10 world records you didn’t know Croatia holds 

Croatian flag becomes world’s largest flag ever to fly on a jet ski  (Photo credit: Jason Kovac)

Croatia has a treasure trove of remarkable achievements that have secured its place in the Guinness Book of World Records. 

We uncover just 10 world records owned by Croatia which you may not know.  

1. Longest Strudel

The old record for the longest line of strudels was 1,479.38 m (4,853 ft 7 in)  achieved by The Green Heart of Croatia (Croatia), in Jaškovo, Croatia, on 6 September 2015. Croatian bakers ‘Mlin i pekare’ in Sisak, which is southeast of the Croatian capital Zagreb, broke that record in June when they made an apple strudel which measured 1,762,45 metres in Sisak.

Record apple strudel (Photo: Nikola Cutuk/PIXSELL)

2. Fastest speed in reverse

Rimac Nevera from Croatia officially holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest speed in reverse.  The Nevera was driven to a top speed of 171.34mph (275.74km/h) in reverse at the Automotive Testing Papenburg facility in Germany. 

(Photo: Rimac Group)

3. Largest flag flown on a personal watercraft

On the picturesque waters of Saint-Adolphe-d’Howard in Quebec, Canada, Jason Kovac, Gabriel Quesnel, Dominic Scotti, Jeremie Pozywiak, and Alexandre Portugais claimed the world record for the largest flag flown on a personal watercraft (PWC).

Croatian flag becomes world’s largest flag ever to fly on a jet ski  (Photo credit: Jason Kovac)

The record-breaking Croatian flag, a symbol of national pride, measured an impressive 39.73 square meters (427.75 square feet). The flag wasn’t just waved on any ordinary flagpole—it was hoisted on a giant flagpole attached to the back of a jet ski.

(Photo credit:Isabella Kara and Jason Kovac)

4. Largest Slanina

The new record slanina (pancetta) weighed 194 kg was made by a team of four friends from Valpovo in Slavonia. The slanina was presented at the spring festival in Karanac in April 2019 at the ‘Spring vasar’ in Karanac.

According to Guinness World Records, the largest slanina (pancetta) in the world was previously 150.5 kg, It was made in Italy and presented at the town’s Old Saviours Day Festival in 2002.

(Photo credit: Davor Javorovic/PIXSELL)

5. Longest Neck Tie

A necktie measuring 808 m (2,650 ft) was made by members of the Academia Cravatica organisation. It took five days to complete and was tied around the arena in Pula, Croatia on 18 October 2003. Widest part – 25m. Narrowest part – 8m.

6. Longest Sarma

In September 2018 at the Zeljarijada festival in Vidovec in the northern Croatian Varaždin County the record for the longest sarma was set when a gigantic 1,333-metre sarma was made.

Among other bits and pieces, there were 1,200 cabbage heads (22,000 leaves) to be exact, over 300 kilograms of boneless beef, 410 kilograms of boneless pork, 75 kilograms of dried sausages and 105 kilograms of rice.

World’s longest sarma presented in Vidovec (Photo: Vjeran Zganec Rogulja/PIXSELL)

7. Pushing a Car the Furtherest in 24 hours 

In April 2019 in Zagreb, Tomislav Lubenjak broke the Guinness World Record for pushing a car the furtherest in 24 hours by an individual. He pushed a smart car and driver 106,938 km. In the process he also broke the world record for pushing a car by two people which was 95.07 km, set by Macedonians Aleksandar Chekorov and Alexsandar Smilkov.

Tomislav during his world record push (Photo: Press)

8. First own goal scored in a FIFA World Cup final

The first own goal scored in a FIFA World Cup final was scored by Croatia’s striker Mario Mandžukić during the Croatia vs France final Russia in the World Cup Final in 2018.

Mandžukić, who also scored for his side in the match, made it 1-0 to France when his header defending a free-kick went into the back of the net. 

Mario Mandzukic in the final against France (Photo: Антон Зайцев/Soccer.ru/CC)

9. Largest sailing ship

The Golden Horizon, constructed by Croatian shipyard Brodosplit in Split, is a colossal five-mast barque weighing 8,770 tons, and holds the title of the world’s largest sailing vessel. 

It measures 162.22 by 18.6 meters and is equipped with two diesel-electric engines, enabling it to cruise at 16 knots (29.63 km/h or 18.41 mph). With 36 sails spanning 26,000 square feet, the ship accommodates 272 passengers and operates with a crew of 159. 

(Photo: Brodosplit)

10. Longest Theatrical Run – Same Cast

The record for the longest run of a theatrical play with the same cast is for the play ‘Exercises in Style’ performed by Pero Kvrgic and Lela Margitic and directed by Tomislav Radic (all Croatia) from January 1970 to present. The opening night of this play was on 19 January 1968, but in 1970 the leading actress role passed from Mia Oremovic to Lela Margitic. There are no exact dates of this fact but it was on January 1970.  All the performances, from 1968, have taken place in Zagreb.

Pero Kvrgić (Photo: Dramsko kazalište Gavella/Public domain/CC)