Arboretum of indigenous medicinal, aromatic and seasoning herbs in Istria

The objectives of the project:

• Creating a unique Istrian and Croatian brand
• Permanent education of the population
• Enriching the Croatian tourist offer
• Building the reputation of Croatia in the world
• Opening the market for small manufacturers of original Istrian traditional products through the unique and strong brand "Aromatica"

• Starting a series of economic activities in Istria related to the activities in the Histria Aromatica arboretum
• Offering this model to other tourist resorts once the project Histria Aromatica starts operating and it proves economically justifiable

The summary of the project "HISTRIA AROMATICA"

An arboretum of indigenous, medicinal, aromatic and seasonal herbs will be built on a particularly attractive site of size between 60.000 m² too 120.000 m² It will not depend on outside funding but will be maintained through its own resources. With minimal interventions in the environment, it will improve and preserve a neglected area. Along with various plant species (deciduous and coniferous forests and a meadow) there will be gardens and plantations of size ranging fr 1 too 5000 m² with medicinal, aromatic and seasoning herbs.

Respecting the lie of the land and the diversity of around 200 plant species, promenades, and pathways with benches and other amenities will be built so that visitors can enjoy observing both many different plant species and the views of the sea and the islands. Along the possibly existing drystone walls in the same style (stone and live fence - Istrian forest), a line of stone cottages will be built on the edges of the arboretum. These cottages will be used for presentations of philosophy and contents of the "Histria Aromatica" arboretum. All the contents and offers will be made weekly throughout the year, as for example "the lavender week", "grandma's soaps week" or "the phytotherapy and aromatherapy week" and so on. All the methods and technologies will be presented as manufacture exhibits, based on the tradition and old galenic recipes of Croatian pharmacology and craftsmanship. This will contribute to the recognition and reputation of Croatia in the world.

Some facts the suggestion project is based on:

• Croatia has a very rich flora that is minimally polluted in comparison to other countries
• The flora of Istria itself has more than 1500 plant species

• Some plant species are unique and can be found only in Croatia, which has throughout history helped to promote Croatia in the world (Dalmatian sage and pyrethrum). Unfortunately, the economic potential of these species has been neglected until present
• Croatia has a long tradition of collecting, growing and processing medicinal herbs, which is why some of the first pharmacies were founded in Croatia (Zadar, Dubrovnik already in 1317)
• Herbal based preparations have long been known as medically beneficial substances, which has been extensively documented throughout the history
• The world movement of the return to nature, as well as a strong ecological awareness raising among people, results in an increase of using herbal based preparations

Since the company "Bioaromatica" has fully established the brand name Aromatica through its continual development during the past 12 years, it is considered to be the only one in this region that is ready to live up to such a demanding project.