Do you know what kind of dangers can be found under the level of the Adriatic sea? Or what kind of the seashells you should definitely look out for while enjoying your summer at the seaside of Croatia? Well, all the answers may be found in one place, more precisely, in the extraordinary seashell museum, Gloria Maris, situated in the old town of Osijek.
The whole exhibition was collected during the last 50 years and contains rare fossils, freshwater shells from the region Slavonia, shells from the Adriatic sea, and shells from all around the world. During our last visit, we focused on the sea life of the Adriatic sea. The magic of this unique museum is hidden behind the stories of each piece told by the intriguing storytellers, Vladimir Filipovič and Mandica Stjepanovič.
Dangers of the Adriatic sea
According to Vladimir and Mandica, the Adriatic sea is one of the cleanest and less dangerous seas in the world. Nevertheless, you should still be cautious while swimming in it. There are 4 poisonous species of sea spiders living within these shores, and if you get hurt by one of these creatures, the first aid is to clean the wound with hot water or burn it with a lighter. There is also the most dangerous animal in the Adriatic sea which is the sea hedgehog. Don’t worry though, we got the recommendation for the cure of this dangerous animal as well. According to our wonderful hosts, you should wrap the wound with a slice of tomato so its juice will hasten the healing.
Seafood
As for seasfood, here is the list of 5 seashells that can be eaten in Croatia:
1. Mussel
2. Oyster
3. Scallop
4. Warty Venus
5. Noah’s Arc Shell
The second one, Oyster, is the most expensive one and is known as an aphrodisiac. It is said that these shells are very attractive to Italian tourists, who eat a lot of them during their time in Croatia. Moreover, the oyster was also considered as the holy seafood by Honore de Balzac. So, maybe next time, you know what to try. ;)
Aside from those sea creatures, there is also a huge variety of seashells in the Adriatic sea from the rare ones like the Golden Mitra to more common ones. Some of them are living in the sand, some of them in the rocks. Some of them were used already by ancient Phoenicians as the sea snails Murexes for production of purple fabric that was later used as a luxurious symbol. For example, the leather of the book covers in the manors and palaces as well as in the Palace of Versailles. Some of them are protected, some are not.
So, overall, what did we get from this day in the seashell museum? Aside from smiley faces, bellies full of salty and sweet goodies as well a lot of knowledge about the wonderful sea world, we also got the feeling that we should be respectful to this unbelievable underwater world. We realized that we need to protect it as much as possible for the future generations so that they may be able to enjoy its beauty too.
Information about museum: http://www.gloria-maris.hr/index.php/kontakt
