A large Šibenik investment is underway, with construction permits expected to be granted in the spring, and works set to begin just after the end of 2019's summer tourist season.

As Suzana Varosanec/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 2nd of January, 2019, Zagreb Montaža Grupa (Montage Group) and ZM Development for design and construction, both headquartered in Zagreb, have gone about preparing the ground in the historic Dalmatian city of Šibenik for this year in order to intensify new, large real estate projects - Draga and Podsolarsko. The total value of the foreseen investments is approximately 110 million euro..

Partnership with the Austrians

Otherwise, this project refers to one of the largest Croatian construction companies with about 1,500 employees, and which is mostly engaged in jobs related to European Union export markets. It appears that the Draga project will be realised in partnership with an Austrian real estate company, while Podsolarsko will be run independently. Judging by what is known at the moment, both projects are gradually moving towards realisation at the same time, a fact which seems to have served as a "trigger" for completing the necessary spatial-planning and other paperwork for Podsolarsko at the end of 2018.

As they are currently navigating through the waters of the highest status of administrative preparation in Šibenik, and a quick procedure for the issuing of the necessary building permits is expected, which according to the current announcements should be resolved in the spring. After the upcoming summer tourist season, these projects are going to be realised with the execution of the first construction work. Thus, newly-built facilities will be built, covering a total area of ​​approximately 70,000 m2.

Within the scope of this project which encompasses a large Šibenik investment, Draga is preparing an additional offer of substantial garage space for the market. The design of the necessary solutions for such an offer is already under way with a design bureau from Barcelona in charge of Draga, while one of Zagreb's architectural offices is undertaking the design work for Podsolarsko.

As part of the Draga project, with a planned investment of about 50 million euro, 40,000 m2 of new garage-retail and residential space in the centre of Šibenik is planned. As the design and plan extends where today's city market currently stands, which will require for it to be temporarily relocated to part of today's parking area next to Šibenik bus station, the first phase of this project must be completed within eighteen months of the beginning of construction.

After the realisation of the main part of the project, the second phase is expected to be the construction of apartments and business premises. There will be a modern residential area boasting an impressive 30,000 m2 of living space, the construction of a mini marina for up to 65 boats is also set to take place.

The second phase of the plan involves the construction of hotels with about 250 accommodation units, they'll allegedly be of a high category, and this stands as an investment that cannot be less than 60 million euro, they say.

Sources close to the Zagreb Montaža Grupa say that both Šibenik investment projects have already attracted the interest of potential buyers.

Make sure to stay up to date with our dedicated business page for more information on this Šibenik investment, and much more.

Click here for the original article by Suzana Varosanec for Poslovni Dnevnik

In addition to the existing seasonal catamarans to Brač, Hvar, Korčula, Mljet, and Dubrovnik, from 1 April 2019, Split should also sail to Šibenik and Zadar on a new semi-annual line.

As SibenikIN writes on the 30th of November, 2018, a project which brings together animals and children in the name of helping kids with varying disabilities, worth a massive million and a half kuna, will seek to help as many as twenty kids with numerous developmental disabilities in Croatia.

This project is not only a praiseworthy but an interesting one because it directly involves working with children with various developmental disabilities, these children tend to do very well once they get involved in athletic activities, and the emphasis this time, is on horses.

''The children will learn how to ride a horse, as well as how to properly groom and care for a horse in preparation for riding. We're proud because the project will go on for three years and we're expecting at least twenty children to be included in it,'' said Suzana Živković of the Kolan riding association.

It has been proven on numerous occasions that therapeutic riding has quite a few effects on the overall health of children and young people.

''Improvements in both the motor and emotional fields are seen in all children. The children are given freedom, they gain self-confidence, their social communication is strengthened, and being around nature is an incentive to a healthy life,'' noted Suzana Živković.

The Kolan riding association was established back in 2012 and currently has 48 members, including both recreational riders and children with various disabilities.

There are currently twelve horses who live permanently on the farm, four of which are ''therapeutic'' horses, and the remaining horses are ridden for recreational purposes. The breeds present at the riding club include Icelandic horses and various types of mixed breeds.

This wonderful project aimed at helping kids with developmental disabilities in Croatia is funded by European Union funds, as well as funds from the Ministry of Family and Demography and it will, as previously mentioned, last for three years, the project's partners are the City of Šibenik and the Šubićevac Education Centre.

Make sure to follow our lifestyle page for more.

New hotels in Croatia are popping up all the time, and some major investments have seen the tourism sector come on leaps and bounds even very far away from the glitz and glamour of the yacht-filled coast. 

Croatia's investment climate has some big improvements to be getting on with, and quickly, but despite numerous issues, large investments in the country's safest sector, tourism, continue to pour in.

The Croatian capital of Zagreb has gone from all but entirely overlooked as a tourist destination to a ''must visit'' continental city which many are referring to as the ''new Vienna'' among other names. The city's dazzling Advent in Zagreb festivities has seen the Croatian capital take the prize for best European advent destination for an impressive three years running, and as the hotels fill up, new ones continue to open their doors.

As SibenikIN writes on the 28th of November, 2018, the new luxury Hotel Capital Zagreb group Amadria Park, to which the extremely popular Solaris Resort near the ancient Dalmatian city of Šibenik belongs, will be officially opened on Thursday in the centre of the Croatian capital. The brand new hotel boasts 112 rooms and the value of Ugo Group's investment, which stands behind Amadria Park, is a massive 14.5 million euro.

The new hotel is located in the building of the former Croatian branch of Wiener Bankverein at the corner of Jurišićeva and Palmotićeva street, and is the first so-called ''city'' hotel of the Amadria Park group.

''[Opening - TOMORROW 29.11.2018] The moment has arrived! It's time to unveil Amadria Park's first Zagreb hotel - Capital.

A heritage hotel with a well-appointed, central Zagreb location, it combines early 20th century architectural grandeur with the upmarket elegance of a modern hotel.

Only 450m from Ban Jelacic Square, it offers 112 rooms, restaurant, bar and cafe, fitness zone, underground garage, upmarket store and meeting rooms.'' wrote an update on Amadria Park's Facebook page.

Make sure to follow our travel and lifestyle pages for more info on new hotels in Croatia, and much more. If it's just Zagreb you're interested in, stay up to date with our dedicated Total Zagreb site for everything going on in the capital.

All the way from Asia, to the oldest native Croatian town on the shores of the sea - Šibenik.

The media loves to run constant bleak stories about the mass exodus of people from Croatia heading off to Western European countries in search of better wages, more security and more opportunities to further their careers of choice. It isn't that these stories are exaggerated, Croatia does indeed find itself in a less than favourable position economically, with expert sources claiming that the country learned absolutely nothing from the crisis from which it emerged only a few years ago. While these depressing tales may not be over-exaggerated, they are perhaps somewhat oversaturated. 

Despite the media headlines, many a foreigner comes to Croatia, and while life isn't easy and the bare bones of Croatia's rather grim reality hiding just underneath its pretty face might come as a shock to most, there are more and more people who come here and with persistence and an ever-adapting thick skin, manage to make it work. These people aren't just other Europeans who come from countries with systems that are similar in some way or another and therefore find it a little easier to adapt, but from countries much, much further afield than our continent.

As SibenikIN writes on the 24th of November, 2018, one 26-year-old woman all the way from the Philippines has decided to make no less than the historic Dalmatian city of Šibenik home. 

''Šibenik's sunset is the most beautiful in the world!'' stated the woman who switched the Philippines for the Dalmatian coast.

"When I first came here, it was morning. Silence. And I thought: Oh my God, this is the city I want to live in!'' said Elovelle Liego in conversation with HRT/Sanja Jurisic.

Elovelle stated that her desire to live in Europe was finally realised as she began working in a hotel in the very heart of Šibenik, where she remained working after the summer as a chef, writes HRT.

"I make strudel and Šibenik cake (Šibenska torta), I can cook pašticada and salsa," added Elovelle. When it comes to work and wages, otherwise two of the things most are unhappy with, aside from politics of course, she says she is more than happy, and she loves her fellow citizens of Šibenik.

"They're very good, kind-hearted, they pass by here and greet me everyday," she said, adding that she's gradually learning the Croatian language. While Elovelle is full of praise for Šibenik's friendly locals, the feeling is very much mutual towards her.

"They have some inborn sense of hospitality, they're really approachable, hard working," said Fabiano Baranović from Hotel King Krešimir in Šibenik, when speaking about Filipino workers. It also seems that Elovelle won't be the only Filipino working in Šibenik in about one year's time.

"I think there could be a couple more, just to make sure we avoid problems in tourism," Baranović added.

And one of those key problems is a lack of workforce, with many people taking advantage of their freedom of movement across the European Union, Croatia has been left not only with a demographic crisis, but with one of its most bitter symptoms - nobody to do any work. In the area of ​​Šibenik-Knin County alone, as many as 500 work permits for foreigners were requested this past summer.

Make sure to keep up with our lifestyle page for more. Thinking about making the move to Croatia yourself? Get acquainted with the country's residence system here.

The Šibenik company, Capax, currently employs twenty people and, as they themselves have pointed out, are constantly looking for new, quality members of staff.

As Darko Bicak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 24th of November, 2018, after a successful September when they presented themselves as the only Croatian exhibitor at the prestigious Monaco Yacht Show, as well as managing to win the Golden Kuna (Zlatna Kuna) award for the best small company in Šibenik-Knin County, Capax opened its new headquarters in the historic Dalmatian city of Šibenik at the end of October this year.

Covering an area of 900 square metres and in addition to the brand new office, located at the new facility is a spacious service workshop and the only laboratory designed for engine oil analysis in the wider area. Capax already offers videocopy services, ultrasonic measurements, vibration analysis and thermography, but only now with the engine oil analysis specialist lab services has the Šibenik company managed to raise itself to yet another higher level. All these services will also open up new markets such as those which involve dealing with work boats, construction machinery, locomotives, windmills, and more.

While this is a Šibenik company, renovation works are carried out in nearby Trogir, within the Trogir Service Centre (SCT), with which Adria Docks has recently been established. Adria Docks manages renovations, optimises work processes, and ultimately controls the quality of the outsourced works. Within the framework of a long-term joint venture with the Trogir shipyard, in an area of about 250 square metres in the SCT area, lies the second part of Capax's investment, a test station for ship and industrial engines of up to 3.4 megawatts.

The total value of the investment is more than 15 million kuna, of which 5.5 million kuna are non-refundable funds from the European Structural Funds indended for the building of production capacities and the investment in equipment.

"Access to the client, respect for their demands and a true effort to achieve goals through project and refit management have inspired us as the leaders of the domestic yachting industry. We have well equipped and educated service teams for the most common types of marine engines, clutches and generators we find on larger yachts and on mega yachts. Our service engineers are ready to solve every problem, whether it's mechanical, or electrical, or something else,'' they state from Capax.

They add that for subcontractors, whenever possible, they use the services of other Croatian companies and hope that their success will stimulate other companies from the Croatian nautical sector to invest and develop themselves more. Capax was initially founded by three like-minded people, Mario Baljkas, Teo Petričević and Željko Tesi. As previously mentioned, they currently employ twenty people and are constantly on the look out for new, high quality staff. The company continues to record steady and stable revenue growth, and last year, those figures amounted to about 30 million kuna.

The clients of this Šibenik company are typically the owners of yachts, or the management bodies of yachts, as well as insurance companies and shipyards and marinas. They specialise in technical engineering, consulting and supervision in shipbuilding, diagnostics, servicing, and the repair of marine engines, their maintenance and inspection in terms of value assurance for insurance purposes, as well as for sellers and/or new owners.

They are the authorised servicing body of some of the most prominent marine engines in this segment of the market, including Caterpillar, MTU, John Deere, and ZF, in addition to Šibenik, they also have offices in neighbouring Montenegro and in Albania.

Otherwise, this year, Capax was the first Croatian company to appear at the Monaco Yacht Show after four years in early autumn. they were one of the 580 exhibitors from 38 countries around the world.

"We're very pleased with the effect of participating in the fair and we believe that it will bring us more ships to service and overhaul to Croatia, and we wish to encourage other domestic companies to join us in the coming years,'' Petričević said.

Make sure to stay up to date with our dedicated business and Made in Croatia pages for more.

Click here for the original article by Darko Bicak for Poslovni Dnevnik

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.

Despite intense preparations and dogged determination, the dangers of the open Atlantic Ocean are too intimidating.

ZAGREB, October 15, 2018 - The Croatian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (CoE), the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) of the CoE and the Croatian Ministry of Justice have organised an international conference on ways of strengthening transparency and accountability in the public and private sectors to combat corruption, which is taking place in the coastal city of Šibenik on 15 and 16 October.

October 11, 2018 - The itinerary for the 2019 Nikola Tesla EV Rally in Croatia has been announced.