Septemeber 4, 2019 - Kevin Rushby, who writes for the prestigious Guardian, with a total reach of 25 million readers, was in the city of Sinj and the Cetina region on Tuesday. 

As part of the ongoing promotion of the Croatian National Tourist Board and the Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board, in cooperation with the local tourist boards of the cities and municipalities of Split, Klis, Imotski, Trilj and Sinj, the renowned Guardian journalist Kevin Rushby, author of the award-winning books on travel collaborating with a range of Tier-1 Media, arrived in Sinj. 

The Sinj Tourist Board tried to offer as diverse an itinerary as possible to showcase the richness of both Dalmatian cuisine and historical and cultural heritage, which is extremely important to British readers when choosing a destination. In addition to presenting the area’s wine and gastronomy offer and cultural heritage, the Guardian also plans to bring this part of Croatia closer to readers, with an emphasis on active rest and exploration of natural beauty.

Kevin Rushby arrived in Sinj, accompanied by tour guide Dino Ivancic, and Monika Vrgoc, director of the Sinj Tourist Board, who introduced him to the city's geographical, historical and cultural landmarks, the Miraculous Lady of Sinj, Kamičak Fortress, Gaj Laberija, the Alka racetrack and the significance of the town of Sinj, both locally and nationally. They then went on a tour of the Sinjska Alka Museum where they were greeted by the director Boris Filipović Grčić, as well as the Alkar Pavao Prolić and Alkar boy Marko Mrđen. The museum exhibit was presented to him by museum curator Tomislav Barhanović. The museum exhibit, as well as the entire presentation of the Alka, delighted the respected British journalist, who showed great interest in the rich history of the Sinj area.

As the whole program requires gastronomy, Sinj's arambaša, Dalmatian prosciutto, young cheese and uštipak, as well as the native Sinj hrvaština wine, were presented. In the afternoon, he visited Mr. Ivan Knezovic, one of the last craftsmen of the traditional pottery of Potravlje, who introduced him to traditional cookware that can still be found in practical use. Rushby also visited Mr. Jozo Beslic, who, together with his wife, presented the production of tools and household items with an emphasis on wooden "copper".

On this occasion, the Sinj Tourist Board thanks all those who contributed to this fruitful collaboration.

September 4, 2019 - The five-day photo workshop ‘The World in Color’, co-organized by Photo Croatia and the Tourist Board of Sinj, was completed by a joint exhibition of selected photographs of all participants at the Sikirica Gallery.

On September 3, at the premises of the Sikirica Gallery, an exhibition of the work of the participants of the first photo workshop was opened.

The workshop, which was conducted by Sanja Grgić Ćurić and Nikola Ćurić, professionally and interestingly, consisted of theoretical and practical parts. Participants of the photo workshop found motifs in the area of Sinj on the following topics: Sinj City fortress, Stations of the Cross, Alkar monument, Cetina river, Han bridge, Kosinac spring, Sinj field, and the Sinj Air Show. Thirteen students of all ages from the cities of Sinj, Trilj, Otok and Cista Provo completed their education, and in search of the most interesting and unusual images, they participated in creating unforgettable visual magic. The best indicator of the success of the workshop was certainly the presence of numerous visitors at the Sikirica Gallery at the opening of the exhibition.

The exhibition will be open by the end of the week, and anyone interested can come and see the photos.

The Sinj Tourist Board would like to thank everyone who helped with the realization of this first photo workshop, and especially the Aeronautical Technical Society, which allowed the photographers to photograph the Sinj Air Show, and the Sikirica Gallery and the KUS staff for their help in setting up the exhibition.

August 27, 2019 - A five-day photo workshop titled ‘The World in Color’, co-organized by Photo Croatia and the Tourist Board of Sinj, invites everyone interested in a challenge and a new take on what is known and unknown through the lens of a camera. After over 120 successful and extremely well-attended visits to Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, this year's photo workshop in Sinj will be held from 30 August to 3 September 2019.

The workshop is free of charge for participants and is intended for ages 12 and older. Join in on the search for the most interesting and unusual motifs and take part in creating unforgettable visual magic.

Registration must be made to Sanja Grgić Ćurić (091 5742343). The first meeting is on Friday, 30th August 2019 at 17:00 in front of the office of the Sinj Tourist Board.

August 26, 2019 - As part of the 24th World Scout Jamboree, which took place in West Virginia, in the United States of America, from July 22 to August 2 this year, the Croatian Scout Alliance had the chance to participate, socialize and share experiences with 45,000 scouts from 150 countries. 

In addition to sporting activities, the participants had the opportunity to educate themselves but also promote the country they came from through their cultural heritage. 

On this occasion, Croatian scouts presented the Sinj Alka and the town of Sinj, to the general delight of all participants. As a special feature, all visitors had the opportunity to play a version of the Sinj Alka. The scouts ran in pairs, one (horse) carrying the other (alkar) on their back while trying to aim the alka. The most successful participants received commemorative souvenirs for the award, which were provided by the Sinj Tourist Board and the Sinjska Alka Museum.

The Sinj Tourist Board thanks the Croatian Scout Alliance for this truly valuable promotion of the Inland Dalmatian region, as well as Ivana Šabić, prof. and Nada Jelinčić who participated in the realization of this event.

August 26, 2019 - Dugopolje prosciutto producer Smjeli was named the best at the 6th International Prosciutto Festival in Drniš.

At the 6th International Prosciutto Festival in Drniš, which was held from August 23 and 24, the championship title was taken by Smjeli prosciutto from Dugopolje, the Croatian Chamber of Economy (HGK) announced on Saturday, pointing out that HRK 150 million has been invested in the production of prosciutto in five years.

The two-day International Prosciutto Festival brought together gastronomy enthusiasts in Inland Dalmatia and exhibitors from Croatia and the region.

"Although the current production of prosciutto does not even meet 50 percent of the needs of the domestic market, it is encouraged by the fact that over the past five years more than HRK 150 million has been invested in new prosciutto production plants," said HGK Vice President of Agriculture and Tourism Dragan Kovačević at the opening ceremony of the event on Friday in Drniš, reports N1.

Kovačević points out that prosciutto is the key to the Croatian tourism we strive for, and is an added value for guests with higher purchasing power. Namely, guests in Croatia are looking for an authentic experience and learning about lifestyles and traditions through the wine and gastronomy offer, and products with the protection of geographical origin can achieve twice the price on the market.

At the EU level, Croatia has as many as 21 traditional indigenous products protected by geographical indication or designation of origin, including four different Croatian prosciutto types from Istria, Krk, Drniš, and Dalmatia. 

“We believe that the prosciutto producers, especially the large ones, will better organize raw material production through the cooperative system, and that in the future we will meet the needs of our industry from our own pig breeding. Good raw materials, with standard production technology, is a key prerequisite for superior quality prosciutto,” Kovačević said.

The organizers of the 6th International Prosciutto Festival are the Tourist Board of Drniš with the City of Drniš, and the Association of Drniš Prosciutto Producers. 

The festival aims to encourage the production and promotion of indigenous and traditional products, handicrafts based on tradition and originality, other cultural and traditional content, and the development and promotion of the overall tourist offer of the town of Drniš with an emphasis on gastronomy. Namely, besides prosciutto, which was awarded over the weekend, producers of cheese, wine, honey, and other local products were presented at the Drniš festival.

The prosciutto festival is also an opportunity to get to know the natural and artistic beauty of the Drniš area, the Krka National Park, the Čikola Canyon, and the works of Ivan Meštrović, in addition to gastronomy.

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

August 22, 2019 - The Brnaze Festival is a festival of chivalry, heroism, and folklore that is dedicated to old disciplines, cultures, and sports.

The Brnaze festival was held for the first time in 1974 and continuously ran until 1990. The festival was relaunched in 1999 and came to a halt a few years ago. In 2016, the Sinjska Alka cluster organized the festival again to ensure the preservation of the traditions of this area through this manifestation.

This year’s Brnaze festival will return for the 34tg edition at Meljač, known as the site of the ruins of the early Christian church of St. Mihovil.

The Brnaze Festival is a valuable, cultural, and original ethno-festival with rich economic content. Many producers of autochthonous products from the Cetina and Dalmatian region participate in the event, and there are also demonstrations of hunting, heroism and folklore dedicated exclusively to ancient disciplines, culture and sports. 

The location of Meljač is among one of the most important early Christian sites that is regularly mentioned in literature. Therefore, the festival serves a purpose to help revalue the site through projects that protect its cultural heritage.

The festival also aims to promote locality, and as in previous years, it will promote the preservation of ethnic heritage, various traditional games (bocce ball tournament, bag races, football matches, long jump, martial arts, parachute jumps), performances of KUDs, and more. 

At the end of the three-day affair, an “Evening of Tradition and Folklore" will be performed through cultural art societies, with special reference to this year's winner of the 304th Sinjska Alka, Frane Ivković from Brnaze.

The event is organized by the Sinjska Alka Cluster in cooperation with the locals of Brnaze.

Entrance is free!

August 19, 2019 - On Saturday, August 17, within the Musical Evenings at Kamičak Fort, organized by the Sinj Tourist Board and with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia, the City of Sinj and the Tourist Board of the Split-Dalmatia County, a magnificent concert under the stars was held featuring Ratko Zjaca, Stefan Benetti with Nocturnal4.

On August 17, in the unique and beautiful setting of Kamičak Fort, the people of Sinj were able to witness a true ambient and musical spectacle under the starry sky, a virtuoso performance by top jazz musicians Ratko Zjaca, Stefan Benetti and Nocturnal4.

Thanks to the rich material and intangible cultural heritage, as well as a number of diverse cultural events, Sinj and the Cetina region have long been engraved on the tourist map of Croatia. Thanks to the pursuit of sustainable tourism, the coexistence of carefully thought out activities enjoyed equally by the hosts and guests alike, the events in the Alka city are always captivating and attracting a growing audience.

One of these events is the Musical Evenings at Kamičak Fort. The fortress, below which the present-day Sinj developed, was built in 1712 as a star-filled bastion filled with earth. On the fort itself is a tower that used to be an observation post, and on it is a clock, still fully functional, with a bell cast in one of the most famous foundries of Colbachini in the province of Veneto, Italy. 

At the authentic and unique fortress Kamičak with a beautiful stage under a sky, concerts of classical and traditional and jazz music are organized. This approach is popularizing these, perhaps somewhat neglected, musical expressions, and where better than in Sinj, a city of rich musical tradition?

The Sinj Tourist Board has organized successful and extremely well-attended concerts for several years. The following concerts have been held at this authentic location so far: Academic accordion orchestra "Ivan Goran Kovačić", Sara Renar, Jazz swing quintet "Repassage", Wind quintet "Kalamos" and since 2017, with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia, the unique Samobor percussion ensemble "Sudar" Percussion”, ethno musician Dunja Knebl with Kololira and an ethnic composition by Veja. All the performances were awe-inspiring, and the ambiance of the old fortress under the stars turned out to be the true essence of Sinj.

This year, an extraordinary program was held on August 17, 2019, when the best of jazz music was presented to the people of Sinj and its guests by renowned international performers, Ratko Zjača - Stefano Bedetti and Nocturnal Four.

Ratko Zjača is a giant of modern jazz and improvised music. An innovative guitarist and author of numerous solo and collaborative albums, he has studied in Zagreb, Rotterdam and New York. As he says, he is open to all styles of music, starting with American jazz, Indian classical music, English rock, and European classical music. It would be a sin to miss his performance accompanied by the Nocturnal Four band - Renato Chicco, Stefano Bedetti and Antonio Sanchez.

August 16, 2019 - The Assumption of Mary, or Velika Gospa for those of us in Croatia, is celebrated on August 15.

Thousands of believers formed what looked like a human anthill as they made their way to the city of Our Lady to celebrate the Assumption of Mary, or what Croatians know better as Velika Gospa, on August 15. Sinj boasts the largest Mary shrine in southern Croatia and has celebrated Our Lady of Sinj for more than three centuries, reports Slobodna Dalmacija.

The inhabitants of the Alka city and the region opened their hearts and welcomed pilgrims from all over the world, who also got to enjoy the Sinj City Park which was transformed into an open-air restaurant where thousands of suckling pigs and lambs were roasted. 

According to the long tradition, on Thursday, a central celebration was held in honor of Our Lady of Sinj with a traditional procession through the streets of the Alka city, in which the image of Our Lady was proudly carried, led by Marin Barišić, Archbishop of Split-Makarska and Metropolitan. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković even participated in the procession.

The celebration on Thursday morning is individually the largest gathering of worshipers of Our Lady of Sinj, and if viewed only by the number of those gathered, it is by far the largest shrine to Mary in Croatia. While it’s hard to have an exact estimate, it is safe to say that between 50 and 80 thousand believers participated in the celebration. 

Believers came from near and far - like Karlo Jurišić who joined from Argentina, where he was born 60 years ago. 

“So far, I have come to Croatia 5-6 times and every time I come to the church of Our Lady of Sinj because my barba is Fr. Gabriel Jurišić. In Argentina, we celebrate the Assumption of Mary, but not as spiritually as here,” said Karlo.

“I came from Australia. Since Croatia’s independence, I have come every year, and I do not miss the celebration of Our Lady of Sinj. I visit relatives in Vojnić, I met with my cousin Ivica Križanec in Sinj, now I will walk the procession, and soon go back to Australia,” said Jozo Bajić.

“Since 1976, I have made 37 pilgrimages to Our Lady of Sinj on foot. I had only missed it when I had pressing commitments,” said Split-Dalmatia County prefect Blaženko Boban.

Marija Budimir Bekan from Turjaka was among the oldest pilgrims to Our Lady of Sinj.

“I was born in the Mirčet family in Dicmo in 1931, and I married in Turjaka to my late husband, Ivo Budimir Bekan. I was first taken to Our Lady when I was five. Since then, every year, I come to greet Our Lady of Sinj on the Assumption. She's our sweet mother. If it hadn't been for her, if she hadn't defended and protected us, none of us would be here today,” said Marija.

The procession on Thursday formed at King Tomislav Square. After the church bells rang, the priests removed the image of Our Lady from her altar and carried it to the main church door where it was passed onto Alkars and Alkar boys. In front of Our Lady's image were members of the Croatian Army, police, firefighters, Sinj City Music, members of the KUDs in folk costumes, Homeland War associations, nuns, representatives of civil authorities, ministers and just before the image, the archbishop and priests. Behind Our Lady's image was a crowd of believers. When the procession arrived in front of the Municipal Court building, it paused briefly to bless all four sides, according to the established tradition.

The painting was propped on the temporary altar in Dr. Franjo Tudjman Square to begin the solemn mass, with the assistance of dozens of priests, led by Marin Barišić. The solemn Eucharist in honor of the heavenly mother of Sinj was celebrated by the parish choir of Our Lady of Sinj, led by Jura Zupić and sister Jelena Mijić.

Ante Čovo sent commendable greetings and thanks to those gathered. At the very end of the solemn mass, the blessing of Our Lady's image was shared. After the national anthem, Our Lady's image was returned to her altar.

According to the estimates of the priests, about 50,000 believers participated in the procession, and it was expected that up to 100,000 believers from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and all parts of the world were in Sinj on Thursday for the festivities. 

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

August 14, 2019 - During the Alka and the Assumption (Velika Gospa), many representatives of tourist agencies, journalists, as well as students from the largest student network AIESEC visited Sinj. 

As part of the ongoing tourism promotion of the Croatian National Tourist Board and the Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board, in cooperation with the Sinj Tourist Board, Slovenian journalists Darko Urško Longyk and Primož Longyka, the editor of Focusplus, a magazine specializing in travel lovers of adrenaline and active rest, stayed in Sinj on August 4 and 5.

Darja Urško Longyk and Primož Longyk were accompanied by tourist guide Dino Ivančić and director of the Sinj Tourist Board Monika Vrgoč, who introduced them to the geographical, historical and cultural features of the city, the shrine of the Miraculous Lady of Sinj, the Alka and the significance of Sinj locally and nationally. During their stay in Sinj, they visited the Museum of the Sinj Alka, the Church of the Miraculous Lady of Sinj, the Sinj City fortress and the Kamičak fort. They followed the parade of 28 historical military units and the 304th Sinj Alka. 

August 5th was booked for outdoor activities, and accompanied by Vedran Ugrin of the Alkar Hotel, they became acquainted with a part of the Cetina region, moving along thematic trails towards the Svilaja mountain, touring the places from Pavić Nebesa to Lučane,  Zelovo, Svilaju, Satrić, Bitelić, Perućko jezero, Panj, Rumin, Bajagić, Obrovac Sinjski – Han and along the river Cetina through the Sinj field.

In continuation of the cooperation with the world's largest student organization AIESEC, students Ana Zhgenti (Georgia), Dagmara Buczkowska (Poland), Nabil Kasbaoui (Tunisia), Lu Ke (China), Veronika Yurievna (Ukraine), Cemre Unal (Turkey), Qiano Liao (China), Valentina Andrei (Romania), Rina Narita (Japan), Celine Nuygen (Canada) visited Sinj. Their hosts were Toni Petričević and Tea Kovač from Split, and Nina Marendić and Iva Šusta from Sinj.

The purpose of their arrival was to write articles and blogs about the tourist offer and the potential of Sinj and the Cetina region. Articles about the town of Sinj will be published on various social networks and blogs. This form of promotion has proven effective for all young tourists who are targeting a destination that is interesting and appealing to them.

This year, the announcements from Sinj started just before the Alkar festivities to adequately cover this unique competition and its national and global significance. A special atmosphere was also created thanks to the celebration of Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and the Day of Croatian Defenders, as well as the parade of historical military units, which was staged before the 304th Čoje. For the purposes of filming, the group visited the Shrine of the Miraculous Lady of Sinj, numerous Sinj monuments, the Kamičak Fortress, and the City Fort, the Museum of the Sinj Alka, which was followed by the 304th Alka, as well as all the events that followed for this year's winner. The students did not hide their enthusiasm.

To promote the Sinj Alka, the city of Sinj and the Republic of Croatia was visited by representatives of one of China's largest travel agencies CTRIP (which has over one hundred million users and employs about 40,000 employees). The group visited during the Alka festivities, led by Jenny Yu, a national TV star and influencer. In addition to Sinj, they moved onto Dubrovnik, Split, Ston, Klis, Zagreb, Brač, Samobor, Rovinj, Pag, and Motovun. In the town of Sinj, they were welcomed by Mayor Kristina Križanac, Sinj Tourist Board Director Monika Vrgoc, and Dugopolje Tourist Board Director Tomislav Balić.

To fully convey and visually evoke the colors of Sinj in a promotional video to their clients and potential Chinese tourists, Shanghai Ctrip Intl Travel Service Co.LTD shot a panorama from the Sinj Fort, then the Sinj Alka Museum, and the Alkar horses. This is a continuation of the extremely good cooperation from February when Chinese speaking tour guides, led by Danijel Botić and Zoran Janžek from the Vision One team, visited Inland Dalmatia. 

August 13, 2019 - Thanks to the rich material and intangible cultural heritage, as well as several different cultural events, Sinj and the Cetina region,  have long been engraved on the tourist map of Croatia. Thanks to the pursuit of sustainable tourism, the coexistence of carefully thought out activities enjoyed equally by hosts and guests alike, the events in the ‘Alka city’ are always captivating and attracting a growing audience. 

One of these events is the Musical Evenings at Kamičak Fort.

The fortress below which the present-day Sinj developed, was built in 1712 as a star-filled bastion filled with earth. On the fort itself is a tower that used to be an observation post, and on it is a clock, still fully functional, is a bell cast in one of the most famous foundries of Colbachini in the province of Veneto, Italy.

At the unique Kamičak with a beautiful stage under the sky, concerts of classical as well as traditional and jazz music are organized. This approach is popularizing these, perhaps somewhat neglected, musical expressions, and where better than in Sinj, a city of rich musical tradition?

The Sinj Tourist Board has organized successful and extremely well-attended concerts for several years. The following concerts have been held at this authentic location so far: Academic accordion orchestra "Ivan Goran Kovačić", Sara Renar, Jazz swing quintet "Repassage", Wind quintet "Kalamos" and since 2017, with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia, the unique Samobor percussion ensemble "Sudar" Percussion”, ethno musician Dunja Knebl with Kololira and an ethnic composition by Veja. All the performances were awe-inspiring, and the ambiance of the old fortress under the stars turned out to be the true essence of Sinj.

Nikola Belnacic

This year, an extraordinary program awaits: on August 17, 2019, beginning at 8:30 pm and ending at 10:30 pm, the best of jazz music will be presented to the people of Sinj and its guests by renowned international performers, Ratko Zjača - Stefano Bedetti and Nocturnal Four.

Ratko Zjača is a giant of modern jazz and improvised music. An innovative guitarist and author of numerous solo and collaborative albums, he has studied in Zagreb, Rotterdam and New York. As he says, he is open to all styles of music, starting with American jazz, Indian classical music, English rock, and European classical music. It would be a sin to miss his performance accompanied by the Nocturnal Four band - Renato Chicco, Stefano Bedetti and Antonio Sanchez.

Admission is free!