Made in Croatia

February the 12th, 2021 - Remember in pre-pandemic times when you could freely organise a house party or just have people over to your place without a care in the world? The Croatian webshop Tipsy seems to be preparing for precisely the return of that. As Novac/Bernard Ivezic writes, when the country's anti-epidemic measures relax and the powers that be allow it, you'll now be able to organise a house party within a mere 150 minutes without moving from your armchair. The new Croatian webshop Tipsy delivers drinks, snacks, platters, ice and even condoms within the aforementioned period, but only…

February 11, 2021 - Change may be around the corner, but watching Croatian bureaucracy in action in 2021 is quite the thing.  I have a very serious suggestion - an application should be made for Croatian bureaucracy to be given intangible UNESCO heritage status. Before it is too late. As parents, we look at the lives of our children in their gadget-infested worlds, and the things that were mainstream in our lives just a decade ago are already alien to them.  And so, too, it seems, in the world of Croatian bureaucracy.  Against my better judgment - and definitely against…

February 10, 2021 – 10 of the most outstanding examples of contemporary Croatian architecture have been selected by the Association of Croatian Architects to compete in the extremely prestigious Mies van der Rohe Awards. Held only once every two years, they are the European equivalent of the Pritzker Prize for Architecture. The Mies van der Rohe Awards are a really big deal. The greatest works of European architecture compete for recognition in the competition. The greatest success of Croatian architecture in the awards was attained by UP studios' Toma Plejić and Lea Pelivan, who received a special award for upcoming…

February 9, 2021 - BIRD Incubator, the first Croatian incubator for teams and projects related to artificial intelligence, machine learning and data analytics, officially opened its doors on February 9, 2021, and the first startup teams began incubation in late 2020. As of today, the Croatian technology scene is richer for a new startup incubator that specializes in projects based on the development of artificial intelligence. The BIRD Incubator was started by the company Poslovna inteligencija at Petračićeva 4 in Zagreb, where a visually impressive new space of 450 square meters is located. The official opening was organized online due…

ZAGREB, 8 February, 2021 - Three young electronics engineers at the Split Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture are participating in the design of chips for CERN, using state-of-the-art tools and methods at the forefront of technology, the faculty said on Monday. It became involved in the design of chips for the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in cooperation with Fermilab in Chicago. "We have designed parts of a chip for a new generation of detectors at CERN in cooperation with Fermilab which, given the successful first results of the design, invited us to participate also in the…

February 8, 2021 – The Dinaric karst caves found intermittently down the length of the country's coast are the richest in the world when it comes to species that live within them. Many of them are extremely rare, with 70% of them being indigenous exclusively to Croatia Dinaric karst caves are one of the best-kept secrets of Dalmatia. While the majestic Dinaric Alps are an ever-present backdrop within holiday photos taken on the Croatian coast, the Dinaric karst caves and cave systems that can be found intermittently running through them remain little known, explored only by a handful of expert…

February 16, 2021 – Pršut tends to hog the limelight when people discuss Croatia's mastery of preserving pig, but prosciutto is far from the whole story. Croatian bacon is the best bacon in the world! Having now attained EU-protection, Dalmatian bacon looks set to rightly become the next most famous export of traditional pork produce from the region. If you've visited Croatia – perhaps, even if you haven't – you'll have tried or at least heard of its famous prosciutto. Known locally as pršut, this dry-cured ham is a renowned delicacy. Taking pride of place at every public buffet, it…

February 7, 2021 - A fountain of Dutch positivity in rural Karlovac county has developed a vaccine to combat the lethal default negativity in Croatia. Meet the ten steps.  It all started 6 days ago when I was looking around for a happy story to balance the misery of protests, corona and economic gloom. I chanced upon an article by one of the happiest people I know in Croatia, Dutchman Rene Pronk, who has been living in rural Croatia for 8 years. He had written a really nice piece called 20 Reasons Why Croatia is the Best Place for Living.…

February 7, 2021 – The autochthonous Croatian cake Rudarska greblica, originally from the village of Rude near Samobor, was awarded a designation of geographical origin and thus became the first protected gastronomic product in Zagreb County. In the last few days, the good news does not stop coming from Zagreb County. Namely, after the samoborska kremšnita was recently awarded the status of intangible cultural good, another dessert from the Samobor area – Rudarska greblica – was approved as a protected designation of geographical origin at the European level. With this label, Rudarska greblica becomes the 29th Croatian product with a…

February 6, 2021 - Another fabulous Croatian start-up, with quite a story about its origins. Looking for a healthy energy boost in your morning coffee? Meet Mushroom Cups. I learned a lot about mushrooms this week.  Although my inbox is a battle I will never win, I do enjoy the varied curveballs it throws my way. It is one of the things that keep this job so interesting - every day is different, and the inbox never fails to disappoint.   Among the gems this week was an introduction from a friend to a company called Mushroom Cups: Hi Paul, Please,…