November 11, 2021 - It's the most wonderful time of the year, and the Zagreb Advent 2021 program is here! 

Organized by the City of Zagreb, the Zagreb Tourist Board (TZGZ), and institutional and private partners, this year's award-winning Zagreb Advent will be held from November 27, 2021, to January 7, 2022. While respecting the reality of the current pandemic situation, on November 27, the first Advent candle will be lit on Ban Jelačić Square at 5:00 pm. And at 7:00 pm, the Zrinjevac lights will follow. 

In addition to traditional Croatian toys that are the motif of this year's Zagreb Advent, particular emphasis is placed on cultural and musical events that will enhance the holiday mood and anticipation of Christmas. Namely, 14 music programs will be held with a total of 129 concerts, including the Zagreb Soloists, the Zagreb Chamber Orchestra, and many top Croatian musicians and promising young singers.

Zagreb museums, including the Museum of Arts and Crafts, the Ethnographic Museum, the Museum of Broken Relationships, and the Chocolate Museum, are included in this year's program, and other events, such as performances at the Croatian National Theater, Gavella at Grič Tunnel, Ilica Project: Q'ART, Advent Run, Advent at Vidra, and other special programs are prepared for the youngest visitors. 

Zagreb Tourist Board director, Martina Bienenfeld, introduced the festive event:

"Every year we try to enhance our Advent, and I am especially pleased to announce six new programs, namely: LADO Advent, Academy of Fine Arts (ALU) Christmas Garden, Advent on Katarinac, Zagreb Jingle Mingles in cooperation with Zagreb restaurants, Advent on Prolaz Matice hrvatskih obrtnika in cooperation with our craftspeople, and Advent at Zagreb hotels with a specially designed holiday offer and decorations. I would also like to mention Advent in Zrinjevac, where 13 concerts featuring famous Croatian performers will be held every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

In addition, the event will continue with last year's successfully launched augmented reality (AR) exhibition, which will use animated traditional toys as a motif for this year's Advent. This will be showcased in 10 city parks, squares, and large open spaces. Namely, Zagreb Advent 2021 and the Virtual Toys project will take visitors back to their childhood through the long tradition of handmade toys that marked our youth. Visitors will have the opportunity to play with them again with the help of smartphones. The event will also continue with the Advent Light project, where windows will be decorated on selected institutions in the Upper Town.

In addition, the Zagreb Tourist Board promotes Zagreb Advent through integrated online and offline campaigns in more than 16 markets, following the current epidemiological situation, and has designed a special promotion within the World Exhibition EXPO Dubai. We have also established our traditional promotional cooperation with Croatia Airlines, Turkish Airlines, and HŽPP, with which we have provided special ticket prices for anyone visiting Zagreb's Advent."

In addition, the Zagreb Tourist Board and its partners will decorate 11 locations in the Lower Town: Ban Jelačić Square, Zrinjevac Park, J.J. Strossmayer Square, King Tomislav Square, European Square, Oktogon, Croatian Republic Square, Ivan Mažuranić Square, Matica hrvatskih obrtnika, ALU, and Grič tunnel, and four in the Upper Town: St. Mark's Square, Bela IV Park, Gradec plateau, and Strossmayer promenade west.

"We invite everyone to responsibly enjoy Advent this year, following all measures and recommendations of the competent authorities, and for those who cannot be with us, we have provided online broadcasts on our social networks. A rich cultural and musical program at various locations in the city will, of course, be held following the latest official measures and recommendations, and all programs are subject to change. Detailed timetables of all programs, as well as current information, are available at www.adventzagreb.hr," concluded the Zagreb Tourist Board. 

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January 19, 2022 - Docking stern-to is a technique typically used in many non-tidal harbours. It means that more boats can be accommodated in a smaller area, and eliminates the need for multiple pontoons. It is often referred to as ‘Med mooring’ due to how common a practice it is in Mediterranean countries. And it is often an unfamiliar practice to many sailors from other countries outside the Med. In countries like Greece, Med mooring is usually done by letting your anchor out before going astern to the local town dock or quay.

Here in Croatia, we do it a little differently. Many marina’s and town quays put down large mooring blocks with mooring lines attached to the blocks that are tied to the dock or quay. These lines are designed to be fixed to the bow of the boat to provide stability, while the stern of the boat will be secured to the dock by stern-lines. This arrangement allows the lines to be adjusted so that the boat can be secured a safe distance away from the dock, while also being close enough for those on board to step on and off using the plank that is usually provided with charter boats. 

Docking this way is easily the most stressful part of most sailing holidays here in Croatia. Especially if there is a cross-wind blowing when the skipper is at the helm maneuvering the boat. Out here in summer, we often see (and hear!) many high-tension docking situations. Lots of shouting. A fair amount of swearing. And even sometimes, damage to the boat itself. It’s a scary sight when you don’t understand what’s going on.

And docking stern-to doesn’t have to be such an intense high-pressure process. The team at 45 Degrees Sailing has put together a  couple of videos that break down the steps of docking to demonstrate where the critical moments are, and where you can work slowly to ensure that your boat and crew are safe at all times.

Today, we are going to share with you a birdseye view of what stern-to docking looks like in a marina. This video was filmed on a drone in Marina Kaštela by Nick from 45 Degrees Sailing. The boat is being docked by marina staff and Nick talks you through what the skipper and crew are doing throughout the docking process, as well as highlighting the effect that the wind is having on the boat as the skipper manoeuvres it into place on the pier.

Watch out for Part Two in this series, where we will share a video showing how a team of two manage stern-to docking on a town pier.

For more information about sailing in Croatia, check out Total Croatia, Sailing in Croatia: Your One-Stop-Shop for everything sailing.

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ZAGREB, 11 Nov, 2021 - A record-high 27,261 persons were vaccinated against COVID-19 in Croatia on Wednesday, including 16,747 who received the first dose, the highest number since early June, the Public Health Institute (HZJZ) said on Thursday.

Also yesterday, 3,527 persons received a second dose and 7,347 a booster shoot.

Croatia has administered 3,759,981 vaccine doses to date, with 1,990,925 persons receiving the first dose and 1,707,700 two doses, while 61,356 persons have received a booster shot.

To date 49.06% of the total population has been vaccinated, including 58.67% of adults.

The City of Zagreb accounts for the highest number of persons who received the first dose, 57.6% of the capital's total population and 69.2% of adults.

Zagreb also has the largest number of persons who have completed vaccination, with 52.6% of its total population and 63.4% of adults.

The HZJZ called on those who have not been vaccinated, notably those most at risk, to do so as soon as possible.

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ZAGREB, 11 Nov, 2021 - In the last 24 hours 6,987 coronavirus cases and 66 COVID-19 deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national crisis management team said on Thursday.

This is the highest number of deaths in a day since 28 December, when there were 68.

There are 38,089 active cases, including 2,008 hospitalised patients, of whom 257 are on ventilators, while 28,346 persons are in self-isolation.

To date 3,230,998 persons have been tested for the virus, including 16,448 in the last 24 hours, and 49.06% of the total population has been vaccinated, including 58.67% of adults, of whom 54.33% fully. 

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November 11, 2021 - At least two Zagreb faculties have decided to adopt tighter epidemiological measures, thus introducing the requirement for COVID certificates from their students. The Faculty of Philosophy is moving to online classes, while at the Veterinary School they will check the certificates before each lecture.

From Monday, COVID certificates became mandatory for employees in all state and public institutions, including educational institutions. While we are still waiting for details on their application for the school system, which, according to the announcement of minister Radovan Fuchs, should be known by tomorrow, it is known that school students will not have to get COVID certificates, reports Telegram.hr.

For faculty students, on the other hand, at least in two Zagreb faculties COVID certificates will become mandatory. The Faculties of Veterinary Medicine and Philosophy in Zagreb sent a letter to their students informing them that they would have to have COVID certificates to enter their faculties. One of these two Zagreb faculties is the Faculty of Philosophy, which has switched to online classes from November 15 to 26, and after that, entrance will be controlled to ensure each student presents both a COVID certificate and an Index. The faculty will reimburse its employees for the cost of testing done by November 28th.

Veterinary students will not be able to attend any form of classes, nor stay on the faculty premises without a COVID certificate, decided dean Nenad Turk. In a letter to the students, he states that the certificates will be checked before each lecture and that the absence from classes due to the lack of a certificate will be the same as the absence due to other reasons and will have to be justified by medical reference, writes srednja.hr.

Students at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Zagreb, who cannot be vaccinated due to medical reasons, must submit proof of this to the office by tomorrow. They will be able to participate in classes with enhanced measures, according to the faculty. They emphasized that wearing masks is mandatory in all enclosed spaces of the faculty.

At the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, they conducted an anonymous survey among students and employees to see how many were vaccinated, and the reasons why they would or have been vaccinated, and the most common answer was: "to normalize life as much as possible." According to that survey, more than 90 percent of employees and about 70 percent of students were vaccinated or contracted COVID. "This ensures a favorable epidemiological situation at the Faculty," they said.

They also explained why they introduced mandatory certificates for students. “We also included students because we believe that students as adults and responsible persons must respect the same measures as all employees and guests of the Faculty, in order to avoid any discrimination and ensure consistency of prescribed measures, in order to protect all our employees and students and safe implementation of the teaching process”, said the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, and are waiting for instructions from the Ministry to decide who will cover the costs of testing.

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ZAGREB, 11 Nov, 2021 - The average monthly housing loan installment for people who took out the loan between November 2020 and June 2021 ranges from 41 to 44% of their monthly income, according to a Croatian National Bank survey, Večernji List daily said on Thursday.

Housing loans total HRK 67 billion, up by over 10% year on year.

The high demand for real estate is accompanied by a constant rise in prices, which are up by six to seven percent. At this rate, the price of a square metre of a flat could double in ten years' time.

"Croatia is a country with too many motives for the high demand for properties, from the tax treatment, tourism and low interest rates to the moving of the capital of the extra rich from banks, the APN (Croatian Real Estate Agency), the fact that some indeed need a place to live, that some buy properties in companies' names to pay less taxes, and the presence of foreigners," Maruška Vizek of the Zagreb Institute of Economics told the daily.

"The market can't offer enough properties for so many motives for there to be a drop in prices. The only solution is an adequate tax treatment, which won't happen," she added.

The central bank is worried about potential risks and that the crisis might spill over to the banking sector. Governor Boris Vujčić said recently the prices of housing properties were increasing more than incomes but not construction costs. All of that increases the risks of their corrections in future.

Most of the new housing loans (28% of the principal) are paid out with debt-to-income ratios of 30 to 40%. For another 26% of debtors, the ratio is 40 to 50%. For as much as 23% of the new housing loans, the monthly payment is more than half the debtor's income, Večernji List said.

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ZAGREB, 11 Nov, 2021 - At the end of September 2021, there were 303,535 business entities registered in Croatia, of which 58.2% were active, according to data from the national statistical office.

The majority of registered entities were trade companies (227,194), of which 140,976 were active.

There were 72,754 institutions, bodies, associations and organisations, including 34,844 active ones, 3,578 cooperatives, including 848 active ones, and 91,084 entities in crafts and trades and free lances.

Broken down by activity, the majority of entities were in wholesale and retail, with 54,417 registered and 28,990 active ones.

Services follow with 49,939 registered entities and 23,395 active ones.

There were 31,046 registered and 22,021 active entities in professional, scientific and technical activities, and 31,142 registered and 18,553 active ones in construction.

As for accommodation and food service activities, there were 24,428 registered and 14,213 active entities, while in manufacturing there were 23,720 registered and 15,629 active ones.

Seventy-nine percent of active legal entities (139,560) were privately owned.

Among active legal entities, 86,727 had between one and nine employees, 72,318 had no employees, 13,514 had between ten and 49, 3,502 between 50 and 249, 333 between 250 and 499, and 274 had 500 or more.

The majority of trade companies were limited liability companies, with 164,039 registered and 101,742 active ones, followed by simple limited liability companies, with 60,241 registered and 37,608 active ones.

The majority of registered legal entities was in the City of Zagreb (98,278), followed by Split-Dalmatia County (31,413) and Primorje-Gorski Kotar County (25,464), while Lika-Senj County and Požega-Slavonia County had the least, 2,547 and 2,627, respectively.

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ZAGREB, 11 Nov, 2021 - Those who have received the third dose of the vaccine, got infected with COVID-19 even after getting vaccinated with two doses or got infected for the second time will receive a COVID certificate that will be valid one year after the last event, the Jutarnji List daily said on Thursday.

However, the IT part of the job has not been entirely figured out so citizens cannot receive new certification with the new duration date just yet, the daily wrote, citing the Croatian Public Health Institute. Until this is resolved, only old COVID certificates will be available.

The duration of COVID certificates has already been extended in Croatia once, in September, from six to 12 months, but citizens are now more frequently opting for a booster.

Experts claim that there is no doubt that the third, booster dose, as well as an infection after inoculation or a new infection significantly increase immunity, possibly even longer than a year, the daily wrote.

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