The Brijuni Islands are an archipelago group of fourteen small islands in the Croatian part of the northern Adriatic Sea. Separated from the west coast of the Istrian peninsula by the narrow Fažana Strait, lies the largest island, Veliki Brijuni, 2 kilometers off the coast.
Like most islands of the Brijuni archipelago, Veliki Brijuni has been settled since prehistoric times, with the earliest traces going back to 3000 BC (early Bronze Age). The Illyrians lived on the islands from around 1500 BC until Roman conquest in 177 BC, and their remnants of five Illyrian fortified hill forts were discovered here.
The most important Roman site on the island is at Verige Bay, where the ruins of a 1st century villa rustica, a luxurious summer residence, can still be seen. After the fall of the Roman Empire in 476, the whole area came under Ostrogoth control, and during the Gothic War in the 6th century the islands were taken over by the Byzantine Empire. In 1331 the Republic of Venice and its aristocratic families ruled the Island.
Veliki Brijuni has certainly carved out a place in history. It is a known fact that after World War II, the island was turned into Josip Broz Tito‘s luxurious summer residence. Tito used the island from June 1947 to August 1979 for entertaining a great number of foreign ministers, dignitaries and heads of state. Since 1984 a permanent exhibition titled Josip Broz Tito at the Brijuni is housed on the island, where visitors can see a gallery of pictures documenting famous visitors and heads of state from 60 different countries, entertained on the Island. Other notable guests who visited during that period include Gamal Abdel Nasser, Jawaharlal Nehru, Eleanor Roosevelt, actress Sophia Loren and the novelist James Joyce.
In 1978 a safari park was created on the northern part of the island, covering an area of 9 hectares. The park is used as home to a number of exotic animals, most of which were brought to Tito as gifts. These include Nilgai antelopes (given by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1959), the Kob antelope, Somali sheep , zebras, Indian Elephants and llamas.
To add another measure of scientific history, rare Dinosaur footprints were unearthed at the National Park in Veliki Brijuni. To illustrate the size of these Mesozoic creatures who left their traces upon the land, a full-scale reconstruction was fashioned by a scientists and artists, with great accuracy. When sailing into the port of Veliki Brijuni and leaving the boat, it is possible to see the three-toed print in the limestone block, probably left by large theropod carnivores!
For those of you who travel with host Nada Cory on any of the “Croatia and Beyond” excursions, expect a visit to amazing Veliki Brijuni, as we journey from the mainland by boat for a memorable day. Adventure, cool breezes, time for a lovely meal, and wonderous sights to behold, awaits us for the day!