Meet the Petrinja Siblings Keeping the Spirit of Culture and Sports Alive
February 21, 2021 - Three Petrinja siblings have launched a humanitarian action to renovate the town's wrestling hall, purchase sports equipment, and completely renovate the Petrinja Children’s Orchestra premises. TCN meets Iva, Sanja, and Tin Petračić, who are on a mission to build a better future in their native Petrinja, where a 6.4 magnitude earthquake devastated the area back in December.
"For the last few weeks, the whole world has been hearing and reading about the city of Petrinja as a whole, but we now need to draw closer attention to these two great Petrinjian symbols that have proudly helped put the city on the map. They have written many strong verses in Petrinja’s history, but now, with this unfortunate catastrophe occurring, their future is in doubt."
TCN met with Iva Petračić to learn more about their cause.
"Our family has always been in Petrinja. Our last name Petračić first appeared on the city fortress military unit lists at the beginning of the 17th century," began Iva on their family's connection to Petrinja. Iva, a medical student on her way to becoming a pediatric surgeon, is joined in the humanitarian action by sister Sanja, a consulting company director and certified auditor, and bother Tin, who works in kinesiology.
Siniša Miholjević
Iva was taking a shower after a long morning of exams when the earthquake rocked Petrinja on December 29, while Tin and Sanja were in Zagreb.
"Tin came to Petrinja an hour after the earthquake hit, and Sanja stayed in Zagreb with her kids. My mom Vesna and I went to Zagreb that afternoon after cleaning up the glass and everything that broke in the house," Iva said.
Their dad Miroslav and Sanja’s husband were in Petrinja every day for the week that followed.
"We are all still in shock, but it’s getting better by the day. I moved to Split, and it still feels like the ground is shaking. A lot of noises remind you of that terrible earthquake sound, and chills run down your spine.
The street starts to shake every time a big truck passes, and that is a terrible feeling I never thought I'd be scared of," Iva said of how she's coping in the aftermath of the quake.
Iva, Sanja, and Tin have now launched a humanitarian action, joined by the love of their Petrinja and everything it has to offer.
"We want to show that to everyone," Iva added.
But why the local wrestling club and children's orchestra?
"The Petrinja Wrestling Club is an institution in the city, being the entry point and then springboard for many youngsters to take their first steps onto the mat, honing their skills further, to successfully competing at the highest levels. Their honors include winning six Croatian national championships and five in the former state. Alumni of the Petrinja Wrestling Club include Vlado Lisjak, the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics gold medal winner, and Milan Nenadić, the 1972 Munich Olympic Games bronze medalist as well as many other notable fighters at all levels, many of whom found things such as happiness, camaraderie, and self-discipline from its teachings," Iva said.
"Petrinja’s wind orchestra Gradska limena glazba is one of the oldest orchestras in the country - 213 years old. It has represented Petrinja both nationally and internationally and has become a fine symbol of our great city. Whether it be the clarinet, the french horn, the saxophone, or the good old trumpet, through the group, many children have been a part of learning and experiencing the wonder and joy that comes from being able to play an instrument. Despite existing in various forms and through different states and arrangements, the orchestra has never previously interrupted its work for a longer period of time than this.
We hope to help as much as we can to bring back these two amazing institutions. We have many children in the city, and we have to maintain the activities for them. We hope to raise as much as we can. Whatever amount we raise it’s going 50/50, to the wrestling club and the orchestra," she continued.
Iva said the response thus far has been good, but she knows they can do better. All media coverage is welcome as it helps people find their Facebook page or website.
"Petrinja is an amazing city to grow up in; there is no hate, no bad looks when you walk down the street. Petrinja is a city of education, a city of sport. We have so much, and yet people have never heard about us. They all know about Gavrilović, but how many people know that Gavrilović is in Petrinja?
I really wish that after all of this, people will come to Petrinja and see all of its beauty first hand. And most importantly, do not forget about us," Iva concluded.
"Together, we now have the opportunity to rebuild their future and keep the eternal flames of culture and sports alive in Petrinja. From the reedy lull of an oboe to the cheer of the watching support, we are able to soothe the fears and help pep up the spirits of all these children. They are more than worthy of your kindness, and by donating, you become the good spirit of Petrinjska’s stucka." - Iva, Sanja, and Tin.
You can follow them on Facebook and donate on their website HERE.
To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
How COVID-19 Became a Great Croatian Tourism Promo Gift for USA Market
February 21, 2021 - Last year may have been a disaster for global tourism, but it was a spectacular one for Croatian tourism promo to the USA market, albeit quite by chance.
Sometimes (actually quite often when it comes to Croatian tourism) things happen completely by chance.
Sometimes some good comes from a terrible situation, the proverbial every cloud has a silver lining.
And through the disastrous tourism year of 2020, I noted a recurring theme of hope for Croatian tourism - the most high-profile penetration of Croatian tourism promo into the important USA market.
When ABC News contacted TCN in July wanting to explore filming a feature on Americans travelling to Croatia during the pandemic, I was initially a little hesitant. Promoting travel in July, 2020, particularly from the USA as COVID-19 raged, was bound to upset a few people. My position on corona throughout has been that my opinion doesn't matter, and the more transparent the facts are, the more people can make better decisions.
And while ABC News might have people some people hopping on a plane to Dubrovnik, the bigger impact was likely to be the longer term. A message of welcome to Americans that there is a gorgeous country in Europe waiting to welcome you as soon as they are willing and able to travel.
I decided to get involved and connected ABC News with the best Dubrovnik fixer I know. Kreso Macan once again went above and beyond the call of duty. Ably assisted by Mayor Mato Frankovic and Dubrovnik Tourist Board director Ana Hrnic, the ABC News crew had an unforgettable few days.
And Americans saw and wondered. An estimated 12.5 million viewers tuned in to the feature on Good Morning America, one of six stories featured by ABC News as a result of their visit.
Mayor Frankovic posted on social media to thank ABC for its 'priceless' promotion. The Croatian tourism promo was one thing, but the bigger psychological impact was the message of a welcoming country with pristine beaches and historic towns waiting with open arms. At a time when the world was closed to American travellers, here was a beautiful ray of European sun.
Croatia. Bucket List 2021.
News spread in the Washington Post, not only of Croatia's open approach to Americans, but a new lifestyle tourism opening up in Croatia. Following an open letter from Split-based Dutch entrepreneur Jan de Jong to Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, the Croatian PM granted the Dutchman's request just 44 days later - a digital nomad visa for Croatia.
At the time of the announcement, there were only 4 other countries offering such a visa, with only Estonia in Europe. Legislation passed in Parliament, and the new law came into effect on January 1, 2021. The first digital nomad to be approved with the new permit, an American in Istria, gave her first interview to TCN - Meet Melissa Paul, Owner of Croatia's First Digital Nomad Visa.
Here was a country which not only welcomed Americans, but also was opening up for remote worker longterm options.
A country with lifestyle.
A country popular with American celebrities, reported Forbes.
And definitely a rising star in the luxury world of superyachts, reported Bloomberg.
All this during a team when no money was spent on tourism promotion, and a time when a captive audience desperate to travel was being fed glorious Croatian tourism promo material, mostly quite by chance.
As tourism was collapsing elsewhere, Croatia was seemingly pushing ahead with its luxury tourism, according to Forbes, one of many international publications to report on the opening of Maslina Resort on Hvar.
5-star island luxury hotel openings on Hvar or Lopud - take your pick as Robb Report.reported on the outstanding luxury heritage conversion that is Lopud 1483.
Forbes was not the only one to notice Maslina on Hvar - here is Luxe Review.
And that message of 5-star luxury welcome for Americans made it once more to Forbes, this time from Dubrovnik.
And the latest fabulous free Croatian tourism promo to the USA market, as CNN combined all of the above into a great piece focusing on the new digital nomad opportunity, including chats with Melissa Paul, as well as Mexican and Singaporean nomads currently in Croatia.
All this, in a year when people were dreaming of travel, rather than travelling. And the dreams about future travel have been growing as a result.
And there were other pandemic benefits for Croatian tourism promo. With a more muted presidential inauguration on January 20, lesser stories assumed a greater prominence. This included a fantastic promotion of Croatian wine, a story which first appeared online in English on TCN on January 9.
The New York Times got in on the act, this time looking at the luxury real estate opportunities in Croatia. There seemed to be two clear messages emanating from all this promotion - luxury and lifestyle.
Perfect for the American market.
I spoke with Ina Rodin, Director of the Croatian National Tourist Board in New York, asking her for her thoughts:
The past year has been a challenging one for the travel and tourism industry. Croatia, no stranger to hardship, in addition to an unprecedented global pandemic experienced a series of devastating earthquakes. Despite these challenges, the country deftly navigated these crises. The government made bold decisions to keep borders open, a strong and strategic move which kept the country on the radar of US travelers, a move that US-based media such as Forbes, Afar, and ABC News to name a few, covered positively.
As a result, despite travel restrictions and reduced air accessibility, Croatia had a respectable number of visitors from the States. Furthermore, the recent introduction of the digital nomad visa program was timely and contributed to the country’s positive perception from people abroad. The effort to ease requirements to work and travel is a fail-safe plan for long-term tourism growth and should create more progressive and inspiring environment for both locals and visitors. We hope these new programs will provide a fresh perspective to our tourism strategy.
While most of the above promotion happened organically, one of the bigger challenges of the 2020 season lay with the Zagreb Tourism Board - what to do with their globally popular December event, Advent in Zagreb? With fluctuating restrictions and travel shelved by many, any event would be markedly different to its predecessors, but it was also important to keep the story and the brand going. Which it succeeded in doing, being featured once more as one of the best Christmas markets in Europe by Conde Nast Traveler.
I asked Martina Bienenfeld, Director of the Zagreb Tourist Board, how it went:
Last year was the most challenging for everyone and especially for us in the travel industry. Zagreb Tourist Board transformed challenges into opportunities that resulted with new projects. By adapting to the situation, we created new virtual and hybrid contents.
Having that in mind while preparing Advent Zagreb 2020, we created an interactive augmented reality exhibition called Virtual Christmas Windows which brought a whiff of holiday spirit using the animated motifs of Advent. The other novelty was a project and a campaign called The Light of Advent where we initiated festive decoration of windows of 10 public institutions in the Upper Town. We also invited our citizens to send us their Christmas photos and, as a result of the campaign, we had a reach of more than 230,000 people, 240,000 impressions and we received over 300 photos which can be seen in #ZagrebLoop video on www.adventzagreb.hr .
The other new feature was the Zagreb Manger, a virtual exhibition of photographs of Nativity Scenes in churches, taken from 2007 to 2019. Furthermore, during December we organized hybrid activities with live streaming of advent concerts on our online channels. The implementation of digital innovations helped us create unique virtual and interactive content throughout the whole year 2020. Pandemic showed us that now, more than ever, we need cooperative efforts, support and mutual trust of all the stakeholders in the tourism industry. Tourism brings people together and in spite difficulties that came upon us, I’m sure that we will build new memories together again
2020 was a year to forget for tourism in general, but a year to remember for Croatian tourism promo to the USA.
Let's hope 2021 can be the year when Croatian tourism and Croatian tourism promo shine in tandem. In order to remind our American readers, luxury tour operator Secret Dalmatia just released the first in a series of great videos promoting the magic of Croatia that awaits you when travel returns to normal.
For more on travel in Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section.
Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek Become Australian Open Men's Doubles Champions!
February 20, 2021 - Incredible news to start Sunday morning in Croatia, as Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek become Australian Open men's doubles champions!
36-year-old Croatian doubles expert Ivan Dodig has claimed the Australian Open title in the men's doubles competition! With partner Filip Polasek, they defeated Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Rama 6:3, 6:4.
This is the first joint Grand Slam title for the Croatian Davis Cup national team member and Slovak partner, who defeated the defending champions American Rajeev Ram and Briton Joe Salisbury in Sunday's Australian Open final after 88 minutes of great tennis.
This is Dodig's second Grand Slam trophy in men's doubles, after he won the first in 2015 at Roland Garros with Brazilian partner Marcelo Melo. In addition, the 36-year-old from Medjugorje also has three trophies from mixed doubles with Taiwanese partner Latisha Chan, with whom he won Roland Garros twice (2018 and 2019) and Wimbledon once (2019). Filip Polasek became only the second Slovak to win a Grand Slam title, and before him, only Daniela Hantuchova managed the same in mixed doubles.
Raw emotion ?
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 21, 2021
The moment @DodigTennis and Filip Polasek became #AO2021 men's doubles champions ?#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/6ePpqqmaJb
Dodig and Polasek played an excellent final without allowing Ram and Salisbury to break, while they took advantage of two out of 15 opportunities, one in each set.
In the first set, they broke Salisbury's serve in the eighth game, and reached the decisive tie break in the seventh game of the second set, again on their opponent's serve, when Ivan Dodig sent back an indefensible forehand. The Croatian-Slovak pair missed the first match point on Ram's serve in the eighth game, but in the next game, Polasek convincingly served for the biggest triumph in their career.
The moment @DodigTennis and Filip Polasek were waiting for ?#AusOpen men's doubles champions ?#AO2021 pic.twitter.com/8XZAw79DXR
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 21, 2021
How well Dodig and Polasek played is best illustrated by the statement of their rival Joe Salisbury.
"I think this was the best match played in the final ever," said the Briton after the match.
Dodig and Polasek received the winning trophy from one of the last greats of Australian tennis, Patrick Rafter, and for the triumph in Melbourne Park, they will share 600,000 AUD, which is about HRK 3.75 million.
Ivan Dodig became the fourth Croatian to win a Grand Slam title in the senior competition in Melbourne Park. Mirjana Lučić Baroni won the women's doubles title with Martina Hingis in 1998, Mate Pavić was the winner in two competitions in 2018, the men's doubles with Austrian Oliver Marach, and mixed doubles with Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski, while Nikola Mektić celebrated last year in mixed doubles with Czech Barbora Krejčikova.
Source: HRT
To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
Rijeka 3 Maj Shipyard Gets Project Enquiries, Market Awakening?
February the 21st, 2021 - The Rijeka 3 Maj shipyard has had some construction enquiries of late, could the market finally be waking up despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic?
As Novac/Jozo Vrdoljak writes, at a recent session of the Croatian Government, a proposal for a conclusion on the manner of completion of the construction of the ship Novogradnja (Newbuild) 514, which is being built at the Rijeka 3 Maj shipyard, was adopted.
The government has instructed the Ministry of the Economy and Sustainable Development, in cooperation with Jadranbrod, to contract the completion of Novogradnja 514 at the Rijeka 3 Maj shipyard. This move initiated the procedure of completing the construction of the ship for an as yet unknown buyer.
At the Government session, a loan from the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development was approved in order to finance the completion of the construction of the ship. It is a car transport ship and that vessel is part of a recovery plan and the start production at the Rijeka 3 Maj shipyard. The ship was previously owned by the bankrupt Uljanik shipyard in Pula, which contracted the work with the client, and the Rijeka Maj 3 shipyard was contracted as the builder of the ship.
"This is a ship that is part of a package of three ships that the Croatian Government decided to complete back in August last year. Novogradnja 514 is the last ship in that package. Apart from meeting the conditions of that decision, this job means something to us because our capacities are additionally employed and in this way the costs on other ships can be reduced. Our obligation is to complete the construction of this ship and we should do it in about a year, and the Croatian Government should then be able to find a buyer for it.
In addition to the ships from this package, one of which has been completed, the other is nearing completion. Along with Novogradnja 514, which is in the Rijeka 3 Maj shipyard, there is another ship on the first slipway. That ship was otherwise claimed as part of the bankruptcy property of Uljanik.
In addition to all ove this, we've had several inquiries for interesting projects that I've been processing. Such inquiries are very important to us because they show that the market has begun to wake up a bit, but also that the market recognises that the Rijeka May 3 shipyard is one that has started up again and remains alive. For that reason, we're receiving those inquiries,'' said Sinisa Ostojic of the shipyard.
To briefly recall, the client behind Novogradnja 514 terminated its construction contract back in 2018 at a time when about 70 percent of the construction of the ship had already been completed. In October last year, the government took ownership of Novogradnja 514, after that, a new model was awaited according to which construction would be completed.
For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily.
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Amid Economic Woes, How Much are Croatian Pensions Set to Grow?
February the 21st, 2021 - Croatian pensions are often the subject of scrutiny, with many preferring to opt to head to Germany, the UK or Ireland for a few years to make sure they have a more respectable amount to withdraw when they hit that age.
A lot could be said, but in short, when it comes to Croatian pensions, there aren't many screaming from the rooftops about how comfortably they're living, although a few do. With the recent announcement of potential coronavirus boosts for Croatian pensioners and more, just how much are Croatian pensions set to grow in 2021?
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the first adjustment of Croatian pensions this year will of course by very modest, which isn't outside of anyone's ration expectations, increasing by only half a percent, which will bring people who are drawing an average Croatian pension only thirteen kuna more than they had so far, according to a report from Vecernji list.
The Central Bureau of Statistics (CES) has since stated that during the second part of pandemic-dominated 2020, average gross wages increased by a wholly unimpressive 0.8 percent compared to the first half of the year, and as prices stagnated in that part of the year compared to the first part of it, the result is a modest increase in Croatian pensions of half a percentage point only. Pensions are otherwise adjusted to reflect wages and inflation twice a year, and the increase is paid out from April and September.
The coronavirus-induced recession is thus spilling over to the country's very many retirees as well, from where the pressure on the Croatian Government to pay out the aforementioned one-off COVID allowance/pension boost is more than likely to increase. Labour Minister Josip Aladrovic recently addressed the issue and said that the final decision would also depend on the amount of adjustment, ie the financial capacity of the country's state budget.
For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily.
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Croatian Islanders Voice Anger at Alleged Croatian Post Discrimination
February the 21st, 2021 - Croatian islanders have voiced their irritation at alleged discrimination from Croatian Post (Hrvatska posta) as certain types of mail continue to fail to reach them owing to an odd decision made by Croatian Post.
Croatian Post is often the butt of the joke when it comes to talking about snail mail, mail which simply never arrives or postmen claiming they've knocked at your door when they quite honestly haven't, but for Croatian islanders, issues with the Croatian postal system have been seriously raised.
As Morski writes, Croatian islanders, more specifically the annoyed residents of the island of Premuda are far from happy with the performance of Croatian Post, which, as they say, has been preventing them from receiving any packages heavier than 2 kilograms since mid-February. Letters warning of discrimination against Croatian islanders were sent to the various addresses of Croatian Post, but also to the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure.
''As of Friday, February the 12th, 2021, the residents of the island of Premuda are no longer able to order supplies through the web store of Croatian Post, Yellow Click, if the package weighs more than 2 kilograms. Through their website, it's possible to order only through the HP Express service, which is disabled for the islands of Premuda, Silba, Olib, Molat, Ist… Throughout the past year, Croatian islanders have used this service mostly for potatoes, apples and the like because the agricultural season was bad, and a pandemic ensued.
We have a great internet connection, the web store is booming, and the only option for those of us who live on the islands is being abolished? This is Croatian Post, 100 percent owned by the state. The islands have a post office like we have shipping lines, and we can't just let this issue go so easily. Does the state intend to abolish the post office as their next step, too? Another job removed from the island? Disable Croatian islanders the use of a postal service throughout the year, on every working day? These letters are being sent by the residents of Premuda to the authorities, feel free to download them and ask for a statement,'' warned Lea Grdovic.
In the letter they sent to Croatian Post and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, it says:
''To whom it may concern, we're addressing you because of the decision of Croatian Post not to deliver packages to some islands, including the island of Premuda. The island is connected to the mainland by ferry three times a week. The journey takes several hours, and the inhabitants of the island are mostly elderly people and it isn't easy for them to travel to Zadar. Package shipments are even more important to Croatian islanders during these pandemic-dominated times, because they're often the only way for people to get certain things from the mainland and from abroad.
The decision of Croatian Post discriminates against the inhabitants of the islands in relation to other inhabitants of Croatia. They cannot choose between other delivery services, but are dependent exclusively on Croatian Post. The country's postal services are under your jurisdiction and should be available to all residents of this country, so please allow the residents of Premuda to receive and send packages that mean everything to them,'' said the locals of the island of Premuda in their joint letter.
For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily.
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'Beer to Go' to Celebrate a Morning with Croatian Bureaucracy
February 20, 2021 - Snapshots of Croatia during the pandemic - a 'beer to go' to recover from a morning with Croatian bureaucracy.
One of the realities of life in Croatia is that you cannot avoid the bureaucracy, no matter how averse you are to paperwork. Admin is something I hate more than anything, and my long-suffering wife has been heroic over the years keep the ship afloat, as I leave important letters unopened, documents unsigned and the like. I would be lost without her.
Sometimes, however, I just have to get out there without her help. Dealing with Croatian bureaucracy is always great blogging material, and so it proved last week as I went to open a Croatian company for a new project we have. You can learn more in Croatian Bureaucracy in Action: The Pain Required to Pay 1 Kuna.
This week's bureaucratic challenges looked all the more daunting, and I had allocated what I hoped would just be a morning, but could possibly take all day. Here was my list of tasks on Thursday morning in Varazdin.
1. Visit Bank 1 to finalise a leasing contract for our (not so) new car.
2. Take contract to the public notary to sign and stamp.
3. Return signed contract to Bank 1.
4. Proceed to my heroes at FINA to collect the paperwork for my new company.
5. Visit Bank 2 to open a bank account for my new company.
6. Return to FINA to hand over a document from my new bank account at Bank 2.
7. If I was finished by midday, buy some chicken and veg from the market, asked my wife. Ha, finished by midday - not a chance.
As I criss-crossed the gorgeous old town of Varazdin to my various bureaucratic points of challenge, I felt a little depressed by my normally uplifting surroundings. The bleak weather did not help, but it was the lack of people and cafe tables and chairs.
For we are currently living in the insane world where cafes are closed, but people can buy their drinks and sit on park benches next to the cafes and drink there. In the latest example of the absurdity of life currently in Croatia, cafes were allowed to sell drinks to go from February 15. The fact that they were banned from doing so before, despite places such as bakeries being allowed to, gives an indication of how nuts things are in Croatia at the moment.
Cafe to go, the reality. A normally popular cafe brimming with life and outside tables and chairs on the main square in Varazdin.
Had the weather been better, there would have been people sitting with their coffee to go here.
Meanwhile, two metres away...
I digress. Bank 1 was a breeze. The very efficient leasing lady was very organised. All was ready, and she asked me to check the details, presented me with a folder of documents and sent me on my way to the public notary. The notary welcomed me back like a long-lost friend. There was no queue, and all was going superbly until she noticed that the address did not quite match the one on my ID. Here we go...
But this is Varazdin, not Dalmatia. A phone call, an exchange of email addresses, and the revised contract was printed off by the secretary within 5 minutes. Five minutes later, I was on my way.
croatian
Passing through the gates of Hell into FINA, the very efficient man who processed my application had another neat folder waiting for me. All was ALMOST complete, he assured me. I just had to go and see his colleague and fill out a form, then pop into Bank 2 to open the account and return him a document from Bank 2.
The kolegica looked at me and handed me a form with some rapid-fire instructions. This was the 'make or break' moment for me. If I caved, I would have to figure out how to fill in the form on my own and would probably get it wrong. If she did it, I could be on my way and on course for the market shopping. The prospect of a spicy chicken curry for lunch hung in the balance.
Pressing the form towards me, she clearly wanted me to get out of the way so she could deal with the next person. I employed my most effective defence against such situations when dealing with Croatian bureaucracy. I gave her the 'I am a helpless foreigner who doesn't really understand the language and is crap at filling out forms, but I will stand here and look pathetic until you help me' look.
It worked.
"Give me the form and your ID."
Five minutes later I was on my way, destination Bank 2. Time on the clock - 37 minutes taken so far. I was literally flying. Bank 2 was my bank, I have been with them for 17 years, both my personal and company accounts. This would be over in minutes, the chicken bought, and curry was assured.
"Sorry, you are a foreigner, you cannot open a business account here in Varazdin. You have to do it in our branch in Zagreb."
What?!?
There was no arguing with the lady, rules where rules. My accountant checked with the bank and they have just changed the rules, so the information I was given was correct. I made an appointment with the bank in Zagreb. The next available appointment is on March 3, some 2 weeks away. In a different city.
Croatian banking service in the 21st century.
Every cloud has a silver lining. With no account to open and no document to return to FINA, the market chicken and veg were mine, and there was plenty of time to stop for a 'beer to go.' So unaccustomed was I to the realities of cafe life in 2021 in Croatia, the option of stopping off for a cold one did not occur to me.
So there I was, almost alone on the main square, 16 kuna poorer after swapping my cash for a cold one in a plastic glass and just standing there with no tables or chairs around me.
A mildly successful day, all things considered. A little like the chicken and egg conundrum, I wonder what will come first - this foreigner being able to open a bank account or cafes finally opening to end all this madness. To be clear it is the inconsistency that I am referring to when talking about madness. As you can read in our last editorial - As Gym Owner Faces Prison, the Virus Must be Laughing at Croatia's Inconsistent Measures.
11,000 Army Personnel Engaged so far to Help Residents in Quake-Hit Areas
ZAGREB, 20 February, 2021 - More than 11,000 army personnel have been deployed in Sisak-Moslavina to deal with the aftermath of the 6.2-strong earthquake since this disaster affected the region on 29 December.
The data about the deployment of the troops in the quake-hit areas was presented on Friday by Defence Minister Mario Banožić and the armed forces' chief-of-staff, Admiral Robert Hranj, during their visit to the municipality of Majur where the army's service-people are engaged in preparing the groundwork for setting up a container settlement for 10 families.
According to the data, presented by the two officials, immediately after the 29 December quake, the army was engaged to provide assistance.
To date, army troops have repaired 11.5 kilometres of roads damaged by the quakes. They have been engaged in preparing the adequate sites for setting up container settlements.
Soldiers have been included in the tasks of installing more than 300 prefab containers and 50 mobile homes, and have transported 28 truckloads of humanitarian aid.
The army's Orbiter lightweight unmanned aerial vehicles have scanned 200 square kilometres of the ground in wider Sisak and Petrinja areas. The army has provided assistance in inspecting a state of river embankments.
For the latest on the Petrinja earthquake and aftermath, follow the dedicated TCN section.
Brodotrogir Workers Rally Demanding Overdue Wages
ZAGREB, 20 February, 2021 - An estimated 200 protesters rallied in the coastal town of Trogir near Split on Saturday, demanding the payment of their belated wages from the Brodotrogir shipbuilding company.
About 150 workers in this Trogir-based dock have not been paid in full for months. About 40 of them have not received any salary in the past four months, while about 100 have been given only a third or a quarter of their monthly wage in the last seven months, a protest leader Ljiljan Geić said during the rally.
She added that they would send their demands to the Croatian government as well as to the relevant European institutions.
The protesters also warned about irregularities in the restructuring of this dock several years ago when it was taken over by businessman Danko Končar. The shipyard was restructured, but it was having a hard time landing contracts that would bring in income and secure workers' wages.
Another protest leader, Damir Paladino, said that the agreement on the company's restructuring had envisaged that 620 workers would remain on its payroll, however, there are now only 250.
Paladino underscores that currently not any ship is being built in the Brodotrogir dock.
He accused Končar of having hired workers from the Philippines as he found the local labour force to be "too expensive".
The protest's leaders said that they had received letters of support from several political parties, including those from the right to the left political spectrum.
Trial Croatian Census to be Held in Four Counties and Zagreb on 1-15 March
ZAGREB, 20 February, 2021 - A trial census will be held in Varaždin, Primorje-Gorski Kotar, Osijek-Baranja and Split-Dalmatia Counties and the City of Zagreb from 1 to 15 March, covering about 12,000 people.
In Varaždin County, a sample of ten census districts has been selected for the trial census which will cover about 1,000 households and slightly over 2,000 people, County Deputy Prefect Robert Vugrin said earlier this week.
"The purpose of the trial census is to identify any possible shortcomings and problems so that the actual census can run smoothly," Vugrin said, adding that the census would be conducted via the e-Citizens application.
Census takers will visit households that have not completed the census form via the e-Citizens application. Vugrin said that the County administration had proposed that census takers undergo testing for coronvirus beforehand to reduce the possibility of infection to a minimum.
The director of the Croatian Bureau of Statistics (DZS), Lidija Brković, said that the trial census had been postponed twice, the first time because of last year's agricultural census and the second time because of the coronavirus outbreak.
She said that the trial census was important because of new methods of data gathering and processing, noting that modernisation was one of the DZS's strategic goals. "It has been decided that for the first time all citizens of Croatia will be able to fill in the census form on their own."
The actual census has been originally planned for April, but it will most likely be held in June.
As for people in earthquake-effected areas, Brković said that the census would be conducted in the same way as elsewhere in the country. "Any citizens who are not at their address at the time of the census or who are currently displaced will be entered into the census system in their present place of residence," she said.
