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== While Visiting the Croatia coast (Dalmatia)==

== While Visiting the Croatia Coast==

While visiting the '''Croatia''' coast (Dalmatia) of the Adriatic Sea, western journalists usually admire her ancient towns. They notice almost everywhere that the regional architecture is “heavily influenced” by a “Venetian” flavour. Years ago, a famous chef posing in front of a XVI century Dalmatian building for a documentary, claimed that its architecture was “quintessentially Croatian“. In the past, certain Western writers were almost convinced (and disgusted) that Croatians “imitated” Venetian and Italian Renaissance architecture in building Dalmatian towns. Today, Croatian and international tourist guides are presenting the rich artistic patrimony of Dalmatian coastal towns as essentially “Croatian” or “a reflection of Croatia‘s history“. They almost never mention the autochthonous Italians (about 80.000 in 1800s) who lived there since Roman times and who built those architectural jewels before disappearing in modern times. Where did they go? Almost all of them became refugees. They were the victims of the first ethnic cleansing documented in the Balkans.  

While visiting the '''Croatia''' coast (Dalmatia) of the Adriatic Sea, western journalists usually admire her ancient towns. They notice almost everywhere that the regional architecture is “heavily influenced” by a “Venetian” flavour. Years ago, a famous chef posing in front of a XVI century Dalmatian building for a documentary, claimed that its architecture was “quintessentially Croatian“. In the past, certain Western writers were almost convinced (and disgusted) that Croatians “imitated” Venetian and Italian Renaissance architecture in building Dalmatian towns. Today, Croatian and international tourist guides are presenting the rich artistic patrimony of Dalmatian coastal towns as essentially “Croatian” or “a reflection of Croatia‘s history“. They almost never mention the autochthonous Italians (about 80.000 in 1800s) who lived there since Roman times and who built those architectural jewels before disappearing in modern times. Where did they go? Almost all of them became refugees. They were the victims of the first ethnic cleansing documented in the Balkans.  

===Yugoslav Communists===

===Yugoslav Communists===

The winning [[Communists|Communist]] movement embraced the Croatian’s irredentist cause and included it in its war strategy and national political platform. The consequence was the violent expulsion of  Italian<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=RWZLZaxPUXQC&pg=PA17&dq=Communist+Retaliation+and+Persecution+on+Yugoslav+Territory+During+and+After+germans&lr=lang_en&cd=1#v=onepage&q&f=true Retaliation and Persecution on Yugoslav Territory During and After WWII Dr. Ph. Michael Portmann] -The following article deals with repressive measures undertaken by communist-dominated Partisan forces during and especially after WWII in order to take revenge on former enemies, to punish collaborators, and “people’s enemies“ and to decimate and eliminate the potential of opponents to a new, socialist Yugoslavia. The text represents a summary of a master thesis referring to the above-mentioned topic written and accepted at '''Vienna University''' in 2002.</ref><ref>[http://books.google.be/books?id=hhD0R8DBr_UC&pg=PA89&vq=trieste&dq=%22In+Opicina,+after+a+bomb&source=gbs_search_s&cad=0 A Tragedy Revealed''] The Story of the Italian Population of Istria & Dalmatia by Arrigo Petacco & Konrad Eisenbichler. Page 89</ref> speaking autochthonous inhabitants from the entire Eastern Adriatic coastline - from the southern Dalmatia to the Istrian peninsula - and the consequential erasing of two millennia of a very rich civilisation. Ethnic cleansing had happened in many parts of Europe in both old and modern times, so the demographic and cultural extirpation of Italian presence in Dalmatia, the Quarnero region and Istria is not really a new phenomena. But this slow, brutal and in 1945/46 also military operation<ref>[http://www.mp.gov.si/fileadmin/mp.gov.si/pageuploads/2005/PDF/publikacije/Crimes_committed_by_Totalitarian_Regimes.pdf European Public Hearing on “Crimes Committed by Totalitarian Regimes"] Reports and proceedings of the 8 April European public hearing on “Crimes committed  

The winning [[Communists|Communist]] movement embraced the Croatian’s irredentist cause and included it in its war strategy and national political platform. The consequence was the violent expulsion of  Italian<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=RWZLZaxPUXQC&pg=PA17&dq=Communist+Retaliation+and+Persecution+on+Yugoslav+Territory+During+and+After+germans&lr=lang_en&cd=1#v=onepage&q&f=true Retaliation and Persecution on Yugoslav Territory During and After WWII Dr. Ph. Michael Portmann] -The following article deals with repressive measures undertaken by communist-dominated Partisan forces during and especially after [[World War Two]] in order to take revenge on former enemies, to punish collaborators, and “people’s enemies“ and to decimate and eliminate the potential of opponents to a new, socialist Yugoslavia. The text represents a summary of a master thesis referring to the above-mentioned topic written and accepted at '''Vienna University''' in 2002.</ref><ref>[http://books.google.be/books?id=hhD0R8DBr_UC&pg=PA89&vq=trieste&dq=%22In+Opicina,+after+a+bomb&source=gbs_search_s&cad=0 A Tragedy Revealed''] The Story of the Italian Population of Istria & Dalmatia by Arrigo Petacco & Konrad Eisenbichler. Page 89</ref> speaking autochthonous inhabitants from the entire Eastern Adriatic coastline - from the southern Dalmatia to the Istrian peninsula - and the consequential erasing of two millennia of a very rich civilisation. Ethnic cleansing had happened in many parts of Europe in both old and modern times, so the demographic and cultural extirpation of Italian presence in Dalmatia, the Quarnero region and Istria is not really a new phenomena. But this slow, brutal and in 1945/46 also military operation<ref>[http://www.mp.gov.si/fileadmin/mp.gov.si/pageuploads/2005/PDF/publikacije/Crimes_committed_by_Totalitarian_Regimes.pdf European Public Hearing on “Crimes Committed by Totalitarian Regimes"] Reports and proceedings of the 8 April European public hearing on “Crimes committed  

by totalitarian regimes”, organised by the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of  

by totalitarian regimes”, organised by the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of  

the [[European Union]] (January–June 2008) and the European Commission.  

the [[European Union]] (January–June 2008) and the European Commission.  

They also appropriate ''Giovanni da Verrazzano'', the Tuscan explorer who is considered to be the first European to have discovered the bay of New York, in 1524 (decades before Henry Hudson). For this primacy his name was given to the spectacular modern bridge that connects Brooklyn with Staten Island. But now Verrazzano is proclaimed “Croat”. Why? Because while exploring the Eastern Atlantic coast going North, he used to give some Dalmatian names to certain territories and islands he discovered during his voyage. So Verrazzano becomes “Vranjanin or Vrancic”.  

They also appropriate ''Giovanni da Verrazzano'', the Tuscan explorer who is considered to be the first European to have discovered the bay of New York, in 1524 (decades before Henry Hudson). For this primacy his name was given to the spectacular modern bridge that connects Brooklyn with Staten Island. But now Verrazzano is proclaimed “Croat”. Why? Because while exploring the Eastern Atlantic coast going North, he used to give some Dalmatian names to certain territories and islands he discovered during his voyage. So Verrazzano becomes “Vranjanin or Vrancic”.  

The same destiny is reserved to an Austrian composer, '''Franz Joseph Haydn''',<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Haydn's_ethnicity Joseph Haydn's ethnicity]</ref> only because he was born (in 1723) in an Austrian region inhabited by a community of Croatian origins who settled there in VII century A.D. during barbarian invasions of Europe. Certain Croatian nationalistic historiographers are busy creating for their country the desolating fake image of a civilized and highly spiritual nation, using the heritage of a civilisation the country eradicated in the first historically documented, but still unknown, Balkan ethnic cleansing.  

The same destiny is reserved to an Austrian composer, '''Franz Joseph Haydn''',<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Haydn's_ethnicity Wikipedia: Joseph Haydn's ethnicity]</ref> only because he was born (in 1723) in an Austrian region inhabited by a community of Croatian origins who settled there in VII century A.D. during barbarian invasions of Europe. Certain Croatian nationalistic historiographers are busy creating for their country the desolating fake image of a civilized and highly spiritual nation, using the heritage of a civilisation the country eradicated in the first historically documented, but still unknown, Balkan ethnic cleansing.  

Today nobody is noticing and condemning this threatening phenomena. These charlatans with a master degree are doing a tremendous disservice first of all to their own country. They are also dangerous. In a region in the past tremendously violent and today with so many unsolved problems, this kind of piracy is very ominous and should be stopped.  

Today nobody is noticing and condemning this threatening phenomena. These charlatans with a master degree are doing a tremendous disservice first of all to their own country. They are also dangerous. In a region in the past tremendously violent and today with so many unsolved problems, this kind of piracy is very ominous and should be stopped.  

*Preceding unsigned comment added  on Wikipedia ''by'' ''IP 200.112.16.153'' (28 December 2009)

*Preceding unsigned comment added  on Wikipedia's Talk-pages ''by'' ''IP 200.112.16.153'' (28 December 2009)

*Comment edited by Peter Zuvela.

*Comment edited by Peter Zuvela.

== References ==

== References ==

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