Aug 27, 2021 -The Women and Technology Program aims to raise awareness of women's contribution to science and technology through a virtual exhibition for the Nikola Tesla Technical Museum.

Established in 1995, the Centre for Women’s Studies in Zagreb is the first non-institutional educational center in Croatia.

Founded by a group of feminists, theorists, scholars, peace activists, and artists, the goal is to provide an interdisciplinary program and expert knowledge on women’s issues, becoming a meeting point for academic discourse, artistic practice, activist engagement, and more.

One example of this non-institutional research and education is the project „Women and technology – Towards the Gender Inclusive Museum“which encourages young people (under 25) to engage in the promotion of the gender-inclusive approach at the museum. Cultural and artistic content, as well as active participation on webinars, have a goal of allowing young people to co-create virtual museum displays with respect to a gender-inclusive approach.

The Nikola Tesla Technical Museum (TMNT) is the partner of the program, as the participants are creating a virtual display for this particular Zagreb museum. The project, as the museum informs, will last until March 2022.

„The project is focused on reinterpreting displays that will acknowledge women's contribution to science and technology and open new perspectives and curator practices. It is important to enroll young people in the process to raise awareness of the need, as well as the possibility of changing the dominating narrative. To do this, they need basic knowledge and skills on museology, design, and art," says the Centre for Women’s Studies in Zagreb website.

The website adds that the question of gender inclusiveness has become more and more relevant in museum practices. Last year's edition of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) magazine, which deals with research, conservation, continuation, and communication to society of the world’s natural and cultural heritage, present and future, tangible and intangible, made „Gender and Museums“ the main topic. With ICOM's panel of experts prescribing professional and ethical standards for museum activities on an international level, the topic is an agenda for any museum that wants to uphold its reputation to address.

The virtual display will be connected to the current, physical one of the TMNT's, with QR codes being the connecting point. Webinars and workshops, apart from teaching skills to make the virtual display, will also provide historical education on the women contributing to science and technology.

Marking International Women's Day 2021, TCN earlier this year published an article on Croatia's most influential women. In addition, as women's rights in Croatia, as well as in the world, still face challenges (which includes the USA), American-Croatian psychology professor specialized in women issues, Mala Matacin, gave an interview to TCN referring to the issues women face in Croatia and the US.

Learn more about Croatian inventions & discoveries: from Tesla to Rimac on our TC page.

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27 August 2021 - Mala Butiga is a brand new shop located in the centre of Dubrovnik's historical district. It is the city's newest and one of the most interesting additions when it comes to wine and food offers.

Across the square from the Great Onofrio's Fountain, Mala Butiga offers an amazing selection of Croatian wine and premium food items. It is a family business and a passion project started out of love for all things local and authentic. It is run by locals with plenty of tourism and hospitality experience that includes running a wine bar and making wines. Mala Butiga aims to be a one-stop shop for foodies and wine enthusiasts alike.

Dubrovnik's historical centre might be brimming with people and activity, but it is hardly a shopper's paradise. There are plenty of options when it comes to stores catering to travellers, but not many offer great quality for a reasonable price. When it comes to local wine and food, the quality of which is one of the major draws for people visiting the area, the situation is not much better. Thankfully, Mala Butiga is here to save the day.

Croatian Wine and Spirits

It is a very easy shop to find when entering the historical centre. As you walk through the inner Pile gate, it sits directly behind the prominent fountain to your right. Inside you will find arguably the best selection of wine in all of the Dubrovnik area. Wines sourced directly from local family wineries fall into a wide range of prices and styles. Some of the best Croatian bottles are on display. In a country where almost all the wine is produced on small scale, it took a long time to create this impressive collection. Knowledgeable staff is on hand to help you find that perfect bottle to take home as a memento of Croatia or to enjoy while on holiday with friends or that special someone. Wines from all four major regions of the country are on display, everything from light sparkling wines to full-bodied reds. You can find other spirits at the shop as well with a smaller, but a great selection of craft beer and a lovely offer of Croatian liqueurs waiting for you.

Local Delicacies Not to Miss

When it comes to food items, the deliciousness within is hard to put into words. Truffle specialties from Istria, prosciutto from various Dalmatian regions, top Croatian olive oil, cheese, cured meats, and hot sauces… all this is just a quick visit away. Mala Butiga is stocked perfectly for those last-minute shopping runs before having to entertain a group of friends at home. It is also perfect for creating instant romantic dinners or stocking up for a nice picnic in the local area. Putting together a quick picnic basket was never easier, nor more delicious. In fact, that just might be the perfect choice for a day out while in Dubrovnik. The store holds some items impossible to find elsewhere in Dubrovnik, so its popularity is bound to rise not just with international travellers, but the locals as well.

Mala Butiga is on a fast track towards becoming one of Dubrovnik’s favourite stores. Make sure you pay it a visit before filling up that free space in your luggage for the return flight and we promise you will not be sorry.

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

For more in-depth information on Dubrovnik, check out our Dubrovnik in a Page section of Total Croatia

ZAGREB, 27 Aug 2021 - Finance Minister Zdravko Marić said on Friday that he could be pleased with the state of the budget and that it was in line with expectations, with some tax revenues exceeding them, such as VAT, which outperforms its 2019 level since the beginning of the year.

As the level of employment has been preserved, and even increased, Marić is also pleased with the amount of paid contributions for pension insurance.

He underscored again that the key to the sustainability of public finance lay on state budget expenditures, on which great emphasis was placed.

Asked by the press whether the government had a clear reform plan on the table, for instance, for health care, which is a great burden on the budget, the finance minister recalled the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NPOO) had been adopted and it listed reforms in various segments.

The health care reform, Marić said, should go beyond what is written in the NPOO, because that is a more comprehensive process which everyone knows is needed, Health Minister Vili Beroš is working on it, and the entire package of measures should be presented to the public by the end of the year.

Asked about job-retention grants for entrepreneurs, Marić recalled there were conditions for those grants, such as a drop in revenue, so those grants were not crucial for a significant part of businesses. However, he added that one always had to be braced for any negative surprises.

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ZAGREB, 27 Aug 2021 - The latest GDP data for the second quarter of 2021 show that Croatia formally exited recession after four consecutive quarters of downturn, the Croatian Employers' Association (HUP) chief economist Iva Tomić said on Friday.

Croatia's economy grew by 16.1% in the second quarter of 2021 compared to Q2 2020, which is the first time it grew after going down for four consecutive quarters and at the highest rate since 1996, when the national statistical office started collecting those data.

Tomić underscored that this growth rate placed Croatia among the best performers in the European Union considering the 2021 Q2 GDP.

Croatia, Spain, France, Hungary, Italy and Portugal are together with Croatia at the top of the ranking, after those countries experienced a double-digit fall in the same period last year, Tomić said underscoring that all components in GDP had risen in Q2 compared to Q2 2020.

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ZAGREB, 27 Aug 2021 - The robust growth in the second quarter of 2021 is within expectations based on the relevant indicators, the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) said on Friday in its comment on the preliminary data showing the Q2 16.1% economic growth year-on-year.

The HGK's analysis shows that all the big sectors had high growth rates in the second quarter compared to 2020 Q2.

For instance, industrial output increased 13.9%, retail trade jumped 20.5%, and the volume of construction work increased 16% in the second quarter this year, the HGK recalls. Furthermore, tourist arrivals skyrocketed 131.7% compared to the second quarter of 2020, and their overnight stays increased 129.2%.

The HGK says that all the basic activities contributed to the growth on the year.

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ZAGREB, 27 Aug 2021 - The government has allocated 19.4 million kuna (€2.6 million) for a public works programme for the removal of consequences of the December 2020 quakes in Sisak-Moslavina County, whereby 520 people will be employed.

Labour Minister Josip Aladrović presented the programme in Sisak on Friday, noting that these public works would contribute to the positive trends on the labour market and economic recovery.

"This is one of the measures which the government and the ministry have been implementing since the (December 2020) earthquakes. Apart from this activity, the government has disbursed 300 million kuna to 3,000 employers in this area for grants to 15,000 employees," Aladrović said.

War Veterans' Affairs Minister Tomo Medved, who heads the task force dealing with the aftermath of last year's earthquakes in the Banovina area of central Croatia, said employment in public works would contribute to the economic revitalisation of the area.

The measure is part of a set of measures and programmes the government has been implementing in cooperation with the county and local authorities, he said.

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ZAGREB, 27 Aug 2021 - War Veterans' Affairs Minister Tomo Medved, who heads the task force dealing with the aftermath of last year's earthquakes in Sisak-Moslavina County, said on Friday that priority in the reconstruction process would be given to houses whose owners were now accommodated in prefab containers.

So far, roughly 400 family houses have been rebuilt, next week over 1,500 contracts will be signed with property owners for the reconstruction of their family houses. By 15 September, we will have about 6,000 active contracts on reconstruction, Medved said in Sisak.

He said that priority would be given to the reconstruction of properties whose owners had been relocated to container settlements so that they could move in their rebuilt homes before the winter.

Medved said that the authorities also planned the reconstruction of other damaged structures and construction of a number of apartment buildings in the quake-hit area.

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ZAGREB, 27 Aug 2021 - Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović, who heads the national COVID-19 crisis management team, said on Friday that there were still no plans for the introduction of COVID certificates in the educational and health sectors, but the authorities were considering such a move.

He announced the extension of the validity of the current COVID certificate, whose current validity is nine months.

Božinović called for compliance with anti-epidemic rules such as social distancing, room airing and mask wearing.

Croatia's 14-day incidence 143.4 per 100,000

The head of the Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ), Krunoslav Capak, said that this week, the number of new coronavirus cases increased by 31.6% as against last week.

He added that currently, Croatia's 14-day incidence was 143.4 per 100,000 population, and that broken down by county, Istria had the lowest incidence and Split-Dalmatia County the highest.

Of the 27 EU member-states, Croatia ranks 11th while Poland and Hungary have the lowest incidence. The current ranking is topped by France and Ireland.

As for the COVID-related mortality rate per million citizens, Croatia ranks 20th in the European Union. Capak said that Croatia would soon start providing booster doses to the most vulnerable groups.

He added that when it comes to children aged between 12 and 18, 10% of this age cohort has so far been vaccinated against coronavirus.

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