About Karlovac
Population - 46,833
The Austrians built Karlovac from scratch in 1579 in order to strengthen their southern defenses against Ottoman encroaches. The first church was built in the central square in 1580, but all of the city buildings burned down in the fire of 1594. The forces of the Ottoman Empire laid siege to Karlovac seven times, the last time in 1672, but failed to occupy it. The plague epidemic of 1773 also afflicted the city, killing almost half the population of the time. Karlovac suffered damage during the Croatian War of Independence. The southern sections of the city found themselves close to the front lines between the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Serbian Krajina.
WHOThe famous sibling explorers, Mirko and Stjepan Seljan, were born and raised in Karlovac. They were most famous for defining the border between Ethiopia and Kenya. Menelik II, the Emperor of Ethiopia, provided them with an escort of 300 people to continue their expedition to the south. Mirko was appointed governor of the southern province of Ethiopia with his brother Stjepan as his lieutenant-governor. They spent three years, bringing the tribes under the unified government of Menelik II. Their expedition and military camps near Lake Turkana (Lake Rudolf) were named Seljanville and still appear on maps today. WHENAnytime of the year Karlovac is waiting for you. WHERE Karlovac has beautiful places to visit, check the attraction list on our website WHATThe most famous gastro item of this region is the Lika potato, which has a Protected Geographical Indication (PDI). If you want to try a proper Lika menu try traditional Lika baked potatoes with lamb cooked under the embers in an iron bell. There is also the highly valued Velebit honey.
