January 13, 2021 – In order to help family farmers from the earthquake-hit area, Zagreb City Online Market has recently included products from Banovina in its offer.

Family farms in Banovina, the area struck by the recent earthquake, are currently facing many challenges. With many damages to houses, the inhabitants of that part of Croatia who are engaged in food and beverage production must still ensure their livelihood. Help is more than needed, and in addition to already collected food donations and hygiene supplies, they will still need help to recover successfully.

To make family farms from Banovina even more visible, a large project, "Let's buy from Banija," was recently launched, encouraging people from Croatia to buy their products. Likewise, the City of Zagreb recently decided to help Banovina producers by including their products on its Online Market pages.

Namely, the City of Zagreb launched the Online Market application at the beginning of April 2020 to help domestic food and beverage producers to market their products. It is a platform that connects producers and buyers to promote local family farms that are struggling due to the coronavirus epidemic.

After the devastating earthquake that hit Petrinja, Sisak, Glina, and the surrounding towns, the City of Zagreb decided to include family farms from that area in the Zagreb City Online Market offer. All producers from Banovina received the heart label, and they can be found on the Zagreb City Online Market website.

Since April, the Zagreb City Online Market has been operating continuously, and the fact that customers have accepted the project is shown by the website's 60,000 visits per month.

"We invite all citizens to support our small producers from Banovina, as they constantly support Zagreb producers within the application Zagreb City Online Market," said the Zagreb City Administration.

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November 10, 2020 - The Zagreb Advent 2020 event was presented in the capital on Tuesday. The festive program will boast three exciting projects and all events held per epidemiological measures. 

Without an ice skating rink, but with several concerts and events, Zagreb Advent will still be held this year.

HRTurizam reports that under the slogan "Advent in Zagreb, feel the light" the event will begin on November 28, and the program will include numerous cultural events and ten different festivals.

Three new projects

At the press conference, the Zagreb Tourist Board director, Martina Bienenfeld, presented three new projects.

The first of them is the Light of Zagreb, in which the windows in the Upper Town will be decorated and lit. The Tourist Board invites all citizens of Zagreb to decorate their windows in their own way and symbolically join the project. 

The second project is a walk through Zagreb's churches and their nativity scenes while adhering to epidemiological measures. The third project that is being developed and launched on November 28 is related to augmented reality, which will be found in over 20 Zagreb locations.

Details and specific dates of events, festivals, and projects will be known in a few days, and the program can be followed live and on social networks.

Advent in Zagreb, despite epidemiological restrictions, will be the venue for numerous concerts this year as well.

According to director Bienenfeld, more than 70 concerts will be held outdoors and indoors, where the number of spectators will be limited. The most significant of these concerts will be streamed on social media.

Bienenfeld announced that this year, after consultations with the city and national civil protection headquarters, there will be no recognizable Ice Park on Tomislavac. However, she emphasized that when as many as 50 Advent events in Europe have been canceled, Zagreb will continue to be recognized as an Advent destination, ensuring they adapt to the epidemiological situation and exercise responsible behavior.

Unless there are even stricter measures and restrictions on entry from other countries, she expects this tourist year to end at 30% of last year.

According to the Zagreb Craftspeople Association president, Antun Trojnar, at the traditional location - on Trg pod vurom, there will be about 15 holiday houses where craftspeople - souvenir producers will present their products.

The President of the Independent Association of Caterers, Marin Medak, explained that the City of Zagreb has enabled certain modifications in public areas, i.e., on the terraces of restaurants of sales of mulled wine, coffee, sausages and the like.

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

October 29, 2020 - TCN joins Zagreb Volunteers Centre in Čučerje to find out who are the Zagreb volunteers and why they do what they do. Čučerje is a semi-rural community which lies at the epicentre of the March 2020 earthquake.

By the time we ran out of the building, the first tremor had stopped. At 6:25am, the asphalt road lay quiet and motionless. People in pyjamas, nightgowns or underwear stood on the pavement. Others emerged even later. Although masonry in other parts of the city continued to fall, the 5.5 magnitude earthquake that visited Zagreb on 22 March 2020 was over. It had lasted much less than a minute. Its repercussions would last much longer.

Damage to a Zagreb city-centre building in the 2020 earthquake © Franjo Tahy

The tragic news of a fatality filtered through the media several hours later, as did pictures of the devastation visited upon the Croatian capital's buildings. Some of its oldest were hit particularly hard. However, most modern constructions had emerged largely unscathed. Acknowledging the area's seismic capabilities, everything built after the 1963 earthquake of Skopje in neighbouring Macedonia had been constructed to withstand such force.

Offers of help soon began to arrive from overseas. Despite international struggles related to Coronavirus, many still had sympathy upon hearing of the Zagreb earthquake. This outside sympathy and the media that prompted it were rarely directed to the semi-rural communities which experienced the earthquake's fiercest force.

The front of the town church in Čučerje, surrounded by scaffolding seven months after the earthquake

The small town of Čučerje is just short of 11 kilometres to the north-east of Zagreb city centre. In late October, the town looks impossibly pretty – houses perched in the foothills of Mount Medvednica, surrounded by greenery and trees exploding in a myriad of autumn shades. But, behind the colourful exterior lies a hidden suffering.

The spire of Čučerje's church is scarred on all sides by long-veined cracks

Čučerje lies just 500 metres from the epicentre of the earthquake. Scaffolding bolsters the town church, its spire scarred on all sides by long-veined cracks. Back from the main road, down simple, country lanes, sit houses much older than those standng proud above the centre. Here, life still exists in a way similar to that of the original residents of such dwellings. Elderly neighbours are preparing to heat their homes by wood-fired burners, chasing away the chill seeping in through the cracks the earthquake has left. As winter approaches, such hardships are not always reported as loudly as those faced by the damaged cultural institutions holding priceless collections in the capital. But, the struggle does not go unnoticed by Zagreb Volunteers Centre (VCZ).

Čučerje residents and members of Zagreb Volunteers Centre meet in the community centre to plan the day's action

Established in 1998, Zagreb Volunteers Centre acts as a conduit between charities, communities and non-profit organisations who need support and those willing to donate their time to good causes. Since it was formed, over 18, 000 people have submitted their names to the centre as potential Zagreb volunteers who may be called upon. The centre has helped over 700 organisations find Zagreb volunteers.

“Before 1996, there was a set-up that facilitated international volunteering - it helped connect Croatians with international actions that were looking for help,” says 28-year-old Dunja Hafner, who works for Zagreb Volunteers Centre. “But, it was noticed that some people couldn't commit to an overseas trip and that others simply just preferred only to volunteer locally. The logical step was to move into facilitating that.”

Zagreb volunteers gather in the early morning mist

“Since we started, the numbers of Zagreb volunteers in our database has grown steadily. But, over more recent times, volunteering does seem to have become a more popular thing to do. And, many people have put their names forward for volunteering since the advent of the earthquake. In the immediate aftermath, there were so many people volunteering that we had to just direct people to the specific groups who were appealing for help. We even had to turn down some Zagreb volunteers who offered their time. That had never previously happened in the history of the organisation. Now, we are managing better and we help co-ordinate some of the actions ourselves.”

“Before the earthquake, the main volunteering areas to which we would send people were actions for children, the elderly, events like culture, sports and music festivals, animals, ecology projects and nature conservation.”

My name is Dražen Blažević (centre), I was born in Croatia. My mother and grandparents are all from Zagreb. This is the city where I live. At the moment, I don't have regular employment, so I can afford to give my time to an action like this. While I'm looking for a full-time job, I make ends meet by doing food deliveries on my bicycle. Why am I here today? Honestly, it was only two weeks ago that I just had this feeling that I should give my time to help people. In one minute I decided I would volunteer. Before this, the kind of help I would give was only to my neighbours, the elderly relatives of friends. People like that. As an official volunteer, this is my first time. Maybe this sounds a little selfish, but I thought it would make me feel good.



My name is Alexandra and I am from Čučerje. I live here with my family. Right now, I am without a full-time job, so I take on some other daily obligations – I accompany kids to kindergarten and school, and I help out in our local church. I look after their social media pages for them. I also play the organ in the church. It was a very simple decision for me to join in with today's action – I live here. I walk past the devastation left by the earthquake every day. This town has experienced lots of problems because of the damage. For me, giving my time today is a way of showing the love I have for my town and the people who live here. Well, something like that.



My name is Borut Babanić (right) and I'm from Zagreb. I work as a project manager. I wanted to volunteer so I could help people. The residents of Čučerje are some of the worst affected by the earthquake and so that's why I want to come here specifically. I wanted them to not feel that they are alone. This is the first time I joined an action via the Zagreb Volunteer Centre.

My name is Antonio Frinčić (left). I'm from Zagreb. I work for the Croatian Foundation For Children. It's an organisation that assists in looking after children and families who have small incomes or limited means. It's a state-funded organisation. My position there is a paid one. This is not the first voluntary work I've undertaken, but it is the first time I have volunteered through the Zagreb Volunteer Centre. My answer is the same as Borut's – I came here because I wanted to help these people.

Borut and Antonio are pictured side-by-side because they spent most of the day working together. When they arrived in the morning, they were strangers. They left as friends.

My name is Marina Krolo and I'm originally from Split. I studied in Zagreb, finished university here and then stayed. My regular role in society is that I'm a tour guide and tour leader. That pretty much means that this is my year off, ha! There's not much work for a tour guide in 2020, so I'm trying to put my free time to good use. This is the first time I've volunteered through Zagreb Volunteer Centre.

My name is Vincent Matijaca. I was born in Split. I'm based in Zagreb now. We opened a company BioCro LTD in the United Kingdom a few months ago. What we're trying to do is assist small producers and OPGs from this region to place their products internationally, including the UK and other countries in Europe. Why am I here today? Well, we believe that you can't start promoting sustainability and help solely from the office, we believe our project to be more hands-on. By doing that we hope to be able to show what we're about, and to set an example that perhaps others will follow. We've previously joined actions through other Croatian volunteer organisations and others internationally, but this is the first time we've done so through Zagreb Volunteer Centre.

Local people from Čučerje and the surroundings had prepared food to make sure the volunteers didn't go hungry. This dish was made and donated by a local hairdresser. It is a local speciality called tenka gibanica. It was delicious.

My name is Tomislav Vlajčić and I'm from Zagreb. At the moment, my regular time is spent studying economy and training football. I'm the team leader of a faculty-related group Tourism Lab that's interested in that area of our economy. This is my first time volunteering. I decided to come because it's a good opportunity to help people who are in need and I'm really glad I came. The experience was really worth it and meeting new people, seeing a slightly different culture is priceless. I would recommend it to anyone because it all starts with us.

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ZAGREB, October 2, 2020 - On the occasion of World Heart Day, the project called "Women and Heart" was launched in Zagreb on Friday, to promote preventive check-ups for women and raise awareness of early detection and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Cardiovascular diseases are the most frequent cause of death among women in Croatia and last year 12,673 women died of that disease or 3,300 more than men. The Women and the Heart  project was organised by the Croatia Heart House Foundation, Croatian Cardiological Society and the City of Zagreb with the aim of motivating women for regular check-ups.

"Every 80 seconds one woman in the world dies of cardiovascular disease. This campaign is aimed at raising awareness among women so they can detect the symptoms of heart disease and begin with effective treatment as early as possible. The target group are women aged 35 to 60,"  the head of the Zagreb City Health Office Ivana Portolan Pajic told a press conference.

Director of the Srcana polyclinic for the prevention and rehabilitation of cardiovascular diseases, Goran Krstacic announced that 250 women would be invited to the clinic for screening before the end of the year starting with women over the age of 50.

The women will be selected with the assistance of health clinics and they will be called in for a blood test. Women with higher values will then be referred for further cardiological tests.

Heart diseases in women most often occur with women over the age of 55 and fatalities of heart attack can be twice as frequent than in men, said Davor Milicic of the Croatia Heart House Foundation. The risk in women increases when their sexual hormones stop working and the risk gradually increases and becomes equal to that of men.

Although diabetes and smoking are a joint risk factor for both sexes, women with those risks have a greater probability of developing a heart disease than men.

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September 29, 2020 – One surprised shopper couldn't help but laugh and photograph as telltale signs of Christmas in Croatia appeared this week over her local supermarket

As long had been suspected by city residents, it has been officially announced that Zagreb's world-famous Advent celebrations will this year go ahead. Replanned under epidemiological guidelines, kućice (small vending houses), stages and spectacular lights will once again bring the sights, scents, sounds, tastes and cheer of the festive season to the capital this December.

Advent in Zagreb © Julien Duval

In the era of Coronavirus, you might be able to ask people to be a bit quieter on their nights out, but there is absolutely no chance you can hold back Christmas in Croatia.

With Zagreb Advent now lasting for over one month - from the last day of November to the end of January's first week - the festive season is already stretched quite far, perhaps reflecting just how much residents enjoy Christmas in Croatia. But, this year, the marking of Yuletide has started earlier than ever before.

The setting of the late summer sun seems to have been the signal for one supermarket to begin bringing in the Christmas cheer. One surprised shopper couldn't help but laugh and photograph yesterday when she saw that Christmas decorations had already appeared over her local supermarket in Dubrava, east Zagreb. It is only the first week of autumn.

If you are invited into someone's home over Christmas in Croatia, you simply must go - the atmosphere and food are usually fantastic © Pictureday

Christmas in Croatia is an excellent time to visit. Zagreb's Advent has consistently been voted the best of its kind across Europe. The season of goodwill in the country is one where gifts are exchanged, homes visited, feasts shared and superb culture enjoyed. As a Catholic nation with a strong sense of family, it is also a time where religion is observed and when you get to see all of your relatives. Many visitors to Christmas in Croatia are lucky enough to be invited into the home while they are here, and such an opportunity should not be turned down. Being among family members and friends, eating traditional and homecooked Croatian food is an unforgettable Christmas experience. But, there are some rules.

Religious tradition is an integral part of Christmas in Croatia. In almost every home, no meat, only fish, is eaten on Christmas Eve © Vargazs

In the UK, it's very common to greet friends across many days of December with “Merry Christmas”. You don't do that in Croatia. If you do, you'll be met with a look that lies anywhere between confusion and concern for your mental health. The greeting of “Merry Christmas” is strictly reserved for Christmas Day itself.

The root of this adherence to tradition is doubtless the acknowledgment that Christmas in Croatia is, above all, a religious festival. Croatians are often more attuned than most to commercialism creeping into what remains a deeply-observed marking of Jesus's birth. Yet, somehow, this most sacred of Catholic holidays manages to comfortably sit, side by side with seasonal celebrations that extend further each year. Although, the first week of autumn as the start of Christmas in Croatia must be the earliest one yet.

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September 29, 2020 - Index.hr has learned from the City of Zagreb on Tuesday that Advent in Zagreb will be held this winter! A look at what the City said about this year's plans.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, numerous events around the world have been postponed, and it remains to be seen what the situation will be around the world, Europe and Croatia during the winter.

However, one event is crucially important for the tourism of Croatia and the City of Zagreb - and that is Advent in Zagreb. Recall, Advent in Zagreb has previously been held from the end of November or the beginning of December until the beginning of January.

Given the current circumstances with the coronavirus pandemic, many have wondered whether the award-winning event will take place this year at all, and if so, whether there will be any special measures taken. Therefore, Index.hr sent an inquiry to the City of Zagreb and the Zagreb Tourist Board, which otherwise organized this event, to find out if plans are in preparation. 

It has been confirmed to Index.hr that Advent in Zagreb will go on.

"We would like to inform you that the Advent event in Zagreb is planned to be held this year as well," they replied.

Index.hr also asked about special measures, to which they replied that they could not give any information on the matter at the moment.

"We are not able to inform you about the specific details at the moment, but the epidemiological situation and the recommendations of the competent institutions will certainly be taken into account," they concluded.

More on this soon! 

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August 19, 2020 – The 11-metre high steel Zagreb Holocaust Monument will stand between the central Post Office and Glavni Kolodvor (main train station)

The new Zagreb Holocaust Monument has been completed and is ready to be installed. The 11-metre high structure will sit atop a concrete pedestal on which six million tiny Stars of David will be imprinted. The stars signify the total number of Jews killed in the Holocaust

The Zagreb Holocaust Monument itself is made of steel and is an irregular-shaped wall comprised of three hundred suitcases, representing the essentials Jews were told only to pack prior to deportation. It was designed by Rijeka-born architect Krešimir Rogina and sculptor Dalibor Stošić. The monument will be illuminated at night and will sit next to the old locomotive train which already stands between the Post Office and train station.

Although the monument is completely finished, it is currently being kept in parts across three different factories in Zagreb. After the concrete plinth is in place, it will take approximately one month to assemble the monument on the site. Weathering steel (cor-ten steel) was specifically chosen as the construction material. Unlike some other types of steel, this metal ages over time. Different shades of rust begin to appear in patches after just six months and slowly progress to encompass the whole surface.

Some members of the Zagreb City Assembly along with the Jewish Community of Zagreb (ZOZ), the World Jewish Congress (WJC), and the Israeli Ambassador to Croatia have previously criticised the move to dedicate the Zagreb Holocaust Monument solely to the victims of the Nazi-helmed Holocaust in Europe. They say it fails to properly recognise the abhorrent crimes of ethnic cleansing committed in Croatia by the German-allied NDH. The City of Zagreb is said to be addressing the criticism by looking at the wording of the dedication that will appear on the Zagreb Holocaust Monument. It is hoped the new monument will be fully in place in time for Holocaust Memorial Day, 27 January 2021.

March 22, 2020 - The Zagreb Office for Emergency Situations has urged citizens not to enter damaged buildings following three earthquakes in the capital on Sunday morning. 

We transmit their statement in full from Index.hr:

"After the earthquakes in Zagreb this morning, we are informing citizens not to enter the damaged buildings. Teams of construction experts are coming to the scene, who will prioritize damage assessment of buildings and mark buildings according to the assessment. The priority is hospitals and later all other buildings. 

In addition, teams of construction workers have been hired to clean roads and corridors,” they reported.

"There is also a Special Search and Rescue Civil Protection Unit on the ground, and it is starting to work. All general-purpose Civil Protection units are invited to report to their assembly sites and take on tasks.

NO Krško is not damaged and the electricity supply is normalized and the failures are not large. Unfortunately, we cannot know when and what the subsequent earthquakes will be, but according to seismologists, they should not be stronger than the first earthquake.

We ask all citizens to remain calm and follow the notices of official sources. We ask all citizens to respect the coronavirus-related social distance recommendations in this situation as well," they said.

An extraordinary Government session was held, attended by the President, reports Dalmatinski Portal.

“The message to citizens is to listen to news and information only from those in charge, which is the Civil Protection Headquarters at the moment. You can ignore anything you hear from the public,” said President Zoran Milanovic.

“According to the Seismological Service, the earthquake was 5.5. It is the strongest earthquake in Zagreb in the last 140 years. In 1880 it was stronger.

It is evident that there is plenty of damage to buildings, exterior and interior. We urge all citizens to exercise caution. At this point, we will recommend that most fellow citizens be outside their buildings even though it is cold. There is no need to panic and go to gas stations. Keep distance as recommended by the Civil Protection Headquarters. We have two contradictory crises.

We will centralize all activities of the Civil Protection Headquarters and the Government will manage this crisis as well. I ask the citizens to listen to the instructions of the Headquarters, which will be available for both crises twice a day.

The Croatian Army and all Zagreb city services have been engaged in repairing the damage. We will endeavor to repair the roads as soon as possible.”

“We will have a particular focus on healthcare facilities because we want patients to have all the proper care they need. We have information about one child who was seriously injured who is at the Klaiceva hospital,” said Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.

"When and if a major earthquake will occur cannot be predicted. And if it does, the gaps cannot be predicted. A stronger one can happen quickly or in 20 days. The experts cannot predict and give a solution. The fact is that after such a large earthquake, subsequent earthquakes happen," said Ines Ivancic, head of the Seismological Service.

It is a priority now to consider the structural safety of the buildings. It was agreed that patients should be returned to stable buildings to provide them with adequate health care. We have information about one patient who is severely injured in her spine, with neurosurgery expected. We cannot predict the final outcome," said Health Minister Vili Beros.

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November 1, 2019 - The representatives of the City of Zagreb and the football club Dinamo Zagreb agreed at a meeting on Thursday that a new Maksimir stadium would be built on the site of the existing stadium.

Gol.hr reports that a meeting between representatives of the City of Zagreb and representatives of football club Dinamo Zagreb was held on Thursday, where they decided to build a new stadium on the site of the existing Maksimir Stadium. The new stadium would be built in partnership between the City and the Zagreb club. 

While there has been a lot of talk over the past year about building a new stadium in the Croatian capital, it seems that Thursday’s meeting has finally taken a step to move things forward. 

The press release from the city office reads in its entirety:

"The Mayor of the City of Zagreb, Milan Bandic, and his associates met at the City Administration today with representatives of GNK Dinamo, led by President Mirko Barisic and President of the Executive Board Vlatka Peras, and discussed plans to build a new Maksimir football stadium.

It was concluded that this space is viewed as a complex entity through an urban competition that will resolve the issue of a football stadium with auxiliary grounds and an athletic stadium with the appropriate infrastructure.

It was agreed that Dinamo would make a final decision at its Assembly with clear guidelines defined by FIFA and UEFA about the standards for the construction of a new stadium at the site.

It was also defined that the new stadium project would be built in partnership between the City and GNK Dinamo.

Following the decision of the Dinamo Assembly, further steps can be taken regarding the realization of this historical project that is extremely important for Dinamo - an icon of Zagreb sport, essential for the city of Zagreb, its sports memory, and for all Zagreb and sports fans," concludes the statement by the City of Zagreb.

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As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 2nd of August, 2019, the e-Financial Management project in the City of Zagreb has implemented its new paperless financial management process, with 12,500 city associates now issuing e-invoices more quickly and cheaper, with the added ability to monitor those invoices.

Digitising the City of Zagreb's financial operations has simplified its administrative process, increased its efficiency, and reduced general costs and processing times, said Miro Laco from the mayor's office.

It is, as he explained, a key city process involving more than 600 employees from all of the city's 25 governing bodies. The process is fully digitised for e-invoices, paper bills, and internal payment documents.

"The process itself has been significantly improved as the number of process activities has been reduced by 46 percent, and the process of digitising electronic bills takes just a few clicks," said Laco.

Considering the fact that there are 190,000 transactions which take place per year, or more than 70,000 accounts, with 15,000 internal documents printed so far and 105,000 transfers to budget users, we can say that through financial savings of about two million kuna a year and through a conscientious attitude towards the environment, we're operating in a correct manner,'' Laco added.

The digitalisation of financial operations in Zagreb simplifies the control and verification of accounts, as well as the creation of payment orders and the process of paying to accounts.

The main stakeholders in the digitisation of the City of Zagreb's financial business are the IT companies Apis IT and Omega Software, which have adapted their existing application solutions, and the information broker, a company called Electronic Accounts.

With numerous online services now available from the City of Zagreb, eFinancial business is a continuation of the process of digitisation the administration will continue to work intensively on it, Laco said.

"It's of primary importance that we want to have not only a smart Zagreb, but to make sure Zagreb is a city of happy people and entrepreneurs who can we shorten these administrative difficulties for, and help them to concentrate on the efficiency of their business. This enables management in accounting and allows us to know every single moment of where the process is and how we can intervene as needed,'' Deputy Mayor Olivera Majić said.

Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić has announced that he will soon launch the e-Permit e-service, which will serve, among other things, construction and issuing of permits for that field where many people come unstuck with ridiculous waiting times.

"We're left with two fundamental tasks - to be a true service to the citizens and to be a true logistics service to entrepreneurs," he said.

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