Metaklapa Sings A Cappella Iron Maiden in Diocletian's Cellars (VIDEO)
May 17, 2022 - Singing 'Aces High' by Iron Maiden, Metaklapa opened the long-awaited debut album promotion 'The Choir of Beasts' in the cellars of Diocletian's Palace in Split. The unique blend of a cappella and heavy metal music perfectly fits this ancient acoustic space.
The talent of Metaklapa and the project's uniqueness have been recognized by foreign publishers (NoCut Entertainment) and manager Jochen Kühling, who has ambitious plans with these extraordinary singers. Jochen Kühling told the audience that he loves klapa music and that at concerts in Berlin, he was convinced that other Germans love klapa music, just like their energy. After meeting Metaklapa, he fell in love, he says, with Iron Maiden. Their goal is to hold concerts to bring the klapa way of singing closer to audiences worldwide, reports Dalmatinski Portal.
Musician and friend of the band Josip Radić (Valentino Bošković, Kensington Lima) had the opportunity to be among the first to hear Iron Maiden klapa-style and participate in the band's formation - the idea was born one evening on Brač while singing.
The audience could listen to several Iron Maiden songs live at the promotion, including: 'Blood Brothers,' 'The Evil That Men Do,' and 'Fear of the Dark'.
Focused on vocal performance, the Metaklapa members managed to preserve the spirit of the klapa tradition and the fierce character of the cult metal band Iron Maiden.
The album 'The Choir of Beasts' was released this year by Hamburg-based NoCut Entertainment and Menart / Beton Musica, published for the regional market. It is produced by Marko Matijević Sekul (Manntra) and Žarko Pak.
For their debut album, Metaklapa has selected ten interesting and challenging songs for the klapa to cover, such as 'Fear of the Dark', 'Aces High', 'Wasted Years', 'Flight of Icarus' or 'Caught Somewhere in Time.'
"Their music easily transforms into a pure a cappella arrangement, but until we started the project, we were not even aware of how metal could sound in a klapa way. The songs are usually sung with four voices, although there are often parts with five different vocal lines, which gives them a very unusual density in sound. Our manager Jochen Kühling and publishers from NoCut Entertainment are delighted with the klapa heavy metal songs idea and believe that it is something unique that cannot be copied elsewhere in the world," says Dino Demicheli, emphasizing that Metaklapa has received an invitation to the Wacken Festival, the world's largest festival of heavy metal music, along with festivals in Berlin, Daruvar and Mali Lošinj, while more concerts abroad are expected.
For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.
After First Gay Bar, Cabaret Gentlemen's Club Cristal to Open in Dubrovnik?
May 17, 2022 - After Dubrovnik opened its first gay bar earlier this month, the Cabaret Gentlemen's Club Cristal should open in June.
After decades of monotonous offerings, typical souvenir shops, fast food restaurants, and a few more exclusive offers for a wealthier clientele, Dubrovnik is becoming a city that can match the world's largest metropolises. Throughout history, Dubrovnik has often been a precursor of change and liberal ideas, but the city has lost part of its 'modernity' over the years and mainly relied on history and cultural heritage. But that isn't the case anymore.
After Dubrovnik came to life with its first gay bar, now the Adriatic pearl will have another hot topic to chat about.
As Dubrovacki Dnevnik has learned from well-informed sources, a strip club is opening in Batala this summer, although this information is still not widely known to the public. The area of the 18th century Sorgo Giorgi Matijević summer house, next to the former Atlantska Plovidba, is rapidly transforming into a luxury club that will open in a little over a month.
Unofficially, it is Cabaret Gentlemen's Club Cristal, an elite night strip club that is known as the most luxurious club for this offer in the region. Cristal Club already exists in Sarajevo and Rogoznica in Marina Frapa. In Sarajevo, the club is open all year round, every night without exception. In Rogoznica, oriented primarily to the tourist season, the club is open from May to October. As Dubrovacki Dnevnik finds out, the Dubrovnik club should work for at least ten months.
Employees at the club are already in demand, with openings for waitresses and dancers. The team has already been partially formed, given that a source close to the club said that eight girls had already been formally selected as dancers and that only two places remain open.
In clubs of this type, all girls, depending on how professional they are in dance and work, receive a per diem and percentages of drinks, where each bottle has a certain amount earned as commission, meaning higher commissions for more expensive bottles of alcohol.
In addition to the fixed per diem and percentage, a lap dance is paid extra. Visitors that want discretion can exchange their money for 'funny money' and honor the girls with them when performing. Girls also earn a percentage of this funny money.
According to Dubrovacki Dnevnik's source, dancers earn between five and seven thousand euros a month.
When asked about the age range of dancers, a source close to the club answered that the only condition is that the girl is of legal age and there is no age limit.
Opening hours are not yet fully defined, but it will certainly work during the night, and the options are from 9 pm to 5 am or from 10 pm to 4 am. The club's source points out that these working hours are an advantage because it allows time for your private life, rest, socializing, and swimming.
This news will undoubtedly provoke rumors in the city, but those engaged in this business point out that everything is transparent, that all employees are duly registered; if they are foreigners, a work permit is obtained and everyone is duly paid obligations and contributions.
"Everything is legal; business like any other," the source concluded.
For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.
Official Split Airport Taxi Prices Published to Trogir, Split City Center, and More
May 17, 2022 - Official Split Airport taxi prices have been published at the airport's taxi stand in an effort to combat outrageous fares.
After the concessions were introduced for taxi carriers, Split Airport published a list of prices for taxi services from Resnik. Namely, a price list is set up next to the signpost for the taxi stand and informs guests about the cost of transport to several destinations, reports Dalmatinski Portal.
A ride to Trogir is 150 kuna, to the surrounding marinas 220 kuna, to Omiš 600, and to Šibenik 680 kuna. For Split, prices range between 330 to 380 kuna. Van rides are 30 percent more expensive. The prices seem fair and will certainly help keep guests from feeling cheated.
Dalmatinski Portal
Dalmatinski Portal recently published an invoice for a taxi ride from the ferry port in Split to the Airport, costing the passenger 957 kuna to drive 26 kilometers! This is almost three times the tariff announced at Resnik.
A ride on that route should cost a maximum of 300 kuna, says Milivoj Topić, president of the Transportation Guild at the Association of Craftsmen.
"We warned when passing the law that things like this would happen. And that is just one of the negative things we are facing," says Topić.
Topić believes this move by Split Airport is a step in the right direction.
"The price list was brought by the airport in cooperation with the Association of Craftsmen of the City of Kaštela. We are also looking to do something similar in Split in the foreseeable future, following the example of Dubrovnik, Novalja, and Pula, in order to avoid embarrassing situations and manipulations," says Topić.
But there are other ways to get from Split Airport to the city center, mainly mobile applications like Uber, Bolt, and Cammeo. At the time of writing this, Bolt will take you from the Split Riva to Split Airport for 190 kuna, while Uber is around 215 kuna. Cammeo was showing 220 kuna. The applications showed around 60 kuna to Trogir from Split Airport.
And if you're looking for even cheaper options from Split Airport to the Split City Center? You can take the airport shuttle bus directly to the Split Bus Station for 45 kuna (more information here) or hop on the local 37 Promet bus.
For more, check out our dedicated travel section.
New Dubrovnik Public Lighting to Save City 2 Million Kuna Annually
May the 17th, 2022 - The brand new Dubrovnik public lighting system is set to save Croatia's southernmost city and tourist Mecca a significant two million kuna per year.
As the Republic of Croatia turns more and more towards the European Union's wider goal of becoming more green and employing much more environmentally friendly tactics across the board, public lighting systems and converting them from energy inefficiency to energy efficiency with the use of new lamps is one of the priorities across the country.
As Morski writes, the City of Dubrovnik has initiated a public procurement procedure for the project of the reconstruction and modernisation of the Dubrovnik public lighting system. Bids are being collected until June the 10th, and 14 million kuna has already been secured for this project which is set to save the city a decent amount of money each year.
The project of the complete reconstruction and modernisation of the Dubrovnik public lighting system includes 3739 obsolete lighting fixtures in the wider city area. The existing system consists of 46 different types of energy inefficient and environmentally unacceptable lamps, which will be replaced by high-efficiency LED lamps, they stated from the Dubrovnik city administration, emphasising that this will contribute to further environmental protection and the overall energy efficiency of Croatian public lighting systems.
They also stated that the annual financial savings on electricity costs that will be achieved by this reconstruction and modernisation of the Dubrovnik public lighting system, when compared to the current situation, will be more than two million kuna, and will significantly reduce the cost of maintaining the system on top of that as well.
The money needed for this Dubrovnik-based project will be secured by a HBOR loan with a repayment period of seven years and a fixed interest rate of 0.5 percent.
For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.
First Prague Regiojet Train This Year to Arrive in Rijeka on June 3rd
May the 17th, 2022 - The very first Prague Regiojet train will arrive from the Czech capital to the City of Rijeka on the Northern Adriatic coast on June the 3rd, but there will be nothing to speak of when it comes to the Polish line to Croatia this year, it seems.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, this year's first train of the Czech carrier Regiojet to Rijeka and Split departs from the City of Prague on June the 3rd, 2022. Tereza Ptackova, head of international projects at Regiojet, confirmed this for Rijeka portal Novi list, stating that the recognisable yellow Regiojet trains will run again via Zagreb to Rijeka and Split, but will not stop in the Hungarian capital of Budapest this year.
"The trains will run from June the 3rd to September the 26th, with them running on a daily basis throughout July and August, and three times a week in June and September. The route hasn't really changed. We still stop in the capitals of Prague, Bratislava and Zagreb. Some stops within the Czech Republic itself are set to differ from last year, but that is only because of the construction works," Ptackova explained.
The line goes Prague - Kolin, Havlickuv Brod - Zdar nad Sazavou - Brno - Breclav - Bratislava - Zagreb - Ogulin - Rijeka and Split. So, just like last year, the train will part in Ogulin, meaning part of the wagon will go to Rijeka, and part will head south to Split. Upon returning, the wagons will reunite into one composition in Ogulin.
This year, a new line from Poland was set to be launched. However, the events of the war in neighbouring Ukraine have put these plans on hold for now, with the Prague Regiojet train the only one set to run in 2022.
"The line from Poland to Croatia will not start running this year. We hope to start operations from Poland next year. During this extremely difficult situation, we're trying to help as much as possible, so we're transporting Ukrainian refugees from the Polish border town of Przemysl to the Czech Republic. In cooperation with Clovik v tisni, CD Cargo and Rail Cargo Logistics, we're also sending material aid into Ukraine,'' said Ptackova, adding that she didn't expect the war in Ukraine to affect ticket sales from the Czech Republic to Croatia whatsoever.
In terms of capacity, the head of Regiojet's international projects said that the capacity this year is more than 600 passengers per train, meaning that it is, once again, 15 wagons. Wagons with seating as well as sleeping cars will also be available.
“Perhaps the only change is that we've increased the number of so-called ''quiet wagons'' that are suitable for families with small children or the elderly. The trains will once again offer familiar comfort at very popular prices and tickets for the Prague Regiojet train have been on sale since March the 8th this year.
Ticket prices for the Rijeka range from 23.9 euros per seat, or 31.9 euros for a ticket in a sleeping compartment. Ticket prices for Split range from 36.1 euros for a seat and about 44 euros for a ticket in a sleeping car. Free services such as coffee, water, WiFi, an entertainment portal and the like are all entirely included in the ticket price.
This summer tourist season will be an excellent opportunity for people from the Czech Republic and Slovakia to travel to Croatia, but we also believe that the people of Rijeka and Split will use this opportunity to visit, for example, Bratislava or Prague,'' concluded Ptackova.
For more, check out our dedicated travel section.
Split Confectioner Raises Prices, Admits Croats Won't Afford Them
May the 17th, 2022 - Inflation is continuing to place proverbial vices in the pockets of Croatia's residents, with just about every possible item from fuel to lettuce at the market having seen considerable price hikes. One Split confectioner claims that they're more than aware that locals won't be able to afford their products, but that they ''need to survive somehow''.
The criticism of one Split confectioner has been loud, as their prices are deemed extortionate to the local Croatian pocket. They have been accused of catering only to the typically deeper pockets of foreign visitors, but they have defended themselves and challenged all those who have an issue with the prices to go ahead and try to open a shop of their own, so that they might feel on their own skin how difficult it is.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, recently, something as apparently mundane as the prices of ice cream in the very centre of Split was written about rather extensively. Those prices ranged from 10 to a maximum of 15 kuna, which is twice as much as it was seven years ago. Many wrote in their comments that such figures were conditioned by the increasingly challenging and difficult market, higher purchasing costs for ingredients, water and electricity, as well as high rental costs, emphasising that "those in the hospitality industry also need to try and survive".
Slobodna Dalmacija writes that in the meantime, three more confectioneries have opened in the centre of Split, and that one Split confectioner, they recorded the most expensive scoop of ice cream offered so far in the city under Marjan. From 13 kuna for a small portion and 18 kuna for a large portion in a cup with various toppings included.
As for ordinary scoops of ice cream, there's apparently a new record holder in Split as well. This is the Slovenian franchise Aroma, where you will pay 16 kuna for their refreshing pleasure made without any gluten, artificial flavourso or flavour enhancers.
"We're aware that our prices aren't going to be being paid by Croats. But, what can you do, tourists are ready to pay for it,'' one smiling saleswoman explained to the journalists from Slobodna Dalmacija.
It's now certain that the (over) inflated rental prices (from which a mere handful profit, and most citizens of Split simply can't afford, for example, a scoop of ice cream) dictate that you'll now spend almost 50 kuna for three scoops of ice cream, and that if this is a path they really want to go down, those in the catering and hospitality sector, and the likes of this Split confectioner, should settle for a winter period in which business turnover in ice cream parlors is almost non-existent.
For more, make sure to check out our business section.
Croatian Luxury Tourism Becoming More and More Popular
May the 17th, 2022 - Croatian luxury tourism is becoming more and more popular with visitors from across the globe owing of course to Croatia's stunning coastline, but also because of one other important factor.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Eastern European agents now consider rich and untouched nature, as well as fresh clean air a huge advantage when it comes to luxury tourism and what those with deeper pockets are on the lookout for. Croatian luxury tourism is, as a result, very much on the radar globally.
The segment of so-called luxury tourism has proven to be the most resilient to the crisis which the unprecedented global coronavirus pandemic caused. Although it occupies only a small share in the total traffic, the revenues from this type of tourism are very noticeable, as reported by HRT.
"We noticed that not only Dubrovnik but the whole of Croatia is becoming increasingly popular as a place for luxury holidays. We realised that this is the right time to promote it as a luxury destination,'' said Alexander Vanyukov, the organiser of the Adriatic Luxury 2022 event.
"For this luxury segment, we're still not an expensive destination, we're still cheaper than Italy, I don't know, Sardinia, Spain, the French Riviera, we're still cheaper than all these destinations," said Iris Domazet, the owner of a travel agency in Dubrovnik.
"Safety, comfort, good service, this is what our clients most often ask for and they can find it all in Dubrovnik. In addition, Azerbaijan has its own sea, but it is completely different from this beautiful one here,'' said Rufat M. Hajiyev, President of the Board of the Association of Travel Agencies in Azerbaijan.
Back in pandemic-dominated 2020, a significant increase in the number of Ukrainian guests was recorded in the Republic of Croatia, especially those with higher purchasing power. Clients of Ukrainian agencies may have now left the war zone that Ukraine has tragically become since February, but not the habit of travelling.
"Most of them, mostly women and children, have now left Ukraine. They found accommodation elsewhere in Europe. Certainly, when the school year ends, they will want to go somewhere on holiday somewhere because this is something which is completely normal for all of them during the summer,'' said Anastasia Netrebchuk.
Meetings of hoteliers and travel agents as part of the Adriatic Luxury 2022 conference, which will be held in Istria next year, could soon open some new markets to see Croatian luxury tourism as a lucrative segment for the future.
For more, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.
Ministry: Procedural Omissions at Two Hospitals in Čavajda Case
ZAGREB, 16 May 2022 - The Ministry of Health said on Monday that a health inspection had been completed, with regard to the case of pregnant patient Mirela Čavajda, at the KB Sveti Duh Hospital and the Sisters of Charity Hospital in Zagreb and that procedural omissions had been established.
A health inspection by the Health Ministry was conducted at the KB Sveti Duh Hospital, the Sisters of Charity Hospital, and the KB Merkur Hospital. After the entire documentation was reviewed and talks were conducted with the employees of the hospitals, it was established there were procedural omissions at the KB Sveti Duh and Sisters of Mercy hospitals, and the health inspectorate will take further measures, the ministry said in a press release.
It was determined that the patient was provided with all available healthcare in accordance with the profession and legal provisions in Croatia.
Inspection also at private healthcare facility that provided pregnancy care
In order to establish all relevant facts in this complex case, the health inspectorate decided it was also necessary to conduct an inspection at the private healthcare facility where the patient was provided with health services during her pregnancy.
With regard to the irregularities at the KB Sveti Duh Hospital, non-compliance with the legal procedure of the first-instance commission was established, which was subsequently corrected and sent to a second-instance commission at the KBC Zagreb Hospital. At the Sisters of Charity Hospital, which the patient contacted via her attorney, upon making the first-instance decision, there was a failure to inform the patient of her right to contact the KBC Zagreb Hospital as a second-instance body.
For more, check out our politics section.
PM: Constitutional Court's Ruling is as Expected
ZAGREB, 16 May 2022 - Prime Minister and Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) leader, Andrej Plenković, said on Monday that the Constitutional Court's ruling on the Bridge party's referendum question was as expected.
Earlier today, the Constitutional Court ruled that the questions in the two referendum petitions launched by the opposition Bridge party - to abolish mandatory COVID passes and transfer the powers of the national COVID response team to Parliament - were not in line with the Constitution.
"We had no idea what the decision would be," said Plenković after a session of HDZ party's Presidency and National Council, dismissing claims that the Constitutional Court was "someone's puppet".
"To anyone who had read the request to assess the constitutionality, such a decision is not a surprise," added Plenković, pointing out that the Constitutional Court's decision was well-argued ed and reasoned.
He said that the entire thing was too politicized and that the initiative was led by anti-vaxxers.
As for the statement by President Zoran Milanović that the Constitutional Court should be abolished and that the decision was a coup d'etat, PM Plenković said that this was "yet another brilliant claim".
He also said that Milanović's statement in which he asked the Croatian State Attorney's Office (DORH) to "imprison" Defence Minister Mario Banožić was unacceptable and unheard-of He added that it was unimaginable that anyone could incite DORH against a minister.
Plenković on SDP initiative for new abortion bill
The prime minister also commented on the abortion bill, saying that the initiative of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) was "a lightning-fast transformation of a personal tragedy and health situation into a political initiative".
He recalled that the issue of termination of pregnancy had not been on HDZ's agenda or coalition agreement and that it was back "on the table" following a decision by the Constitutional Court after 26 or 27 years.
"We have a coalition in which there is the HDZ, some other center-right parties, as well as liberal parties and ethnic minorities, and this is an issue on which it is extremely difficult, I would even say nearly impossible, to reach a consensus within our parliamentary majority," Plenković said, recalling that the Constitutional Court did not task the government but the parliament to adopt a new law.
Last week, members of the parliamentary majority could vote on this ideological question in line with their program and values, Plenković said, noting that the HDZ understood the message and that it was a signal of caution.
For more, check out our politics section.
Milanović Sees Constitutional Court's Decision as Coup D'Etat
ZAGREB, 16 May 2022 - President Zoran Milanović said on Monday that the Constitutional Court's ruling on the Bridge party's two referendum questions was "trampling on the Constitution and an act of a coup d'etat!".
Earlier on Monday, the Constitutional Court concluded that the questions in the two referendum petitions launched by the opposition Bridge party - to abolish mandatory COVID passes and transfer the powers of the national COVID response team to Parliament - failed the test of constitutionality.
"What these ten judges did today is a coup d'etat. That court needs to be abolished by a referendum so they can see what the will of the people means when 400,000 people consciously sign a petition. They dared check the mental state and sobriety of 400,000 Croatian citizens who clearly called for amendments to the Constitution," President Milanović said in the town Petrinja.
Milanović recalled that former President Ivo Josipović gathered constitutional experts in 2015 to recommend changes to the Constitution and that one of them was that the notion of epidemic should be entered into the Constitution.
The current president added that today that issue is no longer relevant because the epidemic has passed.
"The Constitutional Court does not have the right to question the constitutionality of the question to amend the Constitution if conditions stipulated by Articles 86 and 87, paragraph 3 are met regarding the number of signatures. That has been met! The Constitutional Court needs to be informed of that. Anyone who requests the opinion is violating the Constitution and that is the parliament belonging to the HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union) ," said Milanović.
For more, check out our politics section.
