September 20, 2021 - Are you curious about Zagreb mobility history? Head on over to the Zagreb City Museum, learn about it and see how Zagreb's citizens moved around and exercised as the capital of Croatia honors European Mobility Week.

Cipelcug, which is a bit of an outdated but still quite distinct word from Zagreb's own jargon, is a term used for walking and being a pedestrian.

With the word being more commonly used in the historic days of Zagreb's city life, it is only right that the programme ''Cipelcug Through The Past“ which deals with the historical development of Zagreb's transportation, carries such a name. The programme hosted by the Zagreb City Museum (MGZ) already kicked off Saturday, and this Wednesday, September 22, at 11:00, another day of this event is set to take place.

MGZ invites everyone to walk to the museum up in Upper town (Gornji grad) and enjoy the thematic tour looking into the history of Zagreb's public transportation and other ways of moving through the city. In addition, an expert from the Medveščak Sport and Recreation Society will demonstrate how people exercised in the past.

The demonstration will be followed by an opportunity for the visitors to try out some antique exercise props themselves. Participation is free, and you can also look at the permanent exhibition of the museum that stores relics of the earliest human activities in Zagreb's territory, leading all the way up to modern times. This includes, as TCN previously wrote, the display of three previous cannons that took the duty signaling noon for Zagreb's residents before being replaced by today's cannon from the 80's.

The ''Cipelcug Through The Past“ programme is organised to honor and contribute to European Mobility Week (September 16-22), and on a local level, it is part of a ''Safe and Healthy with Sustainable Mobility'' initiative, coordinated by the City of Zagreb.

The City of Zagreb first took this initiative with the World no Car Day back in 2001 and for the past 20 years, it has organised a week-long streak of activities which makes Zagreb a ''Golden participant'' in the eyes of the international community.

''The selection of this year's theme honors the difficulties both Europe and the world witnessed during COVID-19. It celebrates the resilience of cities and their achievements in trying to preserve the momentum. It also reflects the possibilities of changes that come from this public health crisis which has been unseen in Europe until now,'' says the City of Zagreb's official website.

For its efforts in promoting carless mobility and the rich content of its events, Zagreb won the Mobility Award back in 2012.

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ZAGREB, 23 May, 2021 - Writer Jasminka Domaš gave a lecture in Zagreb earlier this week on the contribution of Jews to Croatian culture and their lasting legacy, and presented her book "Kadišl i Nebeski Zločini" (Kadišl and Heavenly Crimes), inspired by the fates of Croatian Jews during the 1941-45 Nazi-styled NDH.

A panel entitled "The Contribution of Jews to Croatian Culture", organised by the Centre for Promotion of Tolerance and Preservation of Holocaust Remembrance, is part of a cultural and educational project, "I Understand You, I Hear You", which focuses on learning about the Holocaust, the social significance of Jews and other national minorities and their contribution to the cultural and other legacies in Croatia.

Domaš is a Croatian writer, journalist and scientist of Jewish origin.

Jews are an inseparable part of identity of today's Zagreb and Croatia

Speaking about the contribution of Jews to Croatian culture, Domaš named a number of important and successful individuals, such as doctors Mauro Sachs, Dragutin Schwarz and Izidor Steinhardt and social anthropologist Vera Stein Erlich, who contributed greatly to the development of Croatian society.

Also, it is impossible to talk about the City of Zagreb and its urban appearance without mentioning Jewish architects responsible for the look of its centre today, she said.

She recalled that the Zrinjevac meteorological column was a gift to the city from Jewish doctor Adolf Holzer. The Prister family donated the Music Pavillion to the city, while the Ethnographic Museum was founded by Salamon Berger.

The Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall was named after Ignac Fuchs, the composer of the first Croatian opera, Domaš said, recalling also the fate of Lea Deutch, who performed at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb from the age of five and who in the NDH (Independent State of Croatia) was not spared death in a Nazi camp.

"About 1,500 Jews live in Zagreb today, and there are 2,000 in Croatia. According to data, in 1941, about 12,000 Jews lived in Zagreb and 39,500 in NDH, so some 5,000 people survived the war," said Domaš, who came across some startling information during her research. "After 1938, 50,000 refugees from Germany and Austria passed through Zagreb, but no one believed what they said about what was happening there, and it cost so many people their lives".

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ZAGREB, April 27, 2020 - President Zoran Milanović met on Monday with a delegation of freelance artists who informed him of the unenviable situation caused by the coronavirus pandemic, because a majority of freelancers in creative industries are not covered by any government aid scheme.

According to the delegation, freelancers were left out and were only subsequently able to apply for incentive measures and only a small portion of them are entitled to those measures, while a majority of freelance artists are still not covered by relief measures, the president's office said in a press release.

"We expect unity and solidarity with freelancers in creative industries in an effort to help them survive this crisis, because if we do not invest in their survival, independent culture in Croatia will be left without freelance artists," the delegation said.

Apart from that, the delegation expressed its dissatisfaction with the proposed bill on freelance activities that is in the pipeline and according to which, the delegation said, the community of freelance artists would lose its jurisdiction.

More news about Zoran Milanović can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, April 23, 2020 - In 2020 reading in Croatia increased to 49% from 42% in 2019, women and people with university degrees read more often than others, and fiction is their number one choice, shows a survey on reading and book purchasing habits, published on Thursday on the occasion of the Book Night 2020.

The survey was conducted in March 2020 on a representative sample of 1,000 respondents by the Kvaka Agency for Creative Analysis.

In a press release published on the occasion of the 9th Book Night, Tamara Kraus of the Kvaka agency said that the significant shift in book reading was a result of the enthusiasm of organisations and individuals promoting book reading and buying.

"The 49% of readers refers to the percentage of persons aged 16 and up who have read at least one book over the past year, except the required school reading," Kraus pointed out.

Among readers, the largest number read two books in a year. The following groups read books more often than others: women (55%), people in the 26 - 35 age group (60%), and people with university degrees (78%). Books they read are most often borrowed in libraries (44%) or bought (38%).

As for the type of books being read, fiction is still in the first place (65%), followed by non-fiction and technical books (27% each), and reference books (22%).

Books are still most often bought in bookstores (47%), followed by news-stands (18%), and online shops (15%).

Although it was predicted a few years ago that e-books would replace printed books, the percentage of those who read, and especially those who buy e-books, has remained stable at 2%. E-books are read by 9% of Croatians. Daily newspapers are the most in-demand online content, read by 55% of Croatians, while a third of the Croatian population does not even occasionally read content on the Internet.

More news about books can be found in the Lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, April 17 , 2020 - The 9th Book Night will be held online for the first time on April 23, and it will feature about 200 programmes, with the opening being broadcast live on the national television (HTV) and social networks.

This year's Book Night event will be dedicated to the current topic - change. The slogan is "You're not isolated with a book!"

The event, commemorating World Book and Copyright Day and Croatian Book Day, is being jointly organised by the Association of Publishers and Booksellers of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, the National and University Library in Zagreb, the Zagreb City Libraries, the Croatian Publishers' Reprographic Rights Association – ZANA, the Moderna Vremena books and culture website, the Knjižni Blok association, and the Croatian Association of School Librarians.

The Book Night event will feature nearly 200 programmes by bookshops, second-hand bookshops, libraries, primary and secondary schools, kindergartens, theatres, illustrators, translators, writers and other creatives and institutions that are "friends of books" from all over Croatia.

In its message on the occasion of World Book and Copyright Day, UNESCO underscores the power of books at a time of isolation, noting that reading is now more important than ever. It calls on readers all over the world to share quotes, poems and messages that symbolise the power of books and encourage reading.

More culture news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, April 16, 2020 - Culture Minister Nina Obuljen Koržinek has alerted the international cultural and creative industries community of the vulnerable status of freelance artists in the current crisis caused by the coronavirus, saying that new applications will be invited for grants to artists sharing their art online.

The Croatian minister on Wednesday participated in the first in a series of virtual debates organised jointly by the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) and UNESCO with the aim of bringing artists and governments together to discuss ways of facing the consequences of the coronavirus crisis in the cultural and creative sectors.

"We have raised some issues concerning the vulnerability of artists' status, the need for copyright protection, as well as... possible alternative ways to distribute and take part in culture while the restrictive measures are in force, but also how we will return to making art and participating in it after the measures are relaxed," she said after the discussion.

Obuljen Koržinek said that none of the stakeholders in the culture sector were ready for the current crisis but noted that there was a big difference between countries that have developed culture policies and those that have no support systems for artists and culture. She noted that even countries with a long tradition of developed culture policies, like Croatia, recognised numerous weaknesses in their culture systems.

The minister especially referred to the vulnerability of freelance artists, stating that the most difficult problem at the moment was finding a way to help them.

All cultural events with large audiences will probably be restricted for quite a while, and all activities which were encouraged up to now, such as mobility, co-production, or artist exchanges, are impossible at the moment, and it is uncertain when the situation will normalise, she said.

Therefore, she underlined the great responsibility of governments, especially ministers in charge of culture, to adopt measures supporting artists who are unable to do their job due to the new circumstances.

Obuljen Koržinek also raised the question of the importance of improving the copyright system, especially at a time when public gatherings are banned and authors are sharing their work and cultural content free of charge.

The minister thanked all artists who share their artwork for free thus helping citizens to deal with the current situation better, and supported those who advocate for a fair compensation to all artists, authors and performers, in the digital environment.

The Croatian Culture Ministry is working on a new, ad hoc invitation for applications for support to provide at least some kind of compensation to those who share their cultural content online, the minister said.

This is the first time such a model is being made and additional time will be necessary to implement it, the minister said, adding that they needed to be certain that the measure will really help those who need it the most.

More culture news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, March 29, 2020 - In the current circumstances of a pandemic, which prevent cultural events from taking place, the Book Night 2020 event, which commemorates the International Book and Copyright Day as well as Croatian Book Day on 23 April, will be held online.

"In the midst of news about the coronavirus spread, we did not give up on the idea to organise Book Night, in line with the current circumstances and within the limits of what is responsible and possible," said the organisers.

This year's edition of the event will be marked by online programmes, including a virtual Book Night opening ceremony, where the results of the new annual survey of Croatian citizens' book buying and reading habits will be presented.

Media outlets are invited to dedicate a part of their content to books and the magic of their creation and reading on the eve of 23 April. "Regardless of the kind of content, be it interviews with authors, unknown and less-known events from the world of literature, book and author presentations, musical performances inspired by books, conversations with citizens of all generations on the future of books, their favourite books or book quotes and best-book lists - any mention of books is welcome," the organisers noted.

Programme applications can be submitted until 23 April via an online application form available on the Book Night website. All information on the ninth, virtual edition of Book Night will be published on the Book Night website and Facebook page.

More culture news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, March 28, 2020 - The Croatian National Theatre (HNK) in Zagreb, in cooperation with the 24 sata daily newspaper, has made some of its most popular performances available online, attracting almost 300,000 views in just over a week.

It has been just over a week since the Zagreb HNK, in cooperation with the 24sata editorial board, launched the project "HNK in Zagreb fighting against the coronavirus". Performances by opera, drama and ballet troupes, as well as the Philosophical Theatre programmes, are available every day on the 24sata YouTube channel, 24sata website, and the HNK Facebook page, the HNK said in a press release.

"Theatre in the homes of our viewers has thrilled all performing arts enthusiasts and attracted new audiences, those who have not had a chance up to now to see a play at the HNK in Zagreb. Up to this day, our performances, released on the 24sata YouTube channel, have attracted 299,168 views," the HNK said.

In this way, the HNK has been able to re-establish communication with its audience in this tragic time of isolation, after it was closed on 12 March, but also to cross virtual borders and become present in numerous European and world cities and on different continents, the theatre said.

More coronavirus news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, March 2, 2020 - "The World as a Pavilion. Vjenceslav Richter" exhibition, dedicated to the Croatian architect and artist established also on the European scene, opens on 4 March at the Centre for Fine Arts Bozar in Brussels on the occasion of the Croatian Presidency of the Council of the EU.

Organised in cooperation between the Zagreb Museum of Contemporary Art (MSU) and the Brussels Centre for Fine Arts Bozar, the exhibition contains around one hundred of Richter's works, with synthesis as the starting point of his work in architecture, art, theory and experimentation.

The art piece "Man standing in a museum looking at something" (2017) by Marko Tadic will also be included in the exhibition.

Richter was one of the central figures of the Croatian art scene in the second half of the 20th century, and he left an important mark in the European art history as well. He was one of the founders of the EXAT-51 art group, an active participant in the New Tendencies) exhibitions, he designed many residential and public buildings, and authored several conceptual designs in urban planning.

The exhibition will be on view until 19 Apri.

A series of Croatian cultural programmes in March across Europe

As part of the Croatian presidency of the EU cultural programme, an intensive presentation of Croatian culture and heritage continues in March, starting with screenings of Vlado Kristl's films on 2 March at the Goethe Institute in Paris.

Among larger exhibitions, three stand out: the Miroslav Kraljević exhibition opening on 3 March in Budapest, the exhibition of posters by Boris Bućan opening in Krakow on 31 March, and the Lumbarda Psephisma exhibition at the National Archaeological Museum of Greece in Athens.

As for theatre, two plays will be performed on 11 March in Brussels: "Staging a play. Tartuffe" by Matija Ferlin and "Love will tear us apart", a dance play by the theatrical troupe De Facto.

The orchestra of the Lado national folk-dance ensemble will give a concert in Sofia on 19 March, and the "Three Winters" play from the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb will be performed on 21 March in Brussels.

Croatian writers will present their work at book fairs in Leipzig (12-15 March) and Paris (20-23 March).

More culture news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, February 27, 2020 - Heritage is our most important resource and we have to manage it wisely and rationally, as well as invest in it and protect it, Culture Minister Nina Obuljen Koržinek said in Dubrovnik on Thursday at the opening of an international conference on European cooperation in the protection of cultural heritage from risk.

Dubrovnik is the conference host because it is a symbol of coping with natural disasters and war, and today with a large number of visitors, Minister Obuljen Koržinek said.

The conference "Strengthening European Cooperation for the Protection of Cultural Heritage from Risk" is being held from 26 to 28 February in the organisation of the Ministry of Culture as one of Ministry's two central events during Croatia's presidency of the Council of the European Union.

"We have to realise that heritage is our most important resource, which we need to manage wisely and rationally, as well as invest in it and protect it. By doing that we will pass it on to future generations," Obuljen Koržinek said.

She also said that it was too soon to assess the effect of the novel coronavirus epidemic on culture tourism. "The situation is changing from day to day, but right now nothing indicates that we have to think about long-term restrictions. If we act responsibly, we will withstand the crisis. There is no room for panic. There has been a slowdown in tourism, cancellations of stays in Italy, but the situation will calm down," Koržinek said.

Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Franković said that tourism growth was contributing to the influx of money, which was putting destinations under UNESCO protection at risk of urbanisation in order to maximise profit.

"Tourism is the main economic activity in Dubrovnik. As many as 80% of people live off tourism. That is why when adopting measures, we have to bear in mind that we cannot destroy tourism, but achieve sustainability with the aim of improving our citizens' quality of life," Franković said.

One of the priorities of Croatia's presidency of the Council of the EU in the field of culture is the protection of cultural heritage, especially risk management of cultural heritage. The European Union has also highlighted the field of cultural heritage as one of its priorities in the last decade.

More culture news can be found in the Lifestyle section.