Irina Ban - Croatia--Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

eISBN: 978-1-85733-613-9

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP catalogue entry for this book is available from the British Library

Copyright 2008 Kuperard

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted or reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior permission in writing from the publishers.

Culture Smart! is a registered trademark of Bravo Ltd

First published in Great Britain 2008
by Kuperard, an imprint of Bravo Ltd
59 Hutton Grove, London N12 8DS
Tel: +44 (0) 20 8446 2440 Fax: +44 (0) 20 8446 2441
www.culturesmart.co.uk
Inquiries:

Series Editor Geoffrey Chesler

Cover image: Makarska, on the Dalmatian coast.
Travel Ink/Robin McKelvie
Images courtesy of the Croatian National Tourist Board.
Images Markus Bernet

v3.1

Croatia is described as the land of a thousand islands and a small country for a great holiday. Most people still remember it as a part of Yugoslavia, and as a country that went to war for independence. Some may have heard only of the medieval town of Dubrovnik, the pearl of the Adriatic and one of six UNESCO sites in Croatia. Others may know that it is short-listed to enter the European Union around 2010, or that it is among the worlds top ten tourist destinations.

In this small and beautiful country, sea and mountains are within easy reach, and there is a great diversity of landscape, mentality, and life styles. Its rich and turbulent history can be traced back to ancient times, to long before the Greeks and Romans founded their great colonies on the Croatian islands of Hvar and Vis.

Culture Smart! Croatia is designed to give you an insight into Croatian values and the Croatian ways of life and work. It looks at how the past has molded the national psyche. A short introduction to Croatian history and language will help you to understand how and why the Croats fought for independence from Yugoslavia, and why this part of the Balkan Peninsula is still one of the most complicated regions in Europe. It will tell you who the Croats are, what are they like, what they respect, how they live and behave, and how you should behave when visiting their country. It will guide you through their customs, quirks, and etiquette, and offer tips on doing business, communicating, and feeling comfortable with the local people. The Croatian temperament is a mix of Slavic openness and Mediterranean ease, but the people are, not surprisingly, sensitive when it comes to matters of national pride and their state.

Your first impressions may surprise you: youll notice how cheerful and noisy the Croats are, how they use hands and gestures and touch when they are talking, and their straightforward approach. You will observe that the people tend to be tall and well built, and pay a lot of attention to clothes and appearance, and you may have occasion to remark on the large number of smart cars on the roads in a country where unemployment is running at around 12 percent. Visiting businesspeople are frequently frustrated by the huge amount of paperwork needed to start up a project or get things done, and by lengthy administrative processes. There is one impression, however, that is common to all visitors: that of Croatian warmth and hospitality.

Culture Smart! Croatia offers the first-time visitor vital human information, from backgound briefings to practical advice on what to expect and how to behave in different situations. By explaining the cultural context behind the dos and donts, however, it aims to empower you to discover for yourself the charm, generosity, and humanity of the Croatian people.