February the 7th, 2022 - Energy prices are continuing to increase, and with it many other services could also see price hikes. How much could Croatian coffee prices in cafes and bars actually increase by? Many claim the idea of 20 and 25 kuna are ridiculous, but a kuna or two here and there is certainly likely...

As Jutarnji list/Novac/Vedran Marjanovic writes, according to Rijeka-based cafe owner Vedran Jakominic, there is no basis for Croatian coffee prices to increase to 20, 22 or 25 kuna, we can talk about price increases of a kuna or two, but not much more. He said this referring to current announcements that drinking coffee in bars and cafes across Croatia will become like drinking a luxury like whiskey or more expensive wine.

''It's true that the prices of raw coffee, sugar and milk have seen a hike, but it's really not clear to me where the stories are coming from that Croatian coffee prices might go up two or three times. These are just fairy tales,'' belives Jakominic, who is also the president of the Association of Caterers of Kvarner and Istria and the head of the Regional Office of the Association of Voices of Entrepreneurs for Rijeka. In Jakominic's cafes, a cup of coffee costs between seven and nine kuna, depending on the location, he says, and macchiato from nine to eleven kuna.

Energy prices

''If I raise my coffee prices, it will be due to rising energy prices, and we know that, among other things, there's talk of increasing gas prices rising by 400 percent. It's known what it would mean for those in the catering and hospitality industry if, for example, their gas bill jumped from 15,000 to 60,000 kuna. So, I expect the intervention of the state, which has announced that it would step in,'' Jakominic noted.

The real blow to the price of the favourite beverage of many of Croatia's residents lies in the expected growth of energy prices, and not in the growth of raw coffee prices on the world market, as claimed by domestic companies within the initiative of the Croatian Employers' Association (HUP).

''The increase in stock market prices of coffee on the global market has been steady since the beginning of last year, but our members depreciated most of that blow at the expense of their business with a correction of prices of our products to customers of ten percent,'' they said from the Coordination of Coffee Producers, Processors and Distributors within HUP, calling for government intervention measures to mitigate the cost shock caused by rising energy prices.

Price and competition

The claim that recent announcements of a radical increase in Croatian coffee prices are unfounded has also been assessed by caterers and hospitality industry workers who already charge higher prices for the same beverage. Nik Orosi, one of the leading Croatian baristas and the owner of the Eliscaffe cafe, where an espresso costs thirteen kuna, says that there are grounds for raising Croatian coffee prices, but, he adds, such a decision is always up to the owner at the end of the day.

''Here in Croatia, we have very strong competition in the offer of cafes, restaurants and other catering facilities where you can drink coffee. Therefore, if someone wants to raise their prices to 15 or 20 kuna, they must count on the fact that the competition that may have lower prices. My coffee is more expensive than in some other places, but my guests know why this is the case and why they like to drink coffee here,'' explained Orosi.

In addition to controlling the rise in energy prices, the state has another lever to prevent rising Croatian coffee prices. This is a special tax on raw coffee, the abolition of which is already being sought by industrialists.

For more, check our dedicated lifestyle section.

February the 7th, 2022 - The Croatian King ICT company's system will protect no less than NATO from the ever-present threat of cyber attacks.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Darko Bicak writes, although the Croatian defense industry has a relatively modest range of deliveries to its clients within NATO, the IT sector has been strongly involved in a number of projects and tenders of the North Atlantic Alliance for many years now, the most recent example being the Croatian King ICT company's contract. This Zagreb-based company delivered and implemented to NATO's Communications and Information Agency (NCI) an advanced solution in the field of cyber security with their entire IT infrastructure, worth a massive 7.8 million euros.

The biggest project so far

As reported by King ICT, the company has delivered its largest international project to date in the field of cyber security in full, within the budget and ahead of schedule.

“The SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) solution is a key system for more successful defense against cyber attacks and will be used as part of the services that NCI provides to NATO. More than 40 experts have worked on this project, and that included the delivery and implementation of an advanced SIEM solution in the field of cyber security with a complete state-of-the-art IT infrastructure. Like all major NATO projects, this one required a very high level of expertise and commitment in areas such as project management, implementation and management of all aspects of quality, logistics, support, demanding testing and knowledge transfer,'' they explained from the Croatian King ICT enterprise.

They added that SIEM is an area of ​​computer security, where software products and services combine security information management and security event management. They provide a real-time analysis of security alerts generated by applications and the network hardware. In its announcement, they pointed out that the delivered SIEM system will significantly raise the security level of the organisation and contribute to the protection of NATO's critical data and communication system.

An extremely successful year for this Zagreb company

The Zagreb-based IT company noted that last year, still marked by the coronavirus pandemic, was extremely successful and that they expect revenue growth of more than 10 percent than the year before, when their revenue amounted to 636 million kuna, which could bring them closer to their record results from back in 2018, which stood at a very impressive 817 million kuna.

“Our overall business focus remained on the complete digitalisation of key customer business processes through the delivery of our own solutions and professional services on the most modern technological platforms of global manufacturers. We're locally present over on the Benelux market and we're strengthening our position here on the regional market. We've increased our capacities and abilities to provide services within the XaaS business model and the number of services on our own platforms that we offer to the market,'' they stated from the Croatian King ICT company.

For more, check out Made in Croatia.

ZAGREB, 6 Feb 2022 - 20 years since its introduction, project Free Electronic Books had more than 4 million users at the end of 2021 and nearly 300 titles, of which more than 250 are written by contemporary Croatian authors.

In 2021, a record 31 titles were published as part of the project. Of the 298 titles published to date, 264 are currently available on the project website.

Last year's titles were published with the financial support of the City of Zagreb, the City of Rijeka and the Ministry of Culture and Media.

According to data provided by the Google Analytics service, in 2021 the project website registered 243,250 users, who read 1,208,869 e-books online and downloaded another 68,629 e-books. This means that users read and/or downloaded a total of 197,498 e-books in 2021.

The most read fiction book in 2021 was the novel "Sloboština Barbie" by Maša Kolanović (4,599 readers), followed by Henry David Thoreau's "Walden" (3,788) and the novel "Tuđi život" (Someone Else's Life) by Marina Vujčić (3,014).

The most read poetry book was "Tri jeseni" (Three Autumns) by Anna Akhmatova (2,357).

As many as 48 titles had more than a thousand readers last year, said the Society for Promoting New Media Literature.

At the end of 2021, the project surpassed 4 million users, which is nearly 200,000 per year, and books were read and/or downloaded 2,336,009 times, which means that each title had over 7,800 users on average.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, 6 Feb 2022 - Croatian providers of health tourism services have presented their services at the World Expo 2020 in Dubai and agreed cooperation with nearly 50 clients from the Middle East, Russia and India, the Croatian Tourism Board (HTZ) said earlier this week.

The HTZ, in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and Sport and with the support of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, organised a presentation in the Croatian Pavilion as part of the business workshop "Full of Well-being", at this week's theme of the Expo "Health and Wellness".

"Health tourism is a product that has a strong resource basis and a rich tradition in Croatia. The specialised business workshop at the Expo was a unique opportunity to further boost demand for health tourism services," said HTZ director Kristjan Staničić.

A total of 192 countries are participating in this year's Expo, which makes it the biggest global non-commercial event of economic and cultural importance.

The exhibition presents a unique opportunity for Croatia and other countries to present their products and services to business people, investors, international institutions and foreign diplomats.

Since its opening in autumn 2021, the exhibition has been visited by more than 11 million people. It closes at the end of March.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, 6 Feb 2022 - The Island Movement NGO has called on the residents of Croatian Adriatic islands to dispose of and sort their waste properly so it can be transported to the mainland for recycling, while local and state authorities have been urged to create infrastructure to promote a circular economy.

"Waste disposal is a major challenge for the islands, especially during the tourist season," warned Paula Bolfan, the movement's coordinator who organised the first in a series of "island dialogues" last week.

Speaking in an online discussion on the circular economy on the islands, Bolfan cited the example of Silba island off the city of Zadar where plastic wage management is a challenge. "Retail shops that are not larger than the size prescribed by law do not have to accept empty plastic bottles, and Silba only has two such shops, leaving the island full of plastic bottles during the summer."

Antonio Viskić from the Cres Lošinj utility company, which covers the two northern Adriatic islands, stressed the importance of building a regional waste management centre, saying "we don't have a single active waste dump on Cres and Lošinj any longer, as all the waste goes to the Istrian regional centre."

"We have set up separate containers for paper, glass and plastic waste, and have built stations for the transport of mixed municipal waste from the islands and recycling yards. Also, investment has begun in a waste sorting facility at Mali Lošinj," Viskić said of the steps the two islands were taking to achieve the circular economy.

Katarina Gregov, director of the Tourism Board of the island of Zlarin, off Šibenik, spoke of the "For a Plastic-Free Zlarin" initiative. "In order to reduce our plastic footprint, we have developed an idea to replace all single-use plastic products with multi-use and alternative materials," she said.

The initiative was launched four years ago and is supported by the entire island community, including cafe, restaurant and shop owners, who stopped using disposable plastic products. This volunteer project was praised by former president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović at an annual UN General Assembly meeting.

Irena Hrković from the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund commended the cooperation with Cres and Lošinj, announcing that this year local government units would be able to apply for tenders for vehicles using alternative fuels and for funding to increase their recycling capacity and clean up their landfills.

Hrković said that illegal landfills were a major problem, adding that nearly HRK 28 million (€3.7m) had been spent on landfill remediation.

Professor Davor Škrlec from the Zagreb Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, who had dealt with the issue of the circular economy as a former member of the European Parliament, said that "the problem with waste disposal on the islands is seasonality."

"It is necessary to build sorting facilities on the islands so that waste can be properly separated and then transported to a waste processing facility on the mainland," Škrlec said.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

February 6th, 2022 - The Klovićevi Dvori Gallery announced the second exhibition in the series dedicated to Croatian artist Vlaho Bukovac. It covers the period after Bukovac returned to Zagreb, where he created some of his best known masterpieces and influenced a whole new generation of artists

There are some artists whose work you’ll go and fawn over no matter how many times you’ve seen it in the past. One such artist is Vlaho Bukovac, a superb Croatian painter who created his best work at the turn of the 20th century.

In 2018, the Klovićevi Dvori gallery in Zagreb launched the ambitious project ‘Vlaho Bukovac in Europe’, an exhibition series dedicated to the great artist, split into several distinctive stages of his life and work.

The first exhibition in the series, titled Vlaho Bukovac in Paris, 1878-1892 and held in 2018, featured the early work of Bukovac, from his amateur beginnings in North America, art school in Paris, occasional work stays in England, as well as short but fruitful stays in the homeland, until he finally returned home for a longer period of time.

The gallery in Zagreb has now announced the second exhibition in the series, titled Roots and Wings: Vlaho Bukovac in Zagreb, Cavtat and Vienna, 1893-1903. The long-awaited exhibition is opening in February 2022 and will thus also mark the hundredth anniversary of Bukovac's death.

The exhibition is covering the period after Bukovac returned to Zagreb, where he soon became a central figure of the cultural scene and a great mentor to the young generation of artists. His seductive colorism influenced a whole new generation of painters in Zagreb, so much so they became known as the Zagreb School of Colour.

Owing to Bukovac, Zagreb became the region’s leading hotspot for artistic events. It was also the period when the artist was most prolific in terms of his work, as it was Zagreb where, driven by creative enthusiasm, he created some of his best known masterpieces.

Vlaho Bukovac, Gundulic's Dream (1894)

As a prominent figure on the social scene in Zagreb who often socialised with the intellectual elite, Bukovac portrayed members of distinguished families such as the Vranyczany, Pongrač, Nossan, Miletić, Farkaš, Crnadak and Berger.

The exhibition will also feature an opus created in his native Cavtat between 1899 and 1902. In terms of style, Bukovac reached his creative peak in his hometown, creating some of the most beautiful works of plein-air painting.

He stayed in Cavtat for four years, and later moved to Vienna with his family. His stay in Vienna and the success of his solo exhibition will be crucial for his later move to Prague.

The exhibition will present the life and work of Bukovac in chronological order, providing an in-depth look into numerous events in his life and the role they played in his work.

The works for the exhibition were borrowed from numerous museums and galleries in Croatia and neighbouring countries. We’ll have an opportunity to see paintings that were thus far completely unknown to the public, on loan by private collectors.

Authors of the exhibition: Petra Vugrinec and Lucija Vuković
Co-authors: Iskra Iveljić, Irena Kraševac, Dragan Damjanović i Petar Petrović
Curator: Iva Sudec Andreis

Klovićevi dvori gallery, Zagreb
February 18th - May 22nd, 2022

February 6, 2022 - The beloved sporting event on Pašman island is back after a two years’ wait

One of the most popular races on the Adriatic will take place next month for the first time since 2020. Škraping, named after 'škrapa' which refers to a rock or a cliff by the sea, is a unique trekking race that involves a lot of cliff-hopping as the runners make their way over the island's rugged terrain. 

The beloved sporting event was last scheduled for March 2020, when it got cancelled last-minute to help stop the spread of coronavirus.

The skraping race will take place in Tkon on Pašman island on March 12th this year, reports morski.hr. Those who are interested in taking part in the event can register until March 7th.

Skraping on Pašman is the biggest and most popular trekking and trail running event in Croatia and is split into four categories:

Ultra - the most challenging race with a 45 kilometre route for experienced athletes. The route has a starting point in Ždrelac, on the west side of Pašman island.

Challenger - a 25 kilometre route for those looking to discover the natural beauty and historic sites on Pašman island

Active - a 12 kilometre route with a view of Kornati National Park and the entire Zadar archipelago

Light - a 6 kilometre race intended for children and adults looking to spend some time in nature

All participants who paid the race fee for the cancelled skraping event in 2020 can participate in this year’s skraping without any additional fees. They’re kindly asked to contact the organisers via email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to let them know whether they want to attend.

Those contestants who are unable to attend this year’s skraping are also asked to contact the organisers so that a refund can be arranged.

You can register for the race of your choice and find detailed schedules and other details here.

New to skraping? Learn more about the popular trekking event in a dedicated feature here.

February 6, 2022 - The Croatian National Bank is consulting with legal experts about the potentially stolen Croatian euro coin kuna design by Stjepan Pranjković, which is oddly similar to a photograph of a kuna animal found on the Internet by British photographer Iain H Leach.

The CNB will publish its comment on Monday, writes Večernji List.

The author of the photograph, Iain H. Leach, was not asked for permission to use his photograph.

"Yes, it looks like someone took my photo without my permission and used it to design a new Croatian coin. They told me it was a competition and that design won. I also heard that the winner received a cash prize. I didn't get anything. He's a thief. He took my photo and picked up the prize. I think that those who organized it should withdraw the cash prize and name the real author of the photo on which the Croatian coin was made," Leach told 24 Sata.

"I am amazed at the interest from Croatia. A lot of good people from Croatia contacted me about this, and I didn't hear anything about it until two days ago," stated Leach for N1. 

“I don’t mind the photo being used as a motif for the coin and I would be glad to see it there. However, I would like to be officially recognized as a photographer and receive a usage fee. Also, I don't think that the person who stole my photo should be rewarded with almost 10,000 euros for something that was copied," concluded the photographer for N1. 

The Government told N1 that the competition to select the winning designs was led by the CNB from the beginning to the end.

"The competition for selecting the design was led from the beginning to the end by the CNB, through the Selection Committee (with external members) and the CNB's Permanent Money Commission, which otherwise decides on the design of commemorative coins. All contestants had to submit a statement guaranteeing that they are the owners of the copyright of the artistic solution that they applied for," the Government said for N1.

Recall, earlier this week, the Croatian Government presented the winning designs for the new Croatian euro coins. Various motifs were chosen - the coat of arms (šahovnica), a map of Croatia, a kuna (marten), Nikola Tesla, and the Glagolitic alphabet.

The kuna design, however, is familiar to a photograph of a kuna by a British photographer Iain H Leach. Many comments on social media pointed out the similarities between the kuna on the coin and the outline of the kuna in the photograph, primarily noticing the similar pose, the branch, but also smaller details, such as the position of the tail or the white color found on the animal's neck.

Leach also joined the discussion on Twitter.

"I hope the author of the Croatian euro coin design contacted you and paid you for the rights to the photo because the coin looks the same as your photo," one person wrote on Twitter, and he responded quickly. "Thanks for letting me know. Not sure what I can do, maybe they'll send me a free coin," Leach said. Twitter users soon began advising him to file a lawsuit.

This photo can be found in the photographer's kuna gallery on his website and around the Internet. This photograph is also provided by Google if "pine marten side view" is entered in the search engine. Pine marten is the English name for the kuna. 

The author of the Croatian euro coin design received HRK 70,000

The kuna motif will be on the 1 euro coin, and next to it will be the word "Croatia," and the year they introduced the euro - 2023. The author of the best design for this coin is Stjepan Pranjković, Master of Applied Arts.

Pranjković received HRK 70,000 for his winning design. His other two solutions won second place, receiving HRK 35,000. In total, he received HRK 140,000.

There are also posts on the Internet in which Pranjković asked for help in a group on Facebook on how to process a photo for a coin.

By the way, 295 design proposals were accepted for the kuna coin. The Croatian Commission for the Selection of Artistic Design Proposals selected the nine most successful proposals and submitted them to the CNB. Finally, in the second round of the tender, the CNB's Money Commission selected the three most successful design proposals.

The CNB published a document in which they explained the awarded works. Among them, they explained the motif of the kuna that will adorn the 1 euro coin, which is identical to the British photographer's image.

"The author of the award-winning work decided on a realistic depiction of the kuna animal. He very successfully graphically highlighted the figure of the kuna using a different surface texture, which contributed to the realistic depiction.

The author skillfully used the relationship between the given elements, so he uses straight and sharp chessboard lines as a frame of motifs and contrasts them with wavy lines in depicting the marten animal and the branch on which it stands. The position of the obligatory elements, which are placed along the edge of the inner part of the coin, additionally frames the motif and emphasizes its position," explains the CNB.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.