ZAGREB, 15 Dec 2021 - The decline in the coronavirus numbers in Croatia has been at a slower pace this week, and the country's COVID-19 crisis management team on Wednesday decided to extend the existing anti-epidemic rules until 31 December.

Health Minister Vili Beroš informed the government today that in the last 24 hours there had been 4,671 new cases of the infection with coronavirus, only 80 cases fewer than a week ago, and that hospitals continued to run at full capacity.

In the last 24 hours, the share of positive tests has reached 38.86%, or 1.7 percentage points less than a week before.

Hospitals are treating 2,253 persons infected with the novel virus, down by 7.51% compared to the figures presented last Wednesday.

Currently, 315 patients are placed on ventilators.

The minister said that the authorities were monitoring the situation concerning the appearance of the omicron variant of the virus.

Croatia is included in the European Commission's plans for the procurement of antivirus drugs, the minister said adding that 1,800 doses of medicines based on monoclonal antibodies for hospital treatment of severe symptoms of COVID-19 should be delivered to Croatia until 20 December.

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ZAGREB, 15 Dec 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Wednesday condemned in the strongest terms attacks and the invective against healthcare workers, underscoring that COVID certificates were not anything special or any kind of restriction, but a tool used across Europe.

"Insulting healthcare workers is inappropriate and unacceptable... instead of expressing gratitude to them for their commitment, we can see insults that deserve to be strongly condemned."

On Tuesday evening, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković also deplored the aggressive behavior of some demonstrators at rallies against COVID certificates and vaccines.

Commenting on the latest COVID numbers in Croatia, PM Plenković said at the cabinet's meeting that although those numbers were falling, they were still high.

He reiterated his appeal for vaccination against coronavirus.

Pleković recalled that in the last two years, Croatia had implemented some of the easiest epidemiological restrictions in Europe, without long and strict lockdowns and curfews.

We conduct the struggle against the pandemic in the way we consider to be appropriate. Of course, we do not want to encroach on the human rights framework. The precondition for the protection of human rights is that citizens are well and alive, he said.

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ZAGREB, 15 Dec 2021 - Several dozens gathered in St. Mark's Square in Zagreb on Wednesday morning to rally against COVID vaccines and the draft amendments of the Contagious Diseases Act, which the Croatian parliament is supposed to adopt later in the day.

The protesters rallied outside the government and the parliament to express their opposition against the vaccines against coronavirus.

One of the protesters shouted that she had not got vaccinated against that COVID disease and that she would not allow the immunization of her child with that experimental vaccine.

She also told media outlets and reporters not to label them anti-vaxxers.

"We are not rabbits and we do not want an experimental vaccine. We are here to protest against that," the protester shouted and her message was applauded by other demonstrators.

One in the crowd accused media outlets of twisting their messages.

During the peaceful protest, some of the demonstrators held hands and started praying.

They also had posters with messages appealing to the president to request the constitutionality of the amended law.

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ZAGREB, 15 Dec 2021 - Croatia's High Misdemeanor Court has dismissed the appeal lodged by Dragan Umičević, an activist of the  Are You Syrious, against a fine of HRK 60,000  imposed on him after he had helped a group of migrants in March 2018 to illegally cross the Croatian border, the Jutarnji List reported on Wednesday.

The ruling of the High Misdemeanor Court was sent to Vinkovci's Municipal Court that fined Umičević in 2018 when it found Umičević guilty of helping a 14-member Afghan family to illegally cross the border from Serbia into Croatia near the town of Strošinci, by sending them light signals from his car about where to cross the border.

Umičević helped them to seek asylum in Croatia, the daily newspaper reported today, adding that the final verdict amounts to the campaign of intimidating activists and NGOs who help irregular and undocumented migrants.

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ZAGREB, 15 Dec 2021 - In October, airports in Croatia catered for 564,000 passengers, which is 431% more than in October 2020, and the number of flights jumped by 140% 9,368, according to the data provided by the national statistical office (DZS).

The cargo transported through Croatia's airports increased this October by 17.2% compared to October 2020.

In terms of passenger traffic, the Airport of Zagreb ranked first, with 180,600 passengers using this airport in October, or 231% more than in October 2020.

Split's airport ranked second, (160,700 passengers), or 541.6% more on the year.

Dubrovnik's airport saw a rise of 720.6% to 114,300.

A majority of flights were between the Croatian airports and Germany, Great Britain, France, and Italy.

However, the passenger traffic in Croatia's airports in October was still below the results in the pre-pandemic October 2019.

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

December 15, 2021 - The first Japan-Croatia Film Festival will be held in the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum from 17 to 19 December, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre (HAVC) reported on Tuesday. Four Croatian films will be screened.

The four films that will be screened are "Fishing and Fishermen’s conversations" by Milan Trenc, "Accidental Luxuriance of the Translucent Watery Rebus", an experimental animated film directed by Dalibor Rebić, as well as the comedy titled "Po Tamburi" directed by Stanislav Tomić, and "Lada Kamenski" by Sara Hribar and Marko Šantić.

First Japan-Croatia Film Festival Official Banner - Croatian Audiovisual Center

Croatian Ambassador to Japan, Dražen Hrastić was quoted as saying that he is looking forward to this opportunity for Japanese cinema-goers to enjoy Croatian films during the festival organized by the Japanese-Croatian Society.

"Accidental Luxuriance of the Translucent Watery Rebus", Dalibor Rebić

"We are pleased that many film lovers in Japan will be able to enjoy Croatian titles that will be screened as part of the festival organized by the Japanese-Croatian Society. Croatia is at the crossroads of different cultures and religions and has a rich and challenging history. A world-famous tourist destination with its natural beauty, cultural heritage, and excellent athletes, Croatian filmmakers are also inspired by all this, so at the end of this challenging 2021 I have no choice but to invite everyone to join this festival and enjoy some of the best Croatian cinematographic achievements", said Dražen Hrastić, Croatian Ambassador to Japan.

"Po Tamburi", by Stanislav Tomić

The society's representative Edouard Katayama Tripković said that the purpose of this society is to build stronger bonds between the two countries through culture, arts, sports, technology, and trade.

"Lada Kamenski" by Sara Hribar and Marko Šantić

"The goal of the Japanese-Croatian society is to build a deeper connection between Croatia and Japan through culture, art, sports, technology, and trade. On this occasion, the focus is on strengthening our cultural ties through four great Croatian films. time and different cultural elements, I hope that the Japanese public will learn more about Croatia and become interested in it through film titles shot in Croatia. Our inspiration for the organization of this festival is the belief that mutual understanding will result in the bilateral exchange between the two countries and contribute to further development of our relations", added Edouard Katayama Tripković from the Japanese-Croatian Society.

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ZAGREB, 15 Dec 2021 - In the last 24 hours, the COVID disease has taken 57 lives in Croatia, raising the death toll to 11,779, and there have been 4,671 new cases of the infection, Croatia's authorities reported on Wednesday.

Currently, there are 23,709 infected people throughout Croatia, and of them 2,256 are receiving hospital treatment, including 306 placed on ventilators.

Since the first registered case of the infection with the novel virus in the country on 25 February 2020, 662,397 people have been diagnosed with this infectious disease, and of them, 626,909 have recovered, including 2,301 recoveries in the last 24 hours.

Under the vaccine rollout plan, 55.01% of the total population have tog vaccinated to date, and 60.58% of adults have fully been vaccinated.

8 omicron cases so far

So far, eight cases of the infection with the omicron variant of coronavirus have been confirmed in Croatia, and four have been in Zagreb and another four in Split, Health Minister Vili Beroš said on Wednesday.

Roughly 200 samples have been sent to the  European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) for sequencing, and we will soon get information whether there are more and more cases of the infection with the latest variant of the virus, Beroš said.

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December 15, 2021 - In the last few months, the Museum of Illusions has opened its doors in new attractive locations around the world: Budapest, Milan, and Tel Aviv. Thus, this Croatian franchise has expanded to 22 countries on as many as four continents.

One of the largest Museums of Illusions in Europe opened in Budapest

One of the largest Museums of Illusions in Europe has opened its doors in the heart of Budapest. Although we are used to the fantastic exhibits in the Museum in Ilica, where it all started, the new museum in Budapest is already falling off its feet. With eight themed rooms, dozens of installations, unique holograms, a Vortex tunnel, unique logic development games, and many amazing illusions, visitors to the latest museum in the Hungarian capital can learn and experience how human perception and brain work. Remember in the Museum of Illusions nothing is as it seems, and optical illusions will delight everyone from the youngest to the oldest. An ames room where all the walls are trapezoidal and nothing is as it seems will disturb your perception of who is actually how big. You can take photos in an inverted room where everything is turned 180 °, and in an endless room where mirrors cover every surface, you will not find a way out so easily. In a world of fun and fascinating tricks, everyone, from small to big, can figure out why we see things our brains can’t comprehend. We can learn a lot about perspective, optical illusions, and the wonders of science and the human brain.

Photo: Museum of Illusions (Budapest)

Along with Budapest, new locations: Milan and Tel Aviv

An incredible entrepreneurial story from Zagreb's Ilica has traveled all over the world, and now all major world capitals want to have one copy of the Museum of Illusions. Thus, museums were recently opened in Milan and Tel Aviv. Milan has thus become the 34th city in the world with such an interactive museum that offers an interesting visual and educational experience. Inside, you're allowed to laugh, scream, run, paint and do anything that is not allowed in other museums. The Museum of Illusions is not static, it is a space that allows people creativity and entertainment and that is why visitors around the world adore it. The museum collection consists of more than 70 attractions covering science, mathematics, biology, and psychology. The Tel Aviv Museum is one in a series of attractive world locations. Israel thus got a museum that will work seven days a week, and which will change the exhibition every season, by supplementing it with new exhibits. Visitors there can learn a lot about perspective, optical perception, the human brain, and science through unconventional exhibits to present and learn why our eyes see things that our brain does not understand.

Coordination from Zagreb

The Museum of Illusions is one of the fastest-growing franchises in the world. Budapest, Milan, and Tel Aviv have joined the impressive list of 35 world cities such as New York, Chicago, Dallas, Orlando, Shanghai, Dubai, Paris, New Delhi, Athens, Cairo, Vienna, Madrid, Stuttgart, Belgrade, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, and many others where you can visit the Museum of Illusions. It is a true 21st-century museum, which at the same time entertains, fascinates, and challenges your senses. The whole story started in Zagreb, from two friends and founders of the company Metamorfoza, Tomislav Pamuković, and Roko Živković. This year, the story continued in the form of a change in ownership structure. Namely, Invera Equity Partners, a private equity fund management company, has finalized its investment in Metarmofoza. Invera thus acquired a majority (65%) stake in the company and undertook to increase the company's capital in the amount of EUR 3 million. The goal of the partnership is to further expand in the world, through franchising, but also through a business model in which Metamorphosis would open and manage museums in all major cities around the world. The company's headquarters are still in Zagreb, where a team of about 20 people is working on the further development of the company, from design, engineering, and construction of new museums, to the development of new exhibits and further expansion of the concept of the Museum of Illusions.

"From our goal to provide Zagreb with a place that combines entertainment and education, an idea was created that conquered the world. We have become the largest chain of private museums in the world and this is a story that has a serious future. We believe that the concept of "edutainment" has finally received the attention it deserves because it is easiest for everyone to learn and adopt new information when we have a good time. With the opening of museums in Budapest, Milan and Tel Aviv, this list of cities is only expanding, which makes us incredibly happy.”, said the founders Tomislav Pamuković and Roko Živković.

"We are pleased to invest in this concept, which has already left a big mark on the global level, and we believe that an even brighter future awaits it. Although the company is relatively young, their great and innovative concept of ‘edutainment’ has a great future and we are sure that it will develop more and more. We look forward to future projects.”, said Slaven Kordić from Invera Equity Partners.

Find out more about the Museum of Illusions here. You can also follow the Museum of Illusions on Facebook, Instagram, and TripAdvisor.

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