Get to know the fastest birds in the world!
The falcon is the fastest bird, and also the fastest animal in the world, with a flight speed that reaches an incredible 320km per hour.
On weekends and holidays, when the weather is nice and warm, the Sljeme OIV tower, in cooperation with the Croatian Falconry Association, offers its visitors and tourists a special attraction. We are talking about the promotion of falconry, with promotional take-offs and landings of falcons at the open viewing point. Everyone looks forward to this attraction, especially children, who are happy to have their photo taken with these birds, that are so special in every way.
Falconry is a traditional hunting discipline, more than a thousand years old, which is carried out using specially trained birds, such as falcons, hawks and eagles, with natural wildlife and in natural surroundings. Many falconers present the art of falconry in such a way that the birds can demonstrate their skills by flying over the spectators, swooping down and returning to the falconer’s hand, accustomed to the fact that, instead of prey in the air or on the ground, a sure and tasty meal awaits them from the falconer’s hand.
Because of his experience and love for birds, you will learn everything that interests you about falconry and its birds from Mr. Marijan Žižanović, the long-standing president of the Croatian Falconry Association and three-time world champion in hunting with falcons, who breeds falcons and sells them to rich Arabs. He will introduce you to his falcons, hawks and eagles.
The art of falconry is included in UNESCO’s prestigious list of intangible cultural heritage, which includes: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Croatia, Ireland, Italy, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Hungary, Morocco, Mongolia, the Netherlands, Germany, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, the Syrian Arab Republic, Slovakia, Spain and the United Arab Emirates.