April 18, 2021 - Congratulations to Student Centre Dubrovnik, as the innovative student dormitory project has won a prestigious architectural award. 

It has been my accommodation discovery of the year, as I wrote in Dubrovnik Cocktails at 35 Kuna?!? Meet Akademis "Academia". But the new student campus in Dubrovnik is also getting rave reviews for very different reasons. 

As Dubrovacki Dnevnik writes, the Croatian Chamber of Architects has selected the student dormitory project for the most successful architectural creation in 2020.

"We're the best! The Viktor Kovacic Award is now in the hands of our designers,'' read the post on Facebook written by the director of the Student Centre Dubrovnik, Marko Potrebica, who is also the leader of the project team for the construction of the dorm.

"Congratulations to the authors, our designers, Associate Professor Tin Franic, Associate Professor Vanja Rister and Ana Martincic Varesko, B.Sc,'' wrote Potrebica.

The student dormitory provides accommodation for 503 students, and in addition to that, there is a library, a main restaurant boasting 627 seats, a modern kitchen with storage and refrigerators, a fast food restaurant and restaurant for both citizens and visitors, a fitness centre, a student club, classrooms, a multipurpose hall, a kitchenette and even an underground garage for as many as 179 cars.

The total value of the project stands at 201 million kuna, of which 151 million kuna came in the form of a grant. It is an investment in which 85 percent was financed by European Union (EU) funds and is also the largest project financed through the "Competitiveness and Cohesion" Operational Programme.

This is what the Croatian Association of Architects had to say about the project:

In one of the most famous fortified cities in the world, the authors built a city within a city, inexplicitly mimetically repeating the forms of the original historic Dubrovnik fortification on the outside and transforming the cloister square into a rhombus on the inside. The newly created typology is a bold step forward in a heritage-defined city, but in this place and at this time - successful. The city inside consists of three strong volumes laid on a common base that make up three connected residential “neighborhoods” with streets facing three inner courtyards surrounded by rooms. The intimacy of the courtyard is emphasized by introverted design, but also by the choice of wood as the main material of the courtyard facade, which offers us another modern interpretation of coastal wooden shutters. The simultaneous distance and interactivity of the façade with its gentle absorbent color made this house unobtrusive to the surrounding urban space of uneven morphology. Regardless of the fragmented surrounding urban landscape, the "house" has found a way to successfully communicate with the environment and at the same time stabilize it. New walking routes are being introduced through the plot, which includes the home in the network of city flows and everyday life. All decisions are strong and clear, whether it is about shaping large accommodation volumes or the emptiness of the park park in front. The connecting glass membrane of the ground floor in some parts denies a clear difference between the interior and exterior of the building, and emphasizes the democratic and communal character of the home as a space intended for all Dubrovnik students, but also for all citizens and travelers. Everything in this house is contemporary, and everything is at the same time deeply archaic and intuitive. Each space evokes the memory of familiar Mediterranean ambiences, but spoken in a new language. The City has been given a house by which it undoubtedly communicates to the outside its own ambition: young, hardworking and smart are needed by this City.

You can learn more about Dubrovnik in the TC Dubrovnik in a Page guide.

April 27, 2021 - The 2021 Sudamja program in May will not feature the famous 19th Sveti Duje Legends Regatta on the Split waterfront. Instead, the famous rowing event has been moved to September. 

Namely, the 19th International Sveti Duje Regatta will not be held for the second year in a row due to epidemiological measures.

This rowing regatta has established itself as a recognizable sports and tourist attraction that greatly contributes to the international promotion of Split and the University of Split. On the first day on the race track in Spinut, spectators have the opportunity to see the clash of the best European university eights, which increased from year to year. At the same time, Spinut is the only place where the original crews of Oxford and Cambridge take part, after rowing in the famous Thames race in London in April. Split is technically the only place for a rematch, which gives this regatta additional charm.

The second day of the regatta revives the legends of Split, Oxford, and Cambridge at the city port on the 222-meter long regatta track. The sprint discipline was created for spectators gathered on the Riva. In addition to being accepted as a social event with a series of fun activities, the Sveti Duje Regatta has in recent years been profiled as an event that connects established businesses and professionals from different spheres and parts of the world.

Luka Grubor, an Oxford legend, a gold Olympian in Sydney, and a member of the Sveti Duje International Rowing Regatta committee, spoke about postponing the event this year for Dalmacija Danas.

"The epidemiological situation in Croatia and the whole of Europe is such that it has not left us much choice. We planned to hold the regatta respecting all measures by adapting the "bubble" system, which proved to be a good solution in several sports competitions. However, the successful holding of this regatta largely depends on the possibility of university crews arriving by plane to Croatia. Croatia's air connections with the rest of Europe are poor at this time. Before COVID-19, Easter meant the beginning of the tourist season and introducing new flights to Split. It's different now. Eights come from more than ten European countries, and it would not be possible for everyone to come to Split during the regatta, so we decided to postpone the regatta to September. The tradition and size of this regatta do not allow it to be held in a truncated edition. We are aware of how much this regatta means to university eights, and we know that they enjoy participating in this regatta not only because of the beauty of Split but also because of the strong competition."

Why September?

"Just as early May is the end of the winter rowing season and the time just after the boat race, late September is the beginning of the fall training and racing season. It is ideal for a new generation of university teams to weigh in before they get into tough preparations for next season. An additional reason is the cancellation of the European University Games, which were supposed to be held in Belgrade this year, so the interest in our regatta has further increased. Students are eager for quality competition and socializing. We chose the weekend of September 25th and 26th for the date. That is the week before the start of the academic year, the student teams will then already be together, and even the individuals who will be competing in the Olympics this summer. There was an idea to hold the Regatta a week earlier, in the same week that marks the Split Sports Day (note in memory of the opening day of the 8th Mediterranean Games - MIS 79). Still, that weekend the Croatian Rowing Championship is held in Zagreb. September will definitely be this year's rowing month in Croatia."

The Split Marathon and the Legend Regatta on the same day?

"Our projects share the same values. We are in contact with the organizers of the Split Marathon, and there will be no overlap of programs. The passage of all runners through the finish line on the Riva is expected at 11:30 at the latest, and the Race of Legends will not start until noon. A real sports festival awaits the people of Split this weekend. It will pay off to go down to the Riva and enjoy that day, as the day before on the pirate pontoon when the university eights row."

The race will be in a different guise this year?

"The Boat race did not run at the traditional Championship Course in London this year to prevent people from gathering along the river. Last year there was no rowing at all due to epidemiological reasons. Under normal conditions, the race attracts over 400,000 spectators along a nearly 7-kilometer-long regatta course. The race was transferred to the Great Ouse River in a rural part of England, near the town of Ely about twenty kilometers from Cambridge. Cambridge won both the men’s and women’s categories. It is the second time in the long history of the race that it paddled on this river. It was first held there in 1944 during World War II when Oxford was more successful. This is proof of how difficult it is to plan any event for the duration of these extreme and limiting living conditions, but traditions like the Boat Race always find a way and a path. This tradition and the fact that this weave has been held 166 times regardless of historical challenges and adversities brings popularity to the Boat race. I must point out that the organization of the Boat Race this year is a great inspiration to our team because of everything they have done to maintain their sporting rivalry and the continuity of the race. It is amazing to what extent they have worked out the details to prepare, and the race itself meets all the epidemiological measures.

The contribution of this event to the development of Croatian tourism certainly cannot be measured by the number of realized overnight stays, as in the cases of other sports events. The organizers point out that 25% of the participants in this Regatta return to the Adriatic at least once a year, and 12% of the competitors, mostly "Legends," have visited Split at least 10 times in the last 7 years. Last year obviously left enough time for the organizers to think. They announce that the focus of the Regatta will always be on rowing. Still, they also plan to organize an international conference emphasizing the connection between amateur sports, professional careers, and the business world.

Namely, many rowing legends and rowing and university alumni, in general, have interesting and colorful careers after sports. It happened spontaneously that this Regatta regularly brings together top experts from several sectors, from investment to medicine, and has become a true platform that brings together top professionals. The co-founders of Facebook, the Winklevoss brothers, the current owners of the Gemini Exchange, Ante Kušurin, the vice president of the American fund One Equity Partners, and many others also took part in this sporting event.

This loyalty of our participants to Croatia and Split, the profile of such visitors, strong promotion in specific markets is a significant criterion that we must consider when mentioning the impact of the sports community on Croatian tourism or other sectors of the economy. The promotion of Croatia in the international business network is something in which we as an event can be the best. The plan is to establish a "Legends Club," which includes sports legends who rowed at the regatta in Split, and alumni are Oxford, Cambridge, and other universities. The "Legends Club" will be the organizer of this international conference," concluded Luka Grubor.

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

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ZAGREB, 26 April, 2021 - In the past 24 hours a total of 3,417 tests were conducted in Croatia, with 410 returning positive to coronavirus while 51 people died in that period, that national COVID response team reported on Monday.

There are currently 13,432 active cases in the country, 2,315 of whom are hospitalised patients and 259 of them are on ventilators.

Since the first case was identified in Croatia, there have been 323,036 registered cases of coronavirus in the country and 6,905 people have died as a consequence.

A total of 302,699 people have recovered, with 2,207 recovering in the past 24 hours.

The share of positive cases among those tested in the past 24 hours is about 12%, which is 3% less than last Monday.

There are currently 31,841 people in self-isolation.

To date a total of 1,762,625 persons have been tested.

As of 25 April 795,597 doses of COVID vaccines have been administered, inoculating 627,216 people.

Of that number 456,398 have received the first dose and 168,381 have received both doses, while in 2,437 cases it is not sure which of the two doses they have received.

For more about COVid19 in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

April 27, 2021 - The latest flight news to Croatia as T'way Air flights to Zagreb could connect the two capitals from next year. 

Croatian Aviation reports that South Korea’s low-cost airline, T’way Air, has signed a lease agreement for three A330-300 wide-body aircraft it will take over in early 2022. So far, the company has not had wide-body aircraft in its fleet and plans to launch several long-haul routes next summer, including one to Croatia. 

T'way currently has only narrow-body aircraft type B737-800 (27 of them) in its fleet, with which it operates on routes within South Korea, but also on several international routes to China, Japan, Russia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

After Korean Air canceled the Seoul-Zagreb-Seoul route, T’way received permission from the South Korean Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure to introduce a direct flight from South Korea to Croatia (up to a maximum of four flights per week). The company planned its first long-haul flights for this year, but as the global pandemic has not yet calmed, plans have been postponed until next year.

Tickets on the company's long-haul routes are not yet on sale for next year, and T'way has not yet announced the line between South Korea and Croatia. Still, when announcing the introduction of long-haul lines, the company's CEO confirmed that Croatia would be among the first destinations.

On the other hand, Korean Air is selling tickets on the direct line between Seoul and Zagreb starting in April next year, but it should be reminded that the tickets on the direct line were on sale this year as well, and there are no flights due to the global pandemic.

If Korean Air returns to Zagreb in the spring of 2022 (chances are slim), T’way’s logical destination would be Dubrovnik. As the largest Korean carrier is unlikely to return to Zagreb Airport, it is expected that this low-cost carrier will introduce a line between Seoul and Zagreb.

Korean Air had no success in Zagreb. There are several reasons, but one of the main ones is the company's pricing policy. Namely, for passengers departing from Zagreb to Seoul and other destinations in Asia and Australia, Korean Air was almost always the most expensive option. Also, the competition offered significantly more weekly flights (Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Turkish Airlines). Due to all the above, the share of Korean citizens on the line to and from Zagreb was 98%.

If T’way really launches flights to Croatia next summer, we can expect significantly cheaper ticket prices compared to those offered by Korean Air. Connections via Seoul would allow travelers from Croatia to continue traveling to numerous destinations in Japan and China. Since Emirates does not plan to return to Zagreb, it would be another good option for travelers to these countries. South Korean tourists have been one of the most important in Croatia for years, especially in Zagreb.

Before the pandemic, Korean Air planned a series of charter flights between Seoul and Dubrovnik in the summer of 2020 with a B777-300ER aircraft, and in addition to the regular route to Zagreb, which was to continue to operate 3 times a week with the aircraft type B787-9, additional charter flights to the capital of Croatia are planned.

Follow the latest on flights to Croatia HERE and the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.

For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

April 27, 2021 - The 31st round of the Croatian First League was held from April 24 to 26, 2021. This round featured the 'Eternal Derby,' in which Dinamo defeats Hajduk 2:0, while Rijeka and Osijek draw in the other highly anticipated mid-week match. 

Sibenik v. Slaven Belupo (2:0)

Sibenik and Belupo opened the 31st round on Saturday, April 24, 2021, in Sibenik.

Juric opened the scoring for Sibenik, making it 1:0 in the 8th minute. Curic increased Sibenik's lead to 2:0 six minutes later. The second half saw no goals from either side. 

Sibenik is currently in 6th place with 32 points, while Belupo is in 7th with 31. 

Gorica v. Lokomotiva (4:2)

Gorica and Lokomotiva met on Sataurday, April 24, 2021, in Velika Gorica. 

Hamad gave Gorica the early lead with a goal in the 5th minute. Pivaric equalized from a penalty in the 19th minute, and Mudrinski made it 2:1 in the 28th. 

Spikic gave Gorica the 3:1 lead in the 53rd, and just three minutes later, Steenvoorden was booked for a double yellow. Pivaric scored his second penalty for 3:2 one minute later. 

Playing with a man down didn't hurt Gorica too much, as Spikic came back to score for 4:2 in the 74th minute. Lokomotiva's Bonansea was shown a red card in the 90th minute. 

Gorica is currently in 3rd place with 53 points, while Lokomotiva is in the last place with 23. 

Rijeka v. Osijek (0:0)

Rijeka and Osijek met on Sunday, April 25, 2021, at Rujevica Stadium. 

The match ended without goals. 

Rijeka is currently in 4th place with 52 points, while Osijek is in 2nd with 67.

Dinamo v. Hajduk (2:0)

Dinamo and Hajduk met on Sunday, April 25, 2021, at Maksimir Stadium for the highly anticipated 'Eternal Derby.' 

Dinamo's first goal of the match came from a Petkovic penalty in the 21st minute. Kastrati increased Dinamo's lead to 2:0 in the 35th. 

While Hajduk continuously pressed in the second half, the match ended at 2:0 for Dinamo, and the two sides will have a rematch on May 5 in Split. 

Dinamo is currently in 1st place with 71 points, while Hajduk is in 5th with 44. 

Varazdin v. Istra 1961 (1:1)

Varazdin and Istria closed out the 31st round on Monday, April 26, 2021. 

Hara scored for Istra in the 18th minute for 0:1, though Posavec scored the equalizer in the 34th minute for 1:1, which was the final score of the match. Guera Djou was booked for his second yellow card in the 81st minute. 

Varazdin is currently in 8th place with 26 points, while Istra is in 9th with 25. 

You can see the full HNL table HERE. 

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

To learn more about sport in Croatia, CLICK HERE. 

April the 27th, 2021 - Zagreb County horse riding is a perfect way to see some of the beautiful rolling green hills and other areas of the countryside in the City of Zagreb's vicinity, and a brand new almost 100 kilometre trail for precisely that has been presented.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Darko Bicak writes, strengthening continental and rural Croatian tourism through 85 kilometres of trails for experienced horse riders, as well as for for beginners is part of a plan that will enrich the tourist offer of Zagreb County.

The beautiful nature located a mere stone's throw from the capital will now be able to be enjoyed by keen and experienced horse riders and all those who want to escape from the hustle and bustle of city life, as was explained the mayor of Orle, Ervin Vujica, who emphasised the fact that the Zagreb County horse riding opportunities are very close to the heart of the capital and that the municipality of Orle is now set to become the first in this part of Croatia with marked trails of this type.

On Sunday, May the 2nd, 2021, the grand opening of the first and longest trail (23 kilometres) will be held, realised in cooperation with the Miklin Equestrian Centre, which has existed and been in operation for about 30 years now.

“Our equestrian centre has been gathering lovers of these noble animals for many years and it provides them with the experience of riding in almost untouched nature. We're looking forward to embarking on this new project in cooperation with the Municipality. When creating the Zagreb County horse riding trails, we rode more than 203 kilometres and chose 85 kilometres of different trails, each of which carries a special experience, some are intended for experienced riders and some are for beginners, and the natural environment is diverse,'' explained the owner of the Equestrian Centre, Ivan Miklin.

Vujica explained that the focus of the Zagreb County horse riding trails lies primarily on rural development, which means in the near future, the opening of accommodation facilities for all visitors and providing the highest quality gastronomic offer from local family farms will take place. 

He also added that this is one in a series of development projects in the municipality of Orle to contribute to the tourist offer of the entire county. One of the initiators of the project, Zeljko Matejcic, pointed out that these Zagreb County horse riding trails located in the municipality of Orle will attract horse lovers from all over Croatia, as well as from the rest of Europe.

For more, make sure to follow our travel page. For all you need to know about Zagreb in 2021, bookmark Zagreb in a Page.

April the 27th, 2021 - Croatian IT expert Marko Rakar, who has more than thirty years of experience in the field under his belt, has publicly criticised the now failed Cijepi se vaccination platform, referring to it as sloppy and irresponsible.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, IT expert Marko Rakar spoke on N1 recently about the problem with the Cijepi Se vaccination platform, which, according to reports, doesn't function at all, and which some larger healthcare institutions across the country have totally given up on using. Health Minister Vili Beros, on the other hand, says that everything is working - maybe not perfectly, maybe not the way they would like, but - it's still working.

"The question is whether there's a Cijepi Se vaccination platform at all," Rakar said at the beginning.

"It's merely a form on the Internet that doesn't perform even basic data collection properly. The Ministry's statement differs drastically from the Minister's interpretation of it. But the fact it isn't working has been confirmed by the 200,000 people who signed up, just 5,600 of them were referred through the platform. And 4,000 people, myself included, were wiped off it.

We know the Cijepi Se vaccination platform isn't working, everyone who has used it has testified that it's unusable, that it isn't integrated, that the data is incorrect... It happens that you have to enroll yourself on the platform, and a doctor then has to examine everything and manually transcribe it all somewhere else. What then is the point of the platform? Is it okay for their job to involve retyping something from one screen to another?'' Marko Rakar asked.

He said that it has been known for fifteen months now that there will be mass vaccination against the novel coronavirus taking place, and that there has been enough time to organise the system.

"Our Health Ministry is acting as if everything has come as a big surprise for which they'd not prepared. But doctors carry out vaccinations every day on a number of other grounds, on newborns, school children, they do flu vaccinations… It's unclear how this situation happened. Looking through a series of such bizarre events, we can conclude that someone needed to make some money and deliver something for the sake of something delivered,'' Rakar added.

He explained how long it takes to make a platform like the Cijepi Se vaccination platform.

"If we look at it very simply, what people can see through the Cijepi Se page can be done in one afternoon, but what lies behind all of that is much more important - the data must be shared with HZZO's IT systems, with hospitals, it must be compared with other databases…

However, those are stable, well-documented systems. In seven days this should be able to be done without much trouble. Considering that this has been being talked about for fifteen days now, we'd have been able to develop such a platform twice in that period,'' said Rakar.

It is, he added, a very simple task that is repeated every day and which appears very often in the work of people engaged in the development of such systems.

“This application with such specifications is at the level of high school education or for the first or second year of college. There's no excuse for it not to be working well. The vaccine system isn't integrated. This means that when you enter an OIB or MBO the system won't check if you've already been vaccinated or not, but this check can happen at later stages. If these people end up being invited again, we can say that it absolutely does not work at all,'' said Rakar.

A few days ago, the Health Ministry confirmed that a number of people who had signed up to be vaccinated had been deleted from the Cijepi Se vaccination platform.

"The first 4,000 people who applied were deleted. Of the 4,000 people who were wiped off the system, some must have become infected in the meantime, and someone could have since ended up on a respirator. The question of the responsibility for such a sloppy platform arises. I've been involved with informatics for over 30 years and I've never seen something so sloppy or irresponsible,'' concluded Marko Rakar.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, including travel, quarantine and border rules, as well as the locations of testing centres across the country, make sure to bookmark our dedicated section.

April the 27th, 2021 - When it comes to Croatian startup investments, things have been going excellently in the first three months of 2021 despite the ongoing coronavirus crisis and all of the economic woes it brings with it.

As Bernard Ivezic/Novac writes, In the first quarter of 2021, Croatian startup investments reached more than one billion kuna in total, as was stated in the analysis of Novac.hr.

Although the figure stands at more than 170 million US dollars, it isn't a total amount because the value of some major transactions hasn't yet been made public. Some examples of figures that aren't yet known include the numbers behind Ispsos' purchase of the most successful Croatian marketing startup, DotMetrics, Infobip's acquisition of Shift, as well as the value of M + Group's investment in the domestic startup Bulb. The latter is speculated to be at the level of seven million euros.

Frane Sesnic, the director of ZICER, says that it was only a matter of time before the achievements of the Croatian startup scene would come to light.

''All of those results come after long and persistent investments, knowledge, time and money, and these aren't merely overnight successes. This is just the beginning of a new stage of Croatian entrepreneurship based on knowledge, which is proving to be successful and globally competitive,'' he stated.

The largest startup investment in the first quarter was of course Porsche's 70m-euro investment in Rimac Automobili. The market value of Mate Rimac's company has since jumped to a massive 978.5 million US dollars and it is certain that by the end of the year it will achieve its so-called unicorn valuation, ie a market value of more than a billion US dollars.

The second largest of the Croatian startup investments in the first quarter of 2021 was the 250 million kuna exit of one of the largest mobile application manufacturers in Croatia, Zagreb's Five. It was taken over by the British company Endava and is the second largest startup exit in Croatia so far, just behind Nanobit.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

In third place is Photomath’s 23 million US dollar investment round. A VC fund from no less than the Silicon Valley, Menlo Ventures, has invested in the startup, which was started by Damir Sabol and which boasted that its artificial intelligence is used by a million people a day. The Croatian-British startup Cognism is the fourth largest investment in the quarter, it received 12.5 million dollars from Swisscom Ventures, the VC fund of the largest telecom of the same name in Switzerland.

It's worth mentioning that Cognism, which has developed a cloud system that allows companies to use Internet technologies to improve sales and marketing, is one of the fastest growing companies in the investment portfolio of South Central Ventures.

Vedran Blagus, an investment manager at South Central Ventures, says that given the fact that startups have been building their story globally for more than a decade now, it isn't unusual to see their apparent “overnight success” now.

''If we go back only a year or two, activities on the Croatian startup or technology scene were sporadic, at least in terms of their size and the amount of investments and acquisitions which took place, now they've placed Croatia on the map for large foreign investors and partnerships in terms of acquisitions and investments,'' said Blagus.

Green technologies

It is also worth mentioning that M12, Microsoft's VC fund, invested 12.5 million dollars in Memgraph, a Croatian startup with whose technology another Facebook can be created.

Of the Croatian startup investments that exceed eye-watering amounts, there is also the investment of 10 million kuna received by the Osijek startup Orqa from the Hungarian fund Day One Capital, as well as smaller investments in various startups. The startup ecosystem in Croatia has become richer for the BIRD Incubator, the first to specialise in artificial intelligence startups. SPOCK, the incubator of the largest technological faculty in Croatia, Zagreb's FER, was reactivated, and ZICER, the largest startup hub in our country, showed the results of as many as eight local green startups.

In addition, the American analytical company ABI Research named Gideon Brothers the fifth most successful manufacturer of autonomous robots for the transfer of cargo in the world, and the largest VC fund in Croatia, Fil Rouge Capital, was named the second most active such fund in Central and Eastern Europe.

For more on Croatian startup investments and domestic companies, make sure to follow Made in Croatia.