ZAGREB, 22 Jan 2022 - The Ministry of Culture and Media has granted support for the promotion of visual arts in the total amount of HRK 4.035 million (€533,000).

A total of 338 applications were submitted to the call for financing public needs in culture in 2022 for the scheme of financial support and 214 of them have been selected.

The ministry also approved HRK 1.89 million (€252,000) scheme for literary creative processes, including translations of great works into Croatian. As many as 72 projects will be funded under this scheme.

(€1 = HRK 7.5)

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ZAGREB, 21 Jan 2022 - The Ministry of Culture and Media has approved HRK 410,000 (€54,600) in support of book stores as part of a call to finance public needs in 2022, the ministry said in a press release on Friday.

Ten book stores applied for funding for literary programs and the ministry has decided to co-finance nine beneficiaries.

The highest grant of HRK 75,000 (€10,000) )will go to the Giardini2 book club in Pula.

The funds are granted to help pay for guest appearances by authors and translators, book signing events, programs to promote reading, workshops, and book clubs.

Book stores can also apply for entrepreneurship programs for cultural and creative industries and for a public call for awards for the best book stores and antique book shops.

For more, check out our dedicated politics section.

ZAGREB, 2 Dec 2021 - Addressing an international conference on creative industries, Culture Minister Nina Obuljen Koržinek said on Thursday that during the COVID-19 pandemic, over HRK 900 million (€120 million) had been provided for the cultural and creative sectors to help them cope with the corona crisis.

The minister said that the government, in cooperation with associations, had responded promptly and drawn up a set of measures to help the creative industry in coping with the consequences of the COVID1-19 pandemic.

Of the HRK  900 million, HRK 300 million was earmarked for the development of the cultural and creative sectors.

"A portion will go towards the media sector, for setting up a fact-checking system and registers for transparent information on the ownership and financing of media outlets, while HRK 250 million has been set aside for the transformation of and boosting the competitiveness of the cultural and creative industry," Obuljen Koržinek said.

She expressed hope that the grants would help the sector recover from this crisis.

The two-day conference opened today in Zagreb.

(€1 = HRK 7.5)

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September 30, 2021 - The Vukovar Franciscan Monastery Virtual Tour is a new addition allowing people to get better acquainted with this amazing tourist site even if you cannot travel to this Eastern Croatian town.

We wish you a pleasant tour filled with God's grace - says the robotic female voice as you click this link and start exploring Vukovar's Franciscan Monastery online. The recently launched option of 360° sightseeing this iconic location in the Eastern town of Vukovar in Slavonia (referred to as the ''Hero City'' due to its suffering in the Homeland War) is an excellent innovation for what's become known as "screen tourism". Whatever your reasons for not being able to physically get to Vukovar at the moment, the Vukovar Franciscan Monastery Virtual Tour is always ready for you to take part.

''The QtouR virtual guide is implemented in the entire complex of the Franciscan monastery in Vukovar, covering over 3,500 square metres. The virtual tour offers visitors an online tour of the museum over two floors, the church, the script, the bell tower with the watchtower, the wine cellar…'' listed the Culture.net website.

Indeed, with this app (its development helped by the Croatian Ministry of Culture), you can explore the Franciscan monastery from every angle you'd usually be allowed to see during your visit. You can either navigate with your mouse or mousepad or even your keyboard to choose which direction you want to go in. From exploring indoors to heading out into the back yard, you can even soak up the breathtaking view of the nearby Danube river.

''Franciscans have had their presence noted in Slavonia and Srijem ever since the 14th century. Sadly, during the Turkish (Ottoman) occupation of these parts, every historical record of their activities was destroyed. Some traces can still be found in various documents of the Franciscan order and in the Vatican archives, however. What we know for sure is that the Franciscans of the Bosne Srebrene (Silver Bosnia) were the only messengers, bishops, priests, and guardians of the Catholic faith in these areas under Ottoman rule,'' reads the official website of Vukovar's Franciscan monastery.

Both the monastery and the church are named after saints Filip and Jakov (Phillip and Jacob). The church was completed in 1733 while the monastery was built in 1736.

''The monastery, along with the church with its monumental architecture, has been home to priceless artistic and cultural treasures for centuries now. It possessed a rich inventory and a library with rare editions along with a small picture gallery. By the sheer complexity of its heritage, it was placed amongst the most valuable memorial sites in continental Croatia,'' explains the monastery's official website.

The history of Vukovar is often clouded by the tragedies of the Homeland War, but while that is and will forever be of enormous significance, there is much more to it than that.

As TCN wrote, the history of Vukovar runs much deeper than the horrendous events which took place at the end of the 20th century, and Croatian historical and social sciences are more than aware of the fact. This was evident in the presentation of the book ''The Cultural Identity of Vukovar – A Contribution to Investigating Heritage and Successors''.  

Additionally, as evidenced by the VukovART festival earlier this year, we can see that this town at the very border of Eastern Croatia and Serbia has much more to offer than just the memory of death, war crimes and misery brought about by bullets, hate, and war.

Learn more about Vukovar in our TC guide. 

For more about history in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 14 Sept, 2021 - The Croatian Parliament's Information and Media Committee on Tuesday endorsed the Copyright and Related Rights Bill and the Electronic Media Bill after debating copyright protection and user comments.

Culture and Media Minister Nina Obuljen Koržinek said the biggest contribution of the Copyright Bill was that it eliminated legal uncertainties concerning exceptions and restrictions.

It ensures a broader approach to protected content as well as equitable compensation for stakeholders in the digital environment.

The bill regulates in more detail the rights of news publishers and defines the copyright generated within the collective protection system.

The bill also regulates content aggregators such as Facebook and Google, proposing that part of the revenue they generate from the content goes to news publishers and journalists.

As for the relationship between phonogram producers and performers, the minister said the proposed solution recognised performers as the weaker party and aimed to improve their position without endangering phonogram producers' business, she added.

Regarding the relationship between news publishers and aggregators which use their content for free, resulting in losses for both publishers and journalists, the bill regulates a collective exercise of their rights to ensure a better position for them.

The minister said the bill defined journalistic work as copyright work for the first time with the aim to strengthen the position of journalists and protect their work. In doing so, she added, one must not mix areas regulated by the media law and those regulated by the copyright law.

The amendments to the Electronic Media Act oblige media to transparently declare their ownership and sources of financing. As for user comments, users will have to register so that they are accountable, instead of publishers, if their comments break the law.

Independent MP Nino Raspudić said the bill stipulated what one was allowed to love and hate and that several articles introduced gender identity.

The minister said he was telling untruths and that Croatia was a democratic state in which no one censored anyone and no one was fined for stating their views.

For more about politics in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 8 Sept, 2021 - The Croatian Ministry of Culture and Media has been shortlisted for the World Literacy Awards in the category "Significant Contribution to Literacy by a Nation" for its "Year of Reading" campaign, and the laureates will be declared on Wednesday evening on World Literacy Day.

The World Literacy Awards are annual recognitions given to valuable initiatives around the world that promote literacy and education, the ministry said on Wednesday.

They are divided into several categories and given to individuals and organisations for their outstanding endeavours that promote literacy. The laureates are selected by a panel of judges consisting of eminent leaders from across the globe, including literacy and literature experts, Nobel Literature Prize recipients, and award-winning authors.

Croatia has one more candidate who has been shortlisted, Prof. Anita Peti-Staničić, who has been nominated in the Academic Award category.

Her work on reading literacy consists of two tiers, both equally important and complement each other. The first is her publishing activity. The second is her activist work on putting reading literacy in the centre of interest of librarians and teachers at all school subjects.

The government declared 2021 The Year of Reading. The declaration of The Year of Reading is part of a measure from the National Strategy to Promote Reading, adopted in 2017.

International Literacy Day is an international observance, celebrated each year on 8 September, declared by UNESCO on 26 October 1966 at the 14th session of UNESCO's General Conference. It was celebrated for the first time in 1967.

For more about politics in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

May 12, 2021 - Earlier in May, Boka Kotorska, in the town of Tivat in Montenegro, was the host of the scientific conference "Identity of Boka Kotorska Croatians" which will introduce changes in Croatian education.

Croatia has a big diaspora, no secrets there, but its worldwide spread makes you miss the region.

In Boka Kotorska, in Montenegro, Croatia's first neighbor on the southern border after Dubrovnik, not only is there a huge population of Croatians, but they also have a significant cultural impact on the area. So significant it even calls for social science to step in.

As Ivo Pilar Social Research Institute reported on its website, May 6 to 9 saw the conference “Identity of Boka Kotorska Croatians“. The three-day conference gathered crucial scientific institutes in Croatia to the town of Tivat in the Bay of Croatian Saints. Headed with Ivo Pilar Social Research Institute, Croatian Catholic University, Croatian Studies Faculty, Institute of Croatian Language and Linguistics as well as Institute for Historical Sciences in Zadar attended the conference while Croatian ministries of European, and Foreign Affairs, Science and Education, Culture, and Media, as well as Croatian Central State Office for Croatians Outside of the Republic of Croatia, founded the event.

„The scientific conference went well as well as signing conclusions with recommendations that that knowledge on Bokelj Croatians we learned on this conference enter the Croatian national curriculum in important subjects. These conclusions are the crown of our efforts to launch this conference in public, not just in an academical way, but to massively popularize to ensure long-term benefits for Bokelj Croatians as for every educated citizen of Croatia and Montenegro“, said Dr. Željko Holjevac, head of the Ivo Pilar Social Research Institute.

Conference conclusions suggest additions to the curriculum documents on key definitions of Croatian National Identity to make space for Croatians outside Croatia, including Boka Kotorska Croatians. Identity features and creativity of Bokelj Croatians in Croatian education, and the book „Boka Kotorska - the Bay of the Saints and Croatian Culture“, by Vanda Babić to be the mandatory literature for tourist guides in Montenegro.
Final meetings at the conference, as well as sailing with a „Katica“ ship through Boka Kotorska Bay, Saw the participation of Boris Bastijančić, the advisor and representative of the Montenegro president and representer of Croatian parliament and MP, Zdravka Bušić, and others.

„I'm glad to be at this scientific conference, and I want to thank everyone's effort for something like this to happen in Boka Kotorska. I would especially like to thank students that took part in this and gave their part as young people who love the truth of Boka, the place of saints. This is a message that we too need to do something to mark this time with love, hope, and faith“, said the Kotorska bishop, mons. Ivan Štironja.

Some Croatians live outside of Croatia, but maybe you would want to live in Croatia. Learn more about living in Croatia on our TC page. 

For more about the Croatian Diaspora, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 7 May (Hina) - Culture and Media Minister Nina Obuljen Koržinek said on Friday that she was shocked by President Zoran Milanović's attack on the HRT public broadcaster, adding that she had always stood up for press freedom.

"The government has no ambition whatsoever to influence any media outlet in Croatia. Quite the contrary, I believe that we strengthen democracy and all the values in society if we try to ensure conditions for reporters to do their job professionally and without any pressure," Obuljen Koržinek said after a ceremony of opening a library in the town of Delnice.

She condemned Milanović's statements in which he attacked an HRT correspondent in Split, refusing to answer her questions and saying that the HRT was not a public broadcaster but was serving the interests of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ).

"I think that Milanović is the last person who can call out anybody," Obuljen Koržinek said, stressing that the concept and legislative framework for the HRT management had been inaugurated during his term as prime minister.

She went on to say that in her capacity as the minister of culture and media, she had always stood up for the autonomy of the media, notably reporters.

Union leader: Milanović attacks journalists who are not responsible for HRT's policy

Croatian Journalists' Union leader and HRT reporter Maja Sever said on Thursday that the reporters whom Milanović verbally attacked earlier in the day were not responsible for the public broadcaster's editorial policy and that he was among those who had failed to ensure HRT's autonomy. 

Also on Thursday, the Journalists' Union and the Croatian Journalists' Association (HND) branch at the HRT condemned Milanović's statements, but also noted that the HRT under current director Kazimir Bačić was not an independent public service and that the government led by PM Andrej Plenković was responsible for that.

For more about politics in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

May 7, 2021 - Last month, The Miroslav Krleža Institute of Lexicography had a presentation in Velika Gorica regarding the newly published book on all things Turopolje.

The ever-fascinating region of Turopolje, not so far from Zagreb, as the largest city of the region is Velika Gorica (connected by Zagreb with a regular public service bus) earlier this month good a book that gives an overview of every knowledge collected about Turopolje. Or in a noun: a lexicon.

As The Miroslav Krleža Institute of Lexicography informs on its website, the end of April saw the presentation of the latest work in the edition of the Institute in Velika Gorica.

In respect to the epidemiological measures, the presentation was held among a limited number of journalists and attendees. Nina Obuljen Koržinek, the minister of culture was present along with the mayor of Velika Gorica Krešimir Ačkar, and the head if Miroslav Krleža Insitute, Bruno Kragić. The county ruler of the noble county of Turopolje Mladen Klemenčić was present too and talked about the book. Katja Matković Mikulčić, the headmistress of Velika Gorica City Library and a co-editor of the lexicon, had an opening speech.

The accompanying culture program saw an actor and singer Adam Končić recite poems by Krleža (a famous Croatian writer, poet, publicist, and encyclopedist the Institute was named after) and pupils from Franje Lučić Art School that sing with the back-up of Krešimir Starčević that followed the notes of a famous conductor from Turopolje Franjo Lučić (the inspiration for the name of the art school).

As usual, the Institute was determined to gather as a wider circle of associates as possible, especially the authors. Some of the authors are individuals from heritage, educational, and cultural institutions, but researchers from specific scientific areas and noted publicists contributed to the book as well.

„The project started with the overwhelming support of the City of Velika Gorica, the central administration unit of Turopolje, and the cooperation contract was signed in 2018. With its concept and graphics, this lexicon continues the previous editions of the Lexicography Institute, which focuses on individual Croatian regions (Istria, Croatian Zagorje) or towns (Zagreb)“, the Institute's website quotes the foreword of the book.

When it comes to history, science, and art, museums are great institutions to learn more. You can learn more about museums in Croatia on our TC page.

For more about science in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 8 April, 2021 - Culture Minister Nina Obuljen Koržinek said on Thursday the most important thing in the reconstruction of the cultural heritage was to reinforce and repair all monuments in a short time and that the first allocation would help to carry out all urgent works in 18 months.

The first allocation at our disposal is €680 million from the European Solidarity Fund, she told the press, saying that the recently outlined national recovery and resilience plan included reconstruction funds.

Croatia also has at its disposal funds approved by the World Bank, she said, adding that she also expected the approval of an allocation following last December's earthquake in Sisak-Moslavina County.

She said the damage to the cultural heritage in Zagreb following the March 2020 quake was estimated at €7 billion.

The reconstruction of complex monuments such as Zagreb's Mirogoj cemetery would take years and the necessary funds will be raised from various sources, the minister said.

She said her ministry had received more than 130 acceptable reconstruction applications and that contracts had been signed for a little over 40 monuments, including sacral and public buildings.

She added that public procurement was already under way and that over the past year experts from the ministry and Zagreb's faculties of civil engineering, geodesy, and architecture had completed the required documents for all monuments.

The first objective is to reinforce the buildings to prevent them from being a threat and deteriorating, the minister said.

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