February 17th, 2022 - As part of the ongoing efforts to keep the seagull population in check, several cities in Istria are appealing to the public to follow a few rules of conduct

A staple feature of the Adriatic coast, seagulls have been more of a nuisance than a pretty sight in recent times. The sleek white birds are growing more daring by the day, nesting in urban areas, rummaging through rubbish bins, and commonly seen swooping in and ripping tasty-looking snacks straight out of the hands of unsuspecting tourists.

The avian marauders are becoming more aggressive and are known to harass people outdoors. They're predominantly food-driven and will attack whenever a prospect of scoring a snack is involved. 

Efforts have been made to keep the Caspian gull population in check, particularly in western Istria where a project was implemented 10 years ago with the goal of decreasing the numbers of pesky gulls in urban areas.

The project was initially launched in Poreč in 2011, and soon resulted in a 70% decrease in the population of seagulls in town. Novigrad, Rovinj and Pula have joined the initiative in the years since, with the local tourist boards appealing to the citizens to report any sightings of seagull nests on residential and commercial buildings.

Pula is now doubling down on seagull control, as reported by Morski.hr. Drones are being used to monitor the areas known as seagull habitats, and fake eggs are being planted in their nests to keep the gull population under control. The birds can't tell the difference and accept plastic eggs as if it were their own; they're known to be calmer and less aggressive during this time, and once the 'incubation'  period is over, they leave the nests in search of new adventures. 

The Veterinary Hospital Poreč which manages the project has published brochures containing detailed information on Caspian gulls that inhabit the Istrian coast. The birds that once only used to nest on uninhabited rocky islands have now moved to urban areas; as they prefer to nest on flat surfaces, they’ve been choosing flat roofs of hotels and family homes to build their nests.

The gulls nest from April to June, laying 3-4 eggs at a time that take about a month to hatch. They have a long lifespan and are known to live for up to 35 years! That’s a lot of time to procreate, and seeing that they have no natural predators, the gull population would likely keep increasing into oblivion if it weren’t kept in check with humane control measures.

Whether you’re only visiting Istria or staying long-term, what can you do to help? Remember to close garbage disposal bins and don’t leave any garbage on the ground around the bins, on beaches, or in any other outdoor areas. Garbage bags are not to be left outside overnight, especially in historic city centres, as the gulls are drawn to plastic bags which they got to know as their main source of food. And above all, never, ever feed the gulls!

The City of Pula has put up brochures with more information on their website - available in English, Italian and Croatian.

Think you’ve spotted a seagull nest in town? You can report the sighting by sending an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

February 12th, 2022 - Stancija Grande near Stara Savudrija, one of Istria’s most beautiful historical residential objects, is about to be renovated and developed into a luxury tourist destination 

Namely, the estate in north-western Istria is to be transformed into an exclusive tourist resort and golf course, as envisioned in the project launched back in 2006. As reported by Glas Istre, the investment is worth between 80 and 90 million euro, and is split between two companies, Golf Stancija d.o.o. and Golf Hotel Savudrija d.o.o. so that the project could be more easily managed.

The estate spans over some 70 hectares, where the investors plan to build an 18-hole golf course, a five star hotel with a capacity of 200 beds, and catering facilities. The crown jewel of the estate, the 19th-century palace designed in a neoclassical style and also known as Villa Cesare, will house the most luxurious accommodation units within the resort.

The project is headed by the same management team that successfully implemented the Skipper project, the construction of Hotel Kempinski and of the golf course in Savudrija (Crveni Vrh). 

‘The business plan that was conceived, financed and launched by the company Pelagius d.o.o. in 2006 was scrapped a few years ago for objective reasons, and we are now starting from scratch. It’s important to point out that this project has nothing to do with mass-construction of apartments on the coast, and is subject to supervision of authorities that care for historical and cultural heritage’, said Ljubica Marfan, member of the board of Golf Stancija d.o.o.

Stancija Grande was taken over by the military during World War II, and has been left to ruin since the 80s.

The gorgeous estate is finally about to have its original grandeur restored owing to the new development project.

‘Stancija Grande was built in the 19th century as the estate of the Fabris family, the counts of Begliano from Friuli. At the end of the 19th century, it was sold to landowner Alfredo Cesare and his family, who restored it at the turn of the 20th century, hence its other popular name Villa Cesare. It’s interesting that the Cesare family was an initiator of tourism in these parts in the early 20th century, having owned two villas, Villa Lotte near Stara Savudrija and Villa Ziani near Valfontana, with the latter built exclusively for tourism purposes. With our project, we will essentially give the ruined building of Stancija Grande its historical splendour back, but in a new tourist edition, with respect to the continuity of tourism development in these parts’, said Marfan.

The architectural integrity of the building, as well as its layout, will be preserved according to strict conservation regulations, with the estate seamlessly integrated into the landscape as whole.

According to Marfan, negotiations have been started with the Four Seasons to manage the new luxury property. The hotel chain was reported to be breaking into the Croatian market on several occasions, but hasn’t as of yet, so the investors now hope to win them over with their project in Istria.

A new golf course, envisioned as one of the most beautiful golf courses in Europe, will be built in the area between Stancija Grande and the new hotel, some two kilometres from the coastline. Marfan pointed out that this is primarily a greenfield project that is very environmentally friendly, as reported by Glas Istre in a more detailed feature.

‘The entire project is being developed based on the principles of sustainable development and using state-of-the-art technology. Where golf courses are considered, this includes desalination of sea water for the purposes of course maintenance, use of solar energy for production of electricity, and installation of glass facades with integrated devices for storage and conversion of solar energy. We also plan to have water-purifying toilets installed wherever possible, with the goal of saving water’, said Marfan.

The golf course was designed by Diethard Fahrenleitner from St. Johann in Tirol, the architect who previously designed the golf course in the aforementioned Kempinski complex in Istria. It’s set to be quite a scenic location; the coastline is nearby, and the investors are planning to plant olive groves and vineyards throughout the course as a nod to the estate’s history: Stancija Grande used to be a combination of a residential estate used by the owner and his guests, and an agricultural estate that employed the local population. 

Last autumn, Miro Oblak sold the project managed by the Pelagius company to Konrad Ackermann from Switzerland. Marfan explained that Croatia has become a very attractive holiday destination to Switzerland over the last two years, and as such interesting to Swiss investors. Istria holds the top spot due to its geostrategic position, i.e. proximity, but also for its hospitality and natural beauty which justify the confidence of the growing number of guests who are choosing the Istrian peninsula as their holiday destination.

It has also won over Ackermann who decided on this business partnership. 'In addition to their own capital, they will also be investing credit funds as they cooperate with the two largest Swiss banks UBS and Credit Suisse. The directors of these banks have already visited us and are satisfied with the plans we presented’, said Marfan, adding the company absolutely believes in their vision for the new elite resort in Savudrija.

February 9th, 2022 - Milan Grozić, an 80 year old man from Istria, donated over 400,000 kuna of his life savings to several health clinics in Croatia

Milan Grozić, an economist from Istria who has been retired for 15 years, made several sizable donations to multiple medical facilities, reports Glas Istre/Gordana Čalić Šverko.

He first donated 200,000 kuna to Istrian Health Centres. Half of the amount is intended for the purchase of an ultrasound machine for a GP clinic in Lupoglav, and the remaining 100,000 kuna for the Pazin clinic for palliative care and a medical-chemical laboratory.

A few days later, Grozić donated another 200,000 kuna, this time to Thalassotherapy Opatija, a specialised hospital for rehabilitation of cardiac patients, rheumatology and physical therapy.

‘Seeing that it’s constantly mentioned, especially in the media on a daily basis, that most people die from heart diseases, and it truly is so, with Opatija being close to citizens [of Istria] who use the services of Thalassotherapy as a cardiology clinic, I decided to make a donation to them as well’, said Grozić.

How come he decided to make such a sizable donation to health clinics in the first place?

‘Healthcare is a field important to society, same as the economy, education, science, social welfare, sports, culture… the state cannot function without them. I claim that healthcare is a top priority, as our minister says: "health isn’t everything, but without health, all is nothing". The healthcare system has difficulties even without corona, and in recent years since the coronavirus appeared, the financial situation has been even more difficult and there are a lot of problems. Finally, health is a top priority for all generations, from young to old, everyone uses health services, everyone needs them’, he explained.

Grozić was born in Vranja, a village in the foothills of Učka mountain. He finished high school in Pula and graduated from the Faculty of Economics in Rijeka; he first worked in the trading company Brodomaterijal in Rijeka for a year and a half, then went on to spend 38.5 years working for the Slovenian insurance company Sava Osiguranje, later renamed to Triglav Osiguranje. He held managerial positions for sixteen years, first as the head of the Rijeka branch, then as the president and member of the board. He says he was able to save a lot from his stable income. He built a house in Matulji near Rijeka, then sold it and restored an old home in Vranja where he currently lives.

‘After I retired, I spent a few more years in Matulji, and then came to a conclusion that life is better in the countryside because the coast is too crowded, there are always big traffic jams. I renovated and furnished a house in Vranja, remodelled a farm building into a holiday home, and built a ranch near the village. My brother lives in America, in Los Angeles, and my sister in Rabac. My other sister passed away recently in Pula, preceded by one brother. I have six nephews, they have twelve children in total, and they’re all doing fine, more or less. I also gifted something to those children, equally to everyone, and then I decided to donate part of my savings to a health institution’, he said in another interview for Glas Istre.

The benefactor only wants everyone to know that his savings came from hard work and work alone. He hasn’t inherited anything nor was he given any of the money he is now donating for a noble cause.

‘What does money mean to me. Nothing. I have everything I want, a car, a ranch, I can go to America whenever I want. They keep inviting me, but I’m afraid of flying, even though I travelled a lot by plane in my day’, says Grozić.

Accompanied by his golden retriever Fido, Grozić currently resides at his ranch in Vranje where he tends to an orchard and a vegetable garden. ‘I can't help but do something all the time’, he says.

February 8th, 2022 - The dinosaur-themed edutainment park in Istria was nominated in the category Hospitality Architecture

The Paleo Park in Mon Perin camp in Bale, Istria was nominated for the 2022 Building of the Year award by ArchDaily, world’s biggest architecture website. It’s nominated in the category Hospitality Architecture, with the list of five finalists to be announced tomorrow, reports Glas Istre / Robert Frank.

The Paleo Park is a blend of a themed amusement water park and an educational and research platform, designed and built to complement and highlight the archaeological site located near Bale. Designed by the NFO architectural studio, the facility promotes the local heritage in a way that respects and helps preserve the ancient site. It’s seamlessly incorporated into the wooded area near the coastline.

Thirty years ago, Bale was inscribed in the World List of Paleontological Sites after dinosaur bones were discovered in Colone bay, today a part of Mon Perin camp. According to expert estimates, a dozen species of dinosaurs lived in the Bale area, including the mighty brachiosaurus. Their fossil remains are said to be located in the seabed and are up to 200 million years old.

This precious natural heritage was used as the central theme in the construction of the water park as an integral part of the camp. The central pool is designed in the shape of a dinosaur; life-size replica models of dinosaurs are also placed around the pools to reinforce the theme of the park.

With an area of 16,000 square metres, Paleo Park is just one of the exceptional architectural projects in Bale, a municipality that has been rapidly developing over the past 15 years. They are dedicated to continuous enhancement of public spaces and introducing innovations to improve the tourist offer and extend the season.

Image by Bosnić+Dorotić / archdaily.com

This is not the first time that a building in Bale is nominated for a prestigious award. In 2008, a sports hall designed by the architectural studio 3LHD won first place in the sports structures category at the World Festival of Architecture in Barcelona. Impressive in itself, but even more so given that Bale won against the Wembley Stadium in London, a €1,1 billion investment - almost 1,000 times more than the Bale hall. Watercube Olympic Pool and Beijing Tennis Centre were also shortlisted in the same category that year.

Last week, the Mon Perin company that runs the camp of the same name announced they will be investing 100,000 euro in archaeological research at the Kazamate site in San Polo Bay, to be carried out by the specialised company In Situ. Namely, it is an ancient Roman villa rustica, a structure dating to the period between the 1st and the 4th century. The villa is to be granted the status of a protected cultural site.

February the 6th, 2022 - The Istrian town of Bale is picturesque and attracts many people to at least visit, and some to move, with its idyllic looks alone. On top of its fairy tale like pull, it now has some concrete lures to get people to make the move.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, in the blink of an eye, all of the one kuna plots in the gorgeous Istrian town of Bale were sold, Nova TV reporter Lina Dollar reported. She spoke with Bale Mayor Edi Pastrovicchi, who said there were no more vacant plots to be had.

"Some thirteen young families have contacted us, but we're preparing a new zone, so we will soon have some available once again and we will go with the tender again soon," announced Pastrovicchio.

Most of those who responded were people who are from the Istrian town of Bale, but as many as 30 percent arrived from outside of the town.

This Istrian town's mayor recalled that ten years ago they started a package of measures for demographic renewal. For example, families received ten thousand kuna for each newborn baby they had, nursery and kindergarten for all local children was made free, and from this year there will be a free snack for elementary school students, as well as free workbooks and extended stays. High school students also have all of their travel expenses co-financed.

As part of the Building Rights Project for young families, municipal plots in Bale for the construction of family houses are being allocated.

Last year, a crèche was built and the capacity of the kindergarten was expanded. The mayor says that in his eighteen years of being at the helm of Bale, the number of children has increased from 15 to 62, as many as are currently in kindergarten.

"These are certainly measures that help people stay here and move here, and I believe that this is a project that can be copied at the level of the whole country if there is money for it," concluded Edi Pastrovicchio.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

February 4, 2022 - Long before the dawn of tourism, pilgrims, artists, scholars and adventurers of all kinds made their way down the Croatian coast. Many foreign travellers recorded their impressions along the way, leaving behind a treasure trove of travel journals for us modern folk to peruse and enjoy just how much some of the writings resemble online reviews of the present day. Exploring the predecessors of Trip Advisor, starting with a few thoughts on Istria 

Most of us can’t help but love travel content. In the present age, especially since a certain issue made it quite difficult to travel, we explore the world through Facebook posts, Instagram stories and travel blogs.

It’s only a modern take on a very old phenomenon: travel journals, a fairly popular form of literature in which travellers recorded their impressions of all the places they visited.

The Croatian coast played a major role in travel literature from the 15th century onwards. The powerful status of Venice and its location on the Adriatic made it a focal point of every itinerary; travellers either embarked from Venice or passed through it on their way southeast. As Venice ruled the Croatian coast until the end of the 18th century, its major cities such as Zadar or Trogir were essentially must-visit destinations for every person that travelled by sea.

Some were pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land, some were artists capturing breathtaking landscapes and grand classical monuments. Most travel journals include detailed descriptions of the places visited, their geographic position and historical background, architectural landmarks of special importance…

…and food, and wine, and women. It’s Croatia, after all, and while it doesn’t come as a surprise, it’s delightful to read about someone fawning over olive oil or the beauty of Dalmatian women centuries ago.

Back in college, I studied quite a few such journals for a paper on architecture, and I recall having a laugh every time a 17th century 'tourist' opted to ignore the landmarks and mused where to buy wine instead. Detrimental to my paper, but quite fun to read - and having a different outlet now, perhaps it’s time to bring those moments to light as well. After all, travellers in history weren't that different to us today: they took in the sights, sampled the local cuisine and took interest in locals and their customs. And of course, followed it all with colourful commentary. 

*** 

We’re starting our trip in Istria, retracing the steps of French archaeologist Jacob Spon, who stopped in Rovinj on his way from Italy to Greece in 1675:

Rovinj is a small town (...) where the land is rich in vines and olive trees. The wine is good, and I believe that to be the reason why you see so many lame people around, because strong wine is the father and the fosterer of gout and sciatica. The women wear hoop skirts in Spanish fashion which make them look appalling. 

Says this man:

Looks thorougly unimpressed - alright.

On to Pula, where Spon maintains the same level of snark:

At present it has seven or eight hundred inhabitants at most, and if it weren’t for the remnants of its ancient grandeur, no one would believe this used to be a Republic, as I learned from an inscription carved into the base of a statue of emperor Severus, where it’s referred to as Respublica Polensis.

To be fair, I can see where Spon is coming from, as Pula wasn’t exactly a lively town in the 17th century. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the city gradually sank into ruin, ravaged by one attacking force after another, as well as several deadly diseases that decimated the population. It was only in the 19th century when Austria took hold of Pula that the city finally began to thrive after centuries of neglect.

Pula by Romulic and Stojcic

But I’m getting ahead of myself; first, another visitor in the 1770s, a friar named Noé Bianchi who made a stop in Pula on his pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Much friendlier than Spon, he records a short yet favourable impression of the Istrian city:

It was a very noble and royal city in the past; in it resided an Emperor of Rome who had a beautiful castle built, which is now ruined but a piece of it is still visible, and some beautiful tombs still remain, sculpted in very good marble. Here we stayed for four days waiting for calm seas and good wind, then we left for our voyage and arrived in Zadar.

Slightly reminiscent of a third grader recounting his summer adventures for a back-to-school assignment. I’m a bit unclear on whether Bianchi simply referred to the amphitheatre in Pula as a castle/fort, or if he failed to notice the gigantic edifice at all in the four days he spent in town. Perhaps the latter, as we don’t see the arena in this little tableau he made:

Giuseppe Marcotti didn't make the same faux pas upon his visit to Pula in the late 19th century. A prolific Italian writer and journalist, Marcotti gives an account of the Croatian coast in his work ‘The Eastern Adriatic: From Venice to Corfu’ that is so incredibly detailed, it reads more as a modern travel guide. It’s complete with train schedules and prices, lists of hotels and, most importantly, restaurant recommendations.

At the time of his visit, Pula was thriving under Austro-Hungarian rule as their main naval base. Marcotti notes the city is teeming with armed forces, but points to something else as Pula’s most captivating feature:

…despite the imposing ensemble of armoured towers, forts, batteries, embankments, barracks, gunpowder magazines, warehouses, factories, artillery and ammunition depots, and bays full of warships; in spite of the arsenal, all the armament and military equipment, the monuments to Roman grandeur in Pula are so remarkable, it’s them that attract the traveller’s attention above all else.

Poetic - love it.

Marcotti provides a comprehensive account of every nook and cranny from Umag to Dubrovnik, including some towns and villages not often visited in his time.

Novigrad, for example, apparently wasn’t as pretty of a sight as it is today:

Poverty and decadence are the essence of this place: carved stone and Roman tombstones were used to build small rustic houses; medieval fortifications were adapted into petty dwellings. (...) These days, the quiet port only serves as refuge from bad weather, and people only work at the stone quarries.

Novigrad by Romulic and Stojcic 

Let’s see what he thinks about a couple of other places in Istria - see if you can spot a common denominator in some of his impressions:

Rovinj - The labyrinth of alleys leading to the cathedral, snaking between humble houses bristled with colossal, bizarre chimneys like those in Venice, is abuzz with an energetic, fiery population which always gave the best among excellent Istrian sailors. The women appear to be a refined group of brunettes in the Venetian type; they speak, look, dress and walk as they do in Venice, typically wrapped in black scarves: their dialect is not without some Neapolitan inflection.

Vodnjan - The women inspire admiration, their distinctive beauty being that of the Latin type, with elegant limbs, well-shod and well-dressed and well-coiffed in their special attire, in many ways similar to the famous Arlesiennes of Provence - and also deserving of attention are the wedding customs, religious processions, dances and other popular festivities.

What about the men, Marcotti? We'll never know. 

Vodnjan by N. Demark 

Marcotti also warns you’ll have some trouble with logistics if you have your heart set on island hopping:

If you wish to visit the islands as well as the most interesting places on the mainland, you should keep it in mind that, despite the numerous steam liners of the Lloyd and the Hungarian-Croatian Society, the services are not so scheduled that you could avoid wasting a week. For this reason, and to make your stay more comfortable, it is more practical to go to Rijeka with a direct steamer from Pula (or by rail from Trieste), and then take various trips from Rijeka to visit places on the coast of Istria, Kvarner, Croatia and the islands that are discussed in this guide.

** 

And finally, Pag, an island known for many things: its cheese, lamb, salt, lace, and the otherworldly landscape that is said to resemble the surface of the Moon. Although Pag isn’t part of Istria and Kvarner, we'll cheat a bit as it's a good point between the Northern Adriatic and Dalmatia to end this piece with.

A lengthy description of Pag comes from Alberto Fortis, an 18th-century Venetian monk, writer and cartographer who travelled in Dalmatia and recorded his impressions in a series of letters to his esteemed acquaintances, published in the 1770s as a work titled 'A Journey to Dalmatia' (Viaggio in Dalmazia).

Pag by Romulic and Stojcic

Fortis was a meticulous observer and his writing detailed and extensive; as such, his letters are a phenomenal source for anyone interested in the history of Dalmatia. He gives a comprehensive account of Pag’s history, demographics, climate, economy, culture and so forth; the bulk of it is level-headed and mostly neutral, but towards the end, Fortis brings down the hammer, leaving only scorched Earth in his wake:

People’s conduct on Pag is quite uncivilised, and superstition reigns among them. (...) I haven’t found a single medallion, inscription, manuscript, nor a single sensible man in this entire town; they’re all interested in salt harvesting and whoever doesn’t talk about salt is given little regard.

They say the island’s been abandoned on several occasions, and truly, one should sooner be amazed it’s inhabited in the first place, as the lucrative salt factories are the sole thing that could inspire people to live in such a joyless place.

Ouch.

He goes on, this time in more detail:

Owing to difficulties that arise on the journey to Pag town and inadequate accommodation that foreigners come across, this place is very poorly visited. Thus its inhabitants are brutish and rude, as if they lived at the farthest possible distance from the sea and didn’t trade with decent folk. Noblemen who are under the impression they carry themselves differently than the common folk are truly laughable characters, with their attire and habits and insulting boasting. The clergy’s ignorance is unbelievable; a priest of the highest rank, believed to be a learned man, didn’t know the Latin name for Pag.

Fortis continues to fire on all cylinders, next turning his attention to folk beliefs in a criticism heavily underlined with contempt for the local clergy. Keeping in mind he was a clergyman himself, this was very 18th-century-enlightenment of him:

The majority of Pag’s population makes a living from sea salt harvesting and is paid well by the Government, which is why dry summers are of great importance to the town’s inhabitants, so much so that the uneducated folk believe the rain to be a pestilence brought upon their land by some sorcery. In line with this belief, they choose a friar to drive away the evil spirits and turn the rain away from the island. If, in spite of the poor friar’s efforts, the summer turns out to be rainy, he loses his reputation and his living; but if two or three summers in succession just so happen to be dry, the friar earns considerable respect and benefit.

Pag by Romulic and Stojcic 

In Novalja, where they deal in something different to salt harvesting, they employ equally ridiculous means to summon rain as their neighbours do in trying to keep the weather dry. There’s no end to superstitious beliefs among those poor uncivilised island folk, beliefs that are mostly encouraged and supported by friars for their own gain, and sometimes for a more nefarious purpose, but since not much good can be accomplished by bringing up folk nonsense or the wickedness of the clergy, I will leave them in peace such as they are.

1/10, would not recommend? This would be a tough act to follow, so we’ll leave it at that, much like Fortis left the Pag folk in peace… after shredding them to bits.

Next up: Dalmatia! We’re heading to Zadar, Trogir, Split and a few southern islands to see what the travellers of yore thought about some of the most popular tourist destinations in Croatia in the present day.

Sources for Part I: 

Jacob Spon, Voyage de l'Italie, de Dalmatie, de Grece, et du Levant, Fait és années 1675. & 1676., Tome I (Antoine Cellier le fils, Lyon, 1678)
Noé Bianchi, Viaggio da Venezia al S. sepolcro, et al monte Sinai (Remondini, Bassano, 1770)
Giuseppe Marcotti, L’Adriatico Orientale, da Venezia a Corfu (1899)
Alberto Fortis, Put po Dalmaciji (Globus, Zagreb, 1984) 

Quotes translated from Croatian, Italian and French by the author of the article.

Istarske Toplice is a renowned thermal health spa resort in central Istria offering a wide range of health care, wellness and fitness services. Their new plan to introduce independent living facilities for persons aged 55+ has already drawn interest from Slovenia, Italy, and Croats in diaspora

As of January 2022, the popular health resort in Istria has a new director who’s planning to turn things around after the pandemic dealt their business a blow. The new director of Istarske Toplice Vlado Mezak discussed his plans with Glas Istre on January 13th, 2022.

‘I’ve approached my new position with a vision to keep developing medical and tourism services that will take us to the top ranks of health tourism in Croatia and beyond. After all, we’re at a location with more than 75 million people living within the radius of 500 kilometres. The resources are there, Istarske Toplice ranks among the top three thermal springs in Europe based on the water quality and its curative properties’, said Mezak.

Business was thriving before the pandemic struck, so much so that the company was about to start an investment cycle in early 2020. And then…

‘We saw a drop from 35,000 overnight stays in 2019 to 10,000 stays in 2020. Last year there was an increase during summer so things were slightly better, but still half as much as in 2019. Energy prices increased, and we had additional expenses because of Covid’, said director Mezak.

‘The state did help us in 2020 and 2021 to some extent, but this year there’s no support for our business segment. We’re in a situation where we have to come up with new business models that will help us get through the crisis’, said the new director, adding that the resort is only booked at 10% of its full capacity at the moment.

As expected, it’s a situation they don’t find satisfactory, but are actively working to turn things around. They are planning short-term activities that are expected to attract more guests, and are modifying some of their packages to highlight their affordability, the quality of their health services and the benefits of visiting a health spa.

‘We will be offering anti-stress packages, as well as post-Covid rehabilitation which is sorely needed these days’, explained Mezak.

Istarske Toplice has a total of 148 hotel rooms, 120 in Hotel Mirna and 20 in Hotel Sv. Stjepan; there are some 250 beds available to resort guests.

So far, domestic guests made up the majority of their visitor count, growing from 55% in 2018 to 78% in 2021. As far as international visitors are concerned, the resort mostly saw guests from Italy and Slovenia who either stay for the weekend, or book one-week or two-week rehabilitation programmes.

The management is now planning to focus more on foreign markets, namely Italy, Slovenia, Austria and Germany.

Another major plan is in the works for the health spa, according to its owner and Chairman of the Board Mirko Kliman.

Named ‘Quality of life +55’, the project would introduce senior housing at the resort, i.e. independent living units for persons over the age of 55. The project is worth 30 million kuna; Kliman is expecting to get EU funding to cover 50-70 percent of the sum, and he will personally finance the other part.

Existing facilities at the resort would thus be partially reconstructed to create the new housing units. Some 100 hotel rooms will be remodelled into 40 apartments, accommodating sixty to seventy tenants who will also have access to other available facilities and services at the resort. According to the owner, they don’t lack interest.

‘When we first started to elaborate the project a few years ago, we conducted a survey and received 114 applications in the span of 15 days, most of which came from Slovenia, Italy, and from Croats living abroad’, said Kliman.

They’ll soon be applying for EU funding and if everything goes according to plan, implementation of the project could begin in late autumn.

‘Quality of life +55’ would enable the tenants to live a carefree life at a quiet location, with access to additional services and facilities at the health spa, such as medical consultations, a thermal pool and a heated pool, a wellness centre, a fitness centre, and more.

Kliman says it’s the only such project in Croatia as far as he’s aware, as this housing concept is still more prevalent in western European countries. ‘It’s a modern approach to growing old’, he says.

January the 8th, 2022 - The richest Croatian municipalities enjoy incomes as high as the 24 poorest in the country put together, which means there's some seriously huge wage disparity in Croatia. Rather unsurprisingly, they're all located in Istria.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, a new analysis undertaken by the Institute of Public Finance shows that back in pandemic-dominated 2020, the Istrian municipality of Medulin was the richest municipality in all of the Republic of Croatia. It generated the highest total revenues, totalling 77 million kuna, which is equal to the sum of the total revenues of the 24 poorest municipalities put together.

Interestingly, the total revenues of the ten richest Croatian municipalities, 530 million kuna, are equal to the sum of the total revenues of one quarter of all of the country's quite numerous municipalities. Among the Croatian municipalities with per capita income of more than 10,000 kuna, as many as 17 of them 29 are located close to the coast.

''We're really far ahead of other Croatian municipalities in terms of budget realisation. Since we're mostly a tourist destination, surviving the pandemic-dominated year of 2020 was a challenge, and recovering the level of income we once had is even greater,'' Medulin Mayor Ivan Kirac told local portal Glas Istre.

''Despite everything, I expect a significant increase in revenue this year. In the future, we're planning to base all of our strategies on income diversification, so I hope that we will create an even more resilient system to such troubles,'' explained Kirac.

The Croatian municipalities with the largest budget per capita include the Istrian municipalities of Kastelir-Labinci (2,700 kuna) and Oprtalj (2,600 kuna), which are in third and fourth place on a national level.

The Institute of Public Finance says that when interpreting the financial situation of Croatian municipalities and cities, one should be careful because many municipalities and cities have a high share of state and/or EU aid in total operating revenues in a given year, which doesn't typically apply to those located by the sea.

According to the Institute of Public Finance, Medulin maintained its leading position throughout 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic negatively affected the budgets of local governmental units and resulted in a decline in average total revenues and an increase in average deficits.

The Institute of Public Finance says that their analysis should encourage the public to further study the databases of the Ministry of Finance and its local governmental units, and get more detailed information on collecting and spending money from local budgets, Glas Istre writes.

For more, check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

December 31, 2021 - About 10,000 tourists in Istria County will celebrate the New Year in fifteen open hotels and two camps on the Istrian peninsula. The Istria County Tourist Board reveals that this is a 3x increase in guests compared to last year. 

"Almost ten thousand guests are currently vacationing in Istria, which is three times more than last year when 3,750 guests stayed during the Christmas and New Year holidays, but twice less than the record 2019 when 21,500 tourists stayed in our county," says Istria County Tourist Board director Denis Ivošević, as reported by HRT.

He adds that he is satisfied with the number of guests because "if the epidemiological situation allows it, it is the announcement of a good tourist year in 2022."

During December, 105,000 tourists stayed in Istria, which is 27 percent less than two years ago when there were 142,166.

Most guests stay in Poreč and Rovinj, with domestic tourists in the lead, followed by guests from Slovenia, Germany, Austria, and Italy. According to the Istria County Tourist Board, most guests stay in hotels, almost 60 percent.

Arena Hospitality Group reports that during the winter months, including New Year's Eve, they opened the Park Plaza Belvedere hotel in Medulin and the Arena Grand Kažela camp in Medulin. They expect about a thousand guests who will stay two to three days. Their guests are mainly from Austria and Slovenia, and this year, they noticed increased interest from domestic guests.

Following the epidemiological situation and prescribed measures, Valamar will organize a unique holiday program for guests of its hotels and camps, such as live music and DJ performances, in facilities that operate during the Christmas and New Year periods.

During December and the holiday season in Rovinj, Maistra's Grand Park Hotel Rovinj, Lone, Adriatic, Eden, Amarin, then Pineta, apartments Riva and camping Porto Sole in Vrsar were opened.

For more, check out our dedicated travel section.

December 29, 2021 - In an effort to improve the conditions and quality of service in the catering industry, the city of Pula bans the sale of beverages at kiosks. The measure will enter into force as of January 1, 2022.

At the session of the Pula City Council, the Decision on Communal Order was adopted, which prohibits the sale of drinks in kiosks, Glas Istre reports. 

Namely, the Decision came into force on November 23, however, it is still possible to buy drinks in kiosks. The City points out that the owners have a deadline for adjustment since new decisions will be issued on January 1, 2022, which will be in line with the new measure.

When determining the ban on the sale of beverages and coffee within the locations of kiosks, the City of Pula took into account that the said sale in kiosks should not jeopardize the work in catering facilities in buildings, or business premises where catering activities are performed. They added:

''The intention of the City was to move the catering activity to a higher level, within properly equipped business premises, the functioning of which includes investing significant funds in the appropriate offer and paying the prescribed fees (monument rent, etc.). In adopting the above provisions, the City primarily guided the need to ensure the preconditions for achieving adequate quality of the catering offer and the protection of business entities in fixed facilities."

The City added that it was "a decision adopted by the City Council, for which a public consultation lasting 30 days was previously held, during which no objections were received to express dissatisfaction or disagreement with the proposed conditions." According to them, the decision applies to all facilities, not only in the city center.

Source: HrTurizam.hr

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