The Hundertwasserhaus in Vienna

The Hundertwasserhaus in Vienna was built after the idea and concept of Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser with architect Joseph Krawina. In my opinion this is after palace Schobrunn landmark of Vienna and a must-see when you visit this city. 
Hundertwasser was a painter who developed an interest for architecture. He expressed his concerns regarding an architecture in harmony with nature and man. In 1983 Hundertwasser was invited to create an apartment building according to his own ideas. Hundertwasser  wasn't an architect so Josef Krawina was invited to join and to help him to put his ideas into practice.

He was fascinated by spirals, and called straight lines “godless and immoral” and “something cowardly drawn with a rule, without thought or feeling”.
It features undulating floors, a roof covered with earth and grass, and large trees growing from inside the rooms, with limbs extending from windows. Hundertwasser took no payment for the design of the house, declaring that it was worth it, to prevent something ugly from going up in its place.
Within the house there are 52 apartments, four offices, 16 private terraces and three communal terraces, and a total of 250 trees and bushes.
The Hundertwasser House is one of Vienna’s most visited buildings and has become part of Austria’s cultural heritage.

The Kiss in Vienna

My favourite painting is the Kiss from Gustav Klimt. I was reading books about his life; researching and finally I have visited Vienna to see his pictures. Klimt’s paintings are held in the museum Belvedere in Vienna. There are twenty-four works oil paintings, including two masterpieces from his Golden Period, Kiss (Lovers) and Judith, major portraits (Sonja Knips, Fritza Riedler, and Johanna Staude etc.); also there are landscapes and allegorical depictions. The collection also includes one of Klimt’s sketchbooks and his monumental Beethoven Frieze at the Wien Secession. 

I’m embarrassed but I had to write that when we came to Vienna I didn’t know how that palace looks like. I have not even googled it, I just knew the museum’s name is Belvedere because I read about it in some books about Klimt. Firstly I was exhilarated with the beautiful baroque Belvedere building, and gardens, fountains, sculptures, because I didn’t know what to expect.  The palace was built between 1712 and 1717, for Prince Eugene of Savoy who was the part of the ruling dynasty during a period of economic success for Vienna and Austria, particularly after Prince Eugene won a series of wars against the Ottoman Empire.

I asked the tourist guide about the visiting and he told me that we will visit the museum with the group. But when we came there nobody was interested to go inside the museum because the second option was to go shopping in the city centre. I was terrified, I came so close to the Kiss and I won’t see it! So I told our guide that I am going inside and after that I will found with the group in the city centre.

I bought a ticket in a small house next to the museum; for adults it was around 10 EUR, but if you are under 19 years it’s free.

I found out that this museum was Klimt and other Austrian artists’s idea. They wanted a place for Austrian art, where they can present their works in an international context. The Belvedere’s curatorial work and exhibitions are based on this premise to this day. I can say that Klimt would be proud today. I easily found The Kiss, because it has a central position in the room, and there were the biggest crowd and, yes, it is even more beautiful than in the books and so on.

But there is not just The Kiss, there were the most expensive Klimt’s paintings and according to some others, the most expensive painting in the world - Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I. There is a long and justice story connected with that painting.

This picture was painted in Vienna for Adele's husband Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer. As a wealthy industrialist who had made his fortune in the sugar industry, he sponsored the arts and also supported Gustav Klimt.  

But when Nazi Germany annexed Austria, most of the Klimt’s paintings, including it, were stolen. Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer died a few years after that in Zurich, and in his testament, he designated his nephew and nieces, including Maria Altmann, as the heirs of his estate.

Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer was held in Belvedere since the Second World War and his true owner was in U.S.A. Then in 2000, Maria Altmann sued Austria in the US court for ownership of Adele Bloch-Bauer I and other paintings from her uncle's collection. The problem was the point in the testament of Adele Bloch-Bauer, that wish was that pictures stay in the gallery. The final decision was in 2006 and Maria Altmann was the rightful owner of this and four other paintings by Klimt. She sold this painting for US$135 million to Ronald Lauder. So today we need to go to New York City in the Neue Galery to see Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer.

I watched the movie about this story and I am happy to recommend watching this movie about this true story, which name is “Woman in gold”.

If you are in Vienna I recommend visiting another beautiful palace – Schönbrunn.

Krka National Park - Burnum

Near the Krka National park is a Roman Legionary camp and town - Burnum. The remains include the amphitheatrer and the aqueduct.

The camp was erected at the turn of the new era at a strategically important position from which the Romans could control the crossing over the Krka river, called Titius in Roman time. 
It is located 2.5 km north from Kistanje, and 3.5 km from my grandpa's house.
When my dad was young, he and other children from the village found some artefacts, like old coins. I saw in the field old stone sewerage. I remember when I was 12 years old I went to the field on the hill and I was watching  how they excavatied. Today, former field on the hill became small amphitheater. But only two of the original five arches have been preserved.

Burnum became during Hadian's era a municipium and the population grew around the camp.

Visitors today can see the arches of the headquarters of the camp and the only military amphitheatre in Croatia.  Weapons, tools and objects of everyday use belonging to soldiers and civilian inhabitants are on display in the new Burnum museum.

Krka National park - Bilusica Buk

Bilusica Buk is the first in the series of seven waterfalls on the Krka River. This waterfall is located in the canyon just 9 km downstream of Knin and it's like 10 minutes drive from my house.

The waterfall can be reached via the road Kistanje – Knin on the right bank, or the road Drniš – Oklaj from the Promina side. From the edge of the canyon, a trail runs 300 m towards the fall, and just after a dense grove of willows, the view opens onto Bilušića buk.
Considering the fact that the entire flow of the Krka River flows over it all year round, it can be heard much sooner than it can be seen. Of the many mills and columns that were once found here, today only two mills and one washing columns remain at the fall, and the fall is surrounded by small fields where the locals grow vegetables. Today mills transformed into touristic objects.

Krka National Park - Manojlovic Slap

This waterfalls is half a kilometre downstream from Brljan, where the river makes a sharp turn, Manojlovac slap emerges. This waterfall is the largest and is considered by many to be the most beautiful waterfall of the Krka River.    

The waterfall is made up of a series of travertine barriers with a total height of 59.6 m; the largest barrier is 32.2 m high. The cascades are approximately 500 m in length, with a width of around 80 m. Travertine formations on the waterfall are most represented by beard-like tufts and small caves.
The canyon surrounding the waterfall is overgrown with sub-Mediterranean vegetation, and along the river's current there are small fields and pastures. At the foot of the waterfall are the ruins of abandoned mills that can be seen.

This waterfall during the warm season is dried out due to the redirection of water to supply the nearby Miljacka hydroelectric plant. In periods of high water, the waterfall crashes into the deep water with a deafening roar, surrounded by a veil of scattered rainbow coloured drops of water. 

The most beautiful view of the waterfall is from the rim of the canyon on the Bukovac side, several hundred metres from the archaeological site of Burnum, on the road Knin-Kistanje. From the Promina side to Burnum, you can arrive via the road Drniš-Oklaj that is connected to the road Knin-Kistanje. There are no maintained walking trails along the cascades, which gives it an additional mystical and innocent beauty.

Krka National Park

My favourite place probably in the world is Krka National Park in Croatia. It includes monastery Krka. I am not sure if this is my favourite place because this monastery and the National Park are near the place where I was born so I am compassionate, or it is because every time I go there, I am more amazed with extraordinary nature and peace that I found around the monastery complex, especially before when this area wasn't popular tourist destination.I met some tourists from abroad in the national park and they stayed in Zadar or Šibenik. These two cities are excellent places to stay, because they are less than 60 minutes by car from the park. If you like nature I would suggest, however, to stay as close to the park as possible. 

This National Park is one of Croatia eight national parks. It includes fantastic waterfalls and scenic pathways, also the Roman ruins at Burnum, and a Franciscan Monastery at Visovac Island.
Krka was the site of the first hydroelectric power station using alternate current in Croatia. Krka opened in 1895, just two days after Niagara Falls’ hydroelectic plant began operations. 

I got a chance to explore the Skradinski Buk, Bilusica Buk and Manojlovic Buk waterfall and the neighboring forested area. I always visit monastery Krka, because I found there peace and recover my energy.
In my opinion the problem are dozens of buses parked in the season. That is very good for economy of country, but not for the nature, because before tourism, local people  worked in the fields near the river and now it's not possible.

Naum of Ohrid

Our hostel owner suggested us to see more of the region and take the boat trip to St.Naum during the holiday. That kind of boat trip to St. Naum is one of the most popular activities in Ohrid. There are various ways you can get to St. Naum from Ohrid, either by bus, boat or of course taxi. Boats depart from the port at 10:00 and 11:00 (€10, return), and it will take you an hour and a half to be there. On a sunny day, the boat ride itself is quite enjoyable. There's also a bus that travels from Ohrid to St. Naum, taking two hours each way, but in my opinion boat is better option.

When we arrived first I saw several peacock in the yard, so the first impression was excellent.

St Naum is very similar in style to Sveti Jovan, but the inside of the monastery was spectacular. Every part of the walls are covered with frescos.

St Naum is near to one of the most beautiful beaches on Lake Ohrid, I heard that local peope call that beach "Trpejica".

 The monastery was established in the Bulgarian Empire in 905 by St Naum of Ohrid himself. St Naum is also buried in the church.

Since the 16th century, a Greek school had functioned in the monastery. The area where the monastery of St Naum lies belonged to Albania for a short period from 1912 until June 28, 1925, when as a result of negotiations between Albania and Yugoslavia and as a gesture of goodwill the monastery was returned to Yugoslavia.