ZAGREB, August 6, 2019 - Eleven agreements were signed on Monday in Knin to support entrepreneurs in the areas of Knin and Benkovac with EU grants worth 8.5 million kuna.

The agreements were signed by Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds Marko Pavić and representatives of 11 companies.

Pavić said that the funds would contribute to encouraging young people in the area stay there as the funds were earmarked for job creation.

"These agreements support entrepreneurship, trades and companies and the 8.5 million kuna will help create 20 new jobs and preserve 32 more," Minister Pavić said.

He explained that the funds were earmarked for areas formerly affected by the war.

Pavić expressed satisfaction that the agreements were signed in Knin on Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and the Day of Croatian Veterans.

He announced that new agreements, worth more than 22 million kuna, would be signed for the Knin area soon.

More news about EU funds can be found in the Business section.

August 5, 2019 - As previously reported on TCN, the first Domovina Birthright Program took place in Croatia last month, an initiative between the American Croatian Association of Professionals, and the Croatian Government.

The idea of the program is to take the young adults of Croatian descent (ages 18 – 30), who wish to learn about their heritage, explore Croatia, connect with their Croatian identity and meet other young Croatian adults on an amazing trip to Croatia.

Kristiana Banđen is one of the 34 initial participants in the program, and she has kindly agreed to document her journey as she explores the country of her heritage. Over to Kristiana for Day 8-9:

On day 8 of our trip, from Pula, we travelled to Smiljan to visit Nikola Tesla’s hometown and memorial centre. 

It was really cool to see that the memorial centre was built in the home of Nikola and his family. Although made modern for the museum, all the old structure is still in place. Our tour guide was really insightful and shared a lot of interesting facts about Nikola as a child. Today, his most notable contribution is the modern alternating current electricity supply system as well as the Tesla coil, the induction motor, neon light and the radio to name a few. 

I think it’s important as a Croatian to take note of the influence Croatians have had on today’s modern day. Although Tesla was born on land that is part of Croatia today, his family was of Serbian background.

My favourite aspect of the memorial centre in Smiljan was the attic of Nikola’s home where it showcases samples of his inventions. Pressing the buttons puts on a display of the invention, showcasing how it looked through photographs and not modernized for how it’s used today. 

After lunch, we arrived in Knin where we had some free time and time to prepare for a meeting and dinner with the Minister of Defence and Deputy Prime Minister of Croatia. Not only was it amazing to have the opportunity to speak to and dine with this company, but we had the chance to do so in an amazing venue, the Knin Fortress! Catching the sunset at the top of the fortress was absolutely breathtaking with the view! 

We were blessed again with an amazing meal. Not only was the food delicious (as per usual!), we were able to enjoy the vocals from Klapa Sveti Juraj! What a great experience! 

For a little bit of fun and relaxation, for the next day, a Kornati trip was organized for us on a private boat for the group. I have previously taken a tour for the Kornati National Park with my family but with the trip I had taken before, we didn’t have the opportunity to stop at the memorial crosses. The crosses, found on the island Veliki Kornat, commemorates the Croatian firefighters who lost their lives in the Kornati tragedy on August 30, 2007. On that day over 10 years ago, a group of firefighters were deployed to the island to extinguish a small fire. Unfortunately, for an unknown reason, the fire had taken the lives of the group. Croatia remembers the heroes as a permanent reminder for the dedication of the profession. This is something that almost all of us in the group had no idea of. It has been really riveting to learn about incidents such as this one that I never knew about. 

Swimming, beautiful views, good food, singing and dancing soon ended and the party continued to Vrana for the evening to enjoy dinner at Maškovića Han. Located in my dad’s hometown, it made dinner even more special. I remember how the location of the restaurant/hotel looked like before it is what it is today. As a child, we would walk the grounds with my family, and I loved watching all the rabbits jumping around. It is amazing how Croatia as a whole has developed so much throughout my years visiting. Each year, the country becomes more developed, but not in a bad way. It makes my childhood memories even more precious to have had experienced the country in its most simplistic form, which I feel others could relate as well! 

Next up: More of the Dalmatia coast! 

To follow the latest news from the Croatian diaspora, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

Ante Gotovina is much more than just a household name like that of an actor or a singer. This hero of the Homeland War was proclaimed innocent at The Hague and released back in 2012. He returned to Croatia and embarked on a normal life before becoming somewhat of an entrepreneur. Thesedays, Gotovina no longer dons a general's uniform, but instead deals in the raising of tuna through his own company.

As Gotovina enjoys the quiet life now, the stories of his heroic past in the face of war have never faded, and a film about him is set to be filmed with Šibenik-Knin County's very welcome financial support.

As Morski writes on the 28th of May, 2019, Šibenik-Knin County Prefect Goran Pauk has signed a co-financing contract for a feature film and the "General" TV series.

"This contract stipulates that Šibenik-Knin County is obliged to provide financial support in the amount of 100,000 kuna to the project of a feature-length film and drama television series called "General'', by the screenwriter and director Antun Vrdoljak in the production of Kiklop filma d.o.o. and Croatian Television,'' reads a quote from Šibenik-Knin County.

In the explanation, it is argued that the theme of the film and TV series is the Homeland War, to which Croatian cinematography still owes a lot, given the historical achievement of the creation of the democratic and independent Republic of Croatia, the fulfillment of a centuries-old dream of the Croatian people.

The film and TV series covers the the war and the life of General Ante Gotovina and his generation of Croatian defenders, detailing both the good times and the extremely bad ones.

"Most of all, because of those who have given us and all future generations the liberty that we've inherited today, the Croatian Defense Forces," they argue in their clarification of their decision to fund the film on Gotovina's life and deeds.

To briefly recall, filming was completed in Šibenik on January the 30th this year, and Šibenik native Goran Višnjić plays General Ante Gotovina.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for much more.

NP Krka is another one of those ''must visit'' places when in Croatia, and yes, there are many such destinations to be found here. The whole ''must see'' thing has become a little saturated over recent years, especially with the rise of self-proclaimed travel bloggers and social media influencers, however, there is much more to this stunning national park than just the ability to take artistic Instagram pictures.

NP Krka is involving itself in the education of school children in the Dalmatian county in which the park is situated through a praiseworthy project aimed at increasing kids' overall awareness of both protected areas and nature and the environment.

As Morski writes on the 3rd of April, 2019, the highly visited NP Krka actually launched the project "Let's fill up the school libraries" (Popunimo školske knjižnice), for primary and secondary schools of the Šibenik-Knin County back in 2007.

The aim of the project is to make the books published within the framework of this educational scope available to school-age children and other young people, so that they can contribute to their own respective awareness of the country's numerous protected areas and the need to take care of their surroundings, including the importance of the proper preservation of the environment.

Since back in 2007, VHS tapes and later on, DVDs covering a wide array of topics related to NP Krka and its environment and native wildlife and birds have been shared around numerous local schools within the aforementioned county in Dalmatia. In February this year, a total of 49 books were distributed to thirty-six primary and thirteen high schools in the county.

NP Krka's administration and staff believe that this year's gift to local schools will be used by students and their mentors and teachers not only as an additional teaching aid for the classroom but that it will also encourage children to go out and get to know and further explore the rich natural beauty and the cultural heritage of the beautiful NP Krka.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for much more.

As Frane Saric/VL/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 24th of February, 2019, a research and exploration vessel sailed to Šibenik-Knin County, along with all of its modern and sophisticated equipment, in order to properly track what is happening in the sea in that area of Dalmatia.

The Nature of Šibenik-Knin County (Priroda) public institution, in cooperation with the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries in Split has begun with numerous activities of scientific monitoring in the area of ​​the ecological network "Natura 2000 Ušće Krke", covering the area from Skradinski buk to the historic St. Nicholas Fort.

Šibenik-Knin County reported on the move and pointed out that the well-equipped IB BIOS DVA exploratory vessel is 36 metres in length, and is currently in Šibenik's waters. With an array of highly sophisticated equipment, it can explore complex physical, chemical and biological processes going on under the sea in the area.

"This important research, as part of the project worth more than 26 million kuna, will be carried out by a large number of scientists from the field of physical, chemical and biological oceanography of the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, and this will showcase the situation in the Natura area under the great pressure of tourism, maritime traffic, and construction,'' said Anita Babačić Ajduk of the aforementioned public institution.

The results of the monitoring will, as the county has already stated, serve as the basis for the popular-scientific presentation and an attractive exhibition in the city's future visitor centre.

The sheer importance of scientific research as the first step in tourism valorisation projects in this area was greatly emphasised, and Šibenik-Knin County has stated that the contract is worth 500,000 kuna. The contract is part of a local tourism valorisation project, which includes sampling and carrying out an analysis of the data with the aim of making an initial assessment of the status of the biological and oceanological indicators in that area.

The aim of the project is to preserve the biological and landscape diversity of Šibenik's underwater area, increase the area's attractiveness and educational capacity, and improve the tourist and economic potential, as was  reported from Šibenik-Knin County.

Through this project, there will, as has already been mentioned, be more visitor infrastructure arranged, and a range of new tourist products will be created with the help of the upcoming introduction of brand new educational and information content.

Make sure to stay up to date with more of what's going on in Šibenik-Knin County and beyond by following our dedicated lifestyle page.

Click here for the original article by Frane Saric/VL on Poslovni Dnevnik

Fancy spending part of the festive season in a rather unusual location? It isn't Split, Dubrovnik, Zadar or Zagreb, but Knin, one of Croatia's most historically important cities, located in the rugged hills of the Dalmatian hinterland. Advent in Knin is, just like other locations across the country, looking like it's definitely worth a visit.

While Croatia is continuing to struggle with the self-limiting chains summer tourism places on the country, winter tourism has been helped hugely by Zagreb's advent success over the past three years. The Croatian capital has come on leaps and bounds, going from all but overlooked tourism wise, to being voted Europes best Advent destination for three years running. A title the city wants to win again this year.

The capital's continued success has rubbed off on other towns and cities up and down the country, with Dubrovnik's winter festival drawing more and more visitors each year, Split putting on an equally impressive show, and locations like Zadar, Rab and Pag following suit. It's not enough to say that Croatia desperately needs to try harder to free itself from the clutches of the three to four month long ''sea and sunshine'' destination box, but the chains are beginning to loosen with each passing year, and thanks to Zagreb's popularity at this time of year, other more overlooked Croatian cities are beginning to find their place.

As SibenikIN writes on the 28th of November, 2018, Advent in Knin is set to kick off very soon. The ice skating rink in front of the Franjo Tudjman school will be officially opened this coming Sunday at 17:00, and Knin's city administration, as well as the organisers of Advent in Knin have invited all those interested to be there.

In addition to the official opening the ice skating rink, the Christmas lights placed across the city will be turned on, and all the events for Advent in Knin 2018 are set to begin on Sunday, according to Huknet.

The ice rink will remain open until January the 2nd, 2019, and on Sunday a festive cottage serving drinks and food located next to the ice rink will begin its work. Advent in Knin will see to it that ice skating, as well as all of the required equipment for skating will be free for everyone.

The remaining five festive cottages partaking in this year's Advent in Knin festivities will be located in the park below the school playground and they will open considerably later, on December the 21st, when numerous cultural events are set to begin in the same location, also as part of Advent Knin's event programme for 2018.

Make sure to follow our dedicated travel and lifestyle pages for more news on the numerous advent programmes for various locations across the country.

Something new for the Dalmatian hinterland's famous City of Knin as the Šibenik meteo team place the area's very first panoramic camera with a stunning view over the city and the surrounding area, as well as of the Dinara mountain, located on the border of Croatia and neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina.

As SibenikIN writes on the 18th of November, 2018, the Šibenik meteo team set up Knin's brand new panoramic camera at a high location with an excellent view, on Knin Fortress, offering a stunning view of the historic Croatian city and its dramatic and rugged surrounding area which is typical of the Dalmatian hinterland.

As the title suggests, this is the first such camera in Knin, which, in addition to offering those who view it online an image of the City of Knin that alternates every five minutes, also allows for live streaming, and everything can be tracked directly via this link.

''This demanding project was brought to realisation in cooperation with the city administration which provided the location and the necessary approvals, as well as the financial assistance of the Krka National Park, Šibenik-Knin County, and the Adris Foundation,'' they state from Šibenik meteo.

The Šibenik meteo team have also announced that they plan to install a modern automatic weather station in the area belonging to of a local school (Osnovna škola Domovinske zahvalnosti), which will, in addition to the city's brand new camera, send real-time data to the Internet, and the same will be implemented in regard to the panoramic camera as well.

To keep up with more information like this, from Knin, the Dalmatian hinterland and far beyond, make sure to stay up to date with our dedicated lifestyle page.

Croatia marks the 23rd anniversary of Operation Storm.

ZAGREB, August 3, 2018 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Thursday dismissed the argument that speeches on Victory Day and Homeland Thanksgiving Day in Knin on Sunday were planned for 8 a.m. so that he would not be booed by citizens.

A 2.2 million kuna project to benefit the environment in and around Knin.