June the 30th, 2022 - For many foreigners coming to spend time on the glorious Adriatic coast, it's difficult to understand what there isn't to love about the Croatian lifestyle. While spending hours over a coffee in the sun in an ancient city next to the crystal clear sea before heading home for some fresh fish and homegrown salad might seem like the lifestyle jackpot, Croatia doesn't have a raging demographic crisis without a reason.

The disparity between the Adriatic coast and Eastern Croatian regions such as Slavonia and Baranja is only increasing, and while jobs might be plentiful during the summer months, seasonal work doesn't put food on the table throughout the year and it certainly doesn't provide much in the way of economic stability. Eastern Croatia, the country's former breadbasket, has been gradually emptying out for years now, with Croatia's accession to the European Union back in July 2013 only speeding it up even more. 

While this country of paradoxes sees the gap between middle class and poor steadily grow, just which of its inhabitants are the most satisfied of all with the Croatian lifestyle? It seems that the family-oriented Dalmatians are the happiest of all.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, almost 70 percent of this country's residents are fairly or even extremely satisfied with their personal lives and the Croatian lifestyle, while dissatisfaction prevails among less than 12 percent of respondents, according to a poll the Promocija plus agency conducted for RTL. There is no significant difference between men and women, but the difference in life satisfaction is noticeable in regard to education, and satisfaction seems to decrease with age. Satisfaction is the highest among Croats aged 18 to 30 (81 percent), least among those older than 70 (59 percent).

Dalmatians are the most satisfied with the Croatian lifestyle, with almost 75 percent of them saying so, Zagreb and its surroundings are also on average, it's similar in other parts of the country, and the inhabitants of Slavonia are rather unsurprisingly the least satisfied of all with life, but 62 percent are more or less satisfied there as well.

When it comes to life priorities, family reigns strong for almost 70 percent of residents.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

September 23, 2021 - Pula Car-Free Day was commemorated on September 22nd, 2021, just like in many cities and towns worldwide. The event, which is part of European Mobility Week, also raised the question of whether or not should Pula's Lungomare promenade be closed for car traffic in general.

Given that Zagreb is the capital of Croatia, the city may often take up more room on the Croatian news scene than other cities and places in the country. Such an example was the programme the city prepared for European Mobility Week (like the event in the Zagreb City Museum), the celebration of which took place on Wednesday with the commemoration of World Car-Free Day on September the 22nd.

That said, other towns in Croatia had their programmes too. One such example is the Eastern Istrian coastal town of Pula.

As the local Pula.hr website stated, this year's edition of the European Mobility Week programme in Pula was added to with a motto ''Mobility with zero-emissions for everyone'', with which Pula entered its fifteenth year of organising activities for the occasion.

''In marking this important event, partners from the Muscular Dystrophy Society of Istria, the Istria County police force, and the Croatian Car Club Pula-Rovinj have been joining us every year. By participating in European Mobility Week, we want to encourage sustainable development and upgrade urban traffic. Twenty new buses operating in Pula are fueled by natural gas which satisfies the highest ecological standards and are adapted to disabled people. This all contributes to the image of Pula as a modern European town,'' said Pula's Deputy Mayor Elena Puh Belci at the opening in the programme earlier this week.

On Wednesday, in the spirit of Car-Free Days, the main waterfront, Lungo Mare promenade, was closed for car traffic from 06:30 to 15:30.

''The pedestrians we bumped into yesterday thought some construction work was underway instead of it all being a promotion of a more healthy lifestyle, given the no-traffic-sign was placed all the way from Valkan to Mornar,'' wrote the local Glas Istre daily newspaper.

Glas Istre journalists also asked the locals whether or not Lungomare should be closed for traffic in general and not just symbolically on September the 22nd.

''It would actually be really nice if people could have a promenade without traffic so they could walk its whole length. Given that the younger population gathers here on benches at night, maybe it would be good for the promenade to be open for traffic from 22:00 to 06:00,'' locals Tin Knežević and Ana Milotić told Glas Istre.

''It should be closed off for traffic. People need to move more and walk around more, and there's too much traffic here. People want to jump straight from their cars into the sea without doing any walking. The beginning of this road is slim and the road from the restaurants goes off in two directions, so everyone should arrive here by walking,'' said Marta Pešutić.

While many in the article felt that cars on Lungomare should be limited, apart from not being sure whether or not something like that would be possible in the near future, some people also openly took into account the fact that cars aren't useless.

''Cars get in the way, but sometimes they're needed, so maybe we should think about that too,'' concluded Glas Istre with a quote from Mira Filipović.

Learn more about Pula in our TC guide. 

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

September 22, 2021 - The Močvara Handcraft Fair organized by Udruga Avokado introduces the public to the handcrafted jewelry, cosmetics, and products of local artists while promoting an alternative, eco-friendly lifestyle.

Močvara nightclub in Zagreb, right on the Sava embankment (with Trnjanski Nasip bb being the address) is known for decades of supporting alternative art and culture, from music (punk-rock, metal, indie, and the most obscure electro-music extravagance), to theater, literature, circus, and more. As TCN wrote a couple of years ago, the venue hosted Žedno-Who pre-Party with a performance of an established Canadian musician Marc Demarco. In recent years Močvara opened more space to handcraft and Do-it-yourself culture (DIY).

In that spirit, the venue hosts a Handcraft Fair this Sunday, September 26, from noon to 6 pm, and the entrance is free of charge. 

The event is part of the Močvara Living Room (Močvari Dnevni Boravak) program, happening mostly once to twice a month. 

The fair will offer visitors handcraft jewelry, herbal food, drinks, clothes, toys, and cruelty-free cosmetics.

So far, the event's Facebook page has presented five local exhibitors that will showcase and offer their work to the visitors. 

Free Goats is a new project with the „aim of visually expressing completely personal perception of everyday observations“. The various themes are united by stylish simplicity, and visitors can see and buy stickers, original drawings, and smaller dimension prints. Most of the work, as the project description points out, is made on recycled paper.  

Resin+Metal handcraft jewelry is inspired by the everyday woman (from red lipstick to a girl in cleats).

Tallulah's Workshop is a vintage-inspired female collective making scrunchies and hair bands in various patterns and with floral decorations.

Dangerous Beats, a long-time producer and percussionist, recently shifted to tie-dye T-shirts and alcoholic ink.

Last but not least, Jelena lončarić's handcraft jewelry comes in all sizes, shapes, and colors. 

With these five local artists confirmed, the event page points out that participation applications are still open until September 24. Just like the entrance to the event, participating in showcasing your work is also free of charge, but you have to send a mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to apply.

Udruga Avokado Avokado (Avokado Association), promotes a vegan diet and ecological sustainability. 

With the aforementioned space for alternative arts and lifestyles, Močvara's Handcraft Fair is one more event that connects local artists with the public and gives space to less conventional expression.    

Learn more about Zagreb on our TC page.

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

September 21, 2021 - Zagreb Design Week 2021 in partnership with the Netherlands promises a rich program to celebrate resilience.

From Austrian architecture in the center, 20th century hard but beautiful brutalist buildings, and modern contemporary buildings from the beginning of the 2000s, Zagreb is a lovely city design-wise.

And with the new edition of Zagreb Design Week (ZGDW), there is no better place for designers and design lovers as the event started on September 21 and will continue to September 26.

„The theme of Zagreb Design Week 2021 is Resilience. The topic reflects on the specific circumstances that have marked our lives in the past two years. Pandemics, isolation, earthquakes, fear, and insecurity, have prompted us to address resilience. We want to look positively into the future, take the opportunity to change things, build better, more stable, more sustainable, greener, more humane, smarter things and systems, which will help us become more resistant to all the disturbances in the future“, says the Zagreb Design Week official website.

This year's edition is significant with several venues in Zagreb (such as the Museum of Arts and Crafts, Botanical Garden, Museum of Contemporary Art, Planet, Kvazimoda, and Buqele House of Fashion), but also in Velika Gorica too in Mediteranart venue.

Exhibitions, lectures, music programs, and parties are the motive to go. Both for learning and having a good time.

This year's edition is also special due to the Netherlands being a country partner.

„The concept of ‘Dutch Design’ has become known all over the world. It started in the 90s when the movement and brand of Dutch Design took off as a reaction to the traditional design culture of that time. Characteristics of this now iconic movement are the conceptual, experimental, and innovative approach, often with a humorous twist. Led by designers Hella Jongerius, Marcel Wanders, Jurgen Bey, and Tejo Remy, they paved the road for a more unconventional approach to design.“, ZGDW explains the importance of this year's partnership.

This year, just like before, the best designers will be rewarded in one of six categories: Textile and Fashion Design, Product Design, Social Innovation Design, Digital Communication Design, and Interaction Design, Interior Design, and finally, Graphic design.

Learn more about Zagreb on our TC page.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Learn more about Zagreb on our TC page.

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

September 18, 2021 - The Jasmina Krajačić Closeups exhibition looks at our identities and criticises consumerism in a visual dance of colours and geometry. The exhibition can be seen from Sept 23-28 at Galerija Siva in Medika, Zagreb.

Pop Art playfulness filled with colours and details is a recognisable signature of Jasmina Krajačić. This Zagreb-based artist was born on July 26, 1968, and after graduating from the Applied Arts School in Zagreb, she moved to the Zagreb Academy of Fine Arts, where she earned her degree in 1992.

Her contemporary work, which takes an obvious interest in geometry and design, has taken a lot of its influence from England's punk movement and pop culture. 

Krajačić's newest exhibition, entitled ''Closeups'', is set to be held at Galerija Siva, and its opening is scheduled for September 23, at 20:00, and the exhibition will last and be available to the public every day apart from Sunday from 17:00-20:00 all the way until September 28. The Jasmina Krajačić Closeups exhibition includes portraits, pop art recycling, and the transformation of original photos. These photos are both of famous people (such as David Bowie, Amy Winehouse, Debbie Harry from the band Blondie, and more), of unknown people and also Krajačić's own self-portrait.

Invitation to the Closeups exhibition © Jasmina Krajačić  

Tatjana Bezjak, a Croatian sculptor and writer, wrote a review of Krajačić's work which is going to be featured in the upcoming exhibition. She rated Krajačić's sixteen portraits as playful, attractive, full of colours, and invitingly cheerful. At first, Bezjak points out that these attributes are disturbing, but they bring out calm inside of us when we look at these close-ups and decipher some of the messages behind Krajačić's work ourselves.

David Bowie © Jasmina Krajačić

''Close-ups are a look in the mirror, in the face of contemporary society, a society of consumerism and spectacle, deranged values and identity crises. Close-ups do not differ by the status, success or popularity of those in the portraits. Whether we belong to the anonymous crowd or to the shiny world of fame and celebrities, with commodities and identities, all of us are deceiving ourselves, without exception. While the invisible hand relentlessly serves new needs and practices, moving some final goalpost, some ultimate fulfillment is always further behind the horizon. It is almost impossible not to reach it, again and again“, writes Bezjak.

Amy Winehouse © Jasmina Krajačić

Blondie © Jasmina Krajačić

The criticism of the neo-liberal paradigm and constantly chasing profit consumerism is evident even in the name sof Krajačić's pictures. Titles that will be showcased in the exhibition such as ''Buy Passion'', ''Buy Patience'', ''Buy Empathy'', ''Buy Eternity'', ''Buy Wisdom'', ''Buy Dignity'', ''Buy Fearlessness'', ''Buy Affection'', accompanied by the eye-candy-like geometrical game of circles and colours, constantly force us to challenge our own identities.

The question posed to our identities is not necessarily difficult to answer with a simple yes or no, because of sheer complexity, but rather because it is a question we don't want to answer honestly: Are our identities genuine or bought?

Learn more about Croatian Art Galleries in Zagreb, Dalmatia, Istria & Slavonia on our TC page.

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

September 14, 2021 - The first Croatian STED microscope purchased and owned by the Ruđer Bošković Institute (IRB) in Zagreb offers new opportunities for Croatian scientists and researchers.

The super-resolution microscope (STED) worth 4.5 million kuna has become a new edition to the selection of delicate but useful equipment the Ruđer Bošković Institute (IRB) uses to tackle the hottest questions faced by modern science.

As IRB reported in its press release, the microscope made its way to Iva Tolić's lab with thanks to the European Union funds.

"Stimulated Emission Depletion microscopy (STED) is a super-resolution technic of fluorescent microscopy and one of the methods of overcoming the limitations of visible light microscopes in observing matter structures of incredibly small sizes. German physicist Stefan W Hell received the Nobel Prize for developing STED in 2014,'' informed IRB in its press release. It also stated this is the first microscope of its kind in all of Croatia.

''With the help of this STED microscope, we can see three times the amount of small structures in a cell than we could before with the standard microscopes. We'll use them for observing cell division, more precisely for chromosome division. When it comes to division, it's very important that the chromosomes are well-connected microtubules, which are protein pipes that tie chromosomes and pull them onto separate parts of the cell. With this type of microscopy, we'll be able to determine how microtubules are connected to chromosomes in various phases of spindle formation, which is still a mystery,'' explains Iva Tolić.

As TCN previously reported, Iva Tolić's team already made a significant contribution to cell biology and spindle research when their work led them to new information on microtubule-sliding.

In addition, back in 2014, the then-president of Croatia Ivo Josipović awarded her the Order of the Croatian Danica (the medal which boasts an image of a famous scientist, Ruđer Bošković) for her particular contribution to the promotion of science in Croatia and abroad.

''Tolić earned her international reputation due to her research into complex cellular processes. Namely, not so long ago, in cooperation with her colleagues from the Max Planck Institute, Tolić discovered the first potentially immortal organism – a special kind of yeast, which was isolated from African beer. This type of yeast is very special because it rejuvenates every time it reproduces. In the case of most other yeasts, the mother cell creates a young daughter cell while it ages and eventually dies. Contrary to that, the mother cell of this yeast splits into two equal daughter cells, which remain young throughout their divisions,'' wrote IRB on its website at the time of the ceremony.

With Tolić's international reputation and well-established name, as well as scientific findings found by other scientists at IRB, it is understandable that European Union funds supported the further development of IRB's equipment.

''The outstanding power of STED microscopy allows researchers to discover complicated processes in cell structures. These understandings are the basis for further research on how specific medications, chemical compounds or bacteria and viruses affect processes in a live cell,'' concluded IRB's press release.

Learn more about Croatian inventions and discoveries from Tesla to Rimac on our dedicated TC page.

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

September 13, 2021 - The Museum Practicum Project by the Museum of Contemporary Art Zagreb (MSU) will teach 30 selected young people aged 15-25 about the professions of curator and other museum jobs, as well as contemporary art while giving them a chance to promote their own work.

With the many good practices of additional education and popularising scientific and educational fields for young people (such as the SCOPE Project by the Višnjan Observatory), the Museum of Contemporary Art (MSU) in Zagreb is also making its contribution in line with their field. Their Museum Practicum project that started on September the 1st and will last until June the 30th, 2022, wants to introduce young people aged 15-25 to contemporary art, and to the basics of curator practices and other types of museum work. Thirty selected people will be mentored by the project team, partners, and hired experts and artists.

''The work with these young people will be held via online platforms, and it will include moderated conversations, mentorships, and co-creating virtual exhibitions from MSU holdings and exhibitions of their own work in the medium of photography created within the project,'' says MSU's website.

In this way, the project wants to provide young people with the opportunity to develop their own creative skills and knowledge through a virtual space and open space for both their expression and self-promotion.

''Even though curriculum reforms have already started, the need for young people interested in developing their social and creative skills is strong, as the education system does not provide that enough. Additionally, there is the insufficiency in regional representation and the limited participation opportunity of young people in art and culture activities due to the lack of extracurricular activities, all of which has been additionally worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic,'' says MSU, addressing the importance of the Museum Practicum Project in light of the many issues faced by Croatian schools.

The further recognition of the importance of the project is evident by the financial support of the EU from the European Social Fund, and the total budget of the project is 201,092.83 kuna.

The Museum Practicum Project and its wider goal of educating young people in preparing virtual exhibitions is similar and in line with the Women and Technology Program at the Nikola Tesla Technical Museum, about which TCN previously wrote. Add in the overall challenges in the Croatian education system, from a lack of extracurricular activities to the previously mentioned problems of the straight A epidemic, and projects like these seem like welcome solutions to help young people recognise their worth and find passion in their lives.

Learn more about Zagreb on our TC page.

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

September 10, 2021 -The Ruđer Bošković Institute plasmonic effect research described the property of nanoisland metal films of silver and copper which can be seen in various applications, particularly in green technology development.

Metal nanoparticles are submicron scale entities made of pure metals (e.g., gold, platinum, silver, titanium, zinc, cerium, iron, and thallium) or their compounds (e.g., oxides, hydroxides, sulfides, phosphates, fluorides, and chlorides), as explained by the Science Direct website.

When it comes to modern science, a particular interest in metals has now shifted to the Plasmonic effect. This effect is an interaction between free electrons in metal nanoparticles and incident light, as briefly explained by the National Institute of Technology Calicut physics department researcher Shamjid Palappra.

With this question raising curiosity among scientists worldwide, it was impossible for the Ruđer Bošković Institute (IRB) in Zagreb and their optics laboratory to not dive into the subject themselves.

As IRB reported, Matej Bubaš, Vesna Janicki, Stefano A. Mezzasalma, Maria Chiara Spadaro, Jordi Arbiol, and Jordi Sancho-Parramon authored a research titled ''Tailoring plasmonic resonances in Cu-Ag metal islands films'' which was then published in a respected Applied Surface Science journal.

IRB's optics lab collaborated on this research with colleagues from the Lund Institute of Advanced Neutron and X-ray Science (LINXS) in Sweden, and two institutions from Catalonia in Spain, the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology and ICREA.

''The plasmonic response of Cu-Ag metal islands films is being investigated. Films are obtained by the subsequent electron beam deposition of Ag and Cu using different fabrication conditions: the deposited mass thickness, then comes the substrate temperature, and then the post-deposition annealing in the vacuum. The optical properties of the films are investigated by spectroscopic ellipsometry and then correlated with the structural characterisation results obtained by electron microscopy,'' explained the abstract of the research concerning the metal island combination of silver (Ag) and copper (Cu).

''Overall, it has been shown that Cu-Ag island films are compelling systems for plasmonic applications, as their optical response can be widely and easily tuned by adjusting the fabrication conditions,'' the abstract summarised.

IRB's press release clarified the research goals, stating that the scientists described how plasmonic properties could be adjusted for the preferred types of radiation, be it infrared, visible light, or ultraviolet radiation. These descriptions and setup possibilities of nanoisland plasmonic properties bring with them a plethora of applications.

''Devices that use plasmonic effects already upgraded their diagnostics and spectroscopy, while research in the direction of upgrading the conversion of solar energy and manufacturing catalysts that would turn toxic compounds into useful ones carry great potential for the development of new green technologies,'' pointed out IRB's press release.

Developing green technologies and turning toxic compounds into useful ones is not a new thing for IRB, as TCN previously reported.

Learn more about Croatian inventions and discoveries from Tesla to Rimac on our dedicated TC page.

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

September 9, 2021 - The Višnjan Observatory and other relevant institutions are enrolled in the Scope Project. Under the motto "Science connects people", the goal is to popularise and improve the STEM area in Croatia.

When it comes to astronomy in Croatia, the Višnjan Observatory in Istria holds the top place as the best location to gaze up at the stars, and both the Croatian and international public seems to recognise that.

The work undertaken there speaks for itself, especially when it comes to events like discovering new asteroids, and people's willingness to support the cause is evident in a successful crowdfunding campaign earlier this year.

Since the end of October 2020, the observatory has been enrolled in the Scope Project, which under the motto of ''Science connects people'', aims to promote the STEM area.

''The goal of the project is to create a network of cooperation for all relevant actors in the goal of making encouraging the creation of an environment for the development and progress of the STEM area in the sense of strengthening capacities and cooperation of the civil society organisations, as well as common cooperation in shaping STEM area public policies,'' says the Višnjan Observatory's website.

Others the Višnjan Observatory cooperates in this project with include the Ruđer Bošković Institute (IRB), several faculties from Zagreb University (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, Faculty of Architecture), the Carpe Diem Association for the creative and social development of kids and adults, the Croatian Interdisciplinary Society and many more. The project will last until October 28, 2023, on a budget of 3,599,107 kuna.

''The latest data clearly showcases the lack of students and experts in the STEM area. The need for activities in the STEM area is recognised in the National Strategy of education, science, and technology,'' says the Višnjan Observatory website, highlighting the need for this project.

With the already mentioned networking and collaboration in making policies, the plan of the Scope Project is to also survey public opinion, which will provide data for the higher scientific institutions to conduct research and to guide propositions for public policies.

Despite Croatia lacking experts and general interest in the STEM area, it is comforting to know that those interested in the area are indeed quite successful. Croatian scientists represented Croatia during the G20 summit as they participated in the first quantum communication, students achieved fantastic results during the informatics competition, and IRB scientists frequently make international scientific news with the dedicated work of their scientists (just to mention few examples).

Learn more about Croatian inventions and discoveries from Tesla to Rimac on our dedicated TC page.

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