On Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day, Net.hr asked foreign tourists on Split's Riva what they know about Croatian history. Answers ranged from detailed knowledge to complete ignorance.
As Croatian flags flew along Split's Riva on August 5, 2026, marking Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and the Day of Croatian Defenders, many foreign tourists could not help but notice the festive atmosphere. But do they know what Croatia is actually celebrating? Net.hr reporters sought answers among visitors, revealing a fascinating range of knowledge and perceptions about the Homeland War and Operation Storm.
Some tourists showed surprisingly good knowledge of Croatian history. Hachem from Tunisia immediately identified what it was about: "It's a national holiday, representing victory." His interest in the region, he says, was sparked by sports. "My favorite tennis player is Novak Djokovic, so I started learning about the history of Yugoslavia and the war by watching his biography and his life, when NATO bombed Serbia. Then I also met people from the Balkans at work, so I had the chance to discuss it with them," he recounted.
Camille from France knew exactly which event it was and recalled her own memories from that time. "The liberation of Croatia in 1995. I remember it. The end of the war was celebrated, and everyone was rejoicing," she said. Her memories of media coverage of the war in Croatia are vivid. "It was shown on TV every day, for a long time. All the French were upset and not silent. Because it was happening in Europe. All the French were afraid. Something like today with the war in Ukraine. A similar emotion," she added.
Some tourists have only fragmentary knowledge of the Homeland War. Allister from England admitted he had heard something about it, but not much. Asked whether it was discussed in British media, he replied: "It was on TV, but not too much."
Daniel and Nisrine from Morocco informed themselves before arriving, but admitted they lacked temporal context: "In school, but we didn't know the war was so recent until we looked it up online."
Younger generations often draw information about history outside the traditional education system. Alex from France, when asked where he got his knowledge of Croatian history, replied briefly: "From social media." When asked if he learned more there than in school, he confirmed: "Yes."
There were also those who know almost nothing about Croatia or its recent history, nor are they particularly interested. Teun from the Netherlands honestly admitted: "I don't know much about Croatia." When asked what attracted him to come, he gave a simple answer: "Alcohol. Partying with friends."
Ivica Petrušić, a Croatian who has lived in the United States for 25 years, is not surprised by the varying levels of knowledge. He believes Croatia is still relatively unknown globally. "We're too small a country for people to know much about us. I don't believe, say, that 80 percent of Americans know the capital of Croatia or something like that. They know us mostly through football," he concluded.
His observation about sports as the main source of recognition aligns with Hachem from Tunisia's experience, confirming that sporting achievements and stars are often the first, and sometimes only, point of contact foreigners have with Croatian and regional history.
