1/ Anthem of Croatia

History of the national anthem

 1835: Antun Mihanović, a notable Croatian poet and lyricist wrote the
original lyrics published under the title Horvatska domovina (Croatian
homeland).
 1846: Josip Runjanin, Croatian composer, composed the music
for Horvatska domovina and adapted the music for a military orchestra.
 1861: Vatroslav Lichtenegger, a singing teacher and organist of the Zagreb
Cathedral, recorded and harmonized the song for a male choir. The song has
since been played as the Croatian anthem.

The official anthem

The official anthem of Croatia was adopted by parliament on February 29,
1972. The anthem was confirmed by the constitutions of 1974 and 1990 and by
the Coat of Arms, the Flag and the National Anthem of the Republic of Croatia
Act.

The original song included 14 verses, but now only verses 1, 2, 13 and 14 are
used.

The most viewed performance is by Mia Negovetić (winner of Zvjezdice (Little

stars) Croatian music talent show for children) and ‘klapa Sv. Juraj’ (Dalmatian
traditional choir), which you may view below. The official national anthem is
usually performed by a male choir, which you can listen to here.

2/ One of Croatia's most famous monuments is Diocletian's

Palace. Where is it?
Diocletian's Palace is in Split where its walls form the walls of the old town.
Diocletian retired here after his notorious rule as Roman emperor,
persecuting many early Christians. One of the refugees from his rule,
Marinus the Dalmatian, went on to found San Marino in Italy. The city of
Pula has a stunning Roman amphitheatre.

3/ Who was Croatia's first President after independence?

Franjo Tudjman was the first President after independence. A former
communist politician and historian, he became a dissident and helped lead
Croatia to independence. His government was criticised for its strong
nationalism and centralised control, and Tudjman's party lost power after
his death in December 1999. Ivica Racan is the current Prime Minister, and
Stipe Mesic is the current President of Croatia. Zlatko Tomcic is the
speaker of the Croatian Parliament.