June 8, 2022 - The City of Zagreb and the Croatian Alzheimer's Association have published a brochure "Expanding Social Services in the Community to Help People with Dementia" to encourage dementia awareness and community services, in which many authors have contributed.

The brochure was published within the EU Project "All for Memory (SPAM)" funded by the European Social Fund in the financial period 2014, which seeks to support people with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia by providing new social services in Zagreb, by establishing an afternoon residence for people with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, as well as members of their families, reports tportal.hr.

"The efforts of experts to sensitize the public to the needs of people with dementia and their families and to provide them with services in the place of residence do not stop because it is understood that only cooperation and joint efforts can achieve the goals set in the Project," said Deputy Head of the City Office for social protection, health, veterans and persons with disabilities and project manager Mirela Šentija Knežević.

According to estimates, more than 17,000 people with Alzheimer's disease live in the City of Zagreb and are cared for by about 50,000 people, mostly family members.

The project is designed to integrate social services into the health care system, and an afternoon daycare center for people with AB and other dementias will be established in the Zagreb area, as well as accommodation services and a mobile team.

The director of the Institute of Public Health, Branko Kolarić, emphasized the importance of education for formal and informal carers and the importance of communication with people with dementia in nursing homes, about which the Institute conducts education.

Care for people with dementia often exceeds the physical and mental capacity of informal carers, such as family members, and they need the support and advice of professionals on how to care for a sick person, adjust behavior, space, and the like.  

Tomislav Huić, Executive Vice President of the Croatian Alzheimer's Association, pointed out that the changes in the last five years have been great. 

"We have two reference centers in Zagreb, the development of new services and progress are visible. This brochure is important because it shows the direction of public policies in which the development of public services will continue," he said. 

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

April 9, 2022 - Public cat feeding areas in Zagreb will be defined and managed by the city in an effort to solve the stray cat issue in the capital and protect the animals.

On March 31, the City of Zagreb announced a public call for applications to install cat feeders in public areas managed by the City of Zagreb, which was published on the city's official website.

It is part of an attempt to solve the problem of feeding cats in the city of Zagreb, while implementing such projects seek to protect animals adequately.

The city will announce a public invitation to associations. After the associations are selected, the feeding area locations will be selected and proposed to the Mayor, reads the public invitation.

To find out more about the public feeding areas, Zagreb.Info turned to Damir Skok, director of the Zoo and Dumovec.

"The shelter, in cooperation with the municipal police, will arrange for the sterilization of cats that live on feeding grounds and perform the necessary interventions to control the reproduction of cats.

Cat feeders are a project that tries to provide a dignified life for cats on the streets of Zagreb while limiting their population. Also, wild cats do one important task, and that is to control the population of rodents and rats.

The shelter also provides all the necessary veterinary care to stray cats that are sick, injured, or have their lives endangered. So, whenever a cat from the feeding ground needs treatment, our veterinarians can help it," says Damir Skok.

The first public and legal cat feeder was organized on Radićeva Street, called Miceki, which was created by a group of volunteers, the last of whom was Baka Ana. Unfortunately, like her fellow volunteers who took care of the cats for thirty years, Baka Ana became disabled, so a group of volunteers helped her take care of the cats.

The initiative to take care of cats had grown, and with the support of the Prava šapa association, they sent a request to the city to become a legal public feeding ground. Thus, Miceki received houses, drinking fountains, and even a mural by the famous graffiti artist Slaven Lunar Kosanović.

The cat feeding locations in Zagreb will depend on the local volunteers who will respond to the call published on the City of Zagreb website. 

For more, check out our lifestyle section. 

ZAGREB, 23 March 2022 - Zagreb ranks fourth in Europe in terms of daily cannabis consumption, 11th in cocaine consumption, 12th in amphetamine consumption and 14th in terms of MDMA daily consumption, shows a European wastewater analysis project.

The results of the biggest European wastewater research in 2021, conducted by the Sewage analysis CORe group - Europe (SCORE) and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, were published by psychiatrist and expert on dual diagnosis Ivan Ćelić of Zagreb's Psychiatric Hospital Vrapče on his Facebook wall.

SCORE is a Europe-wide network for the standardisation of the approaches used for wastewater analysis and coordination of international studies through the establishment of a common protocol of action.

The project analysed wastewater in 75 European cities in 23 EU countries as well as Turkey and Norway, to study the behaviour of drug consumers. This is so far the largest number of countries covered by the survey.

From Barcelona to Limassol and from Oslo to Porto, the survey analysed daily samples of wastewater during a week-long period between March and May 2021. The wastewater generated by around 45 million people was analysed for traces of four illegal stimulants - cocaine, amphetamine, methamphetamine and MDMA/ecstasy, and cannabis.

The survey indicates a general increase in the use of four of the five stimulants, with a decline in drug use having been reported only for MDMA in most cities.

The drugs were more evenly distributed among the locations covered by the survey and all five were detected in almost all cities, which is in contrast to previous years, when geographic patterns differed more.

Cocaine most frequently found in the west and south of Europe, Zagreb 11th

The latest results show that cocaine, even though still the most used drug in the cities of west and south Europe (notably Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain), is increasingly more present in the east of Europe.

In Zagreb, daily cocaine consumption was 548.62 mg per 1,000 population, which puts the Croatian capital in 11th place in Europe.

Czechia and Slovakia traditionally had the highest methamphetamine loads, and now that drug is also present in Belgium, Cyprus, the east of Germany, Spain, Turkey and several northern European countries.

The analysis of wastewater shows that the level of concentration of amphetamine still varies, with the highest levels being reported in northern and eastern Europe, and much lower in the south.

In Zagreb daily consumption of amphetamine was 151.41 mg per 1,000 population, which makes it rank 12th in Europe.

Croatia fourth in cannabis consumption  

As regards cannabis consumption, it was detected in Croatia, Czechia, Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Portugal.

Restrictions introduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic do not seem to have affected the use of cannabis, unlike other drugs. Almost half the cities covered by the survey have reported an increase in cannabis consumption, with daily consumption in Zagreb being 132.9 mg per 1,000 population, which makes it rank fourth in Europe.

MDMA is the only drug whose metabolites have decreased in most surveyed cities, presumably due to the closing of nightlife spots during the pandemic, where that drug is often consumed.

The biggest concentrations of MDMA were found in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway.

Zagreb ranks 14th, with daily consumption of 28.26 mg per 1,000 population.

In most countries the concentration of metabolites was higher in big cities. The survey also shows that in more than three-quarters of the surveyed cities typical recreational drugs, cocaine and MDMA, are used more on weekends than on working days while metabolites and the other three types of drugs were more evenly distributed through the week.

For more, check our lifestyle section.

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.

January 30, 2022 - The lack of the habit of sorting garbage is one of the biggest problems regarding waste in the Croatian capital, which is why the city of Zagreb will build a sorting plant in Žitnjak.

The waste sorting plant in Žitnjak is planned to be completed in two years and will swallow 120,000 tons of waste per year, which will be sorted by size, color, ballistic and magnetic properties, reports Jutarnji List.

The Center for Waste Management (ZCGO), which is the project holder, informed that Zagreb will build a sorting plant worth 392 million kuna, which will be able to swallow as much as 120,000 tons of waste a year, could be built by the end of this or the beginning of next year.

It has ready-made documentation, clean land of the bankrupt Dioki of almost 100,000 square meters, a location permit, and in the summer, after obtaining a building permit, a public procurement for contractors should follow. The planned construction period is two years, and until then the most important thing is for citizens to adopt the habit of separating waste in their households.

Plastic in yellow bags, biological waste in brown bags, and mixed, as announced, in official city bags of 4 or 8 kuna. By the way, only 17 percent of Zagreb residents now sort waste. Igor Zgomba, the director of ZCGO, tried to vividly explain that Zagreb will finally have a plant that will be able to receive, purify, dispose of, and even place 120,000 tons of dry recycle on the market.

The Zagreb sorting plant is the first step. It will receive about 120,000 tons of yellow bags, ie the already separated so-called dry recycling - plastic, paper, cardboard, metal, and glass - which will be further separated in the 16,500 square meter plant and finally sold on the market as pure recycled (although it can never be completely clean).

So, when the citizens of Zagreb separate their waste on the doorstep - plastic, paper and metal into yellow, or biowaste into brown bins and mixed waste into, as announced, official city bags - the contents of the yellow bins will go to the sorting plant. Once again, finely sorted, this waste will come out in the form of paper, plastic, metal or glass cubes of several tons. According to Zgomba, a little more than 80 percent of the total amount of waste entering the plant can come out of the sorting plant in a highly purified form.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

October 9, 2021 - The Zagreb cat shelter project is among the necessary strategic documents of the City and is included in the list of initial projects from 2021 - 2027.

The Mayor of Zagreb, Tomislav Tomašević, announced the construction of a shelter for cats during a tour of the Zagreb Shelter for neglected animals. There, the City of Zagreb, in cooperation with the Zagreb Zoo and the Animal Friends Association, organized the 19th International Animal Protection Day celebration,  reports Jutarnji List.

"We plan to increase the capacity for accommodating cats in Dumovec. In order to prevent dogs from leaving, we continue to control microchipping, "said Tomasevic.

The cat shelter project is among the necessary strategic documents of the City of Zagreb and is included in the list of initial projects for the financial perspective from 2021 - 2027.

With this project, the City of Zagreb would get an appropriate shelter for the accommodation of injured and sick and other neglected cats.

"At the Zagreb Shelter for neglected animals, we currently have a hundred animals - 70 dogs and 30 cats. Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, we have received a smaller number of dogs in the Shelter, but we still find abandoned pets on the streets of Zagreb. Most of them do not have a microchip," said Damir Skok, director of the Zagreb Zoo, which includes the Shelter in Dumovec.

The employees of the Shelter are happy that some participants left with a new pet during the International Animal Protection Day celebration. The mayor also invited the people of Zagreb to adopt dogs and cats.

"Buying dogs is not necessary. There are many dogs that need to be adopted. Trust me, every dog you adopt will be loyal to you for the rest of your life. That dog becomes a member of the family," said Tomasevic.

During the International Animal Protection Day celebration, citizens were able to visit the Shelter, see how work is done on the education and socialization of dogs, and meet associations that work with animal protection. An educational and entertaining program was also prepared for children. Animal Friends organized a Vega picnic. Citizens were also encouraged to adopt by dm, who gives a gift voucher worth 50 kuna to anyone who adopts a dog or cat by the end of the year to buy food and other products from the pet range.

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

October 2, 2021 - The 2021 Zagreb Advent will be modest this year, with only 93 spaces for holiday houses available to rent.

The City of Zagreb has announced a tender for renting holiday houses at the upcoming Zagreb Advent, which, judging by the tender, will take place in fewer locations than before the pandemic and will be much more modest, reports Jutarnji List.

Thus, citizens will enjoy the Christmas atmosphere only on Ban Jelačić Square, European Square, Bogovićeva and Gajeva Streets, and Strossmayer Promenade. This year there will be no skating rink on King Tomislav Square or Advent on Gradec.

According to the tender data, only 93 spaces are available to rent, which is twice less than the two hundred that have been available in recent years. In addition, Jutarnji learned from the City that Zrinjevac and Strossmayer promenade would be the space of the City of Zagreb and the Zagreb Tourist Board. 

As before, Zrinjevac will be decorated and lit, and there will be a cultural program and concerts on the Strossmayer promenade. Unfortunately, food will not be available in these locations. The skating rink was too expensive and will not be set up this year, Jutarnji from the City.

The tender for holiday houses was announced on the auction principle - the starting price for a particular house has been determined, and it will be used by the caterer who makes the best offer.

This is an interruption of the current practice according to the decision of the late Mayor Milan Bandić. Namely, as the media wrote, Zagreb's Advent has so far been ruled by the "kings of Advent," a few companies that would get the right to the location and then resell that location expensively. However, according to the new tender, this will no longer be the case because only the person or company that submitted the bid can rent.

As for prices, they vary from location to location. For a 15 sqm holiday house on Gajeva, with a maximum of six high tables, the minimum is 30 thousand kuna, although there is no doubt that the final price will be much higher. They will also have to pay a daily fee of 35 kuna per square meter of the occupied area. Confectioners will pay the same daily fee, but they have smaller houses at their disposal, up to 9 sqm, with a starting price of 15 thousand kuna.

Stands for occasional sales will pay the least - the starting price is 3 thousand for stands up to 4 sqm, while the fee is 20 kuna per day.

The story is similar for Bogovićeva and Ban Jelačić Square. The prices are slightly lower for Augusta Cesarca Street - European Square and Strossmayer Promenade, where the initial prices range from 5,000 to 7,000 kuna.

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

August 12, 2021 - An orange City of Zagreb can be found on the latest ECDC map released on Thursday, August 12, 2021. The capital is no longer green, thus moving to orange where Croatia's coast has been for the last few weeks. 

The European Center for Disease Control has updated its corona map, reports Index.hr. The Croatian coast is still in the orange zone, and the City of Zagreb has changed from green to orange.

The ECDC Epidemiological Map for Europe is published weekly based on the 14-day incidence and the proportion of positive tests in the total number tested.

The ECDC map is advisory, but some Member States rely on it when introducing epidemiological restrictions upon returning to the country.

The situation in Europe is becoming more serious

Spain is marked totally in dark red. Parts of France have now turned red, and only one orange region remains. Italy is also changing colors, as are parts of Slovenia from green to orange.

Croatia's COVID-19 update

In the last 24 hours, 333 new cases were recorded, and the number of active cases in Croatia today is a total of 1552.

Among them are 192 patients on hospital treatment, of which 19 patients are on respirators. 3 people have died.

Since February 25, 2020, when the first case of infection was recorded in Croatia, a total of 366,049 people infected with the coronavirus have been recorded to date, of which 8,278 have died. A total of 356,219 people recovered, of which 176 in the last 24 hours. There are currently 4568 people in self-isolation.

Number of newly infected by counties according to Koronavirus.hr: City of Zagreb (92), Split-Dalmatia (69), Zagreb (34), Šibenik-Knin (33), Zadar (28), Dubrovnik-Neretva (12), Primorje-Gorski Kotar 11), Istarska (10), Ličko-senjska (7), Osječko-baranjska (7), Brodsko-posavska (6), Bjelovarsko-bilogorska (5), Varaždinska (5), Međimurska (4), Koprivničko-križevačka 3), Sisak-Moslavina (3), Karlovac (2), Krapina-Zagorje (1), Vukovar-Srijem (1), Požega-Slavonia (0) and Virovitica-Podravina (0).

You can see all of Croatia's COVID-19 data at koronovirus.hr. 

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.

ZAGREB, 17 June 2021 - The City of Zagreb unlawfully dispossessed the owners of a piece of land in the Gračani neighborhood to build a car park for the Sljeme mountain cableway, the Justice and Administration Ministry confirmed to Hina on Thursday.

The Ministry said that on 21 May it had annulled the decision by the city department for property relations and referred the case back to the City for reconsideration after it found that the City had taken possession of the property in question before the expropriation decision became final.

According to media reports, the Ministry granted the appeal filed by a lawyer on behalf of one of the co-owners of the land who died during the expropriation process. The City needed the land to build a car park at the foot of Mount Sljeme to serve cableway users.

While it was still not known who would inherit the property of the deceased co-owner, the City decided of its own accord that would be his wife and daughter. Media say that the wife never received a copy of the expropriation application and that the City ignored the fact that she is infirm and needs a guardian. The City, on the other hand, argued during the appeal process that the whole case was conducted in accordance with the Roads Act and not the Expropriation Act and that the owners had been paid for their land.

For the latest news about Zagreb, click here.

April 11, 2021 - GNK Dinamo presented their vision for a new Maksimir stadium on Saturday, designed by famous Zagreb architect Otto Barić.

The club pointed out that they want a new Maksimir stadium, a place where club history was created and where thousands of fans celebrated victories, mourned defeats, and where all Dinamo fans' emotions are written in the frozen sequences of legendary victories.

"Based on materials made by the club, and in line with UEFA standards, the visual appearance of the stadium in Maksimir was made by the famous Zagreb architect Otto Barić, with his partners from the specialized company Polymachine who translated the idea and vision into these photos," published the club.

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It is a proposal to build a stadium with a capacity of 34,000 seats, with large parking capacities - 300 VIP parking spaces and 30 VIP spaces, then PRESS parking and parking for spectators. All seats in the stadium are seated and covered, with a fan shop and a club museum, and additional commercial facilities on the north stand. Modern hospitality is planned in the entire stadium, as well as a state-of-the-art media complex. Of the ceremonial lodges, there are 2,000 VIP seats in the west and 1,000 VIP seats in the east, behind which is the camp of Dinamo's football school with the necessary infrastructure. The guest tribune would be in the southern part of the stadium.

The new Maksimir stadium would be fully accessible, in line with all UEFA and FIFA recommendations, and the construction of facilities for spectators with disabilities is planned. On 1,000 individual seats, 5 places are provided to accommodate spectators with disabilities and their companions, with accessible entrances and other services.

The club estimates that the construction would cost around 60 million euros, and Dinamo says that they want to participate in constructing a new stadium with a strategic partner in the project - the City of Zagreb.

Source: HRT

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