Friday, 21 January 2022

Split County Emergency Medical Service Gets Ten New Vehicles

ZAGREB, 21 Jan 2022 - The Split-Dalmatia County emergency medical service on Friday received ten new emergency medical vehicles and ambulances valued at almost HRK 4 million.

During the handover ceremony, County Prefect Blaženko Boban said that the one emergency medical vehicle and nine ambulances were fully financed by the county administration.

Three ambulances will remain in Split while the others will go to Vrgorac, Imotski, Omiš, Makarska Sink, and Kaštel Stari. 

The head of the county emergency medical service, Leo Luetić, said that ambulances are a key working resource and the service conducted about 60,000 runs a year and traveled more than 4 million kilometers.

The ambulances that are going to remain in Split will be used to transport patients to Zagreb, Varaždin, Krapina, and Vela Luka, while the emergency medical vehicle will transport patients to tertiary health institutions, primarily the KBC Hospital in Zagreb, he said.

For more, check out our dedicated politics section.

 

Friday, 21 January 2022

HD Tobacco Processing Company Begins Negotiations on New Production Season

ZAGREB, 21 Jan 2022 - The Croatian tobacco processing company Hrvatski Duhani (HD), a member of the British American Tobacco Group, has begun negotiations on the new production season, the company said on Friday.

The new season is the continuation of the successful purchase of tobacco in 2021 when a total of HRK 81.6 million was paid out to tobacco producers, which is as much as HRK 6 million more than in 2020, HD said.

This is the largest volume and value of production in the last four harvests despite major challenges last year when inclement weather, including draught, hail, and frost, affected the quality and yield of tobacco. Given that HD had ensured the most favorable insurance terms, producers were paid more than HRK 16 million, the company said.

The company said that last year it had invested over HRK 18 million in machine harvesting and that about 50 percent of tobacco had been harvested mechanically. New technology helped reduce costs and increase yields while at the same time helping producers to overcome the problem of labor shortage.

HD said its goal was to continue to increase the quality and yield of tobacco and the profitability of producers in 2022.

(€1 = HRK 7.5)

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated business and travel sections.

Friday, 21 January 2022

Zagreb Mayor Hosts New Year Reception for Foreign Diplomats

ZAGREB, 21 Jan 2022 - Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević has hosted the traditional New Year reception for foreign diplomats accredited in Croatia, acquainting them with the policies of his administration, the city administration said in a statement on Thursday evening. 

Thanking them for their constructive cooperation, the mayor acquainted members of the diplomatic corps with "the implementation of policies of change for a better Zagreb, for which he received support from the citizens" at the local election in May 2021, the statement said.

"One of the most important priorities is to stabilize the city's finances, as we have shown in the new budget for 2022. Reducing the debt, increasing the liquidity and efficiency of the city administration, while making sure that social rights, education, and health services remain intact, were the main guidelines in the preparation of the budget," Tomašević said.

He stressed the importance of the green transition and strengthening the capacity of the city-owned multi-utility conglomerate Zagrebački Holding, notably the waste disposal services.

He also noted a considerable increase in the number of applications for the reconstruction of public buildings damaged in the March 2020 earthquake, adding that he expected the government to support the city's efforts in that regard more effectively.

"Thank you everyone for supporting us in the process of rebuilding our city. In this respect, we are more than open to cooperation and the exchange of good experiences of your countries so that we can make Zagreb a better place for everyone," Tomašević said.

Speaking on behalf of the diplomatic corps, consular missions, and international organizations with offices in Zagreb, Apostolic Nuncio Giorgio Lingua wished the city administration success in their work for the benefit of Zagreb and all the people who live and work in it or visit it. "It would be our pleasure to expand our cooperation to help in the development of the city for the prosperity and wealth of all its citizens."

For more, check out our dedicated politics section.

Friday, 21 January 2022

How Can Croatia Handball Advance to EHF Euro 2022 Semifinals?

January 21, 2022 - Does Croatia handball have a chance at making the EHF Euro 2022 semifinals? Yes, but it won't be easy. 

Because the Croatia men's handball team did not transfer any points to the next phase of the competition and lost to Montenegro 32:26 in the first game of the second round, their chances of reaching the European Handball Championship semifinals are slim. However, there is a glimmer of hope, reports T.portal.

So, how can Croatia move to the knockout stage of the competition? 
1) The first condition is that Croatia can no longer lose and needs to win the next three games: Denmark (Saturday), Iceland (Monday), and the Netherlands (Wednesday). If they lose to Denmark, they have no shot. 
2) The second condition comes down to the other results, of which the key one is for France to beat Denmark in the group derby. In that case, France would be first in the group with ten points, Croatia and Denmark would have six points each, and Montenegro and Iceland four points each.
3) In addition, some other results must coincide, so it is so important that Montenegro beats the Netherlands on Saturday, and France beats Iceland.
4) Furthermore, Denmark should be expected to win against the Netherlands and France against Montenegro. It is also important that Iceland outplays Montenegro.

Thus, Croatia does not depend on themselves, and needing to secure three consecutive victories, including against powerhouses Denmark and Iceland, is not totally realistic. 

However, with so much at stake, coach Hrvoje Horvat decided to make several changes in the team in order to present the best possible players at the European Championship. 

Against Denmark tomorrow, Kristian Pilipović will be part of the team, who today (January 21, 2022), acquired the right to play for Croatia, in addition to Lovro Mihić and Mateo Maraš.

"We go game by game, defeat hurts and we are not happy that we lost. We are in a specific situation where we need to constantly revise, always start all over again. It will be very difficult to play, we will need to be maximally concentrated and provide the best possible game," said Horvat.

Croatia and Denmark meet on Saturday at 20:30. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page

Friday, 21 January 2022

Croatian Diaspora Book ''The Girl Who Left'' Earns Success in Australia

January 20, 2022 - The Croatian diaspora book ''The girl who left'' tells the story of Marija, a little girl from Blato who left her village to start a new life in Australia. The author is her daughter, Debra Gavranich. ''Ever since I was a child I have wanted to write my mother’s story. It is one of courage and hope''.

As years and decades go by, nostalgia and memories of the motherland begin to weigh more heavily, and the desire to pursue our origins and roots grows stronger. One of the most characteristic things about the Croatian diaspora is how far they have drifted from their country: Argentina, Chile, Canada, the United States, Peru, New Zealand, Australia, among others. We are talking about societies and geographies very different from those of their homeland. Nowadays, with so much distance both in space and time, how do they manage to get closer to the country in which their ancestors were born?

The first generations of Croats who emigrated kept the traditions of their families and their homeland and made sure to pass it on to their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. But what really inspires us to value our Croatian ancestry are their stories and tales about their families, their homeland, and, of course, the tough decision to leave it all behind. Some have already made their lives in other parts of the world, but proudly celebrate their roots to this day. Others have returned to "our beautiful homeland" to honor their ancestors. Both perspectives are equally valuable in learning more about Croatia.

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Portrait of Marija, Debra's mother.

The Croatian diaspora book ''The girl who left'', about Debra Gavranich's mother, Marija, is one of those stories that help celebrate Croatian heritage by sharing about the journey and experience of migration.

''My mother, Marija, was from Blato on the island of Korčula. Her childhood was impacted by the Second World War when her village was occupied by the Italians and then the Germans'', recalls Gavranich. ''Her older sister joined the Partisans as a code breaker for General Tito while Marija and her younger sister secretly helped the Partisans hiding in the hills. After the war, she agreed to a proxy marriage to my father, a sugar cane farmer in Australia. He had left the village as a child. A life in Australia with a husband she did not know was a risk worth taking and she left her family, friends, culture, and all she had known and traveled alone by ship to this foreign country. This is a story of a new migrant and the life she made for herself''.

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The town of Blato, on the island of Korčula; Marija's birthplace.

The Croatian diaspora book is called ''The girl who left'' and is published by Wild Dingo Press. It was released in August 2021 and has already sold thousands of copies. Aside from numerous launches in Australia, it was also launched in Blato, her mother's birthplace, on August 19th. ''There is a lot of interest in this book in Australia by the Croatian diaspora as well as the general public and the feedback has been wonderful'', adds Debra, who's been interviewed by several media. You can listen to her interviews with ABC Radio Australia from September 3rd, 2021, and September 24th, 2021.

''My publisher is currently searching for Croatian publishers so that this story can be translated and published in Croatia. I am hopeful. This story is representative of many of the Croatians that left their homeland and a little bit of their hearts behind as they made new lives in Australia'', says Debra.

To learn more about the Croatian diaspora, be sure to check our dedicated section.

Friday, 21 January 2022

Rijeka-Belgrade Flight to Connect Krk with Several International Destinations

January 21, 2022 - The return of the Rijeka-Belgrade flight is already great news, but also because it allows travelers to connect to numerous destinations around the world. 

After the announced return of Ryanair and Condor, another very important airline that operated to Rijeka in the pre-pandemic period - Air Serbia - is returning to Rijeka Airport, reports Novi List.

After cutting the direct line to Belgrade in 2020 after the pandemic, Air Serbia returns to Krk with the Rijeka-Belgrade direct flight. The first flight is expected on June 15, and flights will run until September 17, twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Tickets went on sale in the middle of the week, and the price of a one-way ticket is currently only 374 kuna, while the return ticket is 676 kuna. The flight lasts an hour and 20 minutes, and ATR72 aircraft will operate on this route.

Air Serbia launched flights to Rijeka in June 2019. The last flights ran in December of that year, after which they were suspended until further notice due to the coronavirus pandemic. In that year, the direct line between Rijeka and Belgrade was established after thirty years, with the proviso being year-round, so even in winter, it was possible to fly to Belgrade. After the line was canceled due to the pandemic, there was talk that it would be permanently abolished, but, fortunately, those announcements proved wrong.

"Air Serbia offers good connections from Rijeka, via Belgrade, to Amsterdam, Vienna, Zurich, Dusseldorf, Milan, New York, Oslo, Paris, Podgorica, Rome, Stockholm, and Tivat, as well as to Rijeka, via Belgrade, from Amsterdam, Berlin, Vienna, Brussels, Zurich, Frankfurt, Milan, Podgorica, Rome, Stuttgart, and Tivat," according to the Serbian national airline.

"We are happy to significantly improve and diversify our network by carefully selecting new destinations, following the wishes of passengers and strategic plans for future expansion," said Boško Rupić, sales manager at Air Serbia.

Commenting on the introduction of the new line, Irena Peršić Živadinov, director of the Kvarner Tourist Board, reminded of the importance of this market for the region and pointed out that the significance of this line is that the Serbian partner has several connecting flights. 

"It is an important market for us anyway. Guests from Serbia traditionally love Kvarner and are excellent consumers. They spend when they visit, considering that the upper class visits us. Moreover, they often come for extended weekends, so in that sense, the air connection from Belgrade to Rijeka will undoubtedly make their arrival easier. Another key feature of this line is that it has a lot of connecting flights, either with Europe or with further destinations such as New York or Moscow.

Therefore, this line is important to us not only for connecting with the Serbian market but also for easier access from several other markets. So we had the Belgrade-Rijeka flight set on the days of the week when the connecting flights were in Belgrade.

We have many additional airline connections with several countries," said Peršić Živadinov, adding that partners in Air Serbia are optimistic about the new route, especially since, for example, the route from Belgrade to Pula last year proved extremely popular.

Serbian tourists were loyal to Kvarner during the pandemic. According to the Kvarner Tourist Board, there were even more overnights by Serbian tourists in Kvarner in commercial accommodation last year than in the pre-pandemic 2019. Specifically, in 2019, about 21,000 guests from Serbia arrived in Kvarner, who spent about 111,000 nights, while last year, about 20,000 Serbian tourists arrived, who spent about 114,000 nights. If those in non-commercial accommodation, i.e., in cottages, are taken into account, overnight stays are doubled. In 2019, 206 thousand overnight stays were realized in commercial and non-commercial accommodation, and last year 190 thousand overnight stays.

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

Friday, 21 January 2022

Croatia Logs 16,670 New COVID Cases, 35 Deaths

ZAGREB, 21 Jan 2022 - A total of 11,114 new COVID cases have been detected by PCR tests in Croatia in the past 24 hours while a further 5,556 cases have been detected with Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) bringing the total daily caseload to 16,670, and 35 people have died from COVID, the Croatian COVID response team reported on Friday.

There are currently 61,671 active cases of the infection with coronavirus in Croatia, including 1,799 hospitalized patients, 193 of whom are on ventilators.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic in Croatia in late February 2020, a total of 859,264 cases of the novel coronavirus have been registered and 13,335 people have died from the infection, while 784,258 have recovered including 8,601 in the past 24 hours.

A total of 41,682 people are now self-isolating.

To date, a total of 4,074,484 tests have been conducted, including 21,253 in the past 24 hours.

As of Thursday, a total of 5,021,663 doses of a vaccine had been administered with the vaccination rate being 56.34% of the total population or 67.06% of the adult population.

A total of 2,286,291 people have received at least one dose of a vaccine while 2,193,513 are fully vaccinated which is 64.50% of the adult population.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated section and select your preferred language if it isn't English.

Friday, 21 January 2022

14 Volotea Flights to Split and Dubrovnik Airports this Summer

January 21, 2022 - The latest flight news to Croatia as 14 Volotea flights to Split and Dubrovnik airports will run this summer. 

Spanish low-cost airline Volotea is planning 14 scheduled flights to two Croatian airports this summer, reports Croatian Aviation.

Namely, Volotea will operate 14 seasonal routes from France, Italy, and Greece to two Croatian airports - Split and Dubrovnik, in the summer flight schedule, which starts in late March.

Although the airline planned more lines to Split and Dubrovnik, the start date has been postponed from season to season due to the pandemic. The three previously announced lines will not be in operation this year either. Moreover, the airline has removed them from its list of destinations, so it is to be assumed that they will not be launched in the near future.

Nevertheless, the summer program for Croatia looks significantly better compared to 2021 operations. There are several weekly rotations on most lines, but it should be noted that the company has confirmed that reductions (or increases) in the announced schedule are still possible, and this will depend solely on the pandemic that directly affects passenger demand.

Volotea plans to travel to Dubrovnik from:
Lyon, from 16.04., 2 times a week, Tuesdays and Saturdays,

Nantes, from 09.04., 3 times a week, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays,

Bordeaux, from 16.04., 2 times a week, Wednesdays and Saturdays,

Toulouse, from 23.04., 2 times a week, Wednesdays and Saturdays,

Marseille, from 09.04., 2 times a week, Tuesdays and Saturdays,

Bari, from 06.07., once a week, Wednesday,

Athens, from 29.05., 2 times a week, Wednesdays and Sundays.

Volotea plans to travel to Split from:
Venice, from 27.05., 2 times a week, Tuesdays and Fridays,

Lyon, from 17.04., 2 times a week, Wednesdays and Sundays,

Nice, from 13.04., once a week, Wednesday,

Marseille, from 10.04., 2 times a week, Wednesdays and Sundays,

Toulouse, from 17.04., 2 times a week, Wednesdays and Sundays,

Bordeaux, from 17.04., once a week, Wednesdays,

Nantes, from 10.04., 2 times a week, Wednesdays and Sundays.

Volotea is one of the few airlines that flies from a number of French cities to Croatia during the summer season. Air France and Croatia Airlines, as well as many low-cost airlines, connect Croatian airports and several airports serving Paris, but Volotea offers the possibility of direct travel between Split and six French cities, which is certainly important in terms of tourism.

On all 14 routes to Croatia in the upcoming summer flight schedule, Volotea plans to use its A319 and A320 aircraft with a capacity of 150 and 180 seats in the passenger cabin, respectively.

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

Friday, 21 January 2022

Split Women Entrepreneurs Check In - A Stylish Success!

January 21, 2022 - The first Split Women Entrepreneurs Check In was held at Heritage Hotel Santa Lucia on Thursday, January 20, as the ultimate networking event for anyone interested in lifestyle and new business connections, all while indulging in a tasty brunch.

The Women's Entrepreneurs Check-in is organized under the Lifestyle Check-in brand, which organizes a series of B2B & B2C events focused on international fashion, beauty, and lifestyle companies, held in mesmerizing venues such as galleries, yachts, and hotels. Thursday's event was thus held at Kavana Central, part of the chic Heritage Hotel Santa Lucia, located at Narodni trg 1 in Split. 

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The Women Entrepreneurs Check In aims to raise awareness about women entrepreneurs and affirm women’s role in the Croatian and Dalmatian economies. Speakers and journalists from Croatia, Austria, and Romania joined the event through a panel discussion about women's entrepreneurship to celebrate great business minds and up-and-coming entrepreneurs while highlighting the influential role women play in the business community.

In addition to bubbles and brunch, the event featured 3 different panels with questions directed to the audience once the speakers finished. The breaks between each panel included artistic moments, with acoustic music by Michelle Rowsell, live portrait paintings by Sunčica Kuzmanić Perišin Tomljanović, and artwork by Esther Canata. 

The audience was also encouraged to use the breaks to network, test the Makeover Polyclinic Beauty Corner products, and enjoy the stunning reclaimed wood sculptures by Earth Wind Desire and Pierre Lang jewelry from Austria. 

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The Women Entrepreneurs Check In was introduced by Total Croatia News COO and event moderator Daniela Rogulj, who thanked everyone for joining and highlighted the importance of celebrating women, networking, and dressing up on a January Thursday in Split. 

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The opening words were shared by Joze Tomaš, Director of the Split County Chamber of Commerce (HGK), and Nevena Čikeš, manager of Heritage Hotel Santa Lucia. Tomaš reiterated his support for women business owners through HGK and various projects and promised to continue fighting for equal rights for women in Croatia. Čikeš stressed the importance of unity and pledged her support to Lifestyle Check In for future events. 

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The first panel discussed businesswomen in Europe and Croatia, the importance of connection, and social entrepreneurship, with speakers Tash Peričić and Barbara Marković. 

Originally from New Zealand and living in Croatia for almost 8 years, Tash Peričić has worked in hospitality and tourism for 17 years, including managing Gordon Ramsay’s Michelin-starred restaurant – ‘Maze’ in London. Tash has worked in the field of Leadership based on Emotional Intelligence, as a writer for TCN, and more recently started giving guest lectures at Aspira University, delivering training for luxury yachts, and teaching the stewardess course for Atlantis Yachting Academy thanks to her experience working on yachts in Croatia for almost 10 seasons. Tash has also created an online community to support women which now includes nearly 600 members in Dalmatia.

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Tash spoke about her ethos being connection, collaboration, and community, how women's communities differ in the various parts of the world she's lived, and how it is imperative to dismiss competitive mindsets and instead support each other, which she has discovered through the community she has built in Dalmatia. 

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Barbara Marković has worked in different areas of tourism for over 20 years. She also spent 10 years in the United States, working for Marriott and the cruising industry, mainly in hotel operations. She has worked on projects with private accommodation owners for the last ten years. Barbara is the president of the Croatian Family Accommodation Association on a national level and has presented the project in the media and locally to assist and help private accommodation owners as much as possible. She also owns the Dalmagic travel agency, mainly specializing in Split county cruises, tours, and accommodation services. She also works part-time for the tourist boards of Croatia and Split-Dalmatia County as an educator for accommodation business owners.

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Barbara discussed the importance of being a good host, how he has adapted as a businesswoman to Split's rapidly changing tourism environment, and how we need to honor quality over quantity. 

The second panel touched on business trends and how we can design our feminine future through projects led by Hildegard Brandl and Cornelia Rieger. 

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Originally from Romania, Hildegard Helene Brandl studied architecture in Bucharest, graduated in Dortmund, and set up her first architecture office in Venezuela. In 2009, she returned to Europe and opened UNITH2B Architects in Romania with her partner Anca Sandu in Romania. Hilde is strongly involved in volunteering projects - she is a member of the Romanian Business Leaders Association, a member of the AHK Romanian-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the leader of the ANTREPRENORESTI project - Adopt a village. She is currently the President of the Bucharest Entrepreneurs Organization and Coordinator of the National Business Environment Commission of the PNL. As a founding member & board member of the Association of Romanian Architectural Societies, she promotes public policies and leaner legislation within the construction domain. She is one of the founding members of ROBELO - Romanian Best Locations - a platform for exceptional tourist locations in Romania and passionately promotes the unique, wild landscapes and experiences that Romania offers. Hilde spoke about her unique experience as a woman in the male-dominated political world and the most significant lessons she's learned. 

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"I constantly ask myself - would it kill me? No. So I do it. Anything that doesn't kill us makes us stronger. Saying yes to opportunities, even in areas like politics which was unfamiliar to me, is one of the biggest reasons I've grown and been successful in the business world," said Hilde.

Cornelia Rieger has been a businesswoman in Austria since 2003. She has worked as a consultant in the Back Office Work for Entrepreneurs and a Mentor and Trainer for Women in Leadership. She has also been part of the Real Life Academy since 2018, Partner Agency "We bring together, what belongs together " since 2020, and the Summer Rose Community - Inner Circle for successful People and Entrepreneurs.

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Cornelia stressed the importance of following your dreams and building many empires. 

A big take from the second panel touched on why women don't support each other. 

"Men naturally support each other. They get together, go for a drink, and talk about everything from life to business and politics. Through that connection, they naturally gain networks. Women aren't doing these things enough - women need to get together once a week to talk, have a drink, and genuinely connect and share with each other."

The final panel featured Larisa Čišić, Janine Widmann, and Rino Medić. 

Larisa Čišić, a licensed architect, and Daniel Poelzl, a wood artist, make up the artist/architect duo behind Earth Wind Desire, helping people reconnect to nature and their inner selves. Born in Croatia, Larisa studied architecture in Zagreb and Milan, worked in Japan, and traveled the world to master the skill of designing soulful architecture. Earth Wind Desire uses natural reclaimed materials to create exceptional artwork, architecture, and interior design. Based in Croatia, they endeavor to elevate your surroundings from dull & artificial to calming & natural or create wholly new and unique luxury experiences.

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Larisa spoke about how living in Japan and working in the rather militant Japanese business culture differed from Croatia and the lessons she now implements in her business having the experience working abroad. 

Janine Widmann is a former Sales Director within the hospitality industry that started her own business during her maternity leave in 2017. She now works with 120 business partners in 6 countries. Her partner in crime is the US Company Jeunesse, founded in 2009 and is now a billion-dollar company that continues to grow worldwide and is expanding further in Europe. Janine focuses her entire business on starting a new start-up every day, together with a prospect. She helps implement essential processes to support the latest startup to be successful.

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Janine stressed the importance of celebrating your achievements, not being humble about your success, how it is more important now than ever not to be entirely dependent on one income - and that it's okay to make more money than your husband! 

The final panelist and only male speaker was Rino Medić. Originally from Mostar, Rino received his MBA in marketing from the Zagreb School of Economics and Management in 2009. Rino earned his Ph.D. from the Faculty of Economics in Osijek last year with the thesis “The Role of Volunteering in Remote Communities” under the mentorship of professor Dan Ebener from St. Ambrose University.

Rino has worked for 13 years in publishing and education as a key account manager, event manager, project manager, and head of publishing and has led several exciting projects. He was a member of the program and organization committee of the WinDays Business Conferences, International Conference on Women in the Film Industry, and the Conference on Croatian Film Heritage. He is currently a member of the program and organization committee at the Mediterranean Islands Conference on Vis and the Creative Future Insights Conference in Zagreb. Rino has attended many educational programs and is the author of a few scientific articles and book chapters. In addition, he is an editor of Conference Proceedings from two international scientific conferences, and even a former athlete with many honors and awards. 

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Rino shared a personal story about collectivism versus individualism for sustainable growth. 

Music and Artists

Michelle Rowsell

Originally from the small island of Jersey, Michelle’s love of traveling upon the open waters ultimately brought her to Split. Michelle’s background and training are in theatre, contributing to her diverse musical taste, spanning from old classics by Sam Cooke and The Shirelles to contemporary pop-rock songs performed in a stripped-back, acoustic style.

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Sunčica Kuzmanić Perišin Tomljanović

Croatian-born, Suncica Kuzmanic Perišin Tomljanović is an international artist with a worldly soul. Sunci studied in London, graduated in fine arts at St. Martins College of art & design, lived in Rome, and has exhibited in Italy, London, New York, Mexico, Paris, and Istanbul. Her collectors are from all walks of life and all parts of the world.

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While Sunci works with many themes and painting mediums, performance portraits are at the center of her work, usually working with watercolors or oil on canvas. Suncica was born drawing and painting, but only after seeing Andy Warhol’s portrait of Mick Jagger at 16 that she fell in love with portraits. Sunci has experimented with portraits and collected people and stories ever since. Sunci’s portraits and works share the same element of interaction – in person or remotely; this ‘live element’ is essential to her work. However, Sunci’s true magic lies in her ability to connect with her client, dive into their world and create from this space, bringing an energetic element to each painting.

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Esther Canata

Esther Canata is a former stage and screen actress, singer-songwriter, poet, and self-taught visual artist. Esther was born and raised in New Jersey to an Italian family with Irish and South American roots. She studied the arts through high school and continued her creative growth to NYC where she worked as an artist model and studio apprentice at the School of Visual Arts for two years. Esther partook in various performative and visual works, aligning with street artists, gallerists, musicians, filmmakers, and other creatives in downtown Manhattan’s underground music and arts scene. A multicultural, tough-love childhood combined with leaving home at a very young age armed Esther with a natural street edge – an artful arsenal – baring many layers of life fully lived, helping cultivate her signature style. Esther’s approach is authentic, a stream of conscious abstract expressionism. Esther plays in mixed-mediums, and her style is influenced by street art and great masters such as Basquiat, Picasso, Chagall, Miro, and Klimt. Her work is emotionally charged, moody, complex, and empowering – embodying femininity, sensuality, diversity, and soulful depth of character. 

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Esther has exhibited through New York, Miami, LA, and Europe. As an emerging international artist, some career highlights include her solo exhibit entitled “ELEMENTAL” at the Museum of Trogir in Croatia and ART BASEL Miami as a featured artist in the ARTBOX. In addition, private collectors have exhibited her work in their homes, hotels, restaurants, and workspaces. 

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The event was sponsored by the Central Dalmatia County Tourist Board and Amarea Travel, which offered a guided city tour after the event. Journalists attended an elegant dinner at Zrno Soli in Split on Thursday evening, sponsored by the Central Dalmatia County Tourist Board. 

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More information about upcoming events can be found here: https://lifestylecheckin.com/

All photos by Maksim Bašić

For more, check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

Friday, 21 January 2022

Krka National Park is 37! You're All Invited to Breathtaking Birthday Party

January 21, 2022 – Celebrating its birthday this week, Krka National Park is 37 years old. To mark the occasion, the park is inviting everyone to visit this weekend for free.

Just 20 minutes drive from the seaside town of Šibenik, Krka National Park is one of Croatia's most famous, most popular and most spectacular National Parks. Within 109 square kilometres of the Krka river valley, you'll find seven spectacular waterfalls, wonderful wildlife, epic karst rock canyons and thrilling views. It is a recreational playground of limitless enjoyment.

kljucica05jpg.jpg© Krka National Park

Over one million visitors come each year to Krka National Park. On the birthday weekend that Krka National Park is 37, park authorities are opening the entrances to everyone for free. It's the perfect opportunity to come and explore. From hiking trails and cycle paths to bird watching and landscape or nature photography, there's lots to see and do.

roskislap10jpg.jpgRoški Slap waterfall near Drniš © Krka National Park

You may have seen Skradinski Buk and the pools near the southern section of the park and Šibenik. But, have you found Roški Slap waterfall further up, just a few kilometres west of Drniš? Or did you see the northern entrance of the park and its series of waterfalls near Knin? There's more in Krka National Park than you could discover in just one weekend.

'People from the Krka' photography for Krka National Park is 37

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An extra attraction added in time for the birthday weekend is a public display of a specially curated photo series.

The landscape of what is today Krka National Park has been marked for millennia by the hands of man. People have existed alongside the Krka river since prehistory. Within the park, you can see evidence of how people have lived here across the ages.

People from the Krka is an exhibition of photographs that show folks whose lives and work happen within the river Krka canyon. The photographs are taken in the period from the founding of Krka National Park until today. The exhibition has been authored by renowned photographer Damil Kalogjera, who is particularly noted for his portrait work. It is the first in a series of NP Krka exhibitions that will present the people who live along the Krka.

krka_1.jpg© Krka National Park

The opening of the photo exhibition will take place at 12 midday on Saturday 22 January at the Imperial Plateau on the lookout point above Skradinski Buk. It offers an unforgettable view of Krka's largest and most famous waterfall. Performing at the opening ceremony will be Skradin acapella group Klapa Skradinski Buk.

klapa_1skradinskibuk.jpgKlapa Skradinski buk

On the weekend that Krka National Park is 37, admission to the park is free on Saturday and Sunday. The park is open from 9am to 4pm. Entry into enclosed spaces is only possible with an EU digital COVID certificate.

Why not take advantage of the offer and visit Krka National Park for a full weekend? You can find brilliant accommodation in nearby Šibenik (here), Knin (here) or Drniš (here).

Roski.jpgRoški Slap waterfall near Drniš © Krka National Park

For more information about Krka National Park, look here.

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