August 22, 2020 - Although Croatia is a well-known wine-producing region, not every region has its own wine road. Meet one which has, the Ludbreg Wine Road. 

It is the land of 130 indigenous grape varieties and the birthplace of the original Zinfandel, whose unique wine offer is attracting more and more international attention. 

And yet not every wine-producing region in Croatia has its own wine road. Dalmatia, arguably the most famous Croatian wine region of all (although Istrians may dispute this) does not have an organised wine road that tourists can use to find the finest Plavac Mali or Posip. 

One small wine-producing region tucked away in northern Croatia has got itself organised, however, one more example of excellence in the unusual town of Ludbreg, which is better known in Croatia for its claim to fame as the Centre of the World. 

The Ludbreg Wine Road has been in existence since 2010 and this year celebrated its 10th anniversary. Local producers have come together to form the Association Trsek, whose mission is the promotion of the region's wines. 

All the wine producers and restaurants on the Ludbreg Wine Road are in close proximity, and each offers a different tasting experience of the local grape varieties. 

Although perhaps not the best known of wine roads in Croatia, Ludbreg plays an important role in the Croatian wine story. It has been the host to the biggest international wine festival in Croatia for young wines for almost 30 years, and its vineyards have been guarded by the world's largest statue of the Protect of Vineyards, St Vincent - or Sveti Vinko as he is known in Croatian. 

Take a tour of the Ludbreg Wine Road in our latest episode of One Minute Ludbreg, before continuing your tour of this fascinating little town in the other videos in the series published so far. 

The One Minute Ludbreg video series is a project in paid partnership with the Ludbreg Tourist Board.

To learn more about Ludbreg beyond its stereotype as the centre of the world, read Marc Rowlands' Ludbreg, the Croatian Road Less Travelled. 

August 22, 2020 – After a 280-year absence, the historic Prstenac in Barban jousting tournament once again brings thrills and visitors to inland Istria.

Following a 280-year absence, the weekend of the historic Trka na Prstenac in barban jousting tournament has begun once more. Since it was revived, this is the 45th consecutive time the colourful event has drawn spectators and competitors to the village of Barban. The first recorded mention of Trka na Prstenac in Barban comes from the year 1696.


Flag raising on the opening night

The weekend-long festivities started on the evening of Friday 21 August with the traditional raising of the event flag in the square by the Parish Church of St. Nikola. Horsemen in traditional costume entered through the stone gate and performed the ancient ceremony before visitors gathered under recently darkened skies. The names of this year's competitors were read aloud. Following the theatre, visitors enjoyed the premiere screening of a documentary '30 Seconds', which followed four of the event's previous competitors.


Traditional Istrian folk costumes were worn, adding a timeless aspect to the theatre of Friday night at Prstenac in Barban

During the competition, horsemen must charge at full gallop down the 150-metre-long Gradišće trail and hit a suspended ring with a spear. Their endeavours require incredible skill and accuracy. Occurring at such high speeds, each individual run takes less than 12 seconds. The riders have practised this many times before coming here and have undertaken trial runs in the village since Wednesday.






Three images from the build-up to Saturday's Vine Race (Trka za viticu)

The Prstenac in Barban has taken place on the penultimate weekend in August every year since 1976. The thunderous sounds of horse hooves could not be silenced by COVID-19, although this year attendee numbers have been limited to 1,500.

16 horsemen are entering this year's event in the hopes of winning the traditional prize of a dagger and a shield. An additional prize, "The Bird Ring", the work of sculptor Josip Diminić, will also be awarded. The competitions began just after 5pm on Saturday 22 August with the Vine Race (Trka za viticu). This was the 25th annual undertaking of this pre-event. Later in the evening, clay pigeon shooting would take place under the challenging conditions of nightening skies.



The winner of Saturday's Vine Race was Milio Grabrović. He rode a horse called Ulika and was assisted by pikeman Aldo Paus.

The main event, the Ring Race Trka na prstenac in Barban, will take place at the same time on Sunday 23 August. Those unable to attend this year will be able to watch the event from a live broadcast on TV channel HRT 2 from 5.15pm.

All photos © Trka na Prstenac in Barban / Goran Šebelić / Karmen Radetikio

August 22, 2020 - Everything is ready for Sunday's tense clash at City Garden Stadium in Osijek, against an always interesting opponent - Hajduk.

There is a lack of recently sold strikers, especially Mirko Maric, who now defends the colors of Monza, but also Antonio Mance, who was loaned to the Hungarian Puskas Academy. Coach Ivica Kulesevic has not yet decided whether Ante Erceg will play against Hajduk from the first minute. However, the blood count has improved because the recovered Petar Bockaj is returning to the team, and Laszlo Kleinheisler has trained all week, so he is expected to perform much better than in the first round match against Slaven Belupo when he played the last ten minutes.

"Erceg is physically good, he probably lacks competitive matches and training with the team, but we will bridge that quickly. His arrival gives us a wide range of possibilities when it comes to attacking because he can play in more positions," says Kulesevic.

Slobodan Kadic 

Although practically all the good that Osijek currently has will run on the pitch, there will still be no captain Mile Skoric who was suspended due to a reckless move and exclusion from the beginning of the match against Slaven Belupo. By the way, Skoric recently received a pre-invitation from Zlatko Dalic, the coach of the Croatia national football team for the Nations League matches against Portugal and France, which are scheduled for September 5 and 8 in Porto and Paris. However, he is not in the best shape at the moment.

Osijek residents have high hopes for Erceg, a former Hajduk player who did not really play in Brondby, Denmark. To acclimatize to Osijek, his former teammate from RNK Split, who plays for Osijek - Ante Majstorovic - will come in handy.

Slobodan Kadic 

"My first wish is to win against Hajduk. I am really glad to be in such a club that is ambitious and growing in every segment. Regardless of the opponent, I now play for Osijek. If I get the chance, it is only logical to do everything I can to make Osijek more successful in that derby in the end," Erceg pointed out.

Ramon Mierez is expected to arrive in Osijek, and sports director Alen Petrovic is constantly looking for new names. He is interested in Kristijan Kahlina, the goalkeeper of Gorica, but also another back midfielder and left-back to strengthen the competition in the team further.

Slobodan Kadic 

The Osijek pitch will burn on Sunday, and whether the home team will manage to overcome the always challenging Hajduk players who will present themselves in Osijek with a new coach, will be seen soon.

All that remains for Ivica Kulesevic is to arrange the dice together until the end.

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ZAGREB, Aug 22 - A public institution for waters is going to be established in Zagreb this year, in accordance with the the national legislation on water management, the Jutarnji List daily reported on Saturday.

The funding for this public institution called "Institute for Waters 'Josip Juraj Strossmayer'" is ensured from the budget of the Hrvatske Vode water management company which is in charge of managing public water resources as well as protective and hydro-ameliorative systems.

The daily says that a million kuna will be earmarked for that purpose in 2020 and another million kuna both in 2021 and in 2022.

The institute will be a scientific institution in charge of providing research and expert support to the Hrvatske Vode company.

Organised water management in Croatia began in 1876.

Croatia among leading countries in Europe in terms of drinking water reserves

In 2017, the European Union's statistical office Eurostat published a report showing that in terms of freshwater resources per inhabitant, Croatia is at the top of the rankings among 28 EU member states.

"In the EU, Croatia recorded the highest volume of freshwater resources (with a long-term average of 27,330 m³ per inhabitant). Finland and Sweden had the next highest volumes at around 20,000 m³," Eurostat reported in October 2017. 

According to the 'World water development report' of the United Nations, a country experiences 'water stress' when its annual water resources drop below 1,700 m³ per inhabitant.

The volume of freshwater resources per inhabitant is considered to be an important indicator for measuring the sustainability of water resources.

UNESCO survey: Croatia ranks fifth in Europe according to water availability

According to the findings of a survey conducted by UNESCO in 2003, Croatia ranked fifth in Europe according to water availability and resources and was 42nd on the world’s water ranking list.

The Croatian underground water resources are estimated at some 9.2 billion cubic metres. Of that, 4 to 5 per cent (400 million cubic metres of renewable water supply) is used for providing water supplies annually.

For instance, the capital of Zagreb and its surroundings consume 135 million cubic metres of water annually.

Croatia has 25 billion cubic metres of surface water supply. Of that 23 percent refers to sources, streams and rivers springing and pouring into on Croatian territory.

All natural and artificial streams in Croatia are some 32,000 kilometres long on the aggregate.

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August 22, 2020 - The Digital Nomad Visa has become a hot topic of late. It is especially relevant right now, during the pandemic when a large number of people are working from home. Jan de Jong, a Dutch entrepreneuer in Croatia spoke to Lider and provided 5 reasons why the Digital Nomad Visa (DNV) should be implemented.

1. Projections claim that by the year 2035, there will be a billion digital nomads in the world - highly skilled individuals who are paid above average or very well, who determine their work locations themselves.

2. A visa for digital nomads would bring people from all over the world to Croatia throughout all 12 months of the year, which would enable Croatia to become a year-round tourist destination.

3. According to a survey conducted by Karoli Hindriks, nine out of ten digital nomads may choose to come to your country if you establish special visas for them.

4. A state-of-the-art and mobile workforce are ready to temporarily settle in your country and strengthen the economy with their consumer power, skills, and knowledge. The first countries to open up to them will reap huge benefits.

5. Digital nomads become a huge marketing machine to promote the country when they start writing blogs, recording bets, tweeting, and posting on social networks about Croatia and thus attract more people.

As Jan previously stated, digital nomads would be important for Croatia in terms of marketing, because they would share their experiences, videos, and photos with their friends, and also on social networks, which would be free promotion. Plus, this would be a great way to start 2021.

Read more about the challenges and opportunities for developing the digital nomad sector in Tanja Polegubic's excellent 10 Ways Croatia Will Be At The Forefront of Countries with a Digital Nomad Visa (DNV).

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August 22, 2020 - Sandra Špoljarić, along with her colleagues Petra Žukina and Mia Kevo, wrote a handbook titled "Working with Refugee Children" and held three national and global webinars on this topic.

The handbook was created to share their experience of working with refugee children through various topics such as the definition of refugee children in the world and children's rights, understanding risk and protective factors, stress and trauma in refugee children, work recommendations, knowledge and skills required for group and individual work. "We designed it to be 'at hand' to all future professionals, volunteers, and people of goodwill interested in working with refugee children. At the same time, through educational activities, creative and sports activities and psychosocial programs, development in a healthy environment was encouraged, including the children and their opinions," said Sandra.

After an informal work experience in London, Sandra enrolled in the MA Childhood Studies and Children's Rights in Potsdam, Germany, and at the end of her studies she came up with the idea that she could do an Erasmus + internship in Zagreb at the Shelter for Asylum Seekers with Refugee Children. The dream came alive and she started working for the Jesuit Refugee Service Croatia in Zagreb on the project Child-Friendly Space, which was implemented in cooperation with UNICEF.

Kristóf Hölvényi | JRS Hrvatska

The incentive to work in such an environment is resistance to the marginalization of certain groups and children, especially children, due to situations where they cannot defend themselves or have been brought into them on their own. "Given my studies in Germany, my contribution was to make me aware that the Convention on the Rights of the Child speaks about every child's rights, regardless of race, religion, cultural background, or where the child is," said Sandra, a Master of primary education. The Convention deals with the obligations of adults towards children and the responsibilities of many social factors regarding the protection of children. The goal of the whole Child-Friendly Space project was to provide children with a protected and stimulating environment during or after a crisis where they could get the necessary support and security.

Kristóf Hölvényi | JRS Hrvatska

The handbook is only available for a few weeks, but Sandra hopes it will be useful to people who have never met refugee children in their work before. "When we held webinars, experts from schools said that it was very useful to them precisely because it would make it easier for them to work and understand the refugee children who went to school and started the integration process," said Sandra.

Due to the unenviable situation with the virus, this project was interrupted and has not yet resumed, but all three of them hope things will sort out soon. Currently, the JRS / Jesuit Refugee Service is no longer in the Shelter on a project involving work with children. "I believe that all organizations and people who have worked or will work with refugee children serve children well and with dedication," said Sandra. She also volunteered at the Center for Education in Pula, on World Youth Day in Madrid, Student Wave of help (Studentski val pomoći) when areas of Slavonia were flooded, at the event 72 hours without compromise, occasional volunteering for the Jesuit Refugee Service, and collecting donations and promoting activities for the Small Home of Subukia.

When working with the refugee children, Sandra was taught that every day is a new beginning and that parting does not mean goodbye but goodbye because the heart never remains untouched by the eyes of children who want to be accepted and equally valued. Sandra highlights that refugee children are just children like all other children and have the same needs. "I was surprised by the great motor skills, resourcefulness and the fact that the children spoke several languages… even in some situations they took on the role of "translator" for their parents," said Sandra. Her wish is to work with children and for children.

You can contact the Jesuit Refugee Service Croatia by e-mail for the handbook.

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As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 21st of August, 2020, Health Minister Vili Beros commented on the recent jump in the rate of newly infected people for N1. On the 20th of August, Croatia recorded a significant increase...

"I was surprised by the numbers because they weren't like that in the morning, however, later on, some more data came from certain hotspots. We're thinking about all the elements and we're trying to find a way to stop it,'' Vili Beros said.

Regarding the session of the Slovenian Government and the decision on quarantine for Slovenes returning from Croatia, he said that he has been on phone with the Slovenian minister just an hour previously.

"He promised to report back to me when he finished, he hasn't responded yet," Beros said as he left the government building just before Slovenia put Croatia on the red list.

Some time later, Minister Vili Beros told RTL that we must be concerned as long as the virus is among us and that he is once again calling for responsible behaviour.

"For two days in a row, the numbers have been higher than 200, then we had 255, so we've reached the cumulative rate of patients in 14 days, which is 47, and that is significant. However, it's good that most of the hotspots are under control and that we know the sources of the infection and the contacts of these people, and our epidemiologists, just like before, are doing extremely valuable work to stop the spread of the infection,'' said Vili Beros, adding that their efforts will not be enough on their own, and that we must act responsibly.

"Many young people who were on the Adriatic coast and, understandably, relaxed, are now returning to their homes inland and there is a danger that the virus, if they're infected, will be transmitted to older people and their compromised immune systems. That's a new and additional danger,'' said Vili Beros.

Asked if we can expect further growth in the number of infected people, he said it is difficult to say. "The recent numbers are certainly a consequence of the fact that more than 2,300 tests have been carried out, by far the most so far. With such a large number of tests being taken, it's to be expected that the number of new cases will be slightly higher,'' he said, adding that we have to monitor the situation from day to day and also from hour to hour.

“My earlier warning is a step in that direction. The virus is transmitted in this way from the younger population, which is what we've witnessed in the last 20 days, because the average was, first 31, and then 36, these are relatively younger people. Now, with their return home inland, the virus can be transmitted to the elderly population, which wouldn't be good," the minister said.

He also answered the question of whether even more people should be being tested, especially since there are many asymptomatic cases of coronavirus.

"That question has been circulating since the beginning. We had a strategy that initially yielded good results. Many scientists agree that the first wave and this next wave we expect in September won't have exactly the same epidemiological characteristics. It's very ,uch possible that at some point we'll decide to start testing more,'' said Beros.

In just one day, several European countries, Great Britain, Germany and Slovenia put Croatia on their red lists. Asked if we were a safe country, Vili Beros replied: "We can't escape from our numbers of newly infected people. It is completely legitimate for these countries, to which their inhabitants return from holidays in Croatia, to take care of their health and as such they've introduced certain criteria,'' he noted.

"We've reached some of the limits with our numbers in the past few days and they reacted as they reacted," he said.

"Our idea was to warn everyone, ie to point out that the epidemiological situation in the whole of Croatia is not the same and that there are counties where the epidemiological situation in the last month is perfect. However, there are also counties, such as Sibenik-Knin and Split-Dalmatia, which show slightly worse results,'' he said. It was Germany that singled out these two counties in its decision, as opposed to the entire country.

He also answered the question of what the epidemiological situation should be in order to postpone schooling. He said that a working group in the Ministry of Education is discussing this and that there are two epidemiologists in that working group. "Together with education experts, they'll come up with criteria that will describe the epidemiological picture that could possibly delay the start of classes," Beros said, adding that he didn't expect that.

"If everything goes according to some of our predictions, the school year should start on schedule," concluded Vili Beros.

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As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 21st of August, 2020, Finance Minister Zdravko Maric was a guest of Dnevnik Nova TV on which he revealed where the Croatian Government is planning cuts in order to "patch" the budget back up again, that is, which categories it will not touch.

At the beginning, the Minister of Finance, Zdravko Maric, commented on the deficit in the state treasury of 17 billion kuna when compared to last year and said that the deficit due to the coronavirus crisis is actually even bigger.

“This is a mid-year result that applies to both the period before the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic and after the fact. We'll try to see how much coronavirus is actually going to cost us. On the one hand, we have a decline in revenues, both due to the decline in economic activity and due to the anti-epidemic measures, delays and the write-offs of taxes, but increased needs on the expenditure side of the budget. We paid only six billion kuna in job preservation support. When some other measures are added to that, we're at almost 12 billion kuna, and then when we add it all up, we come to 21 billion kuna, and that's at the moment,'' explained Minister Maric, pointing out that cuts are being considered, and only pensions will be safe from them.

"Pensions will certainly not be touched, all other things are subject to our considerations," he said. He said that the government is fully aware of the situation with the crisis, but pointed out that in the past four years they have proved that they will return public finances to balance as soon as possible.

"Reforms are one of the two key levers for using funds from the European Investment Recovery Fund," he said, but Zdravko Maric was reluctant to talk about concrete cuts and reforms and avoided those issues several times.

Although it isn't possible to accurately estimate the upcoming economic downturn, he pointed out that a decline of over twenty billion kuna is unfortunately predicted. The minister also explained that part of the reason for this was the decline in fiscalisation, which declined by more than 35 percent back in April this year.

"It will be the biggest drop for sure, at least since GDP has been being monitored. We didn't have such statistics to go off back during the Homeland War, but this will certainly be the biggest drop,'' claimed Zdravko Maric.

He announced that the government is starting to reduce income tax from 36 down to 30, and from 24 down to 20 percent, and the profit tax for all those who achieved less than seven and a half million kuna in turnover will be reduced from 12 to 10 percent. As for employees, he acknowledged that the new measures wouldn't affect the salaries of those not covered by the reduction, so he appealed to employers when it comes to salary increases.

"De facto, today you can pay an additional thousand kuna a month to a worker, or even more, without needing to pay any additional taxes. Even before the coronavirus crisis hit, one of the key issues was how we were going to be able to compensate for labour shortages and how we can stimulate employers to increase employee wages. We've already said that we can only get out of this crisis if we work at it all together, as a joint force,'' he said.

He estimated that we will return to how thinga were the year before the coronavirus hit, in terms of the Croatian economic picture, only a year later than expected, so in 2022.

"It's a complex issue in which one must always refrain from commenting. We have a consultant doing his job, the process is carrying on, and when all the parameters are clear and when he sits down at the table and sees what that price is, whether the buyer is willing to buy and the seller sells, then we'll have to see, but it's complex and it's difficult go into details,'' Maric explained when discissing the complicated issue of possibility of buying INA.

Still, he admitted that all this has been going on for a long time and that it must end once and for all at some point in time.

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