Brijuni Archipelago - Croatia
National Park Brijuni (Brijuni) or in Italian Brioni (Brioni) is an archipelago consisting of 14 islands. It is rightfully ranked among the most beautiful national parks in Croatia and is considered one of the most important and most significant sights of the country.
A well-known legend is connected with the origin of this magical corner of the world. Once upon a time, God set out to create a semblance of Paradise on Earth so that every mortal could see unearthly beauty in reality and know happiness from its contemplation. This is how Istria came into being: like a garden of Eden, covered with magnificent forests and endless meadows, surrounded on all sides by deep blue sea waters. But the evil devil decided to destroy the Creator's work. He tore open the canvas bag in which the angel carried the stones unused in the creation of the earthly Paradise. At the same moment, thousands of rocks scattered over the land of Istria, turning it from a heavenly abode into a land of contrasts: refined and rough at the same time; fertile, but deserted and barren in places; sunny, but sometimes cloudy and rainy. Then the saddened angels decided to collect the particles of Paradise that had been preserved among the rocks scattered over the lands of Istria and hide them from evil eyes among the waves of the sea. This is how the Brijuni archipelago appeared - one of the few truly heavenly places on Earth.
In fact, the islands are a continuation of the western part of the peninsula, the so-called "Red Istria". Scientists suggest that about 10.000 years ago the islands were an integral part of Istria.
The climate of the islands practically does not differ from the rest of the western coast of Istria with its temperate Mediterranean type. The abundance of sun and warm days, as well as high humidity contributes to the growth of rich vegetation. The average air temperature in winter is +6.3°C, in spring +12.2°C, in summer +22.2°C and in autumn +14.8°C. The sea temperature in summer is from +22 to +25°C.
This guarantees an extremely pleasant stay on the islands all year round, but it is especially pleasant here in the summer. Not without reason, during the Roman Empire, the Brijuni archipelago was a famous resort and was visited by the Roman nobility. The attractiveness of the islands is also evidenced by the fact that the German king William II rested here six times! And the Yugoslav leader, Marshal Josip Broz Tito, founded a summer residence here and spent half of every year of his life in this magical corner.
