croatian name, Rika svetoga Vida. At the time, Rijeka was a feudal stronghold surrounded by a wall, at the center of the city, its highest point, was a fortress. In 799 Rijeka was attacked by the Frankish troops of Charlemagne and their Siege of Trsat was at first repulsed, during which the Frankish commander Duke Eric of Friuli was killed. However, the Frankish forces finally occupied and devastated the castle, while the Duchy of Croatia passed under the overlordship of the Carolingian Empire, from about 925, the town was part of the Kingdom of Croatia, from 1102 in personal union with Hungary
27.
Stadion Kantrida
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Stadion Kantrida is a football stadium in the Croatian city of Rijeka. It is named after the Kantrida neighbourhood in which it is located and it has served as home of the football club HNK Rijeka for most years since 1946. The stadium has an appearance as it is situated between steep cliffs, a remnant of an old quarry, just north of the stadium. Since 1990 the venue was used for Croatia national football teams international fixtures. The national team has never defeated at Kantrida. The stadium has a capacity of 10,261, while also able to accommodate approximately 2,000 additional standing spectators. The stadium is scheduled for reconstruction over the next several years. A new state-of-the-art stadium will be built at the location with construction scheduled to commence in 2017. Victoria continued to use the stadium until the end of World War I, the stadium was at the time known as Stadio Comunale del Littorio, but was also commonly referred to as Borgomarina, as this was the Italian name for the neighbourhood. After World War II the city of Rijeka and its area became part of SFR Yugoslavia. A new club called NK Kvarner was established in 1946 to replace them and used the stadium in 1946, the club returned to Stadion Kantrida following renovation in 1951 and used it interchangeably with Campo Cellini until the mid-1950s. NK Kvarner changed their name to NK Rijeka in 1954, since the mid-1950s, Stadion Kantrida has served as Rijekas home ground. The stadium was renovated twice, in 1951 and 1958 and it formerly had a capacity of 25,000, but in 1999 this was reduced to approximately 12,600 and floodlights were installed in 1975. In August 2012, a new 80m² LED display was installed, in December 2013, Adamić press published a monograph that accounts for the first one-hundred years of Stadion Kantridas history. The final Prva HNL match prior to stadium reconstruction was played on 19 July 2015, on 27 February 2016, Kantrida hosted a match between HNK Orijent 1919, a fourth tier club from Rijeka, and NK Lošinj, a fellow 4. The match was played at Kantrida due to upgrade on Orijents home ground. On 23 and 25 March 2016, two 2016 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification matches were played at Kantrida when Croatia hosted Bulgaria, since late August 2016, Kantrida serves as home ground for NK Lokomotiva, a 4. On 11 July 2014, HNK Rijeka President Damir Mišković released detailed structure design for the new Kantrida stadium, the current stadium is scheduled to be demolished in the near future and a new, state of the art, stadium built at the same location
28.
Koprivnica
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Koprivnica is a city in northern Croatia. It is the capital of the Koprivnica-Križevci county, in 2011, the citys administrative area of 90,94 km² had a total population of 30,854, with 23,955 in the city proper. The list of settlements in the Koprivnica municipality is, Koprivnica is situated at a strategic location – on the slopes of Bilogora and Kalnik from the south and river Drava from the north. Its position enabled it to numerous functions for the wider area such as trade, crafts and administration. Koprivnica was named after the brook with the name, which was first mentioned at the beginning of the 13th century during the Hungarian Kingdom. In the 14th century, the settlement further developed due to increased trade under the influence of Varaždin. During the construction of Renaissance fortification in the half of the 16th century Koprivnica was the centre of Slavonian military border. Koprivnica had in its troops musketeers, German soldiers, hussars, at that time the Renaissance square emerges together with the Town hall which emphasized the renaissance identity, so Koprivnica is today legitimately considered a renaissance town. Its position on the border of Habsburg Empire and Ottoman Empire influenced the environment, economic, social and demographic changes, Koprivnica is therefore considered a border town. In the second half of the 17th century Koprivnica was among the most developed towns in Croatian-Slavonian Kingdom. Economic activity was moved outside the fortifications and this resulted with the wide and spacious baroque square – today’s Zrinski square. At the same time the oldest streets were formed and they established the development base for the town till the present days, in the 19th century, old Renaissance and Baroque housing and trade objects were replaced with historicistical architecture and the new town centre obtained its present appearance. In 1863, the part of the future town park was planted. Railway connections enabled development of industry and further established Koprivnica as a centre of Podravina region. Koprivnica Synagogue was built in 1875 in the center of Koprivnica, today it is listed as a cultural monument. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, Koprivnica was a capital in the Bjelovar-Križevci County of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia. The first concentration and extermination camp established in the Independent State of Croatia during the World War II was Danica concentration camp established in Koprivnica, Koprivnica developed significantly in the 20th century with the advent of the Podravka food industry, known worldwide for its Vegeta spice. They even have a museum of Podravka, the annual motifs of Podravina event when the whole town becomes a gallery of naïve art
Mile Petković
38'
Zoran Zekić
Dumitru Mitu