The Croatia bag: Croatia like Croatians know it 

Croatia bag

What would happen if tourists could experience Croatia like Croatians do? Often they don’t. They are given the polished and clean version of the Croatian history and cultural heritage.

What would happen if a souvenir gave them a wholesome experience? This was a question asked by two sisters Paska from Croatia. They teamed up with young Croatian designer Sonja Racanović to make a souvenir that would capture the experience of Croatia as we, the insiders, live it every day. Croatia illustration was born out of that collaboration.

What makes this illustration unique is its representation of Croatia as a country rich not only in natural beauty, cultural heritage, long history and warm people, but also filled with absurdities that characterize daily life and which we insiders have learned to laugh about and cherish, but which are hardly ever known to outsiders. 

The idea behind the Croatia bag was to give tourists real experience of Croatia and transmit the wholesome experience of Croatian culture. Such as the incident with towels on Croatian beaches when locals got fed up with tourists “reserving spots” by leaving their towels through the night so they burnt the towels. Or interesting details about Croatian history even Croatians don’t know much about, like what the real meaning of the term “being beaten like ox in a cabbage” is. 

Croatia bag

Or, for example, the average tourist has probably heard about the Republic of Ragusa centered in the City of Dubrovnik from 14th to 19th century and its glory, and the fact that Dalmatian dogs originate from Croatia, but probably doesn’t know that Dalmatian dogs spread around the world because Republic of Ragusa gave them as diplomatic gifts.

The Croatia illustration contains many such picturesque and interesting details about Croatian everyday life or historical or natural peculiarities. 

Croatia bag 

As an original design from Croatia it is protected by an industrial design and also accompanied by a mini brochure in English with an explanation of each little detail in the picture, with the aim of helping foreigners to carry the wholesome experience of Croatia back home.

This makes the bag a perfect souvenir-gift, since a person receiving the gift back home can experience Croatia like the Croatians do. Croatia bags are currently available at the Croatian Memory Shop in Vlaška 25 in Zagreb or through their Facebook page HERE.