October 11, 2020 - Continuing TCN's look at the video tools available to explore Croatia's tourism destinations, it is time to Discover Karlovac.
Way back on March 14 - several lifetimes ago - I published an article called Tourism in the Corona Age: 10 Virtual Ways to Discover Zagreb. The way I saw things, now was an OUTSTANDING opportunity for tourism promotion. People have time, they yearn for their freedom and former lives, so give them the tools to thoroughly research and enjoy your destinations, and you will have then longing to be there. And when they do come, they will have a deeper understanding of the destination due to their research.
South Africa and Portugal were the first to do their post-corona tourism promotion videos several weeks ago (Post-Corona Tourism Planning: Lessons from South Africa and Portugal), a trick which has been followed by other tourism countries, the latest being Croatia with the national tourist board campaign, #CroatiaLongDistanceLove, going live yesterday.
But while these campaigns create longing and market presence, they don't really educate. People now have time to really get into destinations. And dreams of escape to somewhere more exotic are high on the list of priorities of many.
So TCN decided to help with that education with a new series called Virtual Croatia, where we will be helping you discover many of Croatia's destinations with all the best virtual tools available on your self-isolating sofa at home.
We started with Tourism in the Corona Age: 10 Virtual Tools to Discover Hvar.
After this, we put our a press release (which you can read here in English and Croatian) offering a free article to any local tourist board in Croatia who would like the free promotion in our Virtual Croatia series.
The Sinj Tourist Board was the first to respond, and now you can see just how rich the tourism offer is in this proud Alka town - your virtual tools to Discover Sinj. This was followed by Discover Opatija, Discover Brela, Discover Rogoznica, Discover Stari Grad, Discover Klis, Discover Trogir, Discover Omiš, Discover Lumbarda, Discover Jezera, Discover Šolta, Discover Cavtat and Konavle, Discover Koprivnica, Discover Pašman, Discover Gradac, Discover Virovitica, Discover Bibinje, Discover Crikvenica, Discover Rovinj and Discover Brac.
We have had several more emails from local tourist boards, who we invited to participate in the series by sending in video material about their destination. As with everywhere else, corona dominated the agenda at TCN during the summer, and we now finally have time to continue with the series with a visit to one of Croatia's most underrated cities - Karlovac. Many thanks to the Karlovac Tourist Board for sending material.
Welcome to Karlovac
Let's start with a general introduction to this beautiful town on four rivers.
Visit Karlovac 2019 - official promotion video.
A 4K tour of Karlovac from the air.
Dan Grada - the Day of the Town.
A video tour of Karlovac.
Active Karlovac
Karlovac and surrounding area are part of the Green Heart of Croatia, a paradise for active tourism in pristine nature.
An enticing introduction.
Karlovac is one of the most bike-friendly cities in Croatia. Combine it with the routes and landscapes on offer in the surrounding hills, and your cycling itinerary is taken care of.
Runners head to the city in July for the annual Karlovaci Cener, a 10 km race that even COVID-19 could not stop.
For a city which boasts four rivers, it is perhaps not surprising that the kayaking options are excellent.
Or if you are feeling a little more adventurous, there are some great rafting options.
Discover Karlovac Museums
Karlovac got a fantastic new family attraction back in 2016 with the opening of Aquatica, a state of the art freshwater aquarium, which presents the flora and fauna of the Croatian rivers, lakes and ponds, its geological past, traditional culture, as well as the history of the four Karlovac rivers area – the basins of the Korana, Kupa, Mrežnica, and Dobra.
One museum not to be missed is the Homeland War Museum in Turanj, 4 km from the centre. Karlovac and surrounding area suffered terribly in the Homeland War, which only finished 25 years ago. This painful but important part of recent history has been well preserved at the Homeland War Museum.
Looking to delve back a little deeper into the city's history? Check out the historic Karlovac City Museum.
Historic Karlovac - Dubovac Castle
Dubovac Castle overlooks the Croatian city Karlovac. Its square tower was probably built during the 13th century. In the 15th century, the castle was rebuilt in Renaissance style. The castle had various owners—from Slavonian nobleman family Sudar to famous Croatian counts and dukes Frankopan and Zrinski. From 1671 until 1809, the Dubovac was owned by the Karlovac generals. In 1837, a new owner, Count Laval Nugent, rebuilt the castle in the spirit of romanticism. Dubovac was once again renovated in 1952 in relation to graphics from the end of the 18th century. The castle was used for several years recently as a hotel, and the damage done to the interior to accommodate rooms is now being repaired. There are museum exhibits and a large model of the countryside. Guide materials indicate that the fortress was built on a hill constructed by the people in order to maximize defenses and views of the surrounding areas.
Karlovacko, the Beer Capital
There is no doubting the city's most famous product, one which is sold all over Croatia, as well as internationally. Karlovacko beer is one of the top brands in Croatia. Now owned by Heineken, it will not be long before you notice the Karlovacko presence in the town.
And there is no better time to visit and sample the beer than during the Karlovac Beer Festival
Rivers and Beaches
We may be some way from the Adriatic, but that does not mean you have to travel far to the beach in Karlovac. Karlovac, the town on four rivers, boasts the first registered river beach in Croatia. It is situated on the Korana bank. The Foginovo beach, as the historic heritage of the citizens, has been engraved in the town's very fabric, and its future matrix, just like a genetic code. And there are plenty of other places to jump in to cool off in the hot summer months.
Parks
Karlovac is an incredibly green city, and it will not be long before you find yourself in a park. Indeed, as this official tourist board promo video states, Discover Karlovac, a town within a park:
"The first parks in Karlovac were planned already during the construction of the fort itself. And that is how it all got started. We haven’t stopped doing this even to this very day, taking care of our parks, avenues, flowers, and lawns. Our parks grow with the town. The town is a part of the park. We have flowers at our windows. Our river beaches are covered in the lush and soft grass."
Advent in Karlovac
In recent years, Karlovac has managed to add a little winter magic in its tourism offer, with Advent in Karlovac. Check out the festive atmosphere from last year's celebrations.
Unlikely Fact about Karlovac - Michael Jackson's 'Earth Song' Partially Filmed in Karlovac.
Everyone remembers MJ right? The video for his single; “Earth Song”, was released in 1995 and was shot in four locations around the globe. It dealt with subjects of environment and animal welfare with scenes of illegal poaching, destruction of the rainforest and war. The war scenes were shot here.
Karlovac was on the frontline in the Homeland War from 1991-95 and was severely damaged as a result. The location used in the video was the suburb of Turanj which was practically levelled over the four years of fighting.
Official Tourist Board and 25 Things to Know about Karlovac
Learn more about the city on the official Karlovac Tourist Board
Looking to get to discover Karlovac in greater detail? Check out TCN's Karlovac, 25 Things to Know about the City on 4 Rivers.
To discover more of virtual Croatia, you can follow this series in our dedicated section, Virtual Croatia.
