ZAGREB, 6 Aug 2021 - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said on Friday that the parliament would pass laws aimed at enabling the demographic revival of rural areas, including the Dalmatian hinterland.

Jandroković made the statement during a visit to Split, where he met with Split-Dalmatia County head Blaženko Boban to discuss ways to stop emigration from the Dalmatian hinterland.

He noted that the state had sizable EU funds at its disposal, underlining the importance of preparing good projects to ensure that people, notably young ones, stayed in the Dalmatian Zagora region and started a family there.

Jandroković expressed confidence the plan would be achieved through joint efforts by local government units, county authorities and the central government, while the parliament would pass laws geared towards securing better living standards in the region.

"What is encouraging is the ample funding that we will obtain through the multiannual financial plan and the recovery and resilience plan, and we are talking about dozens of millions of euros, to be used smartly to create conditions to make Croatia attractive to live in," said Jandroković.

He also underlined the importance of infrastructure projects for people to stay in the Dalmatian hinterland, adding that he and county head Boban were agreed that aid to the Dalmatian hinterland should be provided in a similar way it was being provided for Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem.

Many people who left the country have started returning due to the pandemic, Jandroković said, adding that a large number of non-Croats were also arriving in Croatia, which needs labour.

"It would be ideal if a part of those who are now coming to work in Croatia were Croats, but cooperation is necessary and Croatian policy-makers must create conditions for return," he said, expressing a wish for a large number of members of the Croat expatriate communities to return.

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The traditional wine and gastronomy event ‘Days of Dalmatian Prosciutto and Wine’ this year is held in the heart of Inland Dalmatia, in Vrgorac, where you can enjoy the best that the Vrgorac region can offer, reports Splitski Dnevnik on May 27, 2019. 

The festival opens on Friday, May 31 at 5 pm and runs until Sunday, June 2 in the impressive ambiance of the Vrgorac City Park, one of the most beautiful parks in Dalmatia. The three-day event will offer visitors plenty of fun and gastronomic delights and once again be a reminder of the reasons why Vrgorac is officially proclaimed the town of Dalmatian prosciutto and wine.

"Vrgorac will welcome all the fans of top-quality prosciutto, extraordinary wines and great entertainment at the most important event for our region, which puts us on the map of the most famous gastronomic festivals all over Croatia, and beyond. The 'Days of Dalmatian Prosciutto and Wine' are an excellent opportunity to enjoy our local customs and flavors, and great concerts will close each day of the event in the best possible way. Just an hour's drive from Split, four and a half hours from Zagreb and only half an hour from the entire Makarska Riviera, Vrgorac becomes the ideal vacation destination for relaxation and enjoyment next weekend,” said Željka Opačak, director of the Vrgorac Tourist Board.

Vrgorac region is largely specific, and its inhabitants are particularly proud of their gastronomic successes - like juicy strawberries, top quality prosciutto, and specialty wines. More than half of the total strawberries cultivated in Croatia come from Vrgorac and its surrounding, with more than 13 million common grape vines planted in the area, as Vrgorsko polje is the largest vineyard in Croatia.

"Our region is unique because of the abundance of native varieties, some of which have almost disappeared but have been revitalized thanks to the great love of our homeland and the pride that we have. Today the attention of the acknowledged sommeliers is directed to Vrgorac and its surroundings, and our variety Zlatarica vrgorska, Trnak and Plavka respect the prices and have important places on wine maps. Visitors to the Dalmatian prosciutto and wine event will be able to see their specialty and quality as well, and we can hardly wait for the winemakers to welcome them,” said Dario Gašpar, co-owner of Gašpar Winery from Umčani near Vrgorac.

Vrgorac also boasts the largest prosciutto production in Southeast Europe, from which more than 70 percent of certified Dalmatian prosciutto production reaches Croatian tables.

"Dalmatian prosciutto is a favorite delicacy throughout Croatia, and the ‘Days of Dalmatian Prosciutto and Wine’ are a great opportunity to educate citizens further and encourage them to enjoy it even more often. The specialty of Dalmatian prosciutto is a protected geographical indication, thanks to a traditional and natural process of production without added preservatives and additives, salted with sea salt and dried and aged for at least one year. The skill of its production is part of the Dalmatian tradition, and we have to preserve it, and this event is one of the ways we remind ourselves of its authenticity and importance in the original gastronomic offer of Croatia,” said Darko Markotić, President of the Croatian Prosciutto Cluster.

The ‘Days of Dalmatian Prosciutto and Wine’ begins on Friday, May 31 at 5 pm by raising the flag of the town of Vrgorac, and every evening during the event, visitors will enjoy a vibrant entertainment program. As part of the event, visitors will be able to taste Dalmatian prosciutto and other traditional cured meats, native wines from the Vrgorac region and numerous other homemade products at stands from over 40 exhibitors from various parts of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

There will even be a culinary show focused on Mediterranean cooking and the Vrgorac region with top chefs from ŠKMER (Association of the Heads of Mediterranean and European Cuisine) Rene van Sevenant, Marija Lulić, Željko Neven Bremec and the traditional culinary star of the event, the legendary Stevo Karapandža will combine the flavors of Vrgorac into top gastronomic creations.

At the Vrgorac Agriculture Exhibition, visitors will be able to see historical photographs showing the most diverse agricultural activities in the Vrgorac region through the 20th century.

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Last year, Dalmatinska Zagora (Dalmatian Hinterland) received several important tourist awards, and the tourist statistics from Vrlika to Vrgorac are getting better with each passing year. The town with the highest number of visitors and overnights is Dugopolje, reports Dalmacija Danas on March 25, 2019.

Ahead of the new tourist season, Dalmacija Danas spoke with Tomislav Bralić, the director of the Dugopolje Tourist Board.

Directors of local tourist board recently met and discussed the preparations for the new tourist season. We divided the topics into clusters, geographical areas: the Split Riviera, islands, Zagora and the Makarska Riviera. We mainly discussed the preparations for the arrival of cyclists and active tourists. Brochures and maps of thematic trails across the county will be published soon.

How does Dugopolje cooperate with the coastal area and the rest of Zagora?

The cooperation is good, but we can always do better. Much depends on ourselves and the activities of the local tourist boards, but also on the laws as well. In Zagora, we work well together.

In the summer, due to tourism on the coast and islands, food consumption is significantly increased. We know that Zagora has a lot to offer in this area. Is that segment used enough to provide tourists with locally-produced food?

Unfortunately, we do not use that nearly enough. Agriculture should be much more developed, and Zagora should feed the coastal area; that is our ultimate goal. There is a lot of room to grow.

Regarding this topic, the mayor mentioned that green markets would be established during this term.

The markets are in the design phase. We were waiting for certain funds that have not yet been, but we hope they will be shortly. There are more and more family farms, and that is good news. Tourists are increasingly looking for authentic and homemade food.

In the last year, Zagora has received several tourism awards, and the statistics are getting better. Not everybody knows that most of the tourism in Zagora actually takes place in Dugopolje.

That is true. We have a 4-star hotel with almost 400 beds in the area of our municipality. It makes the bulk of our tourism traffic, although we recorded 12,000 overnights in the private sector as well. Still, the hotel makes the most of over 70,000 overnight stays recorded in the municipality, which is a huge number for such a small area.

What did tourists visit the most in 2018?

First of all, Dugopolje is at a great location, well connected with Split and the coast, and the rest of Zagora is just an hour's drive. Dugopolje has its natural beauties and historic sites that are of more and more interest for the tourists.

Makarska is increasingly turning towards Biokovo. How much is Dugopolje turning towards the Mosor mountain?

We recently entered a future mountain lodge into our spatial plan. We have received funding for new hiking trails and the reconstruction of the old ones. We have tracking and trail races on Mosor. One will be held in September, Dalmatia Stage Run. I would say we are working as much as we can, given the existing resources.

More Zagora news can be found in the dedicated section.

Translated from Dalmacija Danas (reported by Rade Popadić).

An incredible achievement for the inland Dalmatia region!

ZAGREB, March 7, 2018 - MP Ante Pranić of the opposition MOST party announced on Wednesday that he and his party colleague Miro Bulj would address a proposal to the government to establish a council for the Dalmatian hinterland in a bid to facilitate the development of the region and halt large-scale emigration.

Fancy picking fruit, tomatoes, paprika, salad, eating fresh eggs, wandering an estate of 15.000 square metres, 80 walnut trees and 120 fruit trees? Look beyond the coastline!

A look at the events happening in Trilj this summer from June to September 2017.

YouTube channel EdoStuff published a video on their YouTube channel on October 2, 2016 showing drone footage of the Cetina river spring Glavaš lake, the largest source of the Cetina river.

This Saturday, July 30, a traditional evening for "Zagora", celebrating the Dalmatian hinterland, will be held as part of the Solin Cultural Summer program.

150 cyclists from all over Dalmatia participated in the first Dugopolje cycling race held by the Tourist Board of the municipality of Dugopolje and the Cycling Club ''Timun'' from Split. The race took place last Sunday, June 5.