March the 6th, 2023 - A 120 million euro Zagorje investment has been announced by Knauf Insulation, bringing this part of Croatia to the level of both neighbouring Slovenia and Slovakia in one particular regard.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Brnic writes, Novi Marof received a new large investment of 120 million euros announced by Knauf Insulation in a close race with locations in Slovenia and Slovakia, which were shortlisted by the aforementioned German group. The group operates globally and is a leader in the production of building materials.

Before making the final decision, the main partner of the Knauf Group, Alexander Knauf, contacted the relevant state institutions, and a week ago, after a meeting with the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Davor Filipovic, it was announced that the project will be realised in Novi Marof, where Knauf Insulation has been operating since the 1980s.

According to the answers we received from Knauf, the project is currently still in its preparation phase, and if everything goes according to expectations, the start of construction is expected at the end of this year and the beginning of next year. The start of production is planned for 2025 and most of this Zagorje investment will be in equipment and machinery, along with the expansion of Croatia's own R&D potential. The planned portfolio of products from the new line based in Novi Marof will be largely similar to the company's existing one.

However, according to Knauf, the production of some additional segments, such as products for green solutions, is also planned as part of this massive Zagorje investment. The expanded plant in Novi Marof will be one of the largest locations within the Knauf Group, which has more than 300 production bases worldwide, according to Dominique Bossan, Chief Executive Officer of Knauf Insulation for Europe, the Middle East and Asia and a member of the Board of Directors of the Knauf Group. Currently, Knauf Insulation has 236 employees in Novi Marof, and at least 70 more jobs are expected to be created with this new Zagorje investment.

The company operates in more than 40 countries, has 28 production facilities and 6,000 employees. Their annual turnover exceeds two billion euros but there is no data on the financial results for Croatia in the last year yet. According to the data for 2021, their revenues exceeded 64 million euros, and business has been seeing an upward trend.

The company is extremely export-oriented, with the share of exports in its total revenues standing at 81%. The main export markets are Italy, Germany and France, but they also export to other parts of the world much further away, such as South America. With this new Zagorje investment, the export potential will grow further, and their construction solutions will be marketed, according to Bossan, primarily in Italy, Slovenia, Hungary and Romania, and technical, industrial and green solutions systems will be delivered to all of Europe.

Priority is being given to local partners in the procurement of raw materials, of which there are more than 150. And when it comes to the selection of Novi Marof for the realisation of this investment in Knauf, they make it clear that the attractive location in the heart of Europe and a highly qualified workforce were decisive.

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September 16, 2022 - "Gyrocopter flights are something new, different, exciting and safe for young and old, our future members! We offer everyone to experience all the beauty of the magnificent Croatian landscape from a bird's eye view, enjoying a slow and safe flight that will surely leave you breathless" these are the words of the founders of Aeroklub Gyrocopter Croatia.

As Poslovni writes, the club was founded eight years ago with the aim of expanding this relatively new branch of sports aviation in Croatia, which has a lot of potential for development.

They offer their members introductory flights and training in sports and recreational flying, and at the same time organize multi-day gyrocopter tours, flying from the Krapinsko Zagorski Aerodrom to Zabok Gubaševo.

It sounds like a type of prehistoric giant bird, but in fact the gyrocopter is a type of microlight flying machine that is considered the safest in the world, and is therefore attractive to those who are suspicious of safety, yet eager for adventure.

Croatian regulations also contribute to safety, club members can fly, with a number of safety measures that are standard, explains Nikolina Ćorković, who, along with her husband and pilot Ilija Ćorković, is the owner of the company Dva krila, which imports gyrocopters.

"But we were actually pioneers for these in Croatia, we imported the first gyrocopter in the country and initiated the creation of the Regulations that will regulate these flights. It was not easy, but we are trying to promote this sport, which is very developed in countries such as Poland and the Czech Republic, and to motivate young people to become pilots", says Nikolina Ćorković. The club currently has about 20 members and four budding pilots.

Pilot training includes education that lasts 2 months and a certain number of flights, and exams are taken with the approval of the Civil Aviation Agency. It is interesting that with a passed test and a flying license, anyone can get their own gyrocopter, which costs from 50,000 to 120,000 euros with depending on the equipment, and fly wherever they want.

Ćorković notes that in European countries these have multiple purposes, they are used in both public and private activities, from the coast guard to agriculture, and one Polish entrepreneur even recorded a video of him traveling to a meeting in the city from his farm in the countryside.

The club is very proud because this July they participated for the first time with their gyrocopter in the world championship of microlight flying machines in the Czech Republic, where they won 5^th place, and it was a great opportunity to promote Croatia in this sport.

Gyrocopter has an interesting history, and its predecessor was designed in the 1920s by the Spanish aviation designer don Juan da la Cierva, after he lost his best friend in a plane crash. He then vowed to design the safest aircraft in the world, and in 1923 he introduced the Auto Gyro to the world, the predecessor of today's gyrocopter.

It is the only flying machine in the world that cannot enter a stall (breakdown of buoyancy, the most common cause of aviation accidents), and which, in the event of an engine failure, gently floats towards the ground, like a maple seed.

Basically, it functions like its big brother, the helicopter, but the rotor of the gyrocopter while airborne is not driven by an engine like in a helicopter, but by an air current that passes through the rotor blades. The machine gained worldwide attention in the film "Mad Max 2" and in the James Bond film "You Only Live Twice", when Sean Connery maneuvered "Little Nelly" on an Asian island.

Aeroklub emphasises that the gyrocopter is not particularly sensitive to turbulence, because the tips of the rotors move at a speed of 700 km/h through the air and are not bothered by wind gusts of 70 km/h. For this reason, even in difficult weather conditions, it is safe to fly in one.

Gyrocopter is equipped with standard and advanced aviation equipment, radio transmitter, transponder, as well as the latest technological innovations in the field of navigation for monitoring meteorological conditions and air traffic, and is therefore an excellent choice for sports, panoramic and international flights.

Nikolina Ćorković revealed that their Gyrocopter with one fuel tank of 68 liters can fly for three hours, with an average speed of 120 km/h, which is a range of over 400 kilometers. It can be flown by children and the elderly, and the restrictions are a height of at least 140 cm and a maximum weight of a person of 100 kilograms.

On September 24, the Croatian Civil Aviation Agency is organising the aviation event "Let's fly together, let's fly safely" at the Gubaševo-Zabok airport with the aim of promoting the culture of safety in aviation.

The event is intended for users and operators of general aviation as well as students and pupils of educational institutions attending technical courses, in order to get them interested in sports aviation, but also to motivate them to choose aviation professions in their future education.

"The event is unique. It is the first time that it is organized by the Croatian Civil Aviation Agency and it is almost certain that it will continue to be held in the coming years, always in different locations. "Let's fly together, let's fly safely" is an interactive, educational and attractive event. It offers the opportunity to participate in a large number of educational workshops in the field of aviation, which will not only be theoretical but also practical in the field, especially when it comes to flight inspections of flying machines. We have also organised quizzes for all those who will attend the workshops, and we will reward the best with appropriate gifts", the Agency announces.

At the same time, organisations for training pilots of airplanes, paragliders, paratroopers, and balloons will be presented to visitors at Gubaševo airport, and visitors will be able to ask about anything they are interested in when it comes to training (conditions, duration, price, permits, etc.). About 30 aircraft will be located at the airport from early morning, and an event of this type would certainly be unthinkable without an airshow and flight program that starts in the afternoon with numerous surprises, the Agency promises.

All photos courtesy of Gyrocopter Hrvatska.

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

ZAGREB, 22 March 2022 - Two years ago an earthquake damaged more than 900 properties in Krapina-Zagorje County however, to this day, not one house has been restored and County Prefect Željko Kolar (Social Democratic Party, SDP) considers this to be unacceptable and shameful.

In a press release from Prefect Kolar's office, he recalls that on this day two years ago Krapina-Zagorje County was struck by a powerful earthquake damaging more than 900 buildings and the worst hit was the Stubica area with several families being evacuated from their heavily damaged homes.

In several communities, almost all of the houses experienced some damage with county authorities saying that the damage caused amounts to tens of millions of kuna.

According to county authorities, a total of 254 applications have been submitted for retrofitting or to have buildings demolished and rebuilt.

The Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets has issued 43 decisions and interim decisions while Krapina-Zagorje County has received 21 decisions of those 43. A further 133 applications have been received for non-structural restoration.

"Unfortunately, we have to state that to this day, two years later, after two laws on reconstruction and two ministers, not one house in Krapina-Zagorje County has been demolished as yet, much less reconstructed, which is unacceptable and shameful," said Kolar.

January the 27th, 2022 - Crowdfunding is something rather new outside of the tech industry for Croatia, but the Klajn house team from gorgeous Zagorje are breaking down those limits and bringing crowdfunding platforms closer to culture with their praiseworthy Klajn house project.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Sergej Novosel Vuckovic writes, raising money for projects or products through group funding platforms in Croatia seems to primarily be reserved for the blossoming IT sector, rarely does one find much to do with culture on crowdfunding platforms.

Despite that, the spirit of entrepreneurship from the Kucni kolektiv (House collective) association from Klanjec in Zagorje was born. They decided to launch a campaign on Kickstarter to ''do up'' the Klajn house there, a space for cultural and artistic activities. The building has existed since 1937 and has had various purposes for decades now - there were apartments, business premises, restaurants, a hotel hall, a cinema, and the space was managed by the National University of Klanjec conducting a cultural, artistic and educational programme. The association bought the house back in 2019 and decided to renovate and revitalise it. They estimated that they needed 57,000 US dollars for that, ie 375,000 kuna, the amount they set out to "get" through this campaign.

“Our idea is through the concept of bringing life back into the Klajn house as a space, bring some new energies, activate the community and create a safe space for creation, living and performance. The decision to engage in crowdfunding arose from the need to bring the hall into an adequate condition for the desired purposes as soon as possible. We estimated that in this way, we'll manage to reach the required amount in a shorter time period than we would if we depended exclusively on tenders, public invitations and the like. The amount of 57,000 dollars (375,000 kuna) is the estimate of our associate architects and builders who have been with us since we bought the property,'' explained Dunja Bovan (32) and Jerko Marcic (42), who manage the House collective association and co-own the Klajn house.

The whole idea of ​​the functioning of the Klajn house is, they say, based on joint work and the contribution of individuals within the team, which they want to transfer to the renovation of the facility and the creation of programmes as the final goal. The campaign on Kickstarter ends on February the 28th this year, and so far it has received around 13 percent of its end goal.

“We're aware that our goal may be a little too high for average crowdfunding campaigns, especially since this isn't some sort of new miracle in the tech industry, but so far we're satisfied. A lot of people support us and share information about the project, we're in constant communication with people interested in the Klajn house and we believe that the campaign will be successful,'' say Bovan and Marcic.

The works on the Klajn house mean the renovation and equipping of the multifunctional hall, and they include demolition and dismantling, masonry and carpentry works, the purchase of a prefabricated stage and auditorium, a dance floor, the purchase of basic audiovisual and lighting equipment… And for each phase, they have transparently published the following: "In case we fail to raise the required amount, our priorities are demolition, dismantling, masonry and carpentry, and we'll have to achieve the rest from other sources of funding because Kickstarter operates on an all or nothing basis.''

''Works could start as early as March this year, and the cinema and lobby could be ready for the first visitors by the end of May if an ideal pace of renovation and decoration is achieved. If, on the other hand, the amount of donations exceeds the requested amount, we'll invest in the complete interior decoration of the hall and the purchase of additional technical equipment,'' they explained from the House collective.

For more, check out out business section.

January the 4th, 2022 - Did you know that a Zagorje banana plantation exists on the very borders of the much loved Medvednica Nature Park? Head to Donja Stubica if you don't believe us.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the owner of the Zagorje banana plantation rejected all of the typical and traditional local culture and started growing bananas and other unusually exotic fruits on the rolling green hills of Zagorje. Western Europe is his market, and he's expanding production down to Dalmatia, neighbouring Serbia, Albania, and all the way to the distant Ivory Coast. Meet Ivan Sulog, a most unusual Croatian farmer.

At the very border of the Medvednica Nature Park, where Donja Stubica borders Gornja Podgora, Mr. Ivan Sulog planted the very impressive Zagorje banana plantation.

''These are Indian bananas which are older than even the dinosaurs, they survived the ice age,'' explained Ivan for HRT.

''Indian bananas got that name because they were primarily eaten by the Indians, and banana because they taste just like eating banana cream. And that's how the Indian banana got its name. Unlike the chokeberry which you typically buy once and never again because they're too bitter and strong, this is something you try once and want more,'' Ivan explained.

''I heard a story about a lunatic planting bananas, and later I found out that I work for that lunatic!'' said Ivan's employee Mirjana Djurin. The Zagorje banana plantation doesn't just boast the famous curved yellow fruit, but also passion fruit, chili, Surinamese cherries, Indian bananas, juzu, kumquat, and so on. Quite obscure indeed for continental Croatia.

''People hear what I do, and it sounds so beautiful and exotic to them, they expect that my yield is always good and that I'm raking in the cash, which isn't really the case,'' Ivan explained.

''These are the first urban orchards, probably the first in all of Europe, there are urban gardens in Zagreb, where people come and take 20 square metres, and someone maintains it for them or they maintain it themselves. We've got more or less then same model here, if you don't have land, you can't plant your bananas. From now on, people can rent five bananas from us, put your name on them and all of the other information you want, and we take care of them until the harvest,'' said Ivan.

Now the unusual Zagorje banana plantation has even spread its wings and outgrown the borders of Croatia, starting up business in neighbouring Serbia, Indian bananas have been planted down in in Montenegro, and Albania is next on the cards, the Ivory Coast, too.

For more, check out Made in Croatia.

November 10, 2021 - As part of the project Great Croatians of Zagorje, the first talking bench has been installed in Veliko Trgovišće, where locals and tourists can learn more about the history of the birthplace of the first Croatian president.

Only thirty kilometers away from our dear Zagreb in Veliko Trgovišće, better known as the birthplace of the first Croatian president, the first in a row was set up: a bench that talks as part of the project Croatian Greats of Zagorje, writes Jelena Holenko for Turističke Priče.

Photo: Jelena Holenko/Turističke Priče

The Tourist Board of the Tuhelj, Klanjec, and Trgovišće areas has launched an initiative to mark sites related to Croatian greats from this area that have left great significance in Croatian history. These are the initiator of the Peasant Revolt back in 1573, Ambroz Broz, better known as Matija Gubec, Antun Mihanović - creator of the Croatian anthem Lijepa naša who spent the last years of his life in Klanjec, the first Croatian president Franjo Tuđman, sculptor Antun Augustinčić, Josip Broz Tito, Veronika Desinička and others.

In honor of the first Croatian president, a rest area with a tourist map and an interactive talking bench has been arranged in the immediate vicinity of his birthplace. The first talking bench is of an educational character and by pressing a button, you can choose and listen to the story of Veliko Trgovišće and its history, or the story of Croatian greats and Dr. Franjo Tuđman who grew up in this place "among the green hills of Zagorje".

Bust of President Dr. Franjo Tuđman erected in his hometown of Veliko Trgovišće. (Photo: Marin Tironi/PIXSELL)

Other such interactive benches will be set up next to the Dr. Franjo Tuđman Memorial School also in Veliko Trgovišće, in Tuheljske Toplice, in Dubrovnik… and maybe the story of Zagorje and the greats of this region inspires you to get to know the Zagorje region and the benefits it provides!

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

ZAGREB, 21 May 2021 - Goran Vrabec has been named Croatia's best young farmer in 2021, a farmer who owns a family farm in the northwestern region of Zagorje growing chili peppers, and he was presented with the prize by Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Friday.

Vrabec was chosen from among 21 finalists and along with the first prize, he also won a reward of HRK 25,000, donated by Zagrebačka Banka.

Brankica Borović, whose family-run farm business produces natural, dermatologically tested cosmetics based on immortelle and almond oil, won second prize and HRK 15,000, while wine maker Ivan Gerštajmer Zelember won third prize and HRK 10,000.

The competition for the best Croatian young farmer was organised by Croatian member of the European Parliament Sunčana Glavak, the Agriculture Ministry and the Jutarnji List daily.

The finalists will travel to Brussels for a ceremony at which the best EU farmer will be awarded.

Zagrebačka Banka has secured financial education for the young farmers and will assist them in filling out forms for EU funds, while the Konzum retail chain, which is a sponsor of the competition, will sell their products.

Glavak said that the record high number of applicants showed that young people were very interested in staying in Croatia and its rural areas.

She said that it was encouraging that Croatia would have a record-funds amount of funds from the EU at its disposal, which it will be able to use to improve farm production.

Agriculture Minister Marija Vučković said that Croatia was slightly above the EU average in terms of the number of young farmers, who number 23,228, which is 13.6% of the total number of farmers.

"That is not enough, but the trend is positive and has been rising and we want the share of young farmers to reach 20% with the share of farmers aged above 55 simultaneously going down," she said.

The minister said she was glad that young farmers were increasingly using measures from the Rural Development Programme because it brought structural transformation to rural areas. She noted that agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture could be the real engines of development of Croatia's economy.

Parliament Speaker Jandroković said that he was glad Croatia was above the EU average in terms of the number of young farmers and that he saw hope for development of villages and rural areas in that.

Ample EU funding has evidently helped young people recognise opportunities and realise that country life is often better than life in a city, and that it is possible to make a living from farming, he said.

For more on made in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

February 4, 2021 – With beautiful views and blended into its surrounding natural landscape, the Zagorje wooden house was built with super-strength, seismic-resistant wood. Environmentally friendly and low energy, its ultra-modern interior will leave you gasping.

It doesn't take much to get yourself a wonderful view in Zagorje. The area 'behind the mountain' has a beyond-pretty topography of rolling agricultural fields, wild countryside, gently sloping vineyards and minor inclines that gift this vista to all. And it is upon these minor inclines that many of the people of Zagorje choose to build their houses. They wake in the morning and take in the view from bedroom windows, balconies, or terraces, connected each day to the land that surrounds them, at one with nature.

That is exactly the lifestyle one family wanted when they purchased an unfinished building project, sat on the soft slopes of Zagorje. Begun in the 80s, the approved build didn't exactly fit the specifications of their dream. So, they sought a solution from architect Marina Zajec of Arhitektura E.L.I. She kept the volume and ground space from the existing building permit but radically altered the construction materials by using cross-laminated timber (CLT). This beautiful Zagorje Wooden House is the end result.

Cross-laminated timber is an engineered by all-natural building material that has the same strength as concrete. It is made by gluing together different layers of single-sawn beams and arranging them so they are perpendicular to adjacent layers. The result is that all the beams face the same way on any visible, outer layer and that the building material is extremely strong. It can easily be used to make load-bearing walls within a classic two-story house, as was done here, and can withstand any seismic activity it might experience in this region.




Though this natural exterior helps the Zagorje wooden house blend into the rural and rustic environment where it sits, no cliched olde worlde concessions ruin the interior – it is thoroughly modern. Exposed wooden walls surround laminated floors, on which cool and contemporary furniture is placed. Lighting is bold and basic, granted an industrial feel by exposed cables. The interior design is minimal and modern, airy, open and full of light. Large windows help the family connect to nature as they intended.

The house has three bedrooms with en suite bathrooms, a library, a space specified for working from home, a dining room, kitchen, laundry and a living room that leads out directly to a covered outside area, which can be used for hosting and dining in the warmer months.

All images of the house © Lara Žitko. Architectural and design details were taken from an article by Jutarnji List home and design correspondent Jelena Cvetko

January 12, 2021 – The surprise Zagorje landslide has left people wondering if the groundwater has triggered the fall of ground or if the region's earthquakes may have played a part

Flattening trees and completely covering a main thoroughfare through the village of Gornji Jesenje, a surprise Zagorje landslide that occurred last week has left locals wondering if the shift of wintertime groundwater was to blame or if seismic disturbances in Croatia may have also played their part.

The Zagorje landslide occurred at the end of last week. So far, the road remains blocked. The landslide took place over four days ago. The village of Gornji Jesenje, where the Zagorje landslide took place, is just a couple of kilometres from the main thoroughfare which runs from Zagreb, through Zapresic and Zabok, and on to Maribor in Slovenia. Travel between the two major European cities remains unaffected by the landslide (although a strike by Slovenian police may currently stall passage between the countries on the border).

Thousands of cubic meters of earth were shifted in the Zagorje landslide, as the main picture (a screenshot) shows. Trees that run alongside the road were flattened with the force of the earth fall. The Zagorje landslide started under the Gorjak quarry near Gornji Jesenje. It has buried the state road DC74 in Krapina-Zagorje County. The Gorjak quarry has been in operation for about 40 years. The national institution, Hrvatske ceste, responsible for the maintenance of such routes is aware of the situation following the Zagorje landslide. Their response is pending and being planned. Their first responsibility will be to clear the road for traffic to be able to pass along the route. Further study of the area's susceptibility to further landslides is also pending. The winter groundwater, the quarry and the three large earthquakes, plus many aftershocks experienced in the region over the last 11 months will all each need to be taken into account

December 13, 2020 - The PlayStation 5 release in Croatia has been marked by the traditional music of Croatian regions. 

The PlayStation 5 is one of the most anticipated releases in the gaming world, so much so that it achieved the highest launch month sales for a video game console in United States History since its debut there on November 12. 

Thus, to mark the release of the PlayStation 5 console, PlayStation Croatia, in partnership with musicians from several Croatian regions, recorded the opening sound of the new console authentically, and characteristic for each Croatian region using traditional instruments and song, reports HRTurizam.

It has been 25 years since the arrival of the first PlayStation console on the European market and during those years the sound reproduced when launching the PlayStation console is one of the features by which every PlayStation generation is remembered and recognized.

Thus, a music tour of Croatia was recorded, from Slavonia, Istria, Dalmatia, and Zagorje to Petrinja, in which the opening sound of the PlayStation 5 console was recorded on the Slavonian tamburitza, Istrian sopila, Zagorje bass, brass instruments, and Dalmatian klapa.

“With the opening sound of the PlayStation 5 console, we made a music tour all over Croatia! With the Slavonian sound of the tamburitza, the Dalmatian performance of the klapa, the Zagorje version on the bass, the sounds of Istria on the flutes, and a touch of Petrinja with brass instruments, the sounds of the PlayStation 5 console received new life with traditional Croatian instruments. The tamburitza ensemble Rubato, KUD Zlatela Kršan, Marko Horvat, Klapa Sebenico and Gradska limena glazba Petrinja took part in the recording," said PlayStation Croatia.

Videos were released with recognizable locations around Croatia, like Rovinj and Petrinja, an authentic Slavonian village near Slavonski Brod, the fortress of St. Mihovil in Šibenik and the Veliki Tabor castle, which you can find below. 

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