Contractors of the first phase of the rehabilitation of Karepovac, companies "GTT Trade" and "Eurco," are reluctant to publicly commend the tremendous and demanding work they have done in the past year and four months, transforming Split’s smelly landfill into a landscaped, not-so-smelly, and sanitized landfill.

However, when asked about the deadline for completion, Arsen Zoran Tonšić, CEO of GTT Trade, said that everything would be completed by the beginning of the summer, which means nine months before the contract deadline, May 22, 2020, reports Slobodna Dalmacija on April 8, 2019. 

For Croatia, that sounds like science fiction - and most of us in Split remember how Karepovec once looked. Namely, a landfill with over 50 years of garbage, adorned with a cloud of hungry seagulls floating above. Not even a Hollywood movie set could have made a landfill look more like one than Karepovac.

However, today, after a year and four months of rehabilitation, Karepovac is covered with layers of various materials and protective pebbles, making it unrecognizable. 

Tomislav Tento, construction site engineer, and Tonšić spoke about the new sanitary plot where the waste will be disposed of for the next five to six years, while they wait for work on the Waste Management Center in Lećevica

“It is a surface which extends over 37,000 square meters, the same amount of surface as the slope, and a volume of one million cubic meters. Below the tape, there are as many as ten different layers of material that are resistant to biochemical influences. Water from the landfill will no longer end up underground, but through two chutes, it’ll enter a swimming pool for landfill wastewater, which is in the final stage of construction,” said Tonšić.

At the very top of the landfill, more precisely on its western side, a new peripheral road will be built which will be asphalted at the very end of the work, and works are underway for the plumbing connection to the hydrant network. During this rehabilitation phase, the Split landfill currently disposes of freshly received waste.

“What is particularly important is that we have no more problems with unpleasant smells. We've finished moving the waste and at the third micro-location, we might have to rearrange the new waste," said Tonšić.

"Three-quarters of the landfill is covered, landscaped and brought to a state for the next stage. The only exposed part is where the new garbage is collected, which is reduced to only 500 square meters is covered daily. We have also completed the gravity pipeline,” concluded Tonšić, adding that most of the work was already done - only the final make-up is left.

The second phase of Karepovac’s rehabilitation envisages its greening, and the third and final phase foresees the sanitation of the area where the garbage will be disposed of in the future, and finally the closure of the landfill, assuming that all the waste is driven to Lećevica.

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

Split is one of Croatia’s best-known tourist destinations, and it is only logical that each year, the tourist offer must be enriched, one way or another. 

The City of Split sent out a press release regarding the implementation of the project "Marjan 2020 - Hill of the past, oasis of the future", reports Splitski Dnevnik on April 5, 2019. 

“Following on the topic of activities within the Marjan Forest Park as part of the project 'Marjan 2020 - Hill of the Past, oasis of the future', we want to inform the public about the real situation, to communicate every phase of this project, which we are incredibly proud of, actively and transparently from the start. 

Over the past couple of days, two planned items within the project have started a public debate, namely setting up an adrenaline park for children and adults and setting up a network for the paintball field. We emphasize that these two financial activities amount to about 850,000 kuna with VAT, which represents about 4 percent of the value of 21 million kuna. The value of the paintball field in the project is only 117,000 kuna.

Furthermore, it is only these two activities in the Forest Park itself, along with the Botanical Gardens after reconstruction, which are planned to be reviewed.

For all citizens of Split, most of the activities will be free, and we remind you that the project involves the renovation and reconstruction of all these contents and the implementation of the following activities:

- Interpretation of the Botanic Center - Botanical Garden:

- Designing a detailed project for the Botanical Garden - estimated amount 80,000,00 kn

- Revitalization of the Botanical Garden - estimated amount 1.997.914,10 kn

- Reconstruction of Marjan’s houses - estimated amount 401.100,00 kn

- School in nature for Children (Bene) - estimated amount 334.624,00 kn

- Thematic ecological and educational trails - the story of Marjan - estimated amount 96.000,00 kn

- Educational trail ‘Baba Marta’ - estimated amount 54,700.00 kn

- Visitor registration and monitoring system - estimated amount 158.250,00 kn

- Electric bus for the transportation of visitors - estimated amount 1.050.000,00 kn

- Educational film about the flora and fauna of Marjan - estimated amount 120.000,00 kn

- Application - interactive guide of Marjan - estimated amount 240.000,00 kn

- Multimedia content for kinesiological development of children and young people in the nature school with a 3D game - 'Meet the botany' and equipment - estimated amount 184.000,00 kn

- Multimedia presentation of Marjan - estimated amount 128.000,00 kn

- Workshops for pre-school children - estimated amount 48.000,00 kn

- Workshops for Split Elementary Schools - estimated amount of 48.000.00 kuna

- Workshops on multifunctional development of children and young people in nature - estimated amount 11.200,00 kn

- Educating the local population - estimated amount 24.000,00 kn

- Guide training - estimated amount 20.000,00 kn

- Audio guide and a map of Marjan - estimated amount 148.000,00 kn

- Watchtower - Sedlo - estimated amount 3.793.296,38 kn

- Communal equipment - Benches and baskets - estimated amount 175,023.20 kn

- Children's Town - estimated amount 214,700.00 kn

- Outdoor exercise equipment - street workout - estimated amount 363.910,00 kn

- Routes and roads - estimated amount 371.100,00 kn

- Mountain biking trails - estimated amount 535,700.00 kn

- Paintball area - estimated amount 93.850, 00 kn

- Mobile adrenaline park - estimated amount 554.800,00 kn

- Signaling system and road signs for Marjan - estimated amount 101.400,00 kn

- Internet points - estimated amount 120.000,00 kn

- Specific souvenirs - estimated amount 24.000,00 kn

- Futsal and basketball court (Spinut) - estimated amount 949,970.00 kn

- Bocce at Bene - estimated amount 68.400,00 kn

- Picnic zone Bene and First peak - estimated amount 53.760,00 kn

- Promotional tourist material for Marjan - estimated amount 189.600,00 kn

- Info on the opening day of Marjan - estimated amount 8.000,00 kn

The above amounts exclude VAT. The total eligible costs are 16.855.478,97 kn (21.069.338,71 kn with PDV).

We believe that it is clear from all this that the project 'Marjan 2020' is directed towards the public, primarily to Split citizens of all ages, concerning future commercial content.

Public information has been published several times, saying that the area for the paintball field occupies 40.000 m2, which is entirely inaccurate, and the planned space for this is 2.500,00 m2 (50 * 50 m2), which is 20 times less!

There is entirely inaccurate information on how we will build a fence wall. It is about setting a transparent protective net which will be lowered and raised depending on the event, 200 meters long and not 800 as some have specified.

It is not true that the trees will be removed! Activities of this kind are just happening in a natural environment and trees are absolutely needed in the field. Only tree branches the height of a tall man would be removed to prevent injuries.

The mobile adrenaline park was developed after previous workshops, which showed the need for the development of climbing content in cooperation with affirmed sports climbing athletes in the Forest Park, and because there is no room for climbers in Split, especially for the youngest, a park with climbing facilities and climbing instructors. This park is demountable and mobile and will adapt its setting to opportunities within the forest area.

All these elements, i.e., the whole project, obtained consent from Split-Dalmatia County, the Department of Communal Affairs, Utilities and Environmental Protection in March 2017, and from the Ministry of Culture, the Cultural Heritage Management, the Conservation Office of Split in April 2017.

The Ministry of Regional Development and Funds of the European Union also signed an agreement at a session of the Government of the Republic of Croatia held in Split in May 2018 with the project manager of Marjan.

The City of Split continues to be open in communication about this project with any interested institution and all its citizens, as it has from the beginning, through the media announcements and through the public presentation of the project on Marjan on September 13, 2018.”

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

June 12, 2015 - the date that marks the last time the Croatia national football team touched the pitch at Poljud. The infamous swastika spotted during Croatia’s Euro 2016 qualifying match against Italy then shocked the world, and the thought of the Dalmatian capital hosting the national team no longer crossed the minds of the Croatian Football Federation. 

However, as nearly four years have passed, discussions about Split hosting the national team are back on the table, which is not terribly surprising, considering Maksimir stadium is in shambles, and Croatia’s other stadiums in Osijek and Rijeka are too small for the crucial Euro 2020 qualifying games. Modrić & Co., the 2018 World Cup finalists, could return to Split this autumn, which has been confirmed by the top of HNS, reports Gol.hr on April 4, 2019. 

The Split audience could welcome the Croatia national team at Poljud at the end of the year, at least as far as newcomer HNS executive director Marijan Kustić is concerned. 

"I said that it would be nice if we got revenge on Hungary in Split," Kustić said to Dnevnik Nova TV. The Euro qualifying match against Hungary is scheduled on October 10th.

Hajduk was asked to comment on Kustić's latest announcements, though they expressed that they have nothing new to say about this topic. The Split club pointed out that their candidacy to host the matches against Hungary and Slovakia was sent to HNS in December, but they have yet to receive an official response.

Kustić replied. 

"Well, I know that first and foremost some conditions need to be met before the game itself is organized, so, first of all, I think we have to sit down at the table. I deeply hope that it will come soon, that we will sit with the representatives of the City of Split and, of course, the leaders of Hajduk."

Recall, along with their submission to HNS, Hajduk sent a request for a meeting in Split with his where the club will present their proposals to improve the work of the Federation. They also included eight conditions for Hajduk's more active engagement in other HNS-related activities. You can read more here. 

"There is a sincere desire from the Croatian Football Federation, and I am sure that people in Dalmatia, of course, want the team in Split."

But what do the people of Split think?

"No!"

Why not?

"I have no idea, in short: I do not follow the team."

Another Split citizen thinks differently:

"Let them play; why not? It is the national team, where else would they play but Split?"

The President of the Split-Dalmatia County Football Federation even had his say on the issue.

"There is an intent by HNS, which you can see from Mr. Kustić's statement, and I think that Hajduk has nothing against the conversation. So, the first step is to sit down and talk," concluded Marko Erceg, NS president of Split-Dalmatia County.

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

At the beginning of 2019, the Croatian company Include signed a two-year distribution agreement with one of the largest global providers of telecommunications services - Deutsche Telekom.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 4th of April, 2019, 42 global markets, six continents, 260 cities across the world, more than 1000 smart benches installed, cooperation with major global corporations, the European Parliament, Deloitte, Forbes... all in just four years - this is just part of the successful results the Croatian company Include from Solin has achieved since May 2015, when the first smart bench was introduced, until the beginning of 2019.

In the first quarter, Solin's Include didn't manage to acheive any real or significant results, as most markets were still covered by snow, and the first installations usually only begin in spring, but in 2019, Include achieved significant export performance. The amount of ordered benches, when compared to the first quarter of 2018, just one year ago, increased by an impressive 109 percent to  a staggering 2.3 million kuna, while total revenues increased by 115 percent.

At the beginning of this year, Include signed a two-year distribution agreement with one of the largest global providers of telecommunications services, Deutsche Telekom. The contract was signed for fifty global markets, and Include became one of the few Croatian companies with this type of somewhat prestigious contract.

In January this year, 44 Steora smart benches worth over 1.1 million kuna were sold and a new market opened its doors, Poland. The largest share of the bench sales relate to exports, and the Steora smart bench has found its way across Europe, having been delivered to Italy, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Spain.

In February this year, Include continued its export activities - with new orders from neighbouring Montenegro, a new market opened (Chile, with two Steora Standard benches) and the month ended with deliveries of 27 smart bench to Greece, Ireland, Israel, Poland, Italy, and Hungary.

March 2019, as the ''test polygon'' for spring, resulted in orders of a new product from Include's sales portfolio - the Monna cyclo tables for Dublin. The new product was presented at the Smart City Expo World Congress in mid-November 2018 in Barcelona, Spain. In addition, two new distribution agreements were signed (Slovenia - 50 benches, France - 72 benches), five Steora benches for Chile and Bermuda were ordered, as were 38 benches for other European countries - the United Kingdom, France, and Montenegro.

It's certainly important to highlight the continuation of Include's global digital outdoor advertising project via the Steora Urban+ smart benches. After they started the project with the installation of fifteen Steora Urban+ benches in Bratislava (at the best locations in the city), at the end of 2018, the project increased its pace in March this year with the another fifteen new Steora Urban+ smart benches, this time in Dublin, Ireland.

Currently, two major cities in the European Union are using Include's external digital advertising system through the Steora smart bench, it is an advanced DOOH system developed within the company itself. The system works using Facebook-like technology, enabling you to choose multiple advertising screens at the same time, set marketing campaign goals, and track advertising results in real-time.

Croatia's Include expects significant business results in the upcoming two quarters, and in addition to that, the realisation of a new investment round is being prepared, followed by the expansion of production capacities and the recruitment of new employees.

Make sure to follow our dedicated business and Made in Croatia pages for much more.

Split Nomad Gallery, known as the first pop-up art gallery in Split, officially opens on Thursday.

Split will welcome summer on Žnjan this year in the same condition they did last year,  dusty with concrete blocks separating the parking and just a few catering facilities, reports Splitski Dnevnik on April 1, 2019. 

The final arrangement of this area is projected for2020, according to the decision of the Architectural Bureau, Ante Kuzmanić.

For now, there are no significant problems with the concessionaires who have signed contracts to work on Žnjan for two years, says the director of the Spalatum DMC, which manages the area. 

"There is no big news for this summer, Žnjan will be slightly upgraded and edited, and it will only be repaired to be better and more functional. All major works will begin in 2020 as anticipated. We will not plan anything new, namely, last year, six or seven green islands were built, which will be maintained further, and are designed to fit into the final project by Kuzmanić. Concessionaires who are contracted with Spalatum DMC are keeping the scale of their catering facilities. As for the concessions granted by the City, there are some discrepancies, but city services are always reacting together with us,” says Ante Šunjić, director of Spalatum DMC.

"The number of parking places will not increase, but we do not expect even bigger crowds. Namely, about 1200 vehicles can be parked at Žnjan, which was also the number before the temporary solution. There is no anticipation for an increase in the number of parking spaces, which is the same as in the final solution. Duilovo Way can also be used for parking. It's going to be the same as last summer, and maybe we'll just add concrete blocks."

Whether there will there be additional content on Žnjan this summer will be decided by a Management Plan that should soon be adopted, which will reveal exactly which activities will be issued for concession.

The realization of a new layout on Žnjan is done in two directions, all the documentation has not yet been obtained, and it is also about the design. At the same time, preparatory actions are underway to get a 30-year concession for the area that will be requested by City-owned companies.

"In the next seven to ten days, we expect the announcement of a public tender for the entire plateau, from all content to building permits, and, according to the plan, it should be completed by the end of this year for construction works to begin on the first day of 2020,” says the advisor to the mayor, Krešimir Budiša.

A tender is still expected by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure, which should be due by next year, to begin work on the design according to the final solution.

For this purpose, a final feasibility study was carried out, i.e., an economic concession study. Next summer, a new promenade will be introduced on Žnjan using the selected project of Ante Kuzmanić, with seven fixed catering facilities, as well as sports facilities and garages.

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

April 1, 2019 - The Croatian First League returned for the 26th round over the weekend after the international break. It was a rather exciting weekend for Hajduk who moved into 4th place, which currently secures them a Europa League spot. However, things are not as optimistic for Osijek, after coach Zoran Zekić turned in his mandate. 

March 31, 2019 - Everyone’s favorite Riva restaurant turns 5… Happy Birthday, Brasserie on 7!

April 1, 2019 - Welcome back, Break Time Dubrovnik and Split (Trogirska 8)!