June 3, 2020 - What is the situation with animal shelters in Croatia in the corona era, and who is looking after the animals? A new TCN series meets the volunteers behind the animal shelters and associations around Croatia. Today, TCN meets Sibenske Sape from Sibenik.

There are hundreds of incredible shelters and associations in Croatia working tirelessly, with little to no support, to ensure no animal is left behind. In a new TCN series, we meet the people behind the animals. 

Today, TCN meets Sibenske Sape from Sibenik.

First, tell us a bit about the history of your shelter/association.

The association Sibenske Sape (Šibenik Paws) was founded in 2018, although its members have been volunteering to help animals many years before that. We are devoted to helping lost and abandoned animals in Šibenik and the surrounding area. We don't have a shelter, so we function entirely by placing the animals in foster homes. We make sure the animals get proper veterinary care and we advertise them until they find a forever home.  

What is the success rate of getting animals to their new owners?

For some, it takes a short time, for some much longer, but all our animals find a forever home in the end. Usually, it takes a month or so in a foster home where the animal can forget about all the stress and trauma the street life has caused it. There, it learns to socialize, so it will be more easily adopted. Of course, some rare cases end up tragically, but that usually happens when the animal is found already severely injured and the vets cannot help it.

Do you connect animals with owners only in Croatia or abroad, too?

We use our Facebook page to connect people who have found an abandoned animal with the people offering to foster it until it is adopted. The foster homes are usually in Croatia, but some of our animals find their forever homes abroad, mostly in Slovenia and Germany. All the new owners pass a home check and our foreign colleagues are helping us organize that.

Do you receive any support from the city, county, or state? If so, how much/in what way?

We are not funded by the city and we depend entirely on donations and the free time of our volunteers. We do, however, get help from some cities in other forms. For example, Vodice is a city that pays for 70 free castrations/sterilizations for our animals at the local vet. We are hoping to make a similar deal with Šibenik soon as well.

What is the process of bringing animals to your shelter/association? Are there any obstacles/red tape in place for you as a shelter/association?

We are not allowed to rescue animals by simply picking them up from the street and taking them home. Every found animal has to be registered in the local shelter in Šibenik (As Eko). So the procedure is as follows: a person calls us that they found an animal, we then instruct them to call the municipal services and inform them of the animal. The municipal services then call the shelter to pick up the animal and if we have a foster home, we will intervene and take the animal into our care as soon as it's checked for the microchip and vaccinated. We do this, especially, if the animal is very young or fragile, to avoid it coming into contact with the other animals in the shelter. The shelter life is tough and the more fragile animals can get pushed aside while feeding. The main obstacle we face is that the municipal services of some towns are refusing to cooperate, which is something they ought to do by law. Also, they cannot be reached during weekends.

Is the lack of sterilisations the biggest problem in Croatia? Is it really that difficult to get cats and dogs sterilised in Croatia? 

It is not difficult at all to get them sterilized, however it seems to be difficult to get their owners to understand that they need to do it. The lack of sterilization is definitely a cause of the abandonment problem. Knowing how easily it could be solved makes it really painful for us to observe it. So we are trying hard to educate people to change their mentality slowly and to make them stop refusing to neuter/spay their animals.

How much does sterilisation usually cost? Do vets offer discounts for street cats or special circumstances? 

We collaborate with a few vet stations and their prices differ, but let's say a male cat can get castrated starting from 280 kn, a female cat from 400 kn, a male dog starting from 600 kn and a female one starting from around 800 kn, but the price increases with the size of the dog. We do get a certain discount for the animals we bring through the association.

How do we make this process easier for locals to get more of them involved in sterilising street cats?

In some of the vet stations, we have a special price for the cats and dogs we bring in for sterilization, so if somebody has a lower income and they want to sterilize their pet, we can help them get this discount. Also, if we manage to get some financial help from the city of Šibenik, we would love to organize a free neutering project for everyone who wishes to participate with their pets.

How many cats/dogs would you say your shelter/association gets sterilised per year?

Last year we got around 1500 animals sterilized, out of which around 1000 we sterilized in collaboration with an NGO from abroad and around 500 ourselves.

Poisoning street cats is another issue in the area. Is this considered a crime in Croatia? Where should someone report this should they witness it? Are there fines/punishments in place?

It is definitely a crime. Unfortunately, it's a crime that seldom gets punished. It should be reported to the police. The one reporting the crime has to be persistent when calling because often the police itself doesn't take this very seriously. We have never heard of someone actually getting a fine or punishment for this crime. 

What about the treatment of dogs?

Many dogs in Croatia are being used as hunting dogs. Some of them are treated very badly - they are locked in small boxes all day or chained up in the sun with water bowls already growing algae on the bottom. Keeping dogs chained up all day is also punishable by law, but the perpetrators often get away with it, saying to the veterinary inspection that they do, in fact, walk the dogs, just early in the morning when nobody can witness it. We urge everyone to report the owners who mistreat their dogs. It can be done anonymously - only the inspection and the police will know their personal information and they will not share it with the owner, or anyone else.

What are the best ways for the local community to get involved in helping your shelter/association? 

We are in desperate need of foster homes, so anyone who can temporarily take care of an animal will be of great help to us. Also, any donation will be greatly appreciated. 

Donations can be made via bank transfer or via Paypal. 

Name: Šibenske šape

Bank name: Hrvatska poštanska banka (HPB)

iban: HR9323900011199011802

BIC (swift code): HPBZHR2X

Paypal: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Can you explain the process of fostering animals with your shelter/association?

The ''foster parents'' can choose which cat or dog they want to foster and we will provide them with the food and everything else they need for taking care of the animal. We need to agree in advance how long the animal can stay in their foster home, ideally until adoption. A simple contract will be signed, explaining each side's obligations. Fostering is an ideal way of helping animals for people who love them but cannot make a long term commitment at the given moment.

How can the local community get involved in helping your shelter/association? What about people from abroad get involved, apart from sending donations?

There are many ways a local community can get involved. We need all kinds of help - photographers can get involved by taking professional photos of our protégés, we often need transport of our cats or dogs to their new homes or simply to the vet, and as previously said we need people who are willing to foster the animals. 

People from abroad can, of course, donate, but also they can help us by sharing our posts online so we could reach a wider audience.

Is there a way for Croatia to utilise their place in tourism to help animals in Croatia? Whether it is connecting tourists with animals for adoption or organizing volunteer events at shelters?

We believe tourism can be of great help. Many people find out about us while travelling through Croatia and later they adopt an animal or find another way to help us. Tourists are often sensitive about seeing street animals, so they help us raise awareness with the local community. 

You can learn more about Sibenske Sape HERE.

Do you have an animal shelter or association in Croatia and want to share your story? Get in touch at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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

May 1, 2020 - Some of the most famous DJ names such as David Guetta and Paolo Barbato will be part of the 'Millennium - Sibenik 4 The World' event, which will be held in Sibenik on Friday.

Namely, Sibenik.in writes that from 10 am, an audio-visual postcard of the Croatian coastal city will be launched all over the world. Two drones will film the event from above, with features a music program ranging from traditional Dalmatian and Croatian songs, pop and rock music, to Studio 54 disco and today's best electronic music. Lasers will also enhance the program in the night hours, organizers say.

"Historic event where there will be no one. Bringing together the strength of our legacy and the millennia of interweaving energies of our beautiful fortresses, to redirect vibrations for a better tomorrow.
By installing speakers on fortresses and playing music, we want to give the city a bit of joy. The program begins with the traditional performance of the Klapa singers, continues with Disco music, which goes into Studio 54, and after all a team from the electronic scene joins us," reads the description of the Facebook event.

The 'stage' with the world's most iconic names will also be shared by locals such as Pero Fullhouse, Stipe Jazzy Sirinic, Mate Kokic, Edi the King, Petra/Zac the Sax and many others.

Following the recommendations of the National Civil Protection Headquarters, this 14-hour event will not gather visitors, but instead, the music is broadcast from small speakers and minimal volume, and everyone can adjust the volume themselves.

"The music and panorama will be available anywhere in the world. Thanks to social networks from the North to the South Pole. Everyone in a city can make it louder or not, but the most important thing is that through social networks they can link, publish, invite or share with anyone in the world to the event and promote their city. The music is designed to capture all musical tastes," concludes the organizers.

You can follow the event HERE

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

March 23, 2020 - A really nice compilation from the guys at Cities in 4K, featuring four Croatian cities as well as many others. While we can't travel, stay at home and dream.

Life is difficult for all of us at the moment, as we adjust to a new temporary reality of staying at home and putting our busy travelling lives on hold. 

One of the interesting aspects of this new reality is observing how people are reaction. Some are complaining, others accepting, and a nice number are looking to add a little positivity to the situation.

I have always been a big fan of the work of the guys from Cities in 4K, and we have featured their videos of destinations in Croatia and Montenegro. This is really gorgeous compilation of day and night timelapses of several fabulous European cities, including four in Croatia - Zagreb, Dubrovnik, Sibenik and Rovinj. 

It is called City Lights Turn On, Stay Home, and the Cities in 4K introduce it as follows. 

During these hard times we decided to create this video to ask all people over the world to stay at their homes so this situation changes into a positive end as soon as possible. So please take it very serious and make yourself comfortable at home.

This video is a combination of day to night time lapse videos from different cities all over the world, like Venice, Berlin, Zagreb, Lion, etc. 

Like a lot of people this affected us and our channel very much, so we are not able to travel in the near future and so it is good to take a look on the cities we traveled in the past. 

Stay safe!

The world may never be quite the same again, but there is still so much beauty to enjoy from the comfort of our own homes, the safest place to be right now. 

You can watch more of the Cities in 4K videos on their YouTube channel. 

February 22, 2020 - It is one of the most romantic months for weddings, so why does almost nobody in Sibenik get married in May? 

Whether we like weddings or not, the ones held in May are beautiful. Fabulous weather, fancy light clothes. Not too cold and not hot, but simply just right. Everything usually comes together perfectly in a May wedding. So why do they hardly exist in Šibenik?

For as long as I can remember, my mother has always told me that there is no wedding held in May in Šibenik. Then I would ask her why, and she would simply tell what they told her it is a bit of bad luck to marry in May. It brings unhappiness, health problems, family feuds, simply bad luck. Throughout the generations, parents and grandparents have told their children about the golden rule - not to marry in May. Only some people say it is some legend that people told them and others simply shrug it off saying they told me so, so I am sticking with it.

So the story takes us back to 1647 when the plague was big in Šibenik. The plague probably came to Šibenik due trade relations on the Adriatic between countries and because of the Kandyan war. Before the plague, Šibenik was the most populated town in Dalmatia. But because of the plague, Šibenik lost eighty per cent of its population. Only ten out of 150 noble families survived. But behind the plague, there is also a legend. The citizens of Šibenik believed in vampires and witches back then, and they thought that one dead man was a vampire. Apparently, he would wake up at night and get out of the coffin and kill other people. One night a few „brave“ people came to the city cemetery, opened the coffin and they were ready to put a stake through his heart. But that is not the end of the story. Having opened the coffin, the citizens awoke the plague in the town. The wider population got sick and they died.

And there is also a legend to the story, which explains the cursed marriage if you get married in May. The story starts with a young noblewoman who helped the sick people with the plague. The noblewoman was in love with a poor man from the surrounding area. She was a great woman with a big heart and she wanted to help her citizens. So she went to the cathedral and promised and gave a vow to God that if he stopped the plague, she would become a nun. She wanted to save the few people that were left living in Šibenik. In the end, she did that. She gave up on her love for the people of Šibenik. In May she went to the monastery of St. Luce.

In the end, she didn't stay as a nun. The plague in town was healed, but her heart wasn't. She talked to the head nun, and the nun as a woman of understanding, released her from her obligation. Some people believe that it is bad luck to get married in May, but most people don't get married in May out of respect for a noble girl, who gave up on her love and happiness for Šibenik. Some people stick to the tradition nowadays, saying it is bad luck I don't want to risk it. Others say that it is a stupid tradition in which is stupid to believe. They say it is stupid to believe in superstitions and that May weddings are the most beautiful.

A local portal showed us that there were just eleven marriages in 2019 in May held in a church or city hall. In 2018 there were eight weddings and in 2017 eleven as well in 2019. The year 2016 holds the record, having fifteen marriages, who ignored superstitions and enjoyed the most important day in their lives in front of the family and friends.

Even if that information shows that there is progress in having a May wedding, some are just believing in tradition and customs that their family gave them. It will be a long time until you hear the regular ringing of wedding bells in May. But there is not only the legend and superstitions but the love for the town and sacrifice which young woman gave. So mostly due to that respect, people do not get married in May.

Want to know more about Šibenik? Here are 25 things to know.

February 6, 2020 - With the former Odeon Cinema remodeling complete, which has been transformed into a new public space intended for hosting music and stage events, cinema screenings, theatrical performances, exhibitions and conferences, a new stage is raised - the Arsen House of Art in Sibenik.

Namely, HRTurizam reports that the City has been implementing the reconstruction project of the former Odeon Cinema in phases since 2013, and so far more than HRK 9 million has been invested, of which about 40% has come from the Ministry of Culture grant. Since last year, the Public Institution Sibenik Fortress of Culture has been involved in the completion of the renovation project with the City, while the Institution has been entrusted with the future management of the renovated hall.

It is Sibenik Fortress of Culture that has proposed a name that honors one of the greatest artists of recent Croatian history: academic musician, individual and intellectual, composer, songwriter, painter, translator, silent craftsman and poet, Sibenik musician and artistic genius - Arsen Dedic.

City of Sibenik

"The Arsen House of Art will pay tribute and return love to the Sibenik native who, in his lifetime, was, and still is, the greatest ambassador of the city and his spirit. Through his work through poetry, music, painting, film and theater he embodied the culture and it is difficult to find a more suitable place in Sibenik that would bear his name and operate under the patronage of Arsen and his artistic personality,” said Gorana Barisic Bacelic, director of the Fortress of Culture.

The proposal was accepted by acclamation not only by the owner of the hall - the City, which together with the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia financed its reconstruction, but also by all city cultural institutions, the City Council of Culture, as well as representatives of the two oldest Sibenik cultural institutions - the singing society "Kolo” and Sibenik folk music. The city government believes that the citizens, as well as the general public, will welcome this, which will keep Arsen permanently recorded in the collective memory of the town, at the same time marking a new era of its culture.

City of Sibenik

“The mission of the Arsen House of Art is to raise the quality of life of our fellow citizens to an even higher level and enrich the cultural life in Sibenik. We expect that the space will come to life even more strongly under Arsen's name, becoming another favorite place for cultural content for all generations of locals. The Arsen House of Art is certainly opening up new opportunities for cooperation and development of local cultural stakeholders, and I am sure that this hall will have some significance not only in the local but also in the national context,” said the Mayor of the City of Sibenik, Zeljko Buric.

The Dedic family is also thrilled to hear of the news: “I am delighted and moved. I am expecting and welcoming the answer to everything that Arsen has given to our city and why we, the people of Sibenik, give back the love and affection that Arsen gave us with his whole life, for which I thank you all immensely," said Gabi Novak, the late singer's wife.

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

February  5, 2020 - This summer, the Dimensions Festival will be held for the first time in Dalmatia, from August 13-17, in three locations; The Garden Resort in Tisno, St. Michael’s Fortress in Šibenik, and the after-party at the cult Barbarella disco in Pirovac. 

T.portal writes that the 9th edition of the Dimensions Festival will showcase a carefully selected mix of top emerging artists and music pioneers, with a lot of attention paid to production details. The introduction to the festival will be the opening concert at St. Michael’s Fortress in the center of Sibenik, where the main guest, Floating Points, will present his latest album "Crush" in an audio-visual show, along with other classics. He will be supported by Mafalda, with his dance mix of jazz, soul and Brazilian music. Other opening artists will be announced shortly.

The final list of festival guests to perform at The Garden Resort include techno pioneers Underground Resistance, Atlanta DJ and music journalist Ash Lauryn with her timeless house, intergalactic sound machine Freakenstein, rhythm innovator Batu, legendary dub techno don Moritz von Oswald, king of minimal house Voigtmann and favorite house, soul and disco selector Red Greg. Dimensions will be hosted by Michael Upson, known for his Love Muscle events in Leeds, the cult Dutch VBX team that regularly organizes programs at the Amsterdam Dance Event, and the Stamp The Wax music magazine with its own DJ discovery trove.

The best performers of the region are inevitable as well, with resident status on Dimensions already held by Peter Dundov and Elijah Rudman, joined by Le Chocolat Noir and Zarkoff, and the latest acquisition from the region, Belgrade band Bella Technika, which will perform their long-running debut "Section" released with the cooperation of the Belgrade label Odličan Hrčak (sub-label Bravo Boys) and PDV.

All these names have been added to a great list of electronic music stars that have already been featured, like DJs Stingray, Zip, The Hacker, Tikiman & Scion, dBridge, Mafalda, Helena Hauff, Pearson Sound, Skee Mask b2b Stenny, Surgeon, Marcellus Pittman, Francesco Del Garda, Detroit in Effect, Margaret Dygas, Darwin, re: ni, Awesome Tapes from Africa and many others.

Regional visitors have the opportunity to buy a cheaper early bird regional festival ticket this year, both through the Entrio system and at Entrio outlets. In the coming months, details of the opening concert, line-up at the festival beach and party boats will be announced.

You can find the full lineup here.

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

Sibenik tourism has risen over the past few years, with this gorgeous historic Dalmatian town popping up on the ''must visit'' radars of more and more people, but just how can the situation outside of the warm summer season be improved, and how can Croatia's rising star of EU fund withdrawal succeed in extending their season?

As Morski writes on the 31st of January, 2020, the Sibenik City Tourist Board, in cooperation with the City of Sibenik, has for the second time now made an announcement of a public invitation for the application of manifestations and events for the award of grants from the programme "Let's go to the city" (Idemo do grada) in 2020 for the area of ​​the old city centre.

The subject of the public invitation is the award of grants from the Sibenik Tourist Board for events held outside of the main summer tourist season as the main motive for the arrival of locals, Croatian and foreign visitors to the destination, which contribute not only to Sibenik tourism as a whole, but also to the following goals:

- Attracting locals, domestic and foreign tourists to the old town of Sibenik;
- The development of tourism and the valorisation of cultural and historical heritage;
- Raising the quality and quantity of Sibenik's cultural and tourist offer;
- The development of content that enables the improvement of the quality of Sibenik tourism's season, as well as its extension;
- The promotion of the city of Sibenik, and especially the old city centre both at home and abroad;
- The creation of a recognisable image of Sibenik tourism

The public call for grants from the ''Let's go to the city'' grants refers exclusively to the events held during the pre-season, ie, in the months of February, March, April and May, and then in the post-season, respectively in the months of October and November. The public invitation also regards events that will take place exclusively in the area of ​​the old town of Sibenik as a defined cultural and historical entity.

The budget funds for this public call are 200,000 kuna in total and are provided by both the City of Sibenik and the City of Sibenik Tourist Board.

The deadline for submitting applications is February the 17th, 2020.

Follow our travel page for more.

January 29, 2020 - Excitement continues to build for the Outlook Origins festival as the cult bass festival returns to its roots in the stunning Garden Resort in Tisno from July 30th to August 3rd, 2020.

It can now be revealed that joining the 13 tastemaking curators will be the heavyweight likes of Shy FX, dBridge, Fabio & Grooverider, Randall, Wookie, Youngsta, Hatcha, Breakage, Doc Scott, DRS, J.Sparrow, P. Money, 6 Figure Gang (aka Dobby, FAUZIA, Jossy Mitsu, L U C Y, Sherelle, Yazzus), Children of Zeus, Coops, Darwin, Horsepower Productions, Jah Shaka, N-Type and many more to come. 

Outlook has built a world-renowned reputation for focussing on the best in drum & bass, dubstep, grime, garage, reggae and beyond on its scene-leading sound systems. Returning to their roots in 2020 with a new and exciting format, the mission this year is to showcase the very best in the game, old and new, as curated by 13 bass heroes who are experts in their field and include Calibre, D Double E, DJ Storm, Flava D, Fliptrix, Goldie, Iration Steppas, Lenzman, Mala, Mungo's Hifi, The Bug and Zed Bias - with new addition Hybrid Minds, added to the list with this announcement.

Celebrating the foundations of Outlook Festival, this year’s edition is set at The Garden Resort for the main festival, open-air club Barbarella's for after-parties, and the iconic St Michaels Fortress for an all-new opening concert. As such, the new-look festival promises to be an imitate, a personal gathering of friends and family who all have a shared love of bass and are long time devoted dancers. 

The first wave of names is irresistible, with all the most vital names included from the worlds of drum & bass such as Shy FX, dBridge, Breakage, Randall, Doc Scott, DRS and Fabio & Grooverider, amongst others. Red hot grime, dubstep, and bass talents are also well represented with El-B, Horsepower Productions, Hatcha, Youngsta, Wookie, Darwin, P. Money, J.Sparrow and 6 Figure Gang (aka cult collective Dobby, FAUZIA, Jossy Mitsu, L U C Y, Sherelle and Yazzus) as well as plenty more, with hip hop heads like Children of Zeus and Coops also lining up.

As well as further details of the beach parties, boat parties, after-parties, and opening concert, the all-important stage splits will soon be revealed as the countdown to this much-anticipated chapter in the history of Outlook gets ever closer. 

LINE UP

207

6 Figure Gang (Dobby, FAUZIA, Jossy Mitsu, L U C Y, Sherelle, Yazzus)

Ant TC1

Black Barrel

Black Josh

Blazin 

Breakage

Breakfake

Buer

Channel One

Children of Zeus

Coops

Darwin 

dBridge

Digital

Digitron

Distinct Motive

Dj Flight

DLR

Doc Scott

Dred

DRS

Dub Head

DubDiggerz

Dubkasm

Dubolik & Lo Peaks

Egoless

El-B

Fabio & Grooverider

Fiend

Finwa

Flowdan

Hatcha

Highlander

Horsepower Productions

Ila Brugal

J:Kenzo

J. Sparrow

Jah Shaka

John B

Jubilee

Kahn

Kid Drama

Kryo

Loefah

Mantra 

MC GQ

MC Tempza

Mind of A Dragon

Mr K

N-Type

O.B.F feat. Charlie P & Sr. Wilson

One87

P Money

Parly B

Perception

Pinch

Ramsez

Randall

Roots In Session

Sammy Virji

Satl

Scratchclart & Lady Lykez

Shepdog

Shosh (24HR Garage Girls)

Shy FX

Sicaria Sound

Siskiyou

Surreal

Wookie

Youngsta

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

January 10, 2020 - A number of new hotels will open in Croatia this year. A look at five unique luxury hotels that should open this spring or at the start of the tourist season. 

According to the eVisitor system, more than 1,170 hotels with about 172,000 beds are registered in Croatia.

Of the total accommodation capacity, which amounts to about one million beds, hotels account for only about 12 percent.

However, five hotels will improve that ratio somewhat. A look at the new luxury hotels opening in Croatia this year, courtesy of T.portal. 

Hotel Costabella, Rijeka

The five-star Costabella Hotel Complex is set to open this summer. It will have 280 rooms with a total of 560 beds, a large area for wellness, fitness and a private sandy beach.

All rooms and suites will have views of the Kvarner Bay. The resort will offer six restaurants, a beach bar, and a rooftop restaurant.

Costabella Simulation / Facebook

The investment is worth as much as 80 million euros. The investor is JTH Costabella. The resort will be part of the Hilton hotel chain.

Hotel Ambasador, Split

The new Ambassador Hotel is expected to have four-plus stars, with 101 rooms and suites, 240 restaurant seats, a spa, a gym, a nightclub and an underground garage with 59 spaces.

The Ambassador is seeing an investment by one of the world's most famous shoemakers, Klaus Alex Birkenstock, who announced that he was planning to build a new favorite tourist resort for tourists from the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria and France from the once dilapidated building on the Split waterfront.

Ambasador Simulation

Birkenstock has invested around 17 million euros in the new hotel.

Hotel Armerun, Šibenik

The Armerun Hotel will have 17 accommodation units, 14 of which are in the property itself, while three are in a separate property that can be rented as a villa. It will have two categorizations, one with four stars and as a heritage hotel.

Screenshot

On the ground floor of the hotel, there will be a restaurant for outside guests to enjoy.

The hotel is scheduled to open in the spring of 2020. The total value of the investment is around 2 million euros and the main investor is the company Stanovi Jadrana.

Amfora Resort, Split

The Hotel Amfora by Zvonko Kotarac, a businessman from Split, was supposed to open last year, but due to construction problems (and an invalid building permit), the opening has been delayed. 

Amfora Simulation

The total investment is over 26 million euros. The investor insisted that the hotel would have 207 rooms and suites, a 500-seat congress hall and 2000 square meters of wellness.

Courtyard by Marriott, Split

Courtyard by Marriott, the business brand of the renowned Marriott International Group, should also open this year. The hotel is located in the Dalmatia Tower, the tallest building in Croatia, standing 115 meters tall. 

Courtyard by Marriott will be located on the building’s top floors, from the 16th to 26th, allowing guests a spectacular view of the city, and because of the specific shape of the building, each of the 190 rooms and four suites will have sea views.

Westgate Group 

In addition to the conference facilities, the hotel will feature a wellness area, a gym, a restaurant and a bar.

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

2020 is officially here and with it come a wave of new year's traditions. One of them is a Sibenik tradition in which people jump into the sea at exactly midday on the new year's maiden day.

As Morski writes on the 1st of January, 2020, for the eighth year in a row now, the people of Sibenik have been jumping into the cold sea at exactly noon on new year's day and the aim of today's action is to raise awareness about the protection of the Adriatic fishery fund, as well as the ever concerning threat of climate change.

Several hundred people gathered today at a beach in Sibenik where the bravest of Sibenik locals and one Split woman, boldly rushed out into the sea at noon, marking the beginning of a brand new year, according to local portal SibenikIN.

''I came back here after eight years, when I was the only woman to swim in Sibenik on January the 1st. This year, I'm once again the only woman doing the New Year's swim and I can't wait to enter the sea,'' said the Sibenik native Jelena Bura who now lives in Split and as such normally swims in Split's Firule in the winter, and all that matters to her is that she has enough sun.

Kresimir Ivancevic made sure not to miss out on the Sibenik tradition of jumping in for a new year's swim at noon either.

''I think there are 18 of us, and the sea is seven degrees. My fitness team didn't drink tonight, so we didn't have to sober up. We want to always be ready, and we already went swimming here a week ago to assess the situation. There are really a lot of people here today,'' Kresimir said in conversation with SibenikIN.

The youngest swimmer taking part in this Sibenik tradition today was four-year-old Noah, for whom it was not at all cold. His parents added that they had even swam in the Cetina river three times in December, and nobody caught a cold.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for more.