CROATIA -Varazdin, Baroque City

Varazdin- Baroque city. A chain tower in front of the old town.
Thank so much dear Anja for the card.

"The former Croatian capital where on each corner you can see baroque architecture and art. Varaždin is a baroque city in northwestern Croatia, along the Drava River. According to archeological findings the city area was inhabited in Roman times. 

However, the first official mention of Varaždin was found in the document of King Bela III from 12th century. In 18th century Varaždin was the capital of Croatia and the Parliament and the Royal Council established by Queen Maria Theresa was held there. The most famous sights are fortresses, churches, town hall, monasteries, Baroque palaces in the Old Town, and Croatian National Theater. Varaždin, along with Zagreb, is the most important cultural center of northwestern Croatian. Every year in Varaždin you can visit Spancir fest, a festival during which the city is ruled by artists, street entertainers and musicians. Festival visit more than 100,000 to enjoy the interesting performances, exhibitions and concerts." Source

CROATIA -Spancirfest Varazdin, Street Festival

Spancirfest is a festival held every August in Varazdin.  It is artistic festival where audience also participate.Thanks so so much to Anja for the second card!

"Špancirfest (pronounced [ʃpaŋtsir̩fɛst]) is a street festival that is held every year since 1999 in Varaždin, Croatia, and lasts for 10 days.[1] It begins at the end of August, and ends at the beginning of September. During these days Varazdin regularly hosts over a 100,000 tourists coming from all over Croatia and the surrounding countries. Varazdin's inner ring is turned into an all out entertainment zone. Concert stages, entertainment zones, shopping kiosks and eateries are erected and street performers, musicians, and all kinds of artists line the streets."

CROATIA - Opatija

Opatija is a beautiful tourist town 50km from Labin. A Valentine Day card from Anja, thank you so much!

CROATIA - Rab

Thanks to my dear Anja for the beautiful Rab card.

"Rab is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea. It’s known for the old town of the same name, encircled by ancient walls. The town’s 4 prominent church bell towers include the Romanesque tower at the Cathedral Svete Marije (St. Mary) and the tower at the ruins of Sveti Ivan Church (St. John the Evangelist). The monastery at the 16th-century Church of St. Justine (Crkva Svete Justine) is now a museum of sacral objects."

CROATIA Maxicard - Cornus Mas

Thank you Dear Anja for the maxicard of Cornus Mas.  Interesting, something new!

"Cornus mas, commonly known as cornelian cherry, is a deciduous shrub or small tree that is native to central and southern Europe into western Asia. It typically grows over time to 15-25' tall with a spread to 12-20' wide. Scaly, exfoliating bark develops on mature trunks. Yellow flowers on short stalks bloom in early spring before the leaves emerge in dense, showy, rounded clusters (umbels to 3/4" wide). Each umbel is surrounded at the base by small, yellowish, petaloid bracts which are much less showy than the large decorative bracts found on some other species of dogwood such as Cornus florida (flowering dogwood) and Cornus kousa (kousa dogwood). Ovate to elliptic dark green leaves (to 4" long) typically develop insignificant fall color. Fruits are ellipsoid, fleshy, one-seeded berries (drupes to 5/8" long) which mature to cherry red in mid-summer. Fruits are edible, although sour tasting fresh off the plant. Fruits may be used for making syrups and preserves."

CROATIA - Zagreb

Thanks to Sava for the card from his travel.

CROATIA - Lovrana

And a second card from Anja, arrived the same day. Thanks so much dear!

CROATIA - Rabac

View of the coast around Labin which shows 3 places by the sea; Rabac, Sveta Marina and Prtlog.

Thanks so much for the beautiful coastline card, Anja!

Rabac (Italian: Porto Albona) is a Croatian resort town on Kvarner Bay, just southeast of Labin, in Istria.[1] Long a small fishing port, Rabac has grown in recent years into a resort town with numerous villas and apartment buildings.

CROATIA - St Mark's Church

Another beautiful card from Anja!  Thank you dear for this beautiful old church with a matching stamp!

CROATIA - Zagreb

"Zagreb. It is located in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately 122 m (400 ft) above sea level. In the last official census of 2011 the population of the City of Zagreb was 792,875. The estimated population of the city in 2017 is 806,920. The wider Zagreb metropolitan area includes the City of Zagreb and the separate Zagreb County bringing the total metropolitan area population up to 1,113,111. It is the biggest metropolitan area in Croatia, and the only one with a population of over one million. Zagreb is a city with a rich history dating from the Roman times to the present day. The oldest settlement located in the vicinity of the city was the Roman Andautonia, in today's Ščitarjevo. 

The name "Zagreb" is recorded in 1134, in reference to the foundation of the settlement at Kaptol in 1094. Zagreb became a free royal town in 1242."

CROATIA - Map Card

Thanks to Anja for the map card.

CROATIA - Rijeka

Thanks to Dear Anja for the nice card of Rijeka!

CROATIA Maxicards

Thank to Anja for the wonderful Maxicard from Croatia.

CROATIA - Istria

A map card of Istra peninsular region, Croatia. Thanks to Anja for the card.

CROATIA - Cover

Beautiful cover from Anja, thank you so much dear for the used Christmas stamps and cards!

CROATIA - Christmas Card

"Merry Christmas and Happy New Year" from Croatia, thank you Anja.  I hope you had a wonderful Christmas with you family!

CROATIA - Post office car at the Borgo-Crc square in 1902

The second card from Anja shows a city of Labin back in 1902 (Labin wasn't even part of Croatia then).  The square hasn't changed much and still looks almost the same today.  Thank you Anja for the wonderful vintage card!

CROATIA - Dolac Market, Zagreb

Dolac Market is the biggest market in Zagreb and at background you could see the Zagreb Cathedral. Many thanks to Anja for the great card.

"Dolac is a farmers' market located in Gornji Grad - Medveščak city district of Zagreb, Croatia. Dolac is the most visited and the best known farmer's market in Zagreb, well known for its combination of traditional open market with stalls and a sheltered market below. It is located only a few dozen meters away from the main city square, Ban Jelačić Square, between the oldest parts of Zagreb, Gradec and Kaptol. The Dolac market Zagreb is centrally located right behind the town’s main square. It’s Zagreb‘s main farmers’ market."

CROATIA - Rab Arba

Rab is one of Crotian islands, founded back in the 1st century BC.  Apparently it was ruled by the Venetians up til the late 1700's before it became a part of Croatia. It's a bustling touristy town and full of historical buildings and well known of its 4 bell towers.  

Thank you so much dear Anja for sending card from your vacation.

"The town of Rab sits on a narrow sliver of land protruding towards the mainland, bounded by ancient city walls and recognisable by four church towers that form the familir outline, depicting Rab as a ship with four masts: bell tower of the church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - the cathedral, the bell tower of the church of St. John the Evangelist (located near the ruins of the Church), the belfry of the church of St. Andrew the Apostle and the bell tower of the church of St. Justine. Further inland from the old town is a beautiful park called Komrčar, whose numerous paths wind around wooded hills all the way down to the beaches of Rab." Source.

The stamp was issued on 15.6.2015, it is 1 of 4 of the Croatia's undersea world II stamps.  Love the clear postmark from Rab post office.

CROATIA MAXICARD - Hrvatska Fauna - Glodavci (dormouse)

Thanks to dear Anja for the maxicard and magnet.