August 21, 2020 - After the transfer of his life, Croatian goalkeeper Ivo Grbic introduced himself to Atletico Madrid fans.

Croatian goalkeeper Ivo Grbic introduced himself to the fans of Atletico Madrid, where he signed a goalkeeping contract on Thursday. Grbic has signed a four-year contract and will be the reserve goalkeeper for Slovenian first-keeper Jan Oblak.

"I am very happy. I am grateful to all the people at the club who welcomed me. Thank you to the fans for the welcome. My dream has come true. I have come to Madrid and I will play for one of the biggest clubs in the world," said the new Atletico Madrid goalkeeper.

"Atletico is one of the biggest clubs in the world. I watched all their games this season. I like coach Simeone and the character of the team. In all games, all the players give 100 percent of themselves, have a great coach and top fans. My favorite players in Atletico's history are Forlan and Fernando Torres, and today Jan Oblak," Grbic said and continued how much he loves and appreciates the Slovenian keeper.

"All my dreams have come true. I will do every training and learn from one of the best goalkeepers in the world. For me, he is the best. Oblak is from Slovenia near Croatia and I will learn from him every day."

Grbic is a child of Hajduk. He grew up at Poljud and left the club two years ago for Lokomotiva, which brought him for free. Today, he made the biggest transfer in the history of the Kajzerica club.

"I'm from Split, a city that has the biggest club in Croatia, which also has the mentality of always giving 100 percent on the pitch. It has the best fans in Croatia. I know everything about Atletico. Vrsaljko told me everything I need to know; he told me that we have the best coach in the world and I am really happy to play for this club. Aupa Atleti," said Grbic.

[?️] INTERVIEW

Ivo Grbić’s first words as an Atleti player:

“??’? ? ????? ?? ???? ??? ??? ?? ??? ?????’? ???? ?????."

? #WelcomeGrbic
?⚪ #AúpaAtleti pic.twitter.com/EgTg1mzaGp

— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) August 20, 2020

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August 20, 2020 - The 24-year-old Lokomotiva goalkeeper Ivo Grbic has officially signed for Atletico Madrid!

Gol.hr reports that Ivo Grbic has signed the contract of his life. The child of Hajduk is going to famous Spanish club Atletico Madrid, though not from Poljud - but Kajzerica.

Lokomotiva is responsible for the colossal transfer, selling Grbic to Atletico for six million euro. The Zagreb club brought him from Hajduk for free.

As the Spanish portal Goal has learned, Grbic, accompanied by his manager, went by plane to Madrid on Wednesday, where he will undergo medical examinations and sign a historic contract for Croatian football.

Ivo Grbić potpisao je za Atletico Madrid!

Ponosni smo što možemo objaviti kako je ovo najznačajniji Lokomotivin transfer u povijesti!

Hvala ti na svemu Ivo i sretno dalje! ??https://t.co/V7j7CiP9kh pic.twitter.com/RXtWmjlPGX

— NK Lokomotiva Zagreb (@NKLokomotiva) August 20, 2020

The most expensive transfer of a Croatian goalkeeper was six million euro when Ghent sold Lovre Kalinic to Aston Villa, and even before that transfer, Kalinic also held the record for the most expensive Croatian goalkeeper. Hajduk sold him to Ghent for 3.7 million euro.

Thus, Lokomotiva breaks Hajduk's club record, and soon Kalinic's six million will become the second-largest goalkeeper transfer in Croatian history.

Namely, some sources say that Grbic's transfer could increase up to eight million euro thanks to bonuses, but these are still just speculations and there is no official confirmation of the news.

Goal revealed that Slaven Bilic almost agreed on Grbic's transfer to WBA, but at the last minute, Atletico offered the most and sealed the deal on the promising 24-year-old goalkeeper. The Spaniards write that Bilic put an offer on Grbic's table, and the young goalkeeper was in favor of going to England, but Atletico swooped in and ruined the plans of the former Croatia coach. 

Atletico is sending Alex Dos Santos, a goalkeeper from their football school, to Lokomotiva, and Lokomotiva will also receive 15% of Grbic's sales to another club in the future, Spanish media reports. 

[?] Acuerdo con el @NKLokomotiva para el traspaso de Ivo Grbić.

?? El guardameta croata firma con nuestro club para las siguientes 4️⃣ temporadas.

➡️ https://t.co/uTq0GCISUH

? ¡#BienvenidoGrbic a la familia rojiblanca!

?⚪ #AúpaAtleti pic.twitter.com/akiAb45Jxl

— Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) August 20, 2020

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August 20, 2020 - The Split Mayor, Andro Krstulovic Opara, said that the recently increased number of newly infected in Split-Dalmatia County was "a consequence of a larger number of tourists and a larger number of young people enjoying nightlife." He sharply called out the irresponsible caterers.

T.portal reports that Krstulovic said that the city's Civil Protection Headquarters reacted as soon as they noticed the sudden growth of the newly infected, convening an emergency meeting on Monday, N1 reports.

"These are not worrying numbers, but we had to intervene," said the mayor, noting that the meeting was attended by the director of the Split-Dalmatia County Teaching Institute for Public Health, Zeljka Karin, and the president of the Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts (HOK) for Split, Jozo Tomas.

The meeting was convened, the mayor explained, "to harmonize the work with the work of the inspection services to prevent those little anomalies and those rare greedy recidivists." The term “greedy recidivists” referred to the group of caterers who did not implement epidemiological measures.

Krstulovic Opara believes that the number of infected will "drop soon".

The N1 reporter was interested in whether the reaction came late, because, for example, out of Wednesday's 66 new cases in the county, as many as 18 are from Imotski, which seems to be a possible focus, as he stated.

"Time will tell if the reaction is timely," the mayor replied, adding:

"We're at 70 percent overnight stays compared to last year. The economy has finally started... It would be dreadful to jeopardize results like this now because of a few."

He believes that the national headquarters made the right decisions and quality instructions in a timely manner, but that, apart from the irresponsible caterers, the problem is overburdening inspectors. On limiting the work of bars, cafes and catering clubs, the Split Mayor said:

"If they (the caterers) would stick to the measures, as far as we are concerned, they could work all night. It can already be seen that there is a smaller number of those who violate the measures."

Opara concluded by saying in the autumn, he "would not say that it will be difficult, but that it would be demanding."

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August 19, 2020 - Bacvice not Bali: meet the new beachfront digital nomad chill zone on Split's most famous beach from Saltwater. 

One of the (fairly obvious) secrets to a happy life in Croatia is to surround yourself with positive and creative people. While many sit around in cafes and complain about life, there are many creative, positive people existing in their own bubbles around the country, quietly finding ways around the bureaucracy and other stumbling blocks that make life in The Beautiful Croatia a unique set of challenges. 

I knew very little about co-working spaces when I first met Tanja Polegubic in Split about 18 months ago, but I was very impressed by her vision, determination, and creative thinking to get around the various barriers which exist in doing business in Croatia. While more and more people are now talking about the digital nomad opportunity in Croatia, Tanja has put a lot of thought into both the opportunities and challenges, as you can read in 10 Ways Croatia Will Be At The Forefront of Countries with a Digital Nomad Visa (DNV).

Tanja was one of the pioneers of co-working spaces in Split, with her centrally-located Saltwater office just off the main Split riva by Diocletian's Palace, but she has been working on something even cooler these past few weeks to offer visiting nomads the ultimate chill zone at Bacvice not Bali. A delightful remote worker space at the edge of Split's most famous beach, with its own dedicated space within a very cool bar. I was there a month ago and absolutely loved it, and I am thrilled that Tanja has finally brought the project to fruition - it is now open for business. 

How better to introduce it than in the words Tanja posted on Facebook announcing its opening:

With great #joy - the new part of the Saltwater Workspace Split business is #nowopen. Hoo-frikking-Ray! And #shoutout to my mum Anka Polegubic cause she's awesome! and pok. Šerif 

It has taken ... weeks! Painting. Drilling. Hardware store-ing. Wifi hacks. Gemišt and gin tastings. Etc.

Thank you to @kavala_beach_bar / @amandaluisebarnes for the setup. And everyone else who has supported this idea and is working here this week.... more important, those who #wishyouwerehere The #BobMarley is playing.... the #gemišt is flowing ... and The water is fine.

#repost @saltwatersplit Bačvice Beach ... The new Bali (well, when you can’t get to Bali).

#todaysoffice #saltwaterworkspace #croatiadigitalnomads

Bookings essential. #staysalty

TIME: 9am to 8pm. 7 days / summer only.

PRICE: 150 HRK minimum spend at the cafe/bar. (Tough life!)

Free for Saltwater Workspace Split  members.

BOOKINGS: Whatsapp Saltwater +385913308000 or ask for Amanda at the bar (after 12 midday).

Refreshing detox watermelon mint smoothies for 35 HRK and  Brooklyn Bagel Co.  Bagels  with Schmear for ~ 20 HRK and up

A great addition to the remote working scene in Dalmatia, and the opening comes at a time when there is a concerted push to introduce a digital nomad visa for Croatia, an initiative which was yesterday supported by the Ministry of the Interior. Read more in Croatian Bureaucracy 2.0: Progress with the Digital Nomad Visa.

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August 19, 2020 -  The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates for Split, Dubrovnik, and Pula. 

Croatian Aviation reports that British low-cost carrier easyJet issued a statement on its website on Tuesday announcing the imminent closure of its three large bases in the UK, solely due to reduced demand caused by the global coronavirus pandemic.

There are two airports in London, Stansted and Southend, and the company's base in Newcastle. From all three mentioned airports, there are direct easyJet flights to Croatia, more precisely, to Pula, Split and Dubrovnik.

 “We had to take the very difficult decision to close three UK bases as a result of the unprecedented impact of the pandemic and related travel restrictions, compounded by quarantine measures in the UK which is impacting demand for travel. We would like to reassure customers due to fly from these airports that we are now contacting anyone whose flight is affected with clear advice on their options which include rerouting via alternative airports or receiving a full refund," easyJet CEO, Johan Lundgren, said. 

The closure of these bases will happen very soon, as early as September 1, with the announcement that traffic from these airports will resume in the summer flight schedule in 2021. easyJet will operate on the following lines to Croatia until the end of August, and some of them have already been canceled.

• London Stansted - Dubrovnik
• London Stansted - Split
• London Southend - Dubrovnik
• London Southend - Pula
• Newcastle - Split

easyJet will operate from London (Gatwick Airport) to Dubrovnik, Split and Pula in September, so passengers planning a trip from Stansted or Southend Airport will be able to change their departure airport from London free of charge.

Passengers who have purchased a ticket on the line Newcastle - Split for September, will have to use the line from Manchester to arrive at Split Airport. That line will also run throughout September.

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ZAGREB, Aug 17, 2020 - Since the epidemiological situation has deteriorated and some hospitality venues are violating measures by the national COVID-19 response team, the response team for Split on Monday called for precise conditions and epidemiological measures as they are being interpreted differently on the ground.

Representatives of the Split Civil Protection Authority and city officials called on the county and national authorities to specify the conditions and epidemiological measures that hospitality and services venues need to adhere to due to the different interpretations and violations of measures on the ground, particularly with regard to working hours for bars, night clubs, and restaurants.

They called on the competent services and inspections to intensify controls and the implementation of the recommended measures due to frequent breaches.

The city's response team called on citizens and guests, particularly young people, to behave responsibly and in line with epidemiological measures that are intended to protect their health and that of others.

The team called on workers in tourism, particularly hospitality providers, to implement the recommended measures thus protecting health, allowing the economy and tourism to function and saving jobs.

August 17, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates for Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, Rijeka, Zadar, and Osijek.

Croatian Aviation reports that Eurowings, a low-budget German airline owned by the Lufthansa Group, has announced its flight schedule for September this year. 

The company was among the first to establish regular traffic to Croatia, but as the end of the summer season approaches, Eurowings will also reduce the number of weekly flights to specific destinations.

Find the complete flight schedule to Croatian destinations below. 

40 operations a week to Split

Split Airport will still have the largest number of Eurowings flights. Moreover, the number of weekly flights in September will be higher than in August!

Split - Dusseldorf will operate 4 times a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays), one flight less per week compared to August,

Split - Hamburg will operate 4 times a week (Mondays, Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays), one flight extra than in August,

Split - Cologne will operate 5 times a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays twice a day and Sundays), one extra flight than in August,

Split - Stuttgart will operate 4 times a week (Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays),

Split - Hannover will operate once a week, on Saturdays,

Split - Berlin will operate twice a week (Tuesdays and Saturdays), one extra flight compared to August.

Rijeka and Zadar see reduced traffic, the line to Osijek is canceled

As for the traffic to the three airports mentioned above, the number of weekly frequencies will decrease in September:

Rijeka - Dusseldorf will operate once a week, on Saturdays (one flight less per week compared to August),

Rijeka - Hamburg will operate once a week, on Sundays,

Pula - Dusseldorf will operate once a week, on Saturdays,

Zadar - Cologne will operate once a week, on Saturdays,

Zadar - Stuttgart will operate twice a week until September 9, after the mentioned date once a week, on Sundays,

Osijek - Stuttgart line will not be in operation in September this year.

Eurowings returns to Dubrovnik

As announced earlier, Eurowings will re-establish traffic to Dubrovnik in September. Initially, the company planned to launch four lines, but canceled the line from Cologne.

The following lines are planned for September this year:

Dubrovnik - Dusseldorf will be in traffic once a week, on Sundays,

Dubrovnik - Berlin will be in traffic once a week, on Sundays,

Dubrovnik - Hamburg line will be open once a week, on Sundays.

Zagreb connected with Stuttgart and Cologne

In September, Eurowings will continue to operate two routes to Zagreb Airport, from Stuttgart and Cologne.

Zagreb - Stuttgart will operate 4 times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays,

Zagreb - Cologne will operate 5 times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Sundays, which is one flight more than in August.

In total, Eurowings will have 76 weekly operations (takeoffs and landings) at 6 Croatian airports in September.

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August 16, 2020 - The world's most-famous contemporary Sevdalinka outfit, Mostar Sevdah Reunion, hold their first concert of the year in Croatia, as part of the 66th Split Summer Festival

The emotion-wracked melodies of the traditional Sevdalinka (or Sevdah) folk music have rung out across Bosnia for over 500 years. But, for the most famous contemporary band playing this style, the music fell silent on New Year's Eve.

That was the final performance by Mostar Sevdah Reunion, whose return to the live circuit has been halted by COVID-19. But, tonight (Sunday 16 August), at 9pm, they return to the stage.

The band will play a concert at 9pm in Sustipan in Split, the peninsula which lies south-west of the harbour, as part of the 66th Split Summer Festival. There, the emotionally-charged sounds of sevdah, sometimes described as the blues or soul music of the Balkans, will once again be set free.

The Balkan region has the richest and most unique range of folk musics in the whole of Europe; nowhere other than here can you hear styles, scales and rhythms from the near and far east infiltrate into European folk music styles. This melting pot of styles grants the region an exciting and diverse range of authentic folk musics, years ahead, in terms of progression and ambition, to other European styles (indeed, there's a reasonable argument to be made that jazz music emanates from Bulgaria and not America). Sevdah is arguably the most emotive of all the traditional folk musics from the area which encompasses the former Yugoslavia. It has fans across the whole region.


Mostar Sevdah Reunion

Emerging with their debut album in 1999, Mostar Sevdah Reunion have done more than any other contemporary band to place sevdah music on the world stage. They have recorded with true giants of sevdah and Roma music, such as Esma Redzepova, Šaban Bajramović and Ljiljana Buttler. In concert, they have appeared at Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Barbican Center in London, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Konzerthaus in Vienna, the Kremlin State Theater in Moscow, the Art Palace in Budapest, the North Sea Jazz Festival, the Nice Jazz Festival and WOMAD Festival. Mostar Sevdah Reunion have had several documentaries made about them.

The word sevdah comes from the Turkish word sevda which, in turn, derives from the Arabic sawda, a word often associated with a pining heart or unrequited love. Alongside the sevdah music they take their name and inspiration from, over the band's 25+ year career Mostar Sevdah Reunion have become famous for mixing jazz and even Latin styles into their music. In recent years have opened their repertoire to include a classic catalogue of Romani songs.

August 15, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates for Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik.

Croatian Aviation reports that OneWorld alliance member British Airways will reduce the number of weekly flights to Zagreb in September this year.

British Airways currently operates daily between London (Heathrow Airport) and Zagreb, on A319 and A320 aircraft. Given the occupancy of the passenger cabin and reduced demand, the company decided to reduce the number of weekly flights on the said route in September this year.

From September 1 on the London - Zagreb route, British Airways aircraft will operate six times a week, every day except Wednesday, while from September 7, there will be five flights per week on the route. Namely, the flight will be additionally canceled on Tuesdays.

Changes are certainly still possible, but unfortunately not in the direction of increasing weekly flights, especially with the fact that the number of patients with COVID-19 in the Republic of Croatia is growing significantly.

Other British Airways routes in Croatia (to Dubrovnik, Split and Pula) have no operational changes so far.

Croatia Airlines currently offers three flights a week on the route Zagreb - London Heathrow throughout September (Monday, Wednesday, Friday), but the flight schedule for next month has not yet been finalized.

Furthermore, Croatian Aviation reports that Aeroflot has completely canceled the Moscow - Split route, to which it planned to return in August, and there are no announced flights to Dubrovnik or Zagreb.

Before the pandemic, Russian Aeroflot operated daily on the Moscow (Sheremetyevo Airport) - Zagreb route, both in summer and winter.

The line was suspended at the time of the pandemic and has not resumed until now. However, according to the announcements from the airline, there will be no direct flights between the two capitals this year. The company plans to make a significant restructuring after the crisis, and according to current announcements, we can expect a direct air connection between Moscow and Zagreb only in April 2021.

Aeroflot even announced the launch of its seasonal route Moscow - Split in August this year, airline tickets were already on sale, but given the regulations at the state borders, it was to be expected that flights would be canceled, which eventually happened.

The third Aeroflot line in Croatia, the one to Dubrovnik, was withdrawn from sale in March, so Croatia will not have a direct connection with the capital of Russia this year.

In the summer flight schedule, the Croatian national carrier operates on the Zagreb - St. Petersburg line, but that line was also canceled for this year.

Aeroflot's last visit to Croatia was on May 2 this year, when a B777 aircraft landed at Zagreb Airport for the first time, transporting medical equipment from China via Moscow to the Croatian capital.

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August 15, 2020 - On August 17, 2020, the Croatian Post will launch a new commemorative postage stamp for the 200th anniversary of the Split Archaeological Museum.

Dalmacija Danas reports that the motif on the stamps is the sarcophagus of the good shepherd, which originates from Solin, from the 4th century. The author of the stamp is Duje Segvic, a designer from Split. The value of the stamp is marked with the letter "A", which corresponds to the amount of postage for a letter weighing up to 50 g in domestic traffic and for a postcard in domestic traffic.

The stamp was printed in a circulation of 100,000 copies and was issued in a sheet of 20 stamps. The Croatian Post also issued a First Day Cover (FDC). The first-day stamp will be in use on August 17 and 18, 2020, at a separate philately counter at the 10000 Zagreb Post Office.

The Archaeological Museum in Split was founded on August 22, 1820. This is a significant date not only for Croatian archeology and all Croatian museums, but also for the city of Split, the entire region, and the Republic of Croatia. At the same time, the Archaeological Museum in Split is the oldest museum institution in Southeast Europe. 

The museum building, however, was not immediately located at the present site. Instead, until 1868, the building was located at the east wall of Diocletian's Palace, of which nothing has been preserved today. Today's museum building was built just before the First World War.

In March 1912, construction began on a new museum designed by Viennese architects August Kirstein and Friedrich Ohmann, which lasted until June 1914. Thus, the building of the Split Archaeological Museum, along with the building of the Museum of Arts and Crafts in Zagreb from 1888 and partly the Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts from 1880, became the oldest purpose-built building, i.e., built exclusively for a museum in Croatia.

The new building has a large exhibition hall for smaller objects, a garden with a lapidary was intended for stone monuments, while in the basement there were depots. The available space met the needs of the museum until the 1960s when there were thoughts of expanding it by building a new building in the back garden.

Until 1910, when the Ethnographic Museum was founded, there was no other museum-gallery institution in Split than the Archaeological Museum. Thus, it collected the testimonies of Croatia's past that would not otherwise belong to it in terms of subject matter, with the care of its directors who were interested not only in archeology but also in history, old and rare books, maps, archives, and works of art.

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