April 20, 2023 - Spring is here, and Slavonia is full of life, indeed. One of the most famous and intriguing periods of the incredibly long and rich history of the oldest European city will soon come to life again in all its splendor, returning Vinkovci to the age of the ancient Cibals and its not one but two Roman emperors. 2023 Vinkovci Roman Days have been announced.

As SiB writes, the special tenth edition of the Roman Days is just around the corner. From June 16 to 18, the town on Bosut will once again be the center of the ancient world. Legionnaires will march through the city streets, and the sounds of gladiator fights and the hustle and bustle of a real Roman fair will resound through Lenije Park. All visitors will be able to enjoy the finest delicacies of the era. All this was announced at a press conference appropriately held at the Vinkovci City Museum, one of the most important and prominent museum institutions in Croatia and beyond, known in the world precisely for its archaeological finds from the Roman era.

"This year, we're celebrating the 10^th Roman Days, much like they did in the Roman Cibalae, where they celebrated the Decennials. It is an old festival that dates back to Emperor Augustus, who started ruling the Roman Empire at the age of 27, subsequently refusing his role and returning it to the people. However, the people returned it to him again because everyone was so satisfied with the way he ruled. Thus, the Decennial festival was established, which was celebrated every 10^th year of the reign of all Roman emperors who managed to live ten years of reign and consisted of a ceremony in which the emperor renounces his power and authority, and the happy citizens reject and return the rule to the emperor. Grateful to the people for trusting him, the emperor would organize games that included gladiators, races, animal fights, large feasts, and parties. This year, Vinkovci is celebrating Valentinian's decennial, which he marked in 374, after ten years of rule", explained the director of the Vinkovci Museum, Hrvoje Vulić, referencing the theme of this year's Roman Days.

Mayor Ivan Bosančić emphasized that the Roman Days are an extremely well-received event, both by the people of Vinkovci and by visitors from other parts of Croatia, who will be expecting many exciting things this year.

"Thank you to everyone participating in the organization, doing their best to prepare an unforgettable weekend in our city in the form of another great event that, I believe, many people will attend. I invite all our fellow citizens and guests to participate as much as possible in all the events as part of the Roman Days and to enjoy everything that we're preparing, with the aim that this event in the future reaches the number of visitors similar to Vinkovačke Jeseni", said the mayor.

This year's novelty and a kind of introduction to the two central days of this great historical and tourist event in Vinkovci, announced the director of the Vinkovci Tourist Board, Marina Matković, will be the Roman Wine Evening under the branches of the old oaks in the beautiful setting of Šokački Stan, on the program on Friday, 16^th June.

"Each year, we add new content to the Roman Days, and the Roman Wine Evening is one of those. We will also have our well-known attractions, from the parade of participants through the city streets, to gladiator fights, a Roman military camp, and a presentation of the ancient way of life. The Roman Fair will traditionally gather artisans and craftsmen who constantly follow us and develop their offer; cooperation with our high schools will result in the preparation of the most delicious Roman delicacies, and elementary school students and children of kindergarten age will have the opportunity to participate in educational programs and workshops aimed at the promotion of the event itself, but also of the Roman heritage of our city", said Matković.

A special attraction at the presentation of the 10^th Roman Days were the real Roman soldiers, members of the Prima Valentiniana association who present history revived, whose members will all be present for the first time at this year's events.

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

February 17, 2023 – One of the most rewarding parts of writing on TCN is the people we meet and the stories we hear. It’s all that much better when they come from eastern Croatia and are living proof that Slavonia really is full of life, 365. We are excited to finally publish one of our favourite interviews, featuring one man, one bicycle, and two dogs. Hrvoje Juric has cycled the world, written a book, and helped trace cycling and hiking trails in Croatia. He has done many other amazing things, and now he is on a 2,300-kilometre journey to reach Europe’s most northerly point. On an electric bicycle. In the winter.

Tell us about yourself.

My name is Hrvoje Juric, I am 36 years old, and I come from Vrbica, a small village between Đakovo, Vinkovci, and Osijek. I am a wasn’t-meant-to-be economist, and I have been travelling since 2011. Then, completely inexperienced and with very few funds, I set out on my first trip, from Vrbica to Pula and back. I traveled by bicycle, and it all happened quite spontaneously. The bike was the only means of transportation I had, and it was also the cheapest way to travel. I liked this way of travelling, and I felt like I was living life to the fullest, so I kept doing it. The following year, I went on a trip around Europe, about which I wrote the travel novel "Marijanov put" (Marijan’s Journey). After that came the first journey to Nordkapp, a journey of 5,000 kilometres to the northernmost point of Europe. It was followed by a trip through the Alps, then one from London to Istanbul, and then one around Croatia. Later I realised that all these trips and experiences led to one thing - a trip around the world.

Tell us about the area where you come from.

Vrbica is a small village in the Đakovo area, in the municipality of Semeljci, and it is a plain. I often jokingly say that the overpass over the highway is the highest mountain we have. I grew up there, my friends and family are there, and I lived there until recently. As a lot has happened in the last couple of years, and now only on paper am I still in Vrbica.

Tell us about your lifestyle, what you do, and what inspired it.

This year I changed my life drastically when I sold the house where I grew up and lived for 36 years. I didn't do it out of necessity, in the sense that I needed the money. I did it because everything simply led to that. Since I started travelling, with my first trip, I realised that this way of life would not be easy, but compared to everything else, it is ideal for me. There is a lot that I had to adapt to, and yet somehow, I remained myself. Of course, this shaped me, but I think I kept the direction I wanted my life to go.

What did it require to take the plunge and pursue your passion?

I think the main reason was dissatisfaction with the direction my life was going. When you know that you are not made for what you do and work takes up a large part of your time in this world, it is necessary to change things. By chance, it was my job; it could have been something else. I would dare to say that if you want to change yourself, if you want to follow your passion, or even just figure out what the hell you want in life, you will encounter a very unpredictable time full of trials and difficult moments. Emotional, financial, it doesn't matter in what sense. For me, that included spending more time travelling hungry than on a full stomach, but I knew that I must not give up on my dreams. Along the way, I lost some people, some literally, in the sense that they passed away (parents, which was a big and heavy burden for me), and some simply distanced themselves from me. It doesn't even matter if it's my fault, theirs, or both. Such situations build a person and often what we become is not a beautiful picture, but I think that everyone deserves a second chance if they are honest and if they learn from their (mis)deeds.

What keeps you going?

Desire for research, learning, progress. Every time I come to a new place or return to a place I haven't been in years, I absorb everything like a little child. It’s all new to me: new smells, new sights, new people and their characteristics. This desire to explore others to get to know myself, I think is one of the main motives.

What were your favorite projects?

The trip around the world was unique, and the preparations for that lasted about three years. I can hardly compare that trip to anything else, but I had a great experience and a lesson out of it. The Slavonia hiking trail, where Ena, Max, and I hiked all 300 kilometres and visited all 35 checkpoints, was another one of my favourite projects. It is also the first project we did together. The Slavonia hiking trail offers a lot, especially to hikers who are beginners on long routes.

What is your current project?

I am currently on the "Giant World Tour: Norway" project, which is a continuation of the "Giant World Tour", a trip around the world by electric bicycle that I did in 2019 and thus became the first person to travel around the world on an electric bicycle. The idea with this series is to test Giant electric bikes in different, dare I say, extreme conditions. To prepare for the project, I found an apartment in Gorski Kotar and spent two months preparing for the conditions in the north. Hiking, cycling, and spending time in the fresh air and in the rain were all part of the preparations. We travelled to Oslo in a Dacia Duster, which had my bicycle and all the equipment needed for the trip, including a trailer for Ena and Max. I departed from Oslo in early February. I don't have a specific time in which I plan to finish the 2,300 kilometres to Nordkapp, but roughly 35 days should be enough. After the trip, Tin Borovšćak and I will work on a documentary film (filming has already started). Along with the film, a photo book will be released that I will promote around Europe, with an emphasis on Croatia and Norway.

Favourite moments and hardest moments of your travels.

I would put it this way - my favourite part of travelling is when I meet people, specifically people with whom I can share my thoughts. Regardless of whether they agree with me, or if we have the same or different views on life. When we "click". Be they in Russia, Norway, or Australia. It is because of people that a certain country is the way it is; they directed their country towards exactly where it is right now by living and working there. Through other stories, I learned a lot, mostly about myself. How to remove prejudices and embrace differences.

The most difficult moments, and there were some, were mostly related to lack of money and the inability to afford a decent meal or a meal at all. As I have already stated, the first couple of years were really difficult, had a couple of friends not helped me, I might have given up. Then, just as things were starting to get better, family tragedies happened. First my father died, and then a couple of years later, my mother. They had just turned 53 years old. It left a big mark on me, and at some moments, I didn't know what would happen to me. All those difficult life moments shook me up but also forced me to sort out my life and move on.

Tell us about your furry sidekicks.

Ena and Max, or as Twitter nicknamed them, Niprije (long story...) are a very important part of this slightly different family. I often like to say we are a pack because, frankly, we're not far from it. I adopted Ena a little over five years ago when she was 10 months old. She was quite scared, especially of new people. My friend Adela took her off the street, an association that takes care of abandoned border collies cleaned her of parasites and sterilised her, and then I showed up. At first, of course, she didn’t trust me, but very quickly, she stretched out on her back and seemed to want to say - ok, let's go! I didn't have much experience with dogs, and thanks to friends who have dogs, as well as daily walks, Ena and I learned about each other. So much so, that after travelling around the world, I decided that I no longer wanted to do projects without her.

So, we set off on "Via Adriatica Bike", where I traced the cycling version of the "Via Adriatica Trail", a long hiking trail that connects the two most distant land points in Croatia - Prevlaka and Cape Kamenjak. It was on that wonderful trip, which was the first project after the round-the-world trip and my, i.e., our new beginning, that we met Max. On the penultimate day of the trip, we went down to Plomin harbor and literally recorded their first meeting with my camera. That moment, the way they jumped around each other, you can still see happening daily. It's as if they just met. It's fascinating to me how everything came together, how the two of them bonded. Max was the cherry on top and the last piece of the puzzle of the whole picture that you can see today.

We know that you are a promoter of Slavonia. What is life like there, what is the situation in tourism, and why should everyone visit at least once?

Slavonia is still an unspoiled pearl of continental Croatia, and in the last few years, I must say that tourism is starting to happen to us. Especially during and just after the pandemic, people turned to nature a lot more. Of course, not all of them kept that lifestyle, but still, many of them realised that life offers more than shopping malls and that it is smarter and healthier for them and their children to stay in the mountains, hills, in nature in general on the weekends and every other free moment. That's how the Jankovac trail became super popular, but Slavonia has a lot more to offer. I think that the Slavonia Hiking Trail, the first mountain ring trail in Croatia (from 1957), is not sufficiently "used" and that it should be the flagship of tourism and the development of outdoor activities in Slavonia.

I am also thankful to the Slavonia cluster, the association of county tourist boards, with whom I laid out a cycling route that connects all five counties, and largely follows the Slavonia Hiking Trail. This means that outdoor enthusiasts can use the "bike and hike" activity – cycle a part of the trail, then store their bicycle in a lodging, hike, for example, the Ivačka Glava peak (one of the most beautiful viewpoints on Papuk), then reward themselves with an excellent lunch in the mountain lodge before finishing the trail. This is just the foundation, but an important and healthy foundation on which other activities can be built on.

Many thanks to Hrvoje for sharing his inspiring story, and we wish him the best of luck in all his endeavors! Check out TCN's Instagram for updates, and stay tuned for part 2 coming somewhere in the middle of Hrvoje’s northern journey.

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

January 30, 2023 - Two years ago - 19 babies, last year 39. The location of the baby boom - Stari Jankovci, not far from Vinkovci. A small municipality all the way in the east of Croatia. Full of life. How come young families are building their future there?

"I grew up here and will continue my life here with my two children. So I think we actually have all that we need, even though we are a small community," Tena Draženović from Stari Jankovci told RTL / SiB.

A director of a kindergarten from Zadar also decided to move to this intimate environment.

"We are happy with our decision and have no regrets, on the contrary. It is a lot more peaceful here since it is a smaller place, there is less hustle and bustle, and that suits us best," said Ivana Jurčević, director of the Krijesnica Jankovci Kindergarten.

The fact that young people have started arriving to live in Jankovci also helps the locals.

"It's good because young people get married, buy their houses or build them and stay in the village, and that's good for us," said Marijan Boroz.

There are no overnight results in demography, but there is progress. For them, the most important thing is not incentive allowances for children but an encouraging climate for a quality life for young families.
"In the past ten years, the many measures we have implemented have resulted in 39 babies," said Dragan Sudarević, head of the Stari Jankovci Municipality.

Incentives in agriculture and economy, investments in infrastructure, social life, and young families. 5,000 kuna for the first child, 6,000 for the second, 7,000 for the third, and 10,000 for the fourth child.

"We co-finance nurseries; we gift 1,000 kunas for all primary school children; we co-finance high school transport, give out scholarships. There are also many free schools in our municipality, such as a dance school, a football school, a music school, a painting school," he added.

In the municipality of Stari Jankovci, they even financially encourage the adoption of dogs. Their budget is around one million euros, but with careful management and successful acquisition of European funds, they say, all that is necessary for a quality life and future can be provided.

"I have five children with six grandchildren so far; the seventh is on the way. So now I hope my daughter will also return to Jankovci; if she does, even better, and she is likely to do so," Marijan added.

To both new and old residents of Stari Jankovci, congratulations and wishes that their dreams come true. As SiB quotes a popular children's song - children full of imagination, children decorate the world! And Slavonia is full of life indeed.

For more, make sure to check out our Lifestyle section.

December 21, 2022 – Meet Slavonia 365, full of life. A year ago, TCN started Vukovar 365, the new series to show that there is life in the east of Croatia every day of the year. After Vukovar reigned the stage for a while, it is time to go beyond and tell more inspiring stories of Slavonia. For our exciting opener, meet Iva and Mihovil of Castrum Gin.

This young married couple worked in marketing and law in Zagreb, jobs they loved, but they decided to return and chase their dreams in their tiny home village of Kaptol near Požega. And they are doing so while sipping on some top-quality Slavonian gin. We spoke to them to find out how they do it, what inspired them to go gin instead of rakija, and why everyone should consider at least visiting Slavonia.

Introduce the people of Castrum and tell us about its visual identity.

We are Iva and Mihovil, a young married couple who started producing craft gin a year and a half ago in a small town at the foot of Papuk, Kaptol. Mihovil is a lawyer by profession, and I am an economist. Although we loved the jobs we did in Zagreb, we decided that we would prefer to live in a quieter place in the future. We both come from Slavonia, and Mihovil has been involved in the production of wine and brandy with his parents since he was a child, so distillation was a familiar concept to him before we ever decided to run a business with distillates.

Castrum is the name for two types of gins we produce - London dry gin and Barrel-aged gin. Its name was inspired by the medieval fortress that dominates Kaptol, whose shape is called a castrum. The shape of the fort is hexagonal with four associated towers, which we also used for the shape of our label. The logo mostly reminds people of lace, but it's actually a faler - an ornament from the horse bridles of Hallstatt warriors who lived above Kaptol in the early Iron Age. Falers were excavated precisely at the Kaptol-Čemernica archaeological site near our distillery.

What inspired you to produce gin and not a more traditional drink like rakija? Tell us about your journey.

Gin is a drink we have both loved for a very long time, and we have tried many different types and brands. As for gin as our first distillate choice, it was carefully chosen. When we started thinking two and a half years ago about doing something that would allow us to make a decent living in Slavonia, we knew we needed an idea that would set us apart somehow. The idea of gin was born - precisely because it would be a somewhat "logical" sequence if we started to produce rakija in Slavonia and moved back from the big city, but I'm sure the whole story then wouldn't have been half as interesting.

Some new products are coming, which and how will they be special?

We plan to produce two types of rakija, quince and viljemovka, but before that, we will market pelinkovac (bitter wormwood liqueur) with an interesting name. That one will also be interesting due to ingredients associated with Slavonia, which are not typical for pelinkovac itself. We have a great desire to age a real Slavonian whiskey as well.

You have a gin garden; how does that work? Where do your visitors usually come from?

Our entire distillery is housed in an extension of my husband's parents' home. Since we would also sell our gin there, we created a small cozy area in the basement with a table and six chairs where our guests can sit when they come to shop or for a tasting. At that time, we did not think that a larger group of people would want to visit; we predicted it in the distant future, but it came very quickly. Since we still need to design a larger space for tastings, we came up with the idea of a gin garden during summer. Then the entire lawn in our backyard is occupied by pallets and old things from our grandparents' houses - armchairs, sewing machines, old irons, etc. It is a unique experience in the evening since the whole setup is between apple and pear trees, where we hang fairy lights, which makes it beautiful in the summer evenings. The gin garden opens when the temperatures make spending time outdoors comfortable, usually from the end of May until mid-September. Visitors come to us from all parts of our beautiful country, mainly from Zagreb. We are glad our location is becoming a top choice for weekend trips. There are many tourists in summer, but their number increases significantly in autumn and spring.

How did the fact that you are located in the east of Croatia affect your business?

It had a favourable effect on us, probably because, by returning to Slavonia, we were able to place a very trendy drink on this market, which also quickly found its place under the sun due to its quality.

You are a marketing expert. It seems that Castrum and Slavonia are an inseparable duo. Tell us about this symbiosis.

Ah, Slavonia without Castrum as a gin brand has indeed existed all this time, but a castrum has been standing there since the Middle Ages! During our brand design, we were guided by the idea that our entire product would tell a story - from the ingredients themselves to the connection with the location. I believe that to be very important, it gives personality to the brand, and people connect with it more easily. We produce gin in Slavonia, so we made sure to use ingredients that are characteristic of the area. In our gins, those are elderberry, black mulberry, and grapevine. By returning to Slavonia, we also wanted to work on promoting our destination. I think that by connecting branding with history, we have created a wonderful symbiosis that ultimately offers a tourist experience.

Tell us about tourism in that part of Slavonia - is there tourist potential, and why should everyone visit?

There is significant tourist potential here, and I am glad that this potential is being exploited more and more. Many people have visited our distillery from all parts of Croatia, as well as from abroad. We are happy to host ‘our’ people, who went to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and even Sweden to earn their living. They somehow get particularly emotional since they wish they could have stayed in their hometown and done something which would provide them with a good life.

There are many reasons why to visit Slavonia. Untouched nature is undoubtedly one of them. The forest park Jankovac is beautiful in all seasons; there are so many cycling and walking paths; our entire region is full of excellent wines and wineries that everyone should visit. There are also many educational places, and there is plenty of content for the youngest.

Having come back, we completed the story of the "return" of our entire team. We were eight enthusiasts who wanted to show our area to more people. We all lived outside Slavonia at one point, and some even on another continent. We designed the event "Ideš i piješ" (Drink as You Go), which works according to Wine and Walk principles. Participants walk 12 kilometers through Papuk and meet local winemakers and distillers. This year was the second in a row, and we can say that the interest is huge. Registration fees were sold out in just ten days, and our inbox was full of questions about whether other places would be open. Slowly but surely, Slavonia is finding its place on the must-visit map. I think that the pandemic also contributed to this. We were limited in terms of travel, so we turned to travel in our own country. At least something beautiful came of such an ugly crisis.

Where can we find you and your product, how long does delivery take? Are we late for Christmas shopping?

So far, we have yet to enter large retail chains, so our products can be found in smaller specialised stores. A list of them can be found on our website, through which our products can be ordered. Delivery takes 1-3 working days. Of course, that deadline could be extended these days by a day or two. As for being late for Christmas shopping, I think it's never too late for good presents!

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