national park brijuni

Brijuni Croatia Along the western Istrian coast there are several island groups among which the most interesting, the largest and most indented is the Brijuni island group with its 14 islands and islets covering and area of 7.42 square kilometres. The length of the coastline of all the islands is 46.8 km. The most indented islands are Veliki Brijun (25.9 km) and Mali Brijun (8.3 km). The shores are mostly low and rocky but easily accessible due to the horizontal stratification of the rocks, and in some bays pebbles and sand can be found.
The National Park of Brijuni includes the following islands:
Veliki Brijun, Mali Brijun, St. Mark, Gaz, Okrugljak, Supin, Supinic, Galija, Grunj, Vanga (Krasnica), Pusti (Madona), Vrsar, St. Jerome and Kozada. (Krasnica), Pusti (Madona), Vrsar, Sv.Jerolim i Kozada.

Geologically and geo-morphologically Brijuni are the continuation of western Istria, the so-called "Red Istria". Since the depth of the channel of Fazana is just 12m, Brijuni were until some 10,000 years ago an integral part of Istria.

Brijuni Islands have the northern Mediterranean climate characteristic to Istria west coast. The temperatures vary between 5.9°C (January) and 23.2°C during summer months - the mean annual temperature is 13.9°C. The average annual precipitation is 817mm but the snow is rare. The specific element of Istria west coast is the rather high air humidity so that Brijuni have an average relative air humidity of 76% that doesn't fall below 70%. This is important for the plants life on that part of Croatian coast whereas it is lower for the rest of it particularly during the warmer periods there.

Brijuni Croatia Flora of the archipelago consists mostly of Mediterranean and to lesser degree of the several sub-Mediterranean species. The largest areas are covered by macchia thicket; grass in park's areas and with forested areas of Holm-oak trees with laurel and of plantations of conifer on 18ha. Most of the Holm-oak and laurel woods are found in the eastern part of Veli Brijun. There are some smaller forests of broad-leaved phillyrea, strawberry tree, turpentine tree, mastic tree, laurustinus, myrtle and tree heath. The woods are full of almost impenetrable climbers like thorny smilax, fragrant clematis, prickly asparagus, interwoven honeysuckle and evergreen wild rose. Such complete intermixed areas of Holm oak and laurel are interesting feature of the Brioni Archipelago found nowhere else along the Croatian Coast.

Brijuni Croatia The islands' indigenous fauna had been lost on Veli Brijun in particular after one introduced animals of game like deer, roe-deer, mountain sheep (Muflon) and hare around 1900s as well as an ostrich farm that existed there since 1910. During the past 30 years one took more care about these animals and few more kinds were imported like fallow and axis deer. In 1978 quarantine has been opened to take care of some exotic animals like elephants, gazelles, antelopes, zebras, llamas, camels etc. that Tito got as a present by his international State's guests. The acclimatization station became turned in a zoo-garden with time but many of its enclosures are almost empty now. On the grassland herbivores animals move around freely in a fenced-in so called "safari park" at present. In the adjacent aviary one raises partridge and quail, various parrots and cranes, black swans and flamingos where as pheasants and peacocks live in the wild.

cultural and historical heritage

Brijuni's Cretaceous park

At four sites on Veli Brijun over 200 dinosaurs' footprints have been discovered, these frightful reptiles that ruled the Earth during the Mesozoic Era. The Brijuni dinosaurs can be traced to the Cretaceous Period (145 to 65 million years ago), so it can be rightfully said that the island has a "Cretaceous park".

St. Mary's Church

The aisled church of square ground plan whose lateral walls have been preserved almost to their original height. The size of the church (11x 24 m) indicates a large population of the nearby castrum erecting this edifice in the 5th - 6th centuries.
The altar area is two steps higher and is divided from the church nave by a partly preserved triumphal arch. The altar basis is preserved in situ. The atrium of the basilica holds a small collection of stone monuments, exhibiting, among other, church finds, transennae, stone window grids.

Castrum

Brijuni Croatia The richest site by its strata on the Brijuni stretches on an area somewhat greater than 1 hectare. Finds from the period of the Roman Republic and Empire, Late Antiquity, Eastern Goths, Byzantium, Carolingian period and Venice testify to the long time settlement.
The first villa in Dobrika Bay was built in the 2nd - 1st centuries BC, and it was already destroyed in the civil war, in the beginning of the 1st century BC.
During Augustus' rule, partly on the site of the first villa, a new villa rustica was erected (size 51x59 meters) with a central courtyard and equipment for producing olive oil and wine, as well as cellars, and modestly arranged housing units.
Life in the castrum was last evidenced during the Venetians.

Hill-fort

The fortified Bronze Age settlement on the hill with preserved walls, entrance and necropolis. It stands on the homonymous hill, north of Verige Bay.
The strategically well protected elevated location was fortified with three concentric circles of walls adapted to the configuration of the hill. The central plateau covered an area of 80x 90m, while the diameter of the largest wall was about 300 m. The walls were built of drystone large blocks, while the area between the inner and outer wall facade was filled with rubble masonry.
The hill-fort population buried their dead under the stone tumulus in a grave of stone slabs. Such graves with skeleton burials in a bent position were found on the surrounding hilltops Ciprovac, Antunovac and Rankun. In the mid Bronze-Age (14 centuries BC) which is when the necropolis at Gradina is dated, cemeteries were located along the settlement fortifications, and beside individual burials in stone graves there are also family graves.

Roman villa in Verige Bay

Brijuni Croatia On the western coast of Brijuni, along Verige Bay, stands a magnificent Roman villa rustica. Its construction began in the 1st century BC, and it achieved its greatest splendor in the 1st century AD. Certain parts of the villa were used until the 6th century.
It consisted of several buildings for various purposes situated at carefully chosen sites in different parts of the bay. From the seaside this complex was bordered by the shore built of large stone blocks today being about 1 m below sea level. Access to the harbor was controlled by a chain, (verige in Croatian), connecting opposite shores, after which the bay was named.

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