Brioni National Park. Croatia. Brijuni National Park: dinosaur footprints and temple ruins Fauna of the Brijuni Islands
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Brioni Islands located in the northern part Adriatic Sea, not far from west coast. This is one of the most elite resorts, which is a picturesque archipelago of 14 islands of different shapes and sizes. It is separated from the mainland by the Fazana Strait and is located 6 km from the city.
Peculiarities
In the last century, Brioni had a reputation as an exclusive holiday destination, where crowned heads, influential statesmen and the richest people of the planet gathered. Among the visitors to the resort at one time were such famous personalities as Nikita Khrushchev and Josip Broz Tito, who built a personal summer residence here to receive high-ranking guests. Now the status of Briony has undergone minor changes. Financially wealthy people still rest here, and the prices for accommodation in a few hotels are close to sky-high. The local infrastructure is adjusted in accordance with the social status of the guests. The hotels employ exclusively highly qualified staff, and the service support is extremely diverse. Almost the entire tourism industry is concentrated on the main island of the archipelago called Big Briun. Its flat surface is covered with subtropical vegetation, and the air is saturated with the smells of pine and cedar trees, the scents of eucalyptus and rosemary. In addition to Big Briun, the archipelago has many other islands and coral reefs, and the largest land areas are also Small Briun and Vanga. Since the autumn of 1983, the Brijuni Islands have been declared a national park.
general information
The area of the archipelago is just over 36 square kilometers. km. There is no local population on the islands, but there are several luxurious hotels and mansions for tourists. Time behind Moscow is 1 hour in summer and 2 hours in winter. Timezone UTC+1 and UTC+2 in summer. Official website www.brijuni.hr.
A brief excursion into history
According to archaeologists, the first settlements arose on the islands around 3,000 BC and date back to the Bronze Age. In different eras, these lands belonged to the Illyrians, Celts, Romans, Ostrogoths, Byzantines. Until the 19th century, stones for construction were exclusively mined here, and only in 1893, after the purchase of the archipelago by the steel magnate Paul Kupelwieser, the fate of Brioni changed dramatically. The progressive entrepreneur decided to build a resort complex with hotels, villas and green lawns on the main island. Painstaking work on the improvement of the territory began. However, soon an epidemic of malaria intervened in the construction process, which was defeated only after the intervention of the famous physician Robert Koch. As a token of gratitude, Kupelweiser ordered a monument to be erected to the doctor, while he himself continued to modernize Briony. Over time, transport links with the mainland were established here, walking paths were equipped, comfortable hotel buildings with swimming pools and gardens for walking were erected. Soon, the resort became well known in the highest circles and since then it has had an elite status.
Climate
The region has a mild moderately humid climate. The average air temperature in summer is +23 degrees. The heat is almost not felt due to the pleasant sea breeze blowing from the Adriatic. Unlike mainland Croatia, rainfall is not uncommon here from June to August, although in general the weather is pleasant and comfortable with plenty of sunny days. The swimming season starts on Brioni in May and lasts until October.
How to get there
nearest locality to the archipelago is the city of Fazana, located on the mainland. A few kilometers away is international Airport. To get to Brijuni, you should take a bus and get to the seaport of Fazana, and from there, during the day, about twice an hour, there are ferries to Great Brijun.
Transport
Within the island, it is most convenient to travel by bicycle or a special mini golf car. You can move between the islands with the help of numerous yachts, boats and other water transport. Given that the territory of the archipelago has the status of a reserve, they are extremely responsible for environmental issues, so traditional buses and cars are not provided here.
Beaches
The best beach of the resort, which has a small pebble coating, is called Minor and is located on the island of Maly Briun, being an excellent place for swimming and sunbathing. It is equipped with sun loungers and umbrellas, and also predisposes to beach and water sports. Otherwise, the beaches of the archipelago have a rocky coastline, which is not very convenient for entering the water, although there are also wild, gently sloping sand and pebble areas.
Attractions
The main advantages of Brioni are its flora and fauna. Over the years, people have brought animals here and planted rare plants. As a result, over time, both of them adapted to the local microclimate, becoming part of this unique natural region. In total, about 600 species of various plants grow here, including groves of relic oak, strawberry tree, sequoia. Among architectural structures the summer estate of Josip Broz Tito on Bolshoi Brijun stands out, as well as a number of well-preserved fragments of buildings from the Roman era scattered throughout the archipelago. Not far from the central port of the resort, there are the churches of St. Herman and Roca. Near the estate of Tito there is a large-scale zoo, replete with amazing natural landscapes. The underwater world of Brijuni is extremely rich and rich and diving enthusiasts have the opportunity to enjoy its beauties by diving in numerous bays.
Entertainment
All hotel buildings and villas rise along the coast of Great Brijun and offer their guests a lot of entertainment. For fans of water sports, there is a multifunctional center where, in addition to renting the necessary equipment, beginners can take lessons from professional instructors. The island also has a golf club with wonderful green lawns. There is a riding school.
Kitchen
Since the island is considered an elite holiday destination, all the traditional amenities for guests are present directly in the hotels, so there are few restaurants and cafes in the resort. Among the culinary products, the menu is dominated by seafood, meat and vegetable dishes, various exclusive delicacies and drinks, gastronomic products.
shopping
Shopping, as such, is not provided at the resort, all souvenirs and related products can be purchased at hotels and local souvenir shops.
Despite the fact that Brioni, for a moderate fee, has the opportunity to visit anyone, only very wealthy people can afford to relax here, since one day of living on the main island is measured in several hundred, or even thousands of euros.
June 24, Thursday. Day 6 Today we are planning a trip to Croatian national park: Brijuni(Brijuni or Brioni), which is located on the island of Great Brion (southwest coast of the Istrian peninsula).
Only yesterday we got a rented car, in which we also visited an unusual town with pleasure. Today we plan to explore more distant neighborhoods.
IN 9.45 departure from the hotel (near Poreč). We're on our way to town Fazana(Fazana). On the way, we accidentally make a small detour, stopping at Poole(Pula).
10.45 Having wandered a little along its outskirts and having driven 61 km from the hotel, we arrive in port. We can easily find free parking nearby and go to study offers for delivering us to island.
It turns out that all private boatmen can take us on a ship around the Brijuni Islands, but without landing on it. This walk takes 2 hours. You can add to this program swimming on a small island nearby. An additional 2 hours.
And in order to make excursion directly around the island you need to contact your local travel agency. Only they can sell tickets there. We appeal, it costs 200 kunas per person (28 euros), while they promise to provide a Russian-speaking guide. Boat departure time at 13.45.
We have 1.5 hours of free time. Well, what can you do next to the sea, especially when the sun shines wonderfully in the sky? Certainly, bathe. We get into the car and drive towards Pula. After about 3-5 km, we turn onto a side road leading to the sea. We drive up to a wild beach and spontaneous parking.
It all looks like a wonderful meadow on which grow amazing beauty pines. There are no prohibition or permission signs. A few cars stand right on the lawn in the shade of pines. We follow their example, we drive up to the sea itself.
The water is clean, so transparent that you can see the bottom at a very great depth.
In the sun, you can clearly see how it changes color from turquoise green at a shallow depth, to blue and blue at a large depth. Swimming in such a calm and wild place is just fabulous! And if we add to this an absolutely amazing coniferous aroma from the trees growing nearby, then it is even impossible to convey the beauty and strength of these sensations in words!
After swimming and sunbathing a little, we return to the port again. Fazana(For some reason, again through Pula, something is magnetized there). 😕 We still have half an hour to have a bite to eat in a small port restaurant. Pancakes and tea are what you need before traveling to the protected island.
IN 13.45 uploading to boat. Entrance is strictly by tickets, there are a lot of people. There are not enough seats for everyone, people stand as if on a bus at rush hour. Fortunately, the road to the island takes about 10-15 minutes (distance 3.5 km from the mainland). I wonder what kind of Russian guide they were talking about when such a crowd of multilingual tourists formed?
Everything is cleared up on the beach. All arrivals meet several people with signs on which the language in which it will be carried out is written excursion. People are very quickly sorted into groups. Some guides immediately seat "their tourists" on electric train trailers and take them to different parts of the island. The crowd immediately becomes smaller.
The tour starts. Everything is quite interesting and informative.
national park Croatia's Brijuni Islands is an archipelago of 14 small islands.
The largest of them not so long ago (in the 20th century) was residence Croatian President Tito.
Currently, access is allowed here, but with certain restrictions. Only residents of several elite hotels, people who come to play golf (need to be negotiated in advance), as well as organized groups of tourists can stay here. Apparently, therefore, private boats cannot moor to the island and disembark passengers there.
We started our inspection with coca parrot which is almost 50 years old.
He can speak Croatian, which he showed us not very willingly. But as they say, he swears in this language very masterly.
Next, we walked through beautiful garden with different trees, in which with admiration they tried to breathe in the magnificent air filled with the aroma of pine needles, laurel, blossoming linden and many, many other things unknown, but very tasty.
After that, examined president's cadillac weighing 3 tons. They say that it is still on the move and for 400 euros you will be happy to ride it around the island for half an hour. In extreme cases, you can just sit inside and take a picture for 50 kunas. There were no applicants.
Then there was museum. On the ground floor there is a fairly large collection of stuffed animals that lived on this island or were presented to the president. All of them died at one time and now flaunt in the form of stuffed animals. Sad sight. 😥 It was probably interesting for President Tito (at one time) to look at all this.
On the 2nd floor there is an exhibition of photographs of the president with various famous people of his time. There are also crowned persons, politicians, scientists, artists.
Everything looks very nice and well maintained. The guide told in detail what and where to see.
First of all, it is, of course, nature. Lush vegetation, magnificent meadows, ancient oaks (local species), the crown of which is 10-20 meters in diameter.
All this is well-groomed and trimmed, it looks very neat.
It turns out that some horned living creatures (deer, moufflons, etc.) follow this beauty on the island. They pluck grass from the meadows, and eat the lower crown and foliage from the trees. As a result, everything is very neat. There are several hundred of them “working” here.
We stopped at Safari Park, which was assembled by President Titus. A rather pathetic sight appeared before us: several shabby ostriches, zebras, a lonely elephant, and, basically, local horned animals: goats, rams, etc.
Seagulls were the best. But these were free birds, not tied to the reserve.
The most interesting was the story about local seals that lived in a rather deep pool (now it is empty). So this couple (tired of such hopelessness) by some miracle jumped over the fence of the pool, then over the fence of the park and sailed away into the Adriatic Sea! Frankly, we were very sorry that the rest of the animals could not follow such an inspiring example.
After that we continued on to locomotive along the west coast of the island, where the original vegetation has been preserved. We saw excavations of ancient buildings, an old olive tree (somewhere in the 4th century AD).
At the end of the 7-kilometer route on a tourist train, we visited an old quarry and a Catholic church, where a copy of an ancient stone slab with a Glagolitic text is kept. This ended the tour of the island.
There was still almost 50 minutes left before the return sailing of the boat (at 17.30). We asked the guide if it was possible to swim here, she said that of course. Not far from the pier there is a hotel beach. For some reason, it was written on the tickets, and the travel agency confirmed to us that it was forbidden to swim on the island.
Rejoiced at this opportunity, we went to look for a secluded place for swimming.
Found absolutely wonderful descent and entry into the water. The purest green-turquoise water of the wonderful island gladly refreshed us. And the warm rays of the evening sun - dried.
IN 18.05 departed from Fazana(Fazana) home to the side Porec. There was a small incident here: my navigator in the form of navigator Yulia failed. By some incomprehensible ways, we rolled away to the very center of the peninsula and reached Pazin (Pazin). This unexpected route turned out to be, of course, a bit long (an extra 30-40 km), but very nice. 🙂
The whole road ran through green fields and forests. Occasionally there were small villages in which their inhabitants slowly went about their daily business. From Pazin to Porec, the road ran through a very picturesque and hilly area with absolutely stunning pine forests and a complete absence of signs of human life. True, sometimes, quite unexpectedly, restaurants or apartments came across.
19.35 arrived at the hotel.
The result of the day is 158 km.
We are starting to enjoy the rides in our rented car. Tomorrow we plan to leave our Istrian peninsula and see what awaits us on the mainland behind a multi-kilometer tunnel under a strange name.
At the request of the moderator, I share my impressions and photos from a visit to the Josip Broz Tito Museum in Croatia.
I managed to visit the Museum of the Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito two years ago as part of an excursion to the islands of the Brioni archipelago. Not that I went there because of the museum, but the visit was definitely worth it. We learned a lot about Yugoslavia and its famous leader.
Brijuni National Park is located on an archipelago of 14 islands off the western coast of the Istrian peninsula. The park is famous for its subtropical climate and the fact that it was the residence of the head of socialist Yugoslavia, Josip Broz Tito, and his makeshift zoo. Now there is also a museum of Tito.
Excursion liners bring tourists to the central island of Big Brioni. The museum was very close to the embankment and was the first stop of the excursion program. 
The main exhibits of the museum are memorable photographs from the life of the marshal. He was very fond of taking photographs, and he was visited by representatives of the authorities of many world powers. The photographs also capture Tito's hobbies and interests, his life and activities here on Brioni. 
From the "barrel with a door" one could get into the leader's wine cellar. Usually he did this - he made the guest guess how many bottles fit in this barrel. After the guests tried to guess and evaluate, he opened the door "to the barrel" and led the guests to a huge cellar, where there was many times more wine than it could fit in it. 
Tito loved to hunt. 
Photograph. 
Collected animals. The elephant in the photo is a gift from Gandhi. Many leaders gave him animals from their countries. Some of the animals still live on Brioni. 
Soviet guests. 
With the English queen. 
not only politicians were visiting here, but also people of culture and art, movie stars of those times. 
In addition to photographs, we managed to capture a few other exhibits. There were really few of them.
Drawings of the mega-yacht Galeb (aka "Seagull"). The ship has now been bought by an American billionaire living in France. At one time, Tito visited many countries on his beloved "Seagull". 
old map with roads of Greater Brijuni. 
Microscope. It was used by the leader, apparently for agro-industrial research.
In the large hall there are boards with images of the flags of the countries with which Yugoslavia maintained diplomatic relations (read who was visiting here on Brioni). 
It looks like it's on the map. 
Part of the animals donated to the marshal, due to the short life cycle, has already died. They were stuffed and exhibited in the Tito Museum as the last exhibition. I don't like scarecrows. 
After visiting the museum and all the stories of the guide, there was a significant respect for the Yugoslav socialist leader, still almost unknown to me. True, I would like to see more exhibits here besides photos, although in general they conveyed the atmosphere.
The leader's favorite Cadillac is now also on Brioni. 
In addition to the Tito Museum, the island has a mini-zoo, ancient buildings from the time of the Roman Empire, a small Catholic church, and a botanical garden. There were a lot of impressions from visiting the island. In case of interest - a full story about the trip to Brioni can be seen
North of Pula lie Brioni (Italian for "Brioni"), a small archipelago of fourteen islets that once served as Tito's personal residence. Then this area was declared a national park and opened to tourists in 1983. Visitors are still allowed on only two islands: Veli Brioni and Mali Brioni, and under strict control. You can visit the archipelago as part of a tourist group - a tourist train runs to the island of Veli Brioni - or in one of the expensive hotels on Veli Brioni. In the latter case, you can freely walk around part of the island on your own, without a guide.
Most visitors arrive in the archipelago through the small fishing town of Fažana, which is 8 kilometers northwest of Pula. From the city you can get there by bus number 18. Office national park Brioni is located on the main port square of Fazana (July and August daily 8:00-22:00, June and September daily 8:00-20:00; from October to April Monday-Saturday 8:00-15:00).
The office sells tickets for day trips around the largest island and organizes pickups for travelers to hotels. The Fažana Tourist Office (Riva 2; from June to August daily 8:00-22:00; from May to September Monday-Friday 8:00-15:00) provides information, maps and booklets, and the Stefani Trade agency (Zupni trg 3; from mid-June to mid-September daily 8:30-11:00) rents private rooms and apartments on the mainland. In Fazana, the Tito festival is held.
This comic event is timed to coincide with May 25, that is, the official birthday of the leader. The festival includes folk music concerts, performances of brass bands and processions local residents dressed up as pioneers. Tito in Istria is honored not so much for his participation in the creation of the Yugoslav state, but for the fact that he brought the peninsula out of power.
How to get to the Brijuni Islands
From May to mid-October, about eight excursions from Fazana run daily. In the remaining months, with the exception of January, there is one per day. Tour guides do not work in January. The walk takes 4 hours. Prices depend on the season: in July and August - 180 kunas, in June and September - 170 kunas, in April, May and October - 150 kunas, and in February, March, November and December - 100 kunas. Tickets are sold at the Brijuni National Park office on the Fazana waterfront. If you are staying in Istria, in a hotel for tourist groups, then you will pay about 250 kunas for a trip to Brioni.
This amount includes the cost of excursion services, transportation costs, and sometimes the price of lunch. They also conduct boat trips to Brioni (a ticket costs about 200-250 kunas), however, as part of such a trip, the route for visiting the national park is shortened. If you want to stay on the islands, you should keep in mind that the prices in local hotels are deliberately inflated in order to maintain the aura of "exclusivity". Neptun-Istra is a standard three-star hotel. Rooms with TV, minibar and bathtub. Hotel Karmen is slightly better, but in general offers almost the same.
If you really want luxury then rent one of the stylish old villas. They can be booked through the national park office in Fazana. The villas are located on the coast, in secluded places on the south side of Veli Brioni. Primorka (1200/8800 kuna per day) is designed for eight people, Dubravka (600/4400 kuna per day) for four, and Lovorka (600/4400 kuna per day) for five. The most aristocratic of these villas is Lovorka. In the period between the two wars, the Duke of Spoleto liked to relax and play polo here.
If you are staying on the island, it is convenient to move around the area by renting a golf cart (500 kn/5 hours) or a bicycle (100 kn per day) at the sports center next to the Neptun-Istra hotel. To the north of the hotels is a 22-hole golf course. It is created on ecological principles to minimize watering and pesticide treatment. The grass is eaten by deer, so the lawn almost never needs to be mowed. You can pay for the use of the site and rent equipment at the sports center. The island has cafe-restaurants Neptun-Istra and Karmen.
Island of Veli Brioni in Croatia
A tourist boat from Fazana crosses the Brioni Bay in fifteen minutes and arrives at the Kupelweiser hotel complex on east coast Veli Brioni. From there, a miniature train with a guide heads north to the safari park, which is located on the northern tip of the island. In this park, Tito settled exotic animals, which were presented to him as a gift by the leaders of other countries. Elephants Sonny and Lanka, donated by Indira Gandhi in 1975, are still happy to pose for photographers. You can also see zebras, antelopes and local long-horned cows (boskarin) brought from the hinterland.
The train then continues along the west coast of the island to the White Villa and other official residences, including Villa Jadranka, where Queen Elizabeth II and Gina Lollobrigida were guests. The train stops at the southwest corner of the island so passengers can view the ruins of a Byzantine fortress. Its gloomy gray walls contrast sharply with the surrounding green paradise it was built to protect. The train then returns to the hotel complex, passing the remains of a 1st century Roman villa in Veriga Bay.
At the end of the tour, before returning to the mainland, tourists can visit several more local ones located near the hotel complex. The most important of them is the 15th-century Gothic church, restored by Kupelweiser before the First World War and inaugurated by Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Nearby, in the exhibition hall, there is an exposition "Tito na Brijunima" ("Tito na Brijunima"; in July and August daily 8:00-20:00; in June and September daily 8:00-19:00; in May and October daily 8:00-18:00; for tourists who arrived on an excursion on a boat, admission is free).
On the ground floor there are stuffed animals presented to the Yugoslav leader by high-ranking foreign guests. Animals were turned into stuffed animals after death. Particularly touching are the four seven-week-old giraffes who died of salmonellosis shortly after their arrival from Africa. On the second floor there is a wonderful exhibition of photographic documents that reveal the personality of Tito from various angles. One photo shows the Yugoslav leader talking to the fishermen of Fažana, and the next one shows him exchanging jokes with his guest artists: Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.
Richard Burton played the role of Tito in the epic war film Sutjeska (1970). Pay attention to the funny photo where Tito rides Ho Chi Minh in a motor boat. For some reason, both leaders put on their vulgar panama hats, and the expression on the face of the Vietnamese leader shows that he likes what is happening much less than the marshal himself. Opposite the exhibition building on the lawn is an aviary that serves as a "summer apartment" for one of Tito's favorite pets, the white parrot Koki. Koki still likes to repeat the banal phrases that his master taught him. It is strange to think that the voice of the Yugoslav leader still lives in the beak of a feathered pet.
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