April 25, 2022 - The latest flight news to Croatia as SAS Split flights officially launched over the weekend, with their return to Dubrovnik and Pula scheduled from June. 

On Saturday, SAS Scandinavian Airlines started regular seasonal operations between Split and Copenhagen, and at the beginning of May, it will resume traffic on the routes from Stockholm and Gothenburg to Split. Lines to Dubrovnik and Pula have been announced from June, reports Croatian Aviation. 

Namely, the well-known Scandinavian airline began regular operations between Copenhagen and Split on Saturday, which currently runs once a week. However, the number of rotations will increase to two in early May.

From May 7, there will be regular lines from Stockholm and Gothenburg, and from May 21 from Oslo to Split. The number of rotations will increase significantly in June and July, i.e., during the peak summer season.

SAS will operate to Dubrovnik on three lines - from Copenhagen, Oslo, and Stockholm. However, the start of traffic on these lines is expected from the end of June.

The same is true for Pula Airport, according to which four lines have been announced. In addition to the mentioned lines to Dubrovnik, Pula should be connected with Gothenburg, also from the end of June this year.

SAS will use different types of aircraft on the 11 mentioned routes to three Croatian airports, from the smallest, CRJ900, to aircraft type A321, with a capacity of up to 200 seats.

Recall, TUI recently announced it is planning 15 international seasonal routes to these three Croatian airports, too. 

Lines to Dubrovnik:
Birmingham, from 05.05. to 30.10., from one to two flights a week, Thursdays and Sundays,

Bristol, from 12.05. to 30.10., from one to two flights a week, Thursdays and Sundays,

Cardiff, from 12.05. to 27.10., once a week, on Thursdays,

Doncaster, from 12.05. to 27.10., once a week, on Thursdays,

Glasgow, from 05.05. to 27.10., once a week, on Thursdays,

London, from 05.05. to 30.10., twice a week, on Thursdays and Sundays,

Manchester, from 05.05. to 30.10., twice a week, on Thursdays and Sundays,

Newcastle, from 12.05. to 27.10., once a week, on Thursdays,

East Midlands, from 12.05. to 27.10., once a week, on Thursdays.

Lines to Pula:
Manchester, from 10.05. to 08.10., twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays,

London, from 10.05. to 04.10. twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays,

Birmingham, from 11.05. to 08.10. twice a week, Wednesdays and Saturdays,

Doncaster, from 14.05. to 08.10. once a week, on Saturdays.

Lines to Split:
London, from 09.05. to 14.10. twice a week, Mondays and Fridays,

Manchester, from 09.05. to 14.10., from one to two flights a week, Monday and Friday.

Various types of aircraft have been announced on routes to Croatia, from B737 and A320 to wide-body B767 and B787. In total, in the peak summer season, TUI will have up to 24 weekly flights from the UK market alone.

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, check out our dedicated travel section.

April 25, 2022 - The 2022 cruiser season in Croatia officially launched at the beginning of April in Dubrovnik and will end on November 21 in Split. 

The cruising season in Croatia started very early this year, or at the beginning of April, when the first MSC cruise ship of this year, MSC Fantasia, sailed into the port of Dubrovnik. This ship, which can accommodate up to 4,300 passengers, will visit Dubrovnik on Thursdays until the end of the season, scheduled for September 8, reports Novi List. 

In addition to Dubrovnik, MSC Cruises will visit Split, Zadar, and Rijeka and record 63 Croatian ports this season, which will end on November 21 in Split. Dubrovnik, the first and strongest Croatian port for large cruisers, expects to achieve 70 percent of 2019's traffic, which means that the city should reach about half a million passengers on large cruisers, or about 340 large ships. However, the number of cruisers and cruise passengers in the city is limited to two berths, or 4,000 passengers at a time.

While southern Croatia has opened the cruising season for large cruisers, Kvarner has started a new season this year with small cruise ships. Over the weekend, the ID Riva tours Alpha and Vita set off on a seven-day cruise from Rijeka with a group of guests from Switzerland who rented the boat for three weeks at the beginning of the season and three weeks at the end of the season and go on a bike tour. This is around 70 guests. Mario Konta, head of the port of Rijeka in ID Riva tours, said that this year's season started six weeks earlier than last year and that booking is incomparably better.

"This year, if all goes well, we should have a better year than 2019. I have been working here for 20 years, and this is the first time we are leaving in mid-April. It had never moved this early, always towards the end of April. And that's a very good sign. Today we are on board the ‘Alpha,’ which was sold in 13 charters this year before the season even started. So we have a lot of old guests coming back to us, and also a lot of guests who were there during the pandemic and who came back to us precisely because they said we were one of the few who asked for hand sanitizers, disinfection, wore gloves and masks and carried out all epidemiological measures. And the guests remembered that," said Konta, adding the last tour should be done on October 22, before the proper off-season begins. 

"The ships will sail for six months, which is a huge improvement compared to the last two years, so we are delighted. Next week we already have six ships departing from Rijeka, which is also a great indicator considering that it has not happened to us that we already have six full ships at the beginning," said Konta and explained that the route goes through the Kvarner islands, visiting Krk, Rab, Pag, Zadar, Kornati, Lošinj and Cres, before returning to Rijeka.

The captain of the motor yacht 'Alpha', Marin Tomaš, pointed out that he has had a boat with ID Riva for more than half a year.

"You know how much that means to us in these circumstances. This ship, 'Alpha,' is sailing for its third season, so the first was during the 2020 pandemic, and that year was unknown to everyone. ID Riva was on the front line of cooperation with the Croatian Institute of Public Health, the German health authorities, and others. And we found a balance, and, in addition, we all joined the Ministry's "Safe stay in Croatia" program. The complete ID Riva fleet is under this program, and we all adhere to epidemiological rules. This season we are starting to work also with epidemiological measures. For example, when leaving the kitchen, waiters must wear masks when receiving guests, during room service, and, therefore, during contact with the guest. Because, above all, we want our guests here to continue to feel safe. The entire crew has, of course, been vaccinated," said the young captain, adding that for the past two years, they have been driving at reduced capacity, on the verge of profitability. But the banks, he says, have met the needs of shipowners and approved a moratorium on loans for shipbuilding, and all that has been balanced so that those two critical years ended well.

"As for this year's bookings, it is phenomenal. We plan to sail for 26 weeks, and we are already at a good 80 percent occupancy. I must say that when the situation with Ukraine arose, there was a great fear of how it would develop and what would happen to the season; however, fortunately, it turned out very quickly that the situation with booking, despite everything, is excellent," said Tomas. Yesterday, another small luxury cruiser, 'Vita' with guests from Germany, set sail from the port of Rijeka.

His captain Silvestar Vukovic, doyen of the ID Riva cruise, also pointed out his satisfaction with this year's announcements and the fact that after two pandemic years, he is starting two months earlier.

"This is the success of our ID Riva agency and its entire team led by Selimir Ognjenović. The past two years have been challenging, but thanks to the Government's help, which provided the minimum wage to our employees, and thanks to the banks that approved the moratorium on loans, we managed to survive those two difficult years," said Vukovic.

He added that this year the old guests are coming back. Still, new ones are coming who have the opportunity to enjoy this unique vacation, beautiful towns, and small coastal and island places, but also the kindness of the hosts and very important gastronomy. This long-time sailor who has been with ID Riva since the very beginning of the cruise pointed out the excellent cooperation through all those years with the Port of Rijeka Authority, whose employees, he pointed out, he can always count on.

MB 'Morena' and MB 'Kalipsa' sailed from Opatija over the weekend. There were over 60 Austrian guests on these cruises in total. 

"Today is an important day for the Katarina Line agency. Although these are not our first departures this season, since we already had American guests who set out on a cruise from Split, three ships will set sail from the port of Opatija today. More precisely, two today, and another tomorrow morning. This is not what we had in 2019, but it is still a good start in 2022 and an indicator that, as it looks now, our business will be much better than last year. However, it should be said that all this together is still with a lot of ‘holes’ and uncertainties.

Reservations exist, but they can be canceled at any time, and we must not be deceived, but work intensively to offer as much as possible around the world and in the domestic market. For domestic tourists to also be able to enjoy cruises, I announce that we will have special offers for them," said the owner and director of the Opatija agency Katarina Line Katica Hauptfeld.

Cruises in various categories, from traditional to premium and deluxe quality ships along the Croatian coast, are their specialty. Of their three boats, two will be stationed in the port of Opatija.

"We have been to Croatia many times, we are a small agency from Villach and our guests love the combination of sports and relaxation on board. We always do it out of season and spring is ideal for that, because the islands are still fresh now, nature is waking up, everything is quiet, there is very little traffic, no crowds, which is very good for cyclists.

With the Katarina Line agency, we create exciting routes for our guests because they love cycling and cruising. The boats give us flexibility in terms of weather conditions, our departure today is from Opatija, and after a seven-day cruise, we will return to Opatija. Our guests are all from Austria, except for one Frenchman, there are 24 of them on the cruise, and they did not come to swim in the sea, but for active rest, relaxation, health, and enjoy excellent food. We sail to Krk, Rab, Pag, and Mali Lošinj and Cres, and then return to Opatija," explained Elke Neuhuber, owner of the agency from Villach, who sailed on the MB 'Morena'.

As Katica Hauptfeld pointed out, there are six more sailing on Katarina Line in Kvarner in addition to the already mentioned ships. 

This is the year of great cruisers to Rijeka, given that the pandemic essentially reduced their arrivals to zero. Nineteen ships are expected to arrive, slightly less than the record in 2019 when there were 24. Eight shipping companies have announced their arrival in Rijeka, and according to the current plan, the first ship to arrive in Rijeka is Marella Explorer 2 from Marella Cruises. Its first arrival was announced on May 7. The ship comes to the port of Rijeka for the first time, and it will be the first of its eight arrivals this season. In addition to Marella Cruises, ships of Celebrity Cruises, Oceania Cruises, TUI Cruises, MSC Cruises, Crystal Cruises, AIDA Cruises, and Noble Caledonia will arrive in Rijeka in 2022. 

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

April 25, 2022 - The 32nd round of the Croatian First League was held from April 22 to 24, 2022. Rijeka surprised Osijek on Saturday, while Hajduk collected only one point against Belupo, leaving Dinamo comfortably at the top of the table. Here is our HNL round 32 recap. 

Hr. Dragovoljac v. Sibenik (3:1)

Dragovoljac and Sibenik opened the 32nd round on Friday, April 22, 2022, in Zagreb,

Majstorovic scored Dragovoljac's first goal for 1:0 in the 40th minute before Karrica increased the lead to 2:0 two minutes later. Majstorovic scored a penalty to make it 3:0 for Dragovoljac 10 minutes into the second half, while a penalty was also awarded to Sibenik five minutes later. The match ended 3:1. 

Dragovoljac is currently in the last place with 18 points, while Sibenik is in 8th with 29. 

Istra 1961 v. Lokomotiva (2:2)

Istra and Lokomotiva met on Saturday, April 23, 2022, in Pula. 

Beljo scored for 1:0 Istra in the 16th minute before Maric equalized 10 minutes later for 1:1 at the half. Caseres put Istra back in the lead in the 68th minute for 2:1, though a final whistle goal by Lokomotiva ended the match in a 2:2 draw. 

Istra is currently in 9th place with 27 points, while Lokomotiva is in 5th with 44. 

Rijeka v. Osijek (3:1)

Rijeka and Osijek met on Saturday, April 23, 2022, at Rujevica Stadium. 

Muric scored a penalty for Rijeka in the 19th minute before Drmic made it 2:0 with 10 minutes to go in the first half. Rijeka's third goal was scored in the 43rd minute but annulled by VAR. Drmic made it 3:0 just 3 minutes into the second half. Mance scored one for Osijek in the 65th minute, though they could not do more than that. Another Rijeka goal was called back thanks to VAR in the 76th minute. 

Rijeka is currently in 4th place with 58 points, while Osijek is in 2nd with 64. 

Slaven Belupo v. Hajduk (0:0)

Belupo and Hajduk met on Sunday, April 24, 2022, in Koprivnica. 

It was Hajduk's chance to jump ahead of Osijek, knowing they lost to Rijeka the day before. Still, without Livaja, Kalinic, Sahiti, and Vukovic, who suffered cards and injuries from the Dinamo match earlier in the week, they could not do much at all. The game ended 0:0. 

Belupo is currently in 7th place with 31 points, while Hajduk is in 3rd with 63. 

Gorica v. Dinamo (0:1)

Gorica and Dinamo closed out the 32nd round on Sunday, April 24, 2022, in Velika Gorica. 

Dinamo was featuring a new coach - former Croatia national team leader Ante Čačić - and knew a win would have them comfortably sitting at the top of the table. However, it took Dinamo 86 minutes before they could score, with Ademi securing their 1:0 victory. 

Gorica is currently in 6th place with 40 points, while Dinamo is in 1st with 69. 

You can see the full HNL table HERE.

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

April 25, 2022 - In the great atmosphere of Žatika Hall in Poreč, the weakened Croatia women's senior national team defeated the Czech Republic 33:30 in the 6th round of Group 4 qualifiers for the women's EHF EURO 2022, thus qualifying for the tournament hosted by Slovenia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia at the end of the year!

Croatia started with Ivana Kapitanović in goal, Paula Posavec and Ana Turk on the wings, Ana Debelić as the pivot, and Ćamila Mičijević, Valentina Blažević and Dejana Milosavljević in the outside positions. Stela Posavec entered the defense instead of Valentina Blažević.

Croatia opened the match well, with Ivana Kapitanović especially good in goal. She amassed four saves in the first six minutes! Croatia took the 4:1 lead, and the Czech Republic scored their only goal from seven meters. Unfortunately, Stela Posavec was injured in those moments, so the coach had to switch up the defense. The main Czech threat, Marketa Jerabkova, was left without a shot in the first ten minutes, so the visiting coach quickly pulled her to the bench. But after one technical error, one counter, and a great save, the Czech Republic quickly returned to the match.

After only ten minutes of play, the Czech Republic changed its defense. They went from 6-0 to 5-1. Nevertheless, Croatia managed to keep its lead. After the first quarter, Croatia was up by three goals - 7:4. Unfortunately, the Czech Republic again made good use of the new exclusion and again came to just one goal behind. In the 21st minute, they equalized and then took the first lead in the game at 9:10. The Czech Republic then went on to score three goals. 

Croatia called a time-out. Four minutes before the half, the Czech Republic went up by two - 10:12. A minute and a half before halftime, Croatia was even, and the Czech Republic took the lead at halftime for 13:14. 

The second half did not start according to plan. In less than three minutes, Croatia missed three clear chances, and the Czech Republic increased its advantage to two - 14:16. Slight nervousness was more obvious both on the court and in the stands.

But Croatia did not give up. In the 41st minute, they equalized at 18:18 and a minute later took the lead - 19:18. A full eight minutes after, it was goal for goal. The Czech Republic was the first to burst under pressure. In the 48th minute, Croatia went up by three - 24:21.

At one point, the Czech Republic again threatened to come back, but Croatia found new strength and went up by three in the 52nd minute for 27:24, repeated it in the 54th at 28:25, and once again in the 56th for 29:26.

Two minutes before the end, Croatia was again up by three goals and confirmed the victory in the final minute!

With this victory, Croatia has thus qualified for their 12th European Championship in history. The "Queens of Shock" will defend the bronze in Slovenia, Montenegro, and North. Macedonia from November 4 to 20 this year.

Ivana Kapitanović marked this match with 20 saves. Valentina Blažević scored 9 goals, Dejana Milosavljević scored 5, and Ćamila Mičijević scored 5.  

Source: HRS

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

24th of April 2022 - A few days ago, the world commemorated Earth Day, so it’s only convenient to present one of the most ecological and recreational ways of transportation - bikes, or in this case, bike tours. A look into the best bike tours in Slavonia.

Spring is in full swing which means a yearly reminder of recreational tourist offers Croatia, or in this case, what Slavonia has to offer. Bicycles are a huge part of Croatian lives. Bike clubs, amateur cyclists, and regular people who want to be part of these events became more and more frequent and stayed part of these movements and events. Of course, with every recreation or hobby, there’s always a potential for tourist opportunities. For example, Dalmatia with its already diverse tourist offers incorporated bike tours, which suit really well with the geographical location of the region. Hilly and somewhat mountainous terrain with the scent of sea salt and a view of the Adriatic Sea, attracts every tourist who wants to experience the beauties of the Dalmatian region recreationally. Even islands like Brač, Hvar, and Korčula where you can transport your bikes with catamarans, have various offers of bike tours. Istria does an amazing job as well and northern Croatia with Međimurje, Zagorje, and Zagreb regions attracts more and more bike lovers every year!

However, the full circle couldn’t be rounded without the region of Slavonia which is doing an amazing job in promoting its land and presents new and creative tourist offers every single year. From Požega and its Golden Valley to the wine roads of Srijem and Baranja, bike tours in Slavonia could easily have one of the best tourist offers in Croatia. So, without further ado, let’s start with the best bike tours in Slavonia.

Vinkovci, Vukovar - Srijem county 

If you want to explore Vinkovci and surrounding places a bit more adventurously, definitely consider these available trails which stretch through the whole Vukovar-Srijem county. There are a few different types of surfaces available - macadam, earth, gravel, grass, and asphalt, which are intended for riding mountain or other types of quality bikes. The trails are marked in blue, red and yellow and they all have one thing in common - the bridge on river Bosut in the center of Vinkovci which is the start of every bike trail. The blue trail is 19 kilometers long and leads from Vinkovci to the village of Borinci to a rural home called “Antin Stan” in Ivankovo and back to Vinkovci. The red one is 15 kilometers long, moving the new dam on Bazjaš canal to the Kunjevci forest and back to the center of Vinkovci. Last official trail is marked with yellow color and is the longest, around 21 kilometers, stretching from bridge on Bosut towards rural house and picnic area Sopot in direction of Rokovci. After that, the trail continues to Kunjevci forest and back to Vinkovci. If you’re ever interested in trying these bike tours, contact the Vinkovci Tourist Board for maps of these routes here.

Colorful bike tours in Slavonia around Vinkovci, (Screenshot: Master plan grada Vinkovaca za promet)

Apart from these official bike trails, there are a few routes that go further in Vukovar-Srijem county:

• Danube cycling route (EuroVelo 6) - This one passes along the Danube River and its length is 138 kilometers in Croatia. Probably one of the most popular bike routes in Europe cuts through Vukovar-Srijem county, connects with cycling route Srijem and continues toward the Black Sea. The route can be checked here.
• Srijem route - Connects the southern area of Vukovar-Srijem county with the northeastern part. Its starting point is the center of Vinkovci near the popular Lamp and goes through Rokovci, Andrijaševci, Cerna, and Gradište towards Cvelferija (9 villages of Županja’s area) then through Gunja, Vrbanja, and Drenovci to the city of Otok.
• Route Otok - This bike route offers two possibilities: the first one is a ride across Privlaka to the city of Vinkovci and the road from Nuštar and Bogdanovci to Vukovar while the other route is going through the village of Komletinci to Nijemci, towards Tovarnik and Ilok.

Route Otok and Srijem with other bike tours in Slavonia around Županja area, (Screenshot: tz-zupanja.hr)

Even though the area of Vukovar-Srijem County seems small, it has a lot to offer. Golden fields of wheat and sunflowers that have been just planted, sun in the sky, multiple options for eating and drinking, and most importantly, the people. If you need quick transport, buses and trains are available - most of the time.

Osijek, Osijek - Baranja County 

Besides already mentioned EuroVelo 6 Danube River route that goes through Osijek and its county as well, there is the Greenway Cycling route that connects Croatia and Hungary with the goal of cross border relations, building up tourism and eco-tourism in the area along the Danube-Drava Rivers. There is already a great piece on our dedicated to cycling Total Croatia Cycling site, about the Greenway route and the whole project that took place in 2016. You can read it here.

Another European bike route goes through Slavonia - EuroVelo 13 or “Iron Curtain Trail”. The name stems from the fact that the border was part of the infamous “Iron Curtain”. Beautiful landscape, pristine forests, Drava River in all its glory, and of course gorgeous cities along the way - Beli Manastir, Belišče, Valpovo, Donji Miholjac, Koprivnica, and many more. Of course, great food and drinks for relaxation. For more information about this route, check here.

When it comes to cycle tourism, Osijek and Baranja regions are top-notch. It’s not a surprise that Osijek has the most cycle paths in Croatia which spread through the whole city. If you own a good bike and love cycling moreover public transport, Osijek is a great city for you. Here are a few suggested bike tours exploring Osijek and its surroundings:

• OSIJEK - UŠĆE KARAŠICE - OSIJEK: This route starts from the city of Osijek and goes to Višnjevac. After that, there is a wooden bridge towards the west that continues through beautiful forests and natural landscapes near the Drava River. The route stretches all the way to fishing house located on mouth of Karašica and Drava rivers. The length of the route is around 20 kilometers and it’s not particularly complicated. Suited for mountain and track bicycles. You can check the details of the route here.
• OSIJEK - KOPAČEVO - BILJE - OSIJEK: This time, the best city exit is the one towards Podravlje where the ride goes to Kopačevo and the reception center of Kopački rit. Beautiful landscape and the only traffic participants are cyclists, pedestrians, and animals. From there, the route goes through Kopačevo, Bilje in Baranja all the way to Osijek. This bike route is around 32 kilometers long and suitable bicycles are mountain and tracking ones. Visual details can be found here.

A few others are:

• KOPAČEVO - ZLATNA GREDA - TIKVEŠ - KOPAČEVO, route details
  
• BIZOVAC – ČOKADINCI – KOŠKA – LADIMIREVCI – BIZOVAC, route details
  
• KNEŽEVI VINOGRADI – KOTLINA – KAMENAC – KARANAC – KNEŽEVI VINOGRADI, route details.
  

On the other hand, Baranja used its tourist offer of great food, wines, and other products and, most importantly, beautiful wine yards that unfurl through the whole region to the maximum.

Wine roads are the most popular routes in Osijek - Baranja County, so it’s not surprising that out of a total of twelve tourist and wine roads in the county, just in Baranja are eight. During these bike tours, tourists can visit multiple wine cellars along the way and explore beautiful landscapes. For all details about wine bike tours in Baranja, check here. Beautiful nature park Kopački rit also included bike tours recently for an easier and more exciting experience of Slavonian nature and enriched tourist offer even more. Check the website here.

Požega, Požega - Slavonia County 

When we talk about cycling or any other type of recreation, we have to mention the center of Slavonia. The Hilly mountain terrain of old Slavonian mountains Papuk, Psunj, and Krntija, make this region even more exciting for bike lovers. Thirty marked bike trails make Požega - Slavonia County a place for one of the best bike tours in Slavonia. Besides the already mentioned EuroVelo route and other state bike trails, Požega and its surroundings offer an amazing variety of bike trails for everyone. If you thought Slavonia is flat, you’ve been grossly deceived. The landscape around nature park Papuk is a great reason anybody trying these routes needs to have high-level body fitness.

• The so-called “Green route” that passes through the Požega Wine region - beautiful wine yards (almost similar to Ilok’s or Baranja’s wine roads), hills, and exquisite views of old mountains. Route details.
  
• Požega vistas trail is another one that stands out in that region - This trail has all sorts of terrains - from asphalt ones in the old town of Požega to forest trails and open landscapes with dirt roads, all the way to Požeška gora and trails and obstacles that pumps up the adrenaline, passing by old wells and trails of old, ancient life and back to Požega. Route details.
• The trail through fields and meadows - goes through traditional Slavonian villages and hilly places rich with agriculture. Exciting long upward and downward roads between villages and eventually back to Požega. Route details.
  

For more details about the most exciting bike tours in Slavonia, definitely check here.

Papuk (photo credit: Mario Romulić)

To conclude this list, we need to shoutout few honorable mentions that definitely deserve their own article: off-road routes of Virovitica - Podravina County, muddy, exciting forest roads around rivers, sunny fields of Podravina, and glimpses of Western Slavonia, which has probably one of the best bike trails in Croatia. Pannonian bike roads pass through the calm landscapes, across the hills, through the woods and fields, along rivers, streams, and lakes. With the wind on your face, definitely discover the beauty of Pannonian cycling trails. For more details, check here.

Slavonski Brod and Brod-Posavina County with a must-visit to the monumental Brod Fortress, the largest of continental Croatia with its unique Tambura Museum. Posavina villages of Klakar, Donja, and Gornja Bebrina offer even more pleasures and forests that express the greenest places in Slavonia. Lipik, Pakrac and their Lipizzaner and Kuna Trail... What are you waiting for? For more details, check counties official website.

After an exhaustive analysis that can reach five more such articles, it’s only left of us to invite you and visit these beautiful places. From Požega to Ilok, these truly are one of the best bike tours in Slavonia, but not just that - in Croatia as well. For more cycling articles, visit our dedicated website.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, 24 April 2022 - Despite an increase in the total number of cattle of 1.2% in 2021 compared to 2020, the total number of dairy cows continued to decrease, by 7.3%, the Croatian Bureau of Statistics has said.

Last year there were 428,000 head of cattle.

The number of cattle of two years and older decreased by 0.6% to 165,000 head, and the number of dairy cows fell by 7.3% to 102,000.

The number of cattle between one and two years old decreased by 3.6% to 107,000, while the number of cattle under one year increased by 6.8% to 156,000 head.

The number of pigs decreased by 5.9% to 972,000, with the number of breeding pigs falling by 5.3% to 107,000 and that of sows increasing by 2% to 51,000 head.

The number of sheep decreased by 1.2% to 654,000 head and the production of milk sheep fell by 8.4% to 87,000.

The number of goats remained about the same as in 2020, at 86,000 head.

The number of poultry decreased by 7.4% to 12.1 million, with that of chickens (broilers) decreasing by 13% to 8 million.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, 24 April 2022 - The annual book reading survey conducted on the occasion of Book Night shows that the number of book lovers in Croatia has been gradually decreasing in recent years.

The survey covered 1,000 respondents and was conducted on 1-18 March.

It shows that over the past year only 42% of respondents aged 16 and over read at least one book, down from 45% in 2021 and from 49% in 2020.

Among those who read, most read two books a year, 70% have a university degree, 61% have a monthly household income of over HRK 13,000, 52% live in Zagreb, and 48% are women.

Tamara Kraus, who conducted the survey, says possible reasons for the decline in reading are the effects of the pandemic, including increased stress and anxiety as well as less time to read due to online education and work from home.

Book Night initiator Mišo Nejašmić says the decline is due to the non-implementation of the national strategy to encourage reading.

"The book policy should be financially concrete and this system took a serious hit in 2008 due to austerity as well as in 2013, when books became subject to VAT", he says, adding that another problem is a freeze on government outlays for books.

The state secretary at the Culture Ministry, Krešimir Partl, says the ministry has been investing in the culture infrastructure in recent years to ensure a balanced development of creative industries.

He mentions the opening of new libraries in many towns and the launch of the Mediterranean Book Festival, and announces the launch of a book festival in Osijek.

Also, he adds, HRK 250 million has been set aside in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan for the creative cultural sectors.

The latest survey shows that 43% of readers borrow books in libraries, 36% buy them, 29% borrow them from friends, 21% have received a book as a gift, and 9% have photocopied or downloaded one.

Also, 65% of respondents read fiction, 30% read nonfiction, 27% read technical books, 22% read manuals, 13% read children's books, 9% read art books, and 7% read cartoons.

Only 20% of respondents bought at least one book in the past three months, down from 25% in 2017 and 2018, and from 32% in 2005.

(€1 = HRK 7.5)

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ZAGREB, 24 April 2022 - A group of Roma killed in the village of Hrastina by Ustasha units in the night between 24 and 25 April 1945 was commemorated for the first time at the Marija Gorica cemetery on Sunday.

The commemoration was organised by the Kali Sara association of Roma in Croatia, which also refurbished the memorial in cooperation with the Marija Gorica municipality and Roma MP Veljko Kajtazi.

He said one of the biggest Ustasha crimes against Roma and Sinti was committed here at the time of the Nazi-styled Independent State of Croatia and that little was known and talked about it until now.

It was long thought and misinterpreted that the victims were Jews from Germany and Austria, and that the crime was committed by the SS, Kajtazi said. But the crime was committed by Ustasha units from Jasenovac, he added.

"By refurbishing the memorial, we wish to acquaint the public with the historical facts and the tragedy of the Roma during WWII", Kajtazi said.

"The Nazi policy against Roma and Jews resulted in their systematic persecution in these parts, which we must always remember so that it never happens again", he added.

"We have the moral obligation and the political duty to commemorate with dignity all victims of Ustasha crimes and to stamp out everywhere any trace of Nazism and the exclusion of others on ethnic grounds", Kajtazi said.

"This refers in particular to the victims who were anonymous or forgotten until now, such as the 43 Roma killed in Hrastina", he said, adding that the plan was to exterminate an entire people.

The president of the SABA association of antifascists and antifascist fighters, Franjo Habulin, said the truth needed repeating so that it was not forgotten, and that today were being honoured innocent people killed by Ustasha criminals, a regime, he warned, said to have been an aspiration of Croatian citizens.

"But it was not nor could it have been, he said, adding that the victims were innocent people due to a racial law according to which some did not have the right to live."

"It is therefore our duty to keep remembering them so that the darkness of historical revisionism of the past 30 years does not cover them up", Habulin said.

"The people we are honouring as well as many others gave their tomorrow for our today, let's be grateful to them and respect their sacrifice", he added.

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