August 15, 2019 - NK Rijeka and Aberdeen met in the return match of the Europa League qualifiers on Thursday evening in Scotland. 

It was not difficult for Rijeka to top Aberdeen once again in the return game of the third round of the Europa League qualifiers. The Croatian club celebrated 2:0 at Pittodrie Stadium, achieving a 4:0 aggregate over the Scottish club, reports Gol.hr.

Thus, Rijeka has secured the Europa League playoff round where they will play Ghent, who defeated AEK Larnaca from Cyprus. Rijeka and Ghent will meet on August 22 in Belgium, followed by the return match in Rijeka on August 29. 

Igor Bišćan's team had a much easier job than they expected in the qualifiers. After neutralizing the hosts' initial aggression, they took the lead in the 10th minute after Aberdeen lost the ball and Rijeka went on the attack. Zoran Kvržić found the foot of Stjepan Lončar who put the ball in the back of the net for 1:0. At this point in the game, Aberdeen had to score four goals to move forward. 

Aberdeen showed their nervousness and lost concentration, which resulted in a double yellow for Funso Ojo in the 20th minute. Aberdeen played the rest of the match with a man down. 

All hope was lost for the Scottish side, which was further confirmed after Rijeka increased their lead in the 32nd minute thanks to a combination between Maxwell Acosty, Zoran Kvržić and Mirko Čolak. 

Until the end of the first half, Rijeka routinely controlled the course of events, preventing Aberdeen from seriously threatening their goal. 

The second half was no different. Aberdeen pressured in the opening minutes of the second half, though Rijeka held their own and managed to go through the qualifiers without conceding a goal. 

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

August 12, 2019 - The 4th round of the Croatia First League was held from August 9 to 11, 2019. The 4th round saw a derby between Osijek and Dinamo, and Rijeka and Hajduk recorded their first defeats. 

Osijek v. Dinamo (0:0)

Osijek and Dinamo opened the 4th round on Friday, August 9, 2019, at City Garden Stadium in front of 5,127 fans. 

It was a mostly even game where both teams had periods of strength and opportunities to score, which they failed to capitalize. Osijek, however, missed too many easy shots on goal in, which should have put them in the lead on a handful of occasions. 

Osijek is currently in 5th place with 7 points, while Dinamo remains in 1st place with 10 points. 

Inter Zaprešić v. Varaždin (2:2)

Inter and Varaždin met on Saturday, August 10, 2019, in Zaprešić in front of 484 spectators. 

Inter opened the scoring spree in the 15th minute with a goal by Bosec, though Varaždin equalized just 7 minutes later after Stolnik scored for 1:1. Inter retook the lead in the 28th minute for 2:1 at the half. Just minutes after, Varaždin’s Sambolec was booked for a double yellow and sent off the pitch. Glavica then scored for Varaždin to equalize in the 54th minute. The game ended at 2:2. 

Inter is currently in 9th place with two points, while Varaždin is in the last place with one. 

Lokomotiva v. Istra 1961 (4:1)

Lokomotiva and Istra met at Kranjčevićeva Street on Saturday, August 10, 2019, in front of 522 fans. 

Lokomotiva scored two goals in the first half - by Datković in the 34th and Ivanušec in the 38th for 2:0 at the half. Ćuže came back with one goal for Istra in the 79th minute for 2:1, though Drozdek and Kastrati secured another two for Lokomotiva in two minutes. The game ended at 4:1. 

Lokomotiva is in 7th place with 3 points, while Istra is in 6th with 6. 

Slaven Belupo v. Hajduk (2:1)

Belupo and Hajduk met on Sunday, August 11, 2019, in Koprivnica in front of 2,879 spectators. 

Puclin scored first to put Belupo in the lead in the 37th minute for 1:0 at the half. Hajduk’s Jakoliš was shown a red card in the 56th minute, forcing the Split club to play with a man down for the remainder of the game. Belupo also saw one of their players get booked for a double yellow in the 79th minute. 

Krstanović scored a penalty for Belupo in the 84th minute for 2:0, though Eduok managed one for Hajduk in the 6th minute of injury time for the final score of 2:1. 

Belupo is currently in 8th place with 3 points, while Hajduk is in 2nd with 9 points. 

Gorica v. Rijeka (2:0)

Gorica and Rijeka met on Sunday, August 11, 2019, to close out the 4th round in Velika Gorica in front of 2,893 spectators. 

Ndiaye scored for Gorica in the 46th minute for 1:0 at the half. Suk increased Gorica’s lead in the 67th minute for 2:0, which was the final score of the game. 

Gorica is currently in 4th place with 7 points, while Rijeka is in 3rd with 9. 

You can see the full HNL table here. 

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

August 8, 2019 - NK Rijeka opened their Europa League season in the 3rd round of the qualifiers against Scottish club Aberdeen on Thursday at Rujevica stadium. Commentators said around 6,500 spectators were in attendance.

Gol.hr reports that NK Rijeka missed a handful of critical opportunities in the first half, which ended without goals for either club. Rijeka, however, was given their golden chance to take the lead in the 62nd minute after Logan unnecessarily pulled Capan down in the penalty area, which the referee immediately whistled for a pen. Čolak fiercely shot down the middle as goalkeeper Lewis chose to move to the left. Rijeka took the 1:0 lead. 

At the very end of the duel, in the 88th minute, Halilović found the foot of Murić who nailed the bottom right corner from 18-meters out. Lewis was powerless in goal, and Rijeka led 2:0 for the final score of the game. 

"I am proud of my players and if it were 0:0 I would be pleased, let alone with 2:0. Everything we spoke about was fulfilled, and we were even physically equal. We have a nice advantage and Aberdeen will surely play differently in the return match. But if we play like we did tonight, then we will definitely pass,” said NK Rijeka coach Igor Bišćan.

Recall, the Scottish club was never a fond memory for Rijeka fans. Four years ago, they eliminated Rijeka in the Europa League qualifying round at Kantrida in a 3:0 blowout. 

The return match will be played at Pittodrie Stadium in Aberdeen, Scotland in one week. If Rijeka advances, they will play the winner of the duel between AEK Larnaca and Ghent.

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

Ever noticed the abundance of old and somewhat dilapidated buildings all over Croatia, usually located in a very nice area overlooking the sea and leaving you wondering: What a waste, why don't they do something with that? Thankfully, not all of these often once-attractive buildings are simply left by the state to go to ruin, although far too many still are. One such example is an old factory in the Northern Adriatic city of Rijeka. 

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 4th of August, 2019, the future complex in ''the city that flows'' which is going to be multi-purpose and sounds like a large investment indeed, was designed by Rožić Architects and Partners d.o.o.

The demolition of the building of the Rio Rijeka factory on Izviđačka Street in Rijeka has now begun. As has been previously announced, the construction of a shopping and residential centre is planned for this area, whose investor is RIO projekti (projects) d.o.o.

According to a report from Novi List, the construction of the brand new shopping and residential centre in Rijeka envisages the construction of two underground floors of a parking garage, a shopping centre on top of the garage and three residential buildings consisting of as many as nine to fourteen floors, with a total of 261 residential units and even twelve penthouse residential units located on the upper floors of the new building.

As stated, Rijeka's future complex was designed by Rožić Architects and Partners d.o.o., a company which was initially founded in Rijeka, and in addition to the shopping and residential centre, it is envisaged that an external parking lot will be located directly in the area of the existing main railway line, so as to provide much easier and quicker transport links within Rijeka and beyond.

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

August 4, 2019 - The 3rd round of the Croatian First League was held from August 2 to 4, 2019. Each 3rd round victory achieved by Osijek, Hajduk, Dinamo, Rijeka, and Istria featured three goals.

Dinamo v. Gorica (3:1)

Dinamo and Gorica opened the 3rd round of the Croatian First League on Friday, August 2, 2019, in front of 2,676 spectators at Maksimir stadium in Zagreb. 

Spanish superstar Dani Olmo scored for Dinamo first in the 22nd minute for 1:0 at the half. Moro increased Dinamo’s lead in the 57th minute for 2:0, while Gojak made it 3:0 in the 83rd minute. Lovrić managed to score Gorica’s only goal in the 86th minute. 

Dinamo is currently in first place with 9 points while Gorica is in 6th place with 4 points. 

Istria 1961 v. Varaždin (3:1)

Istria and Varaždin met for the second game of the 3rd round on Friday, August 2, 2019, in front of 1,922 spectators at Aldo Drosina stadium in Pula. 

Ćuže scored for Istria already in the 9th minute of the game for 1:0, which was the score at halftime. Ćuže came back with another goal in the 48th minute for 2:0, though a penalty was awarded to Varaždin ten minutes later to bring the score to a less comfortable 2:1 for Istria. 

Ćuže, however, saved the day with a hattrick and his third goal in the 73rd minute for the 3:1 Istria win. 

Istria is currently in 5th place with 6 points while Varaždin is in 8th with 0. 

Rijeka v. Slaven Belupo (3:1)

Rijeka and Slaven Belupo met at Rujevica stadium on Saturday, August 3, 2019, in front of 4,289 spectators. 

Čolak opened the game with a goal for Rijeka in the 24th minute, which was followed with one by Lončar in the 30th for 2:0 at the half. Krstanović managed a goal for Belupo in the 47th minute, though Rijeka secured their victory in the 73rd minute after Tomečak scored for 3:1. 

Rijeka is currently in 3rd place with 9 points while Belupo is in 9th place with 0. 

Hajduk v. Lokomotiva (3:0)

Hajduk and Lokomotiva met at Poljud stadium in Split on Sunday,  August 4, 2019, in front of 15,156 spectators. 

Hajduk’s first goal came in the 40th minute after a brilliant assist by Eduok found the boot of Caktaš for 1:0. Just three minutes later, Eduok scored a goal of his own for 2:0 at the half. 

But Hajduk wasn’t done scoring yet, and Nejašmić hit a rocket for 3:0, which was the final score of the game. 

Hajduk is currently in 2nd place with 9 points while Lokomotiva is in the last place with 0. 

Osijek v. Inter Zaprešić (3:1)

Osijek and Inter met on Sunday, August 4, 2019, in front of 1,855 spectators at City Garden Stadium to close out the 3rd round. 

While Inter was the first to score thanks to a goal by Serderov in the 20th minute, Osijek picked up the pace in the second for two goals in two minutes to take the lead (Bočkaj 68’, Kleinheisler 69’). 

Mance secured Osijek’s win in the 75th minute for 3:1. 

Osijek is currently in 4th place with 6 points while Inter is in 7th with 1. 

You can find the full HNL table here. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

ZAGREB, July 30, 2019 - On Tuesday, the third day of her state visit to Israel, Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović attended in Haifa the naming ceremony of a catamaran built in Croatia and the signing of the International Sister Seaports Agreement between the Port of Rijeka and the Port of Haifa.

The catamaran is seven years old and was built in a private shipyard on Korčula island.

The agreement between the two seaports was signed by the temporary CEO of the Port of Rijeka, Duško Grabovac, and Haifa Port CEO Mandi Zatzman.

I am convinced that this agreement, which is a reflection of the friendship between two countries and the resoluteness to deepen economic relations, will contribute to strengthening our economic ties, the president said in her address.

The Rijeka port can become the Mediterranean gateway for Israeli goods and commodities to enter Central Europe, the Croatian side believes, and Grabar-Kitarović underscored that if it were to expand its terminals, Rijeka could truly become the entrance to the European Union, being the closest point from the Middle and the Far East.

With the shortest transit time, transport through the Port of Rijeka saves time and energy, she underscored. "Therefore, I hope that the Port of Rijeka will become a point of entry for Israeli products into the European Union,” the president remarked.

Trade between Croatia and Israel is one of my priorities, she underscored.

She congratulated all those who were involved in the catamaran project and recalled the words of George William Curtis, "It is not the ship so much as the skilful sailing that assures the prosperous voyage."

I wish you a favourable wind and a calm sea, she added.

In her address, Grabar-Kitarović underscored the historical ties between the two cities on the coast, when Rijeka rescued Jews who were fleeing from the Holocaust and sailing toward their promised land.

Israel's hosts expressed their satisfaction with the signed agreement and assessed that this was an exciting moment in cooperation between the two countries. They also recalled that Jewish immigrants sailed from Rijeka to Israel on the "Draga" ship in 1938.

Numerous ships carrying Jews travelled across the Adriatic to their new land and the years between 1937 and 1949 were especially significant, Zatzman said, adding that the history of Susak is written into the history of Israel.

Croatia's Economy Minister Darko Horvat said that the catamaran was one of those projects that are created in small shipyards in Croatia and become an export product.

Putting ourselves at the disposal of buyers is an honour and a pleasure. Despite all those problems that Croatia's shipbuilding is experiencing, this is proof that building ships in Croatia can survive on a market basis, he said.

He added that this does not refer to ships that used to be built in the Uljanik and 3. Maj docks, but that Croatia has to find its niche for which it can find a market.

Croatian shipbuilding has to take on a new philosophy, Horvat believes.

Horvat confirmed that Croatia is not satisfied with the level of trade between the two countries.

We have trade valued at €60 million with Albania and €60 million with Israel which can by no means be satisfactory, he said and announced two conferences that will be held in Zagreb and Tel Aviv.

An innovation conference will be held in Zagreb in late September that business associations from Israel will attend and that will be followed by a conference in Tel Aviv.

Trade with Israel in 2018 amounted to €53.3 million, which is a fall of 18.8% compared to 2017 when it amounted to €65.7 million. Croatian exports to Israel amounted to €28.5 million (-44.5%) while imports from Israel amounted to €24.8 million (+73.6%).

In 2018, 68,238 tourists from Israel visited Croatia, which is an increase of 13.5% compared to 2017 and they generated 179,112 bed nights (+18.4%).

Israel's EL AL airline has a regular charter line to Zagreb, four times a week, that is operational from 3 June to 21 October.

During talks with President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel's Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz, Grabar-Kitarović underscored the importance of establishing direct Tel Aviv-Zagreb flights as and additional boost for successful business between companies in the two countries.

Having in mind the growing number of Israeli tourists in Croatia and the strong interest of Croatian citizens to visit the Holy Land, Croatia believes that regular Zagreb-Tel Aviv flights would strongly contribute to firmer connections between the two countries, people and companies.

More news about relations between Croatia and Israel can be found in the Politics section.

As Morski writes on the 22nd of July, 2019, the construction works have been completed on the renovation of the fourteen former Torpedo factories in the Technological-Educational Entrepreneurial Incubator "Torpedo Production Park" in Rijeka, where modern equipment based on additive technologies will be installed by the end of this year, or at the latest, at the beginning of next year.

The newly re-arranged premises of the Rijeka incubator were visited by the longtime mayor of Rijeka, Vojko Obersnel, Deputy Mayor Marko Filipović, City Council President Andrej Poropat, the head of the Entrepreneurship Department, Jana Sertić, and the director of the Rijeka Development Agency ''Porin'' Dario Zorić.

This is a project worth a massive 22.6 million kuna, which is funded from European Union funds in the high amount of 97 percent, meaning that the grants from the European Regional Development Fund, more specifically the Competitiveness and Cohesion Operational Program, amount to 19.3 million kuna.

"The space has been transformed from an old industrial hall into a renovated space that aims to provide additional support to interested entrepreneurs, especially those who use or intend to use state-of-the-art technology in their production process, such as 3D scanners, 3D printers and CNC machines, so, we believe that there will be interest in the use of this space,'' said Mayor Obersnel, while Dario Zorić pointed out that a public invitation to enter the incubator will be announced soon to all interested entrepreneurs and tradesmen involved in manufacturing.

They will have a total area of ​​1,727 m², with a gallery and 21 functional units, with 14 workshops and ample office space, a common workshop with equipment, a conference hall and a meeting room, while the central space has been conceived as an exhibition space.

After the completion of the construction works and obtaining the necessary permit at the beginning of July 2019, the Torpedo Production Park hosted the tenth Demo Day, during which the users of the tenth generation Startup incubator Rijeka presented their business ideas, and the most successful of them were rewarded with valuable cash prizes.

At present, a complex process of procurement of specialised technical equipment and machinery, including 3D printers for printing from polymers, sand and metals, is underway and the official start of work for the Torpedo Production Park is expected at the end of this year, or at the very beginning of next year.

Modern technology will be used at Rijeka's brand new facility. Pocesses and machines for the production of prototypes and functional metal, sand and polymer products will be able to be found there, which will facilitate access to high quality services and specific knowledge and skills through small and medium enterprises, primarily production orientation and the establishment of new education programs.

This will help increase the competitiveness of small and medium-sized businesses from the wider urban area and increase the number of newly established enterprises and induce higher rate of their survival, as well as strengthen their competitiveness and innovation development within the manufacturing sector on the Croatian market.

Facilitating the availability of the newest machines in the field of additive technologies and providing modern and technologically advanced production conditions will ensure that Rijeka's new Torpedo Production Park is a desirable partner for many industries, businesses and startups.

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

In the first five months of 2019, Croatia welcomed 171 or 18 percent more international cruise ships than in the same period last year, according to data from the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).

Furthermore, Croatia also welcomed a 19 percent increase in passengers or 247,500 passengers in the first five months of 2019, reports T.portal on July 8, 2019.

Croatia saw 43 or 3 more cruise ships which traveled to Croatia on round trips than in the first five months of 2018 - and they also stayed longer than last year, for 386 days or a 25.3 percent increase. 

The cruise ships came under the flags of ten countries, though most trips were made under the flag of Malta, which recorded 41 ships and 34,000 passengers traveling to Croatia in the first five months. 

Although in the second place by the number of round trips (36 in the first five months), cruise ships under the Italian flag brought far more passengers, or the most among all the cruise ships, which is a little more than 85,000. 

In third place is the flag of Panama, with 26 round trips and nearly 59,000 passengers.

When looking at months, the highest number of cruise ships on the Croatian Adriatic was recorded in May, when there were a total of 88, which is three trips or 3.5 percent more than in May last year, while the most significant increase of these trips, or 48.5 percent, was achieved in April, when there were 49.

Unlike last year when some months saw cruise ship trips in the minus, this year saw more cruise trips this year than in the same month of the year before.

Namely, January saw five cruise ships travel, which is a 25 percent increase compared to January 2018. February welcomed 11 trips, which is a plus of 22.2 percent, and March, which welcomed 18 cruise trips, is nearly 30 percent better than the same month in 2018. 

As usual, Dubrovnik was the most visited hotspot for cruise ships this year, with 124 visits. Split is in second with 76 of these visits, while Zadar saw 32, Korcula 30, Šibenik 25 and Hvar 20. Less than ten visits were recorded in Rovinj, Ploče, Stari Grad, Pomena and Pula.

But this is anything but good news, for various reasons.

For one, TCN reported last week that the "Transportation and Environment" Association conducted extensive research on air pollution in European destinations in ports which accept cruise ships in 2017, which presented the results of research from Croatia's top destination - Dubrovnik.

The authors of the study showcased the observed pollution levels in Dubrovnik in figures and tables, to make them as clear as possible. In the study, the release of harmful particles of sulfur and nitrogen oxide was compared with that produced by the number of registered vehicles present at cruising destinations.

According to the data, 27,173 vehicles were registered in Dubrovnik at that time. During 2017, in the port of Gruž, forty such of these vessels sailed on round trips, spending a total of 2,791 hours moored, and during that time, 2,523 kilograms of contaminated particles were discharged into Dubrovnik's air.

During that same time, the 27,173 vehicles registered in the Dubrovnik area released 11,561 kilograms of exhaust gases into the air. Translated into basic percentages: 20.1 percent of the air pollution in Dubrovnik comes directly from cruise ships.

When considering the release of harmful compounds such as sulfur and nitrogen oxides, during those 2,791 hours of cruise ships being moored in Gruž, they released a massive 140,259 kilograms of nitrogen oxide into the air, while 27,173 registered vehicles during that same year released 100,174 kilograms of the same harmful compound.

During their stay, cruise ships released 6,344 kilograms of sulfur oxide into Dubrovnik's air, and passenger cars released 331 kilograms of the same compound during that time.

But Dubrovnik isn’t the only polluted cruise ship destination, as Rijeka and Split made the list, too. You can find the full study at Transport & Environment. 

Some Croatian travel agencies are taking a symbolic stand to protest this cruise ship pollution, like Secret Dalmatia, which you can read more about on TCN.

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

As Morski writes on the 7th of July, 2019, after a very long time, a ship from Rijeka could soon sail on a new, certain line. It was five years ago, more precisely 2014, when the Liburnija vessel was sailing on this coastal route.

Five years on from 2014, and certain things are very different indeed in many parts of and across many segments of life in Croatia, the market has been well and truly liberalised, which hasn't always been met with positivity, but that very same liberalised market now offers foreign ship companies the ability to maintain Croatian lines. This new Rijeka line, which will carry out the service between Rijeka and Porozina (the island of Cres) is just one example of that.

Owing to the aforementioned, this weekend, from Messina, Italy, the Giuseppe Franza ship owned by the Caronte & Tourist carrier took to Croatian waters. From unofficial sources, the portal Brodovi u Rijeci (Ships in Rijeka) reports that the ship will be engaged on the line between Rijeka and Porozina for two months, from the 15th of July to the 15th of September, 2019.

The Coastal shipping agency has since confirmed that the aforementioned Italian shipping company had applied to run this line without public service on the Rijeka-Porozina route and vice versa. However, it has not yet obtained all the approvals and permits to do so, and only after the collection of all of the documentation can the conclusion of the contract begin, as they state from the competent agency.

The search for the ship's crew of the ship appeared on the Internet.

If everything is fine with the documentation, Rijeka will soon (possibly from the 15th of July) be directly connected with Porozina thanks to the Italian Giuseppe Franza ship, which was built in 1993 in Italy. It is 114 metres long and 17 metres wide, it boasts two ramps that allow a quick flow of vehicles and it can accommodate 600 passengers and 120 cars.

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

July 5, 2019 - It’s another busy year for Croatian airports, which saw the busiest June in history. 

Rijeka Airport continues to grow each year and saw a record increase in passengers and operations compared to June 2018, reports Novi List. 

"After the successful 2018, when Rijeka Airport broke all records, achieving a total turnover of 183,606 passengers and a growth in traffic of almost 30%, this summer season also opened with great news.

Namely, Rijeka Airport can boast the busiest June to date and has increased passenger traffic by 37% as compared to June 2018, while traffic operations accounted for 40% higher turnover compared to the previous year,” the airport said. 

These excellent achievements are an excellent introduction to the season, in which they expect 200,000 passengers. 

The reason for the increase is the introduction of new lines for Belgrade, Munich, and Marseille, but also an increase in the number of existing carriers, in particular, Transavia for Eindhoven, which increased by 350% compared to last season's number of operations,” they added.

Avio Radar reports that Dubrovnik Airport also recorded a stellar June, which saw 415,876 passengers, which is 50,528 more passengers than last year. Thus, Dubrovnik Airport welcomed a passenger growth of 13.83% last month. 

The first direct line from the United States to Croatia operated by American Airlines has significantly contributed to Dubrovnik’s success. 

Dubrovnik Airport has recorded an increase in traffic in each month this year. In the first half of the year, 1,059,564 passengers traveled through the airport, which is 157,184 more passengers than last year, or a growth of 17.42%. 

Split Airport welcomed 513,706 passengers or an increase of 8.2% for a record June, and in the first six months of 2019, they welcomed 1,102,118 passengers, which is up 8%. 

Ex Yu Aviation reports that Zagreb Airport saw 336,618 passengers in June, which is an increase of 1.5% compared to last year. In the first half of the year, Zagreb Airport handled 1,534,105 passengers, which is up 4.2%, or an additional 62,477 compared to 2018.

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