October 12, 2019 - The latest Winnetou film will begin filming at Paklenica National Park in Starigrad in early September 2020. Directed by Mike Dietrich with Ivica Zdravkovic in the starting role, Winnetou films have been the most-watched in Germany for years - and they've no doubt done their part in promoting Croatia. 

Novi List writes that in about a year, Paklenica National Park will once again transform into a film set and play the central location of the popular Native American chief Winnetou.

The next Winnetou film should begin shooting in September next year. Director Mike Dietrich arrived in Croatia this week and is staying at the Vicko hotel, the long-time Croatian base for all activities related to Winnetou, which for many years has been known as one of the most successful films in Germany.

Dietrich arrived in the company of the main actor Ivica Zdravkovic and was welcomed by the Vicko owner Zoran Katic, the director of the Starigrad Tourist Board Marjana Marasovic, the owner of the Rajna tourist agency Marin Marasovic and the director of Paklenica National Park Natalija Andacic.

The tourism leaders of the old town welcomed their guests from Germany, aware of the immense promotional value of  Winnetou - a wildly famous and fictional Native American hero in the German novels written by Karl May.

The popularity of Winnetou in Germany is evidenced by the fact that there are theme parks in the country, like Pullman City, in the heart of Bavaria.

“Pullman City is a real cowboy city with all the elements. So far, more than one million euros have been invested in it, and our plan is to continue expanding, enriching our program, extending our show, which will last an hour and a half next year, and will be announced, among other things, by a promotional video which we will record here,” Zdravkovic said in Starigrad, who is originally from Prokuplje.

The group toured some of the locations of the future film set, which attracted the attention primarily of German tourists who found themselves at the entrance of the Paklenica National Park at the right time. 

What makes this area so unique for Winnetou films? 

“It is a combination of your incredible nature, the harmony of the blue sky and the white rocks that do not need film filters. And when we add to that the base - the romantic, inspirational lyrics of author Karl May, it's clear why our chief is so popular,” Dietrich summarized.

“The first film was shot in Paklenica in 1962, but after that film, seven other films were made in Croatia, out of a total of 11 films made so far,” emphasized Katic.

Winnetou has attracted several tourists to Starigrad, a Winnetou convention was held, and anyone interested can find marked movie locations in the area. A Winnetou study tour has even been offered.

“Winnetou is a powerful promotional tool that we are very aware of here,” Marasovic emphasized.

Katic agreed, who joined the project with colleagues from the Association of Small and Family Hotels, who also recognized their interest in the story of the Apache tribe.

According to him, the Winnetou project has a lot of tourism potential because there is no German who has not heard of the character.

“I am happy to have the opportunity to be Winnetou, that I am here in Starigrad, in the national park where the scenes are filmed, where I first saw the sea, and that I am part of a project that means a lot to me. My heart is full,” Zdravkovic concluded.

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

October 5, 2019 - Serbian road cycling champion Dusan Rajovic, a member of the Slovenian Adria Mobil team, won the 155-kilometer fourth stage of the CRO Race, which traveled from Starigrad-Paklenica to Crikvenica on Friday. Kazakhstani cyclist Yevgeniy Gidich of the Astana team leads in the overall standings.

HRT reports that Rajovic, the winner of this year's edition of the Croatia-Slovenia race, was convincingly faster in the final sprint in Crikvenica than second-placed Italian Paolo Simion (Bardiani CSF) and Australian Heinrich Haussler (Bahrain-Merida) in third. In addition to the top three, the only cyclists to receive the same time was the 2015 Tour of Croatia winner, Maciej Paterski (Wibatech Merx), who jumped to third place in the overall standings.

Croatian champion Josip Rumac (Androni Giocattoli) also achieved an excellent result in the fourth stage, finishing sixth just four seconds behind the winner.

After the four stages, Gidich leads six seconds ahead of the second-placed Australian Alexander Edmondson (Mitchelton-Scott), and 12 seconds ahead of Paterski in third. 

Austrian Markus Wildauer (Tirol KTM) keeps his green shirt for the best climber, while German Georg Zimmermann (CCC) wears white as the best young cyclist, and Australian Alexander Edmondson (Mitchelton-Scott) wears blue.

The fourth stage drove along the Adriatic highway from Starigrad in Paklenica National Park to the center of Crikvenica.

The cyclists used the beautiful weather to their advantage, and during the first hour, the average speed was as high as 48.7 kilometers per hour. The leading cyclists managed to escape from the group after 40 kilometers, and they included Italians Mirko Maestri (Bardiani CSF) and Samuel Rivi (Tirol KTM), Canadian Alexander Cataford (Israel Cycling Academy), Austrian Matthias Krizek (Felbermayr Simplon) and German John Mandrysch (P&S Metalltechnik).

These five quickly created a three-and-a-half-minute advantage, but couldn't move further, as Krizek and Mandrysch were only 2:24 minutes behind the leading Kazakhstani Yevgeny Gidich (Astana) in the overall order. Astana came to the forefront of the leading group and controlled the difference. Cataford was the best in the climb, while Mandrysch was first approaching Crikvenica. 

Just before the start of the second ascent to Dramalj, Slovene Jan Tratnik (Bahrain-Merida) stood out from the leading group. Tratnik managed to stay in the lead until a kilometer before the finish when the group finally caught up. A technically demanding finish followed in Crikvenica with three tight turns that caused the fall of a few drivers. Rajovic did best in the chaos.

RESULTS

1. Dusan Rajovic (ADR/SRB) 3:30:24 

2. Paolo Simion (BRD/ITA)

3. Heinrich Haussler (TBM/AUS)

4. Maciej Paterski (WIB/POL) all with the same time

5. Alexander Edmonson ( MTS/AUS) +4 sec

6. Josip Rumac (ANS/HRV)

OVERALL

1. Yevgeniy Gidich (KAZ)

2. Alexander Edmondson (AUS) + 6

3. Maciej Paterski (POL) +12

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

Spring is a delightful gourmet celebration in Dalmatia, and also the season for wild asparagus. Stari Grad on Hvar will be hosting its third Sparogijada on May 6, 2019. 

Two of my most surprising discoveries moving from the UK to Dalmatia were without doubt octopus and asparagus. 

Show a Brit an octopus and then suggest he eat it for his lunch and the majority will run a mile. I must admit I was not keen on the idea, but a friend gently encouraged me to try an octopus salad starter one lunchtime. I agreed with some reservations and tucked in with trepidation. It was absolutely delicious, served cold with salad, tomato, onions, garlic, capers, lemon juice and - of course - more than a splash of olive oil. It is now my favourite starter and one I enthusiastically recommend to visiting friends. Their reluctance, then conversion, then enthusiastic embracing of the dish is an experience which mirrors my own, every time. 

So too with asparagus, which was right up there with broccoli and Brussels sprouts before I moved to Croatia. But you have not tasted real asparagus until you come to Croatia. It grows wild and locals head off into the fields to gather it in season, in the same way Russians and their mushroom-picking is a national sport. 

And the taste is totally different, a lot more concentrated and bitter. The stalks are also a lot smaller than the asparagus I am used to, but the taste and combination of dishes at this time of year make asparagus an essential ingredient. In many ways, Spring is the best time of year for Croatian gastronomy, which is more dependent on seasons that the 24-hour, 12-month supermarkets back home. 

And one of the golden rules of life in Croatia is that if it grows, it deserves a festival to celebrate it. Some time ago I wrote an article, Natural Food Festivals - 25 Things to Know about Croatian Gourmet Goodness. Wild asparagus was not on the list back then, but it can be now, for Stari Grad is preparing to celebrate its third Sparogijada, or asparagus festival. It will take place at 17:00 on May 6 on the main square by the Hektorovic Fortress (Tvrdalj). Entrance is 50 kuna and there will be a range of asparagus dishes to try. 

Details of the organisers above, and a rather nice addition to the evening will be a performance from the legendary Faros Kandaturi - see them in action below. 

Want to learn more about Stari Grad? Here are 25 things to know.

Helios Faros is the major tourism player in Stari Grad on the island of Hvar, but has been undergoing bankruptcy proceedings since February 2016.

It’s finally September and finally time to start celebrating Stari Grad’s big 2400th birthday. With a list of activities from jazz music to vintage boats, here is the full birthday bash, running from September 6-11.

This summer, Stari Grad will be celebrating the 2400th anniversary of its foundation with a series of cultural, gastro and sporting events!