October 22, 2021 - A new addition to the Zagreb dining scene had its official opening last week. Meet Restoran Matrix, a quality addition to the futuristic Matrix Office Park.

Ever since the first building opened in 2019, I have been mildly obsessed with Matrix Office Park, which I used to pass on my weekly drives into the centre of Zagreb from Varazdin. In a city not renowned for the finest office block architecture, this place looked beyond cool. 

And as I drove over time, I watched Matrix grow, and then a second building opened. But I never seemed to have the time or reason to actually check it out in person until last summer when I was invited to attend a CroAI conference. It seemed somehow fitting that such a forward-looking development would have excellent content for the future as well. 

It was an excellent conference, but I marvelled at just how incompetent Croatian officials could look when sat next to world-class leaders in technology. You can learn how in What Happens When Israel, Sweden & Croatia Compare Notes on AI Strategy?

I was really impressed with the layout and facilities at Matrix, and when I heard a few months ago that a co-working space had opened there, I was tempted to check it out, except for one thing. 

There was no food at Matrix. It was essentially an office block which closed down after office hours. 

That all changed recently. 

And a rather creative team has come up with a dining concept which is perhaps unique in Zagreb. A restaurant which caters to the culinary needs of the office workers by day with some great (and very affordable) daily menus. 

And then a little a la carte fine dining by night. And with no neighbours within shouting distance, a perfect venue to have an event with live music. 

A friend invited me for lunch to check it out. Coming from Manchester, concrete portions over a maximum of three portions is what I was raised on, but I will confess that I found the seemingly endless number of dishes at that lunch to be rather seductive. And certainly not combinations I had had before. 

Betroot pasta with goat cheese mousse, for example. 

And I had never had kimchi in a restaurant in all my time in Croatia - a great combination with breaded tuna tartare with lemon thyme mayonnaise.  

The culinary artist behind lunch was Marko Jantolek, a promising 26-year-old chef from Zagreb. After the kitchen of Michelin-starred Noel restaurant and famous Zagreb bistro Pod zidom, he decided to prepare new ideas and dishes right here at Matrix.

The restaurant is run by the famous and experienced Croatian caterer and sommelier Manuela Maras, whose specialty is wines and everything related to them. That is why she made sure that the new Zagreb restaurant boasts a rich wine list of over a hundred labels of the best Croatian, but also a dozen top world winemakers.

An excellent lunch, and it was not long before I was back,  for the official opening night, when some of the better-known names from the Croatian gourmet scene made up a large part of the guest list.

There was plenty of creativity in the welcome cocktails. 

And the delightful trays of canapes were a taster of what is to come. 

Live music throughout the evening was provided by the excellent Marija Mirkovic, ex-Frajle.

A little sample of her live act below.

And the kimchi was back, this time accompanied by Adriatic blue-fin tuna and wrapped in dark noodles.

It was a combination which delighted renowned Croatian food blogger Ribafish, who penned his own appreciation of the evening recently. 

Beautiful colour combinations, superbly presented. Matrix prides itself on working with small local businesses, providing excellent quality. 

"What we offer in The Matrix is ​​first and foremost an experience. In the kitchen you will find only daily fresh ingredients from selected Croatian family farms and a top team of chefs who prepare them in a modern, unusual way, "said the young chef Marko, adding that he is greatly encouraged by the guests who personally thank him for the dish and return regularly.

The creativity of chef Mario and the experience of Manuela Maras front of house seems to be an exciting combination.

But the whole story was started by an IT man, also an excellent communicator and the owner of several restaurants, including the famous Savica Eatery, Mario Stipanovic, and an excellent communicator, and also an IT man, who tried his hand at restaurant business for the first time, Kresimir Macan. 

Macan took a few minutes from the evening festivities to introduce the restaurant to TCN readers in this video overview of the opening night. 

Matrix restaurant is located within the Matrix Office Park of the same name near the intersection of Slavonska Avenue with Heinzelova and Radnicka streets. More information on the official website, and you can also follow Restoran Matrix on Facebook. 

ZAGREB, 22 Oct 2021 - European Health and Food Safety Commissioner Stella Kyriakides and Croatian Health Minister Vili Beroš on Friday visited the Zagreb Children's Hospital's hematology and oncology institute.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Kyriakides, who recovered from it, wore a ribbon-shaped silver brooch.

According to the European Cancer Organisation, almost a million cancer cases have not been diagnosed because of the pandemic. Last year 2.7 million patients were diagnosed in the EU and 1.3 million have died, including more than 2,000 young ones.

Kyriakides said Europe's Beating Cancer Plan envisaged €4 billion for fighting cancer, including €1.25 billion from the EU4Health programme for prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment and improving the quality of life of people who have recovered from cancer.

Late last year Croatia adopted a national strategic framework against cancer. Oncology was included in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.

For more news, CLICK HERE.

October 21, 2021 - Rapid Wien tops Dinamo 2:1 in Vienna on Thursday in the 3rd round of Europa League's Group H. 

In the 3rd round match of the Europa League's Group H, Dinamo lost to Rapid Wien in front of 22,300 spectators in Vienna, recording their second defeat in the group.

After opening the competition in the group stage by losing at home to West Ham (0:2), and then recording a convincing victory against Genk (3:0) in the second round, Dinamo was again disappointed on the road in Vienna, recording a defeat that threatened their fight for one of first two spots in the group.

This loss has certainly complicated Dinamo's Europa League future, and Rapid is back in the game for a European spring after two defeats. Marco Grull (9') and Maxmillian Hofmann (34') scored in Rapid's first victory, while Mislav Oršić (24') scored for Dinamo.

Dinamo coach Damir Krznar was missing captain Arijan Ademi, Duje Čop, and Deni Jurić due to injuries tonight. Andrić was expected to play from the first minute, but coach Krznar surprised with a few moves. Luka Menalo and Amer Gojak, who have not had much time this season, got the opportunity from the first minute, while Petković was at the top of the attack.

Interestingly, the match between Rapid and Dinamo was reffed by Ukrainian Katerina Monzul (40), who was named the best referee of the elite class of Ukrainian football last year. It was her second group stage match in her career, after leading Slovan Liberec and Gent last season. 

In the second match of Group H, West Ham plays against Genk tonight in London.

West Ham leads the table with six points, Dinamo and Genk have three points each, while at the bottom is Rapid, which has lost both games.

In the fourth round, which is scheduled for November 4, the same rivals will play. This time, Dinamo will host Rapid at Maksimir, while Genk will host West Ham at Luminus Arena.

Recall, the winner from each of the eight groups will go directly to the round of 16, while the second-placed club will play for the round of 16 with the third-placed teams from the Champions League groups. Third-placed clubs from the Europa League will be included in the knockout phase of the Conference League.

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

To learn more about sport in Croatia, CLICK HERE.

ZAGREB, 18 Oct 2021 - World Cravat Day was marked on Monday in Zagreb's main square, with the ceremony involving the Cravat regiment guard and the regiment commander decorating the monument of Ban Josip Jelačić with a red necktie.

The ceremony, which was organized by the Academia Cravatica, attracted a large audience of citizens.

The cravat regiment consists of 17 members including four cavalrymen who lined up in Zagreb's main square in uniforms worn by Croatian soldiers during the Thirty Years' War[.

Mihovil Bogoslav Matković, a representative of Academie Cravaticae, an institution that promotes the cravat and its history and heritage, underscored that Cravat Day is marked with cravats being tied around 40 monuments in Zagreb as well as promotional activities in other cities around the country.

"The cravat as part of Croatia's heritage is especially effective and can promote communication between Croatia and the world," said Matković and recalled that it was at the Academia's initiative in fact that the Croatian Sabor declared 18 October as Cravat Day.

The event was further highlighted with Cravat ambassadors, scientist Igor Rudan and writer Miro Gavran attending.

“One thing that Croatia truly has is the cravat, which is part of our heritage, however many people around the world know very little about that. This is a rare opportunity to brand our state in the world with something beautiful, useful, and recognizable," said the researcher.

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

October 18, 2021 - The community is growing, and the invitations are open to the next Digital Nomads Zagreb Meetup this Thursday, with special guest Andrae Smith, the Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador for October. 

Zagreb is on the move. 

More and more digital nomads are discovering the city, and they are liking what they see. And as TCN reported earlier, progress has been made on multiple fronts (Zagreb for Digital Nomads: A Destination on the Rise).

At the core of any potential success will be a healthy and interactive community. It is still early days, but things are looking very healthy in that regard. The main Facebook group, Digital Nomads Croatia, now boasts over 7,500 members, and their regular meetups are always popular. 

Last month, the Digital Nomads Croatia Facebook group teamed up with the Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador (a collaboration between Zagreb Tourist Board, Saltwater Nomads, Doma Zagreb Aparthotel, and TCN), as September ambassador Dean Kuchel from Israel held first an AMA (Ask Me Anything) evening at Bustan, followed by a farewell Zagreb Pitch night at Canopy by Hilton. 

The incoming October ambassador, Andrae Smith was at the Canopy event, having literally just flown in from South Africa. Andrae is now just over halfway through her time in Zagreb, and she will be the special guest at the next Digital Nomads Zagreb meetup this Thursday, at Bustan Bar on Varsavska from 19:00.

Andrae will be giving a presentation about her online business and remote work lifestyle, as well as hosting an AMA session and talking about the most common questions she encounters. 

You can meet Andrae in her video application for the ambassador project above. 

Link to the event on Facebook, which is open to all.

To read more news and features on digital nomads in Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

ZAGREB, 18 Oct 2021 - The incumbent president of the Zagreb branch of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party, Mislav Herman, was re-elected to this post at the party's internal elections on Sunday.

Herman won 3,341 votes, while his rival Pavo Kostopeč received 1,931.

Herman called on the members of the HDZ's Zagreb branch to show unity and commitment so that they would take the helm of the city administration at the next local election.

Members of his campaign team, the current cabinet ministers Nikolina Brnjac and Josip Aladrović, as well as Mario Župan and Frane Barbarić, were elected vice-presidents.

On Sunday, the HDZ held elections for presidents and vice-presidents of 428 local and 20 regional branches, and for presidents and vice-presidents of 17 city districts, and the leadership of the party's branch in Zagreb.

For more on politics, CLICK HERE.

October 17, 2021 - Word is getting out - Zagreb for digital nomads. A look at the rising popularity of the Croatian capital, recently featured in the top 5 most-liked cities in a Nomad List survey. 

It is almost 2 years since I wrote my first article on the potential of digital nomad tourism in Zagreb. Rereading Why Zagreb is Increasingly Attractive to a Growing Number of Digital Nomads 21 months later, it is interesting to note how much has changed, and how much has not changed. 

The ten key reasons cited back then all remain compelling reasons why digital nomads will find Zagreb to be attractive - its proximity to the Schengen border, excellent Engish language, safety, accessibility, affordability, a thriving tech scene, a great tourist destination, great food and wine, world-class medical tourism for your budget, and a relaxed cafe lifestyle.

And yet so much has changed.

When I wrote this article in January 2020, few people were very familiar with the digital nomad concept in Croatia. For this was before a certain Dutchman elevated the discussion to a national level by successfully inviting the Croatian Prime Minister, Andrej Plenkovic, to introduce a digital nomad visa for Croatia. Along with a number of initiatives, the introduction of the new permit on January 1, 2021 helped focus global attention on Croatia as a new DN hot spot. And while the initial expectation may have been that all nomads would be flocking to the coast, the fact is that there have been a growing number heading to Zagreb instead. 

And they are liking what they are finding. 

At this point, I should point out the role of the Zagreb Tourist Board. Together with Dubrovnik, Zagreb has been incredibly receptive and supportive of initiatives to promote Croatia as a DN destination. When I first pitched the idea of Zagreb Digital Nomad Week (ZDNW) back in June last year in partnership with Saltwater Nomads, the concept was agreed immediately, and had it not been for the pandemic, it would have taken place as part of Advent in Zagreb last year. 

In the event, Zagreb Digital Nomad Week took place in June, 7 days with 7 themes, in multiple locations all over the city. Although it was a hybrid event, several keynote speakers jumped at the chance to come to Zagreb and attend their first conference or public event in over a year.  Among them was Nimrod Dean Kuchel, an Israeli world traveller with his own DN community of 25,000 people.

His presentation, which you can see above, was one of the highlights of the week. And for a man who has visited over 100 countries in the last 8 years, his was a persepctive that I was keen to hear. Just how was Zagreb doing as a DN destination, and what was it missing?

"Zagreb ticks all the boxes," commented Dean at the end of the week. "The only thing missing here is more digital nomads."

To prove his affection for Zagreb and its potential was genuine, Dean was back a couple of months later as the official Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador for September.  An extension of ZDNW, the ambassador project, in partnership with Doma Zagreb Aparthotel, has been bringing in an international digital nomad for a month from July until December. 

Each ambassador comes from a different background and engages in Zagreb in a different way. Dean was extremely active, organising events with the Digital Nomad Facebook group which now numbers an impressive 7,000 members. At the end of his stay, Dean caught up with TCN before heading off to speak at the Budva Cross Border Coworking Conference earlier this month. 

For a man who can't stop travelling, he clearly was not so keen to leave. His reflections on the month in Zagreb are interesting, and they mirror some of the same messages coming from previous ambassadors - the outstanding English, safety, excellent WiFi, great coworking spaces, a green and very walkable city with a fantastic food and wine story, full of friendly locals and just a short drive to the coast. 

Veronica Mulhall, the first official Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador in July, had similar feelings. She loved the walkability of the city, often taking meetings on the phone, and deemed Zagreb the perfect training ground for her planned climb of Kilimanjaro. 

Both she and partner Julian fell in love with a city that they did not know anything about before Veronica applied. And now they are considering buying property in Zagreb and making it a part-time home. Julian also gave a very interesting interview, including his experiences in the city as a black tourist in the interview above. 

August brought Rudi Witkowsky from South Africa, who put Zagreb's gyms and outside spaces through its paces with his fitness regime. 

All these ambassadors have helped to add to a story which is growing nicely, and the wider Zagreb population is beginning to grasp the DN opportunity. Tanja Polegubic, CEO of Saltwater Nomads and the architect of Zagreb Digital Nomad Week, has noticed the progress. 

"Zagreb has really made a mark in 2021 as a digital nomad destination. The regular feedback I hear from digital nomads there is the sense of constant discovery - which is getting rarer these days. There's something happening everywhere you go, and a real diverse offer of food and entertainment. The Croatian capital really does win over many a remote worker's heart." 

Zagreb is well on the way to establishing itself as a leading DN destination not only in Croatia and the wider region, but also in Europe (it was the only European city in the top 5 Nomad List survey, for example). Here are just a sample of things that have happened to the Zagreb digital nomad story since that first article 21 months ago:

• A Croatian digital nomad visa was proposed by Dutch entrepreneur, Jan de Jong. As a direct result, a Croatian digital nomad permit has been in effect since January 1, 2021.
• Zagreb Digital Nomad Week won two international awards at Conventa 2021 in Ljubljana, thus further promoting Zagreb as a DN destination.  
• Zagreb ranked 43 in the world in the global Work from Anywhere Index.
• A Nomad List 2021 extensive survey of its members named Zagreb in the top 5 most liked DN cities in the world after Tokyo, Taipei, Mexico City and Taipei in October.
• There has been an explosion in opening of coworking spaces all over the city, with at least 18 now offering services. Here's the TCN guide, with map.
• Data extrapolated from Nomad List showed that Zagreb was attracting more digital nomads per month than other hot spots in the region, including Budapest, Prague and Krakow.
• Zagreb named in top 10 best congress destinations in New Europe, 3rd best for large congress facilities.
• The arrival of Ryanair has already opened up Zagreb's accessibility to new markets, with some 40 destinations from Zagreb planned by next summer, with 24 already announced and in operation (some already, the rest in December).

There is a really good energy in Zagreb at the moment, one which I think will only improve as more nomads discover it and add to the community. Why not come and visit and check it out?

For more news and features on digital nomads in Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section.  

October 16, 2021 - Red wine, chestnuts, nature and a British secret agent - the new James Bond movie No Time to Die kicked off a month of autumn wine promotion in Zagreb country, accompanied by cinema, art, food and music.

Good things are happening in the region just around Zagreb, where several initiatives to promote the authentic and traditional quality of the natural paradise that is Zagreb County are starting to pay off. The Around Zagreb portal, which was launched last year, has become a focal point of the richness of activities and experiences one can enjoy in a short trip from the city centre.  

The latest initiative to entice tourists into the hills is Via Vino, which opened in Plesivica yesterday. A month-long programme to attract more people to the excellent vineyards and wine roads of the island, Via Vino combines art, cinema, food and music with the region's wines, as previously reported on TCN.  

The first event was Via KINO, a screening of the new Bond movie, No Time to Die. No indoor cinemas here, the hit film was shown in a field in the Braje vineyard in Pelsivica. Bales of straw provided a more natural seating arrangement, and the evening featured young Portugiesac wines and traditional roasted chestnuts. Additional sustenance was provided by Marin Medak and his Food Truck. 

The event kicked off at 15:00, with several hours of mingling, wine tasting and enjoying the beautiful nature before 007 took over at 18:00.

Via KINO will be repeated next Saturday in Velika Gorica, with Via NOTE tonight in Sveta Ivan Zelena, where live music will accompany the wines of Litterarii in Nespes.  Via ART will take place on November 6 in Samobor. 

All through the month, until November 15, Via VINARIA will see the 50 or so wineries on the Zagreb County wine roads open their doors every Friday and Saturday.  

You can learn more about the Via VINO programme here, as well as enjoying more photos from yesterday below. 

October 15, 2021 - From Venice and Baku and Mosocw and Istanbul, where are the best congress destinations in New Europe in 2021? Many are in Croatia, it seems. 

After the devastation of the pandemic on the congress industry in 2020, events are slowly getting back to a semblance of what they were pre-pandemic, although there is obviously a long way to go. 

But it seems that Croatia is more than ready to meet the demand. The 2021 Meeetings Experience Index (MTLG - MEETAOLOGUE) was published recently, a comprehensive analysis of 118 congress destinations in 'New Europe', nad there was a very strong showing by a number of Croaita's congress destinations.

MTLG defines New Europe as:

The answer to this question is something of an unsolved conundrum. A clear definition of New Europe doesn’t exist, the most general definition being that these are the countries of Eastern Europe that were once behind the Iron Curtain. Technically, this means 24 countries of Eastern Europe, adding Greece and Turkey to them. In our Editorial, we include the fresh, energetic and lesser-known European destinations in New Europe.

There was a particularly good showing for Zagreb and Dubrovnik. Zagreb was named 5th best destination overall, as well as third in the category of large congress destinations, with Dubrovnik coming in 7th. 

It seems that Croatia's niche is perhaps in the medium sized category, where no less than 4 Croatian congress destinations featured. Dubrovnik topped the list, followed by Split in second, Opatija in 5th, Rovinj in 7th, and Sibenik in 8th. 

And there was good news for the island of Hvar as well, which came second in the category of small congress destination. 

This is what they had to say about Zagreb:

A great congress future awaits Zagreb. It is well established in the international congress market and in addition to Ljubljana and Belgrade, it represents the future backbone of the continental meetings industry of the region. All three cities are progressing steadily on the charts of developed meetings destinations; the final breakthrough of the entire region is intertwined and dependent on the marketing of major regional congress cities in the international market.

About Dubrovnik:

Dubrovnik is the flagship of regional tourism and is commonly the first association of meetings organizers we meet daily. It is the closest in the region to renowned Mediterranean convention destinations Cannes and Monte Carlo. The modern and well-equipped centres at hotels such as Dubrovnik Palace, Excelsior, Bellevue, Grand Villa Argentina, Importanne Resort, Dubrovnik President, Valamar Lacroma and Radisson Blue are all great for hosting a variety of events. Well-developed is the entire conference infrastructure including destination management and creative agency scene. The city is safe and one of the tourist icons of the Adriatic and justifiably the most painted tourist skyline with unprecedented experiential diversity for conference guests.

About Split:

Among the Adriatic congress destinations Split has become serious competition to Dubrovnik in the last years. The main disadvantages of the destination are bad cooperation between the service providers, lack of air traffic connections to key markets and not enough destination marketing. If Split gets a real convention centre in the future, it could become one of the leading congress destinations in the Mediterranean. New and excellent hotel capacities, good road connections to Europe and wonderful surroundings, with islands offering numerous incentive programme opportunities, all bolster this proposition. Split is still one of the most unexploited congress destinations in the Mediterranean.

About Hvar:

None of the more than 1,000 Croatian islands has such karma and recognition as Hvar. Definitely, a “must” Croatian destination, right behind Dubrovnik. Distance from the mainland gives it a touch of boutique smallness. On the beauty of the island, reminiscent of the Garden of Eden, there is no point in wasting words, since there is no shortage of various urban legends and superlatives. Among other things, it used to be called Austrian Madeira. In Hvar, the urban has been coexisting with the rural for centuries.

About Opatija:

Opatija is without a doubt the ultimate meetings destination. Why? Because few destinations provide such a rich assortment of luxury accommodation in such a small area, whilst Opatija provides 33 hotels offering over 2700 rooms and more than 50 meeting and conference halls along the 3 km of the coastline. At the beginning and the end of the Opatija Riviera, there are two boutique hotels that contribute to the exclusivity of Opatija.

About Rovinj:

If at the destination you have owners who have clear goals and who look at congress tourism strategically, then in a short time you can do a lot. It is possible to revitalize the old factory premises and build a superior conference hotel. Maistra in Rovinj has undoubtedly left its mark. Taking into consideration the geographical location of Rovinj as one of the closest Mediterranean congress destinations for Central and Western Europe, the future of this industry is guaranteed. Missing is only a convention bureau, which would know how to step out of corporate governance of the destination and would be able to serve as attorney of the meetings industry. Otherwise, forecasts of mayor Sponza that Rovinj will be more exclusive than Dubrovnik, can be realized.

About Sibenik:

Šibenik very rarely raises any association with the meeting industry. In the process of transition from an industrial city into a tourist destination, it has not yet asserted its image among competing cities. Despite this, it is a fact that it has excellent conditions and is somehow considered to be a hidden jewel of the Croatian congress offer. For ease of accessibility, it may be a suitable location for small association conferences as well as a variety of incentive programmes.

Regarding the methodology, Kongres Magazine explained the criteria assessed:

The Meeting Experience Index is one of the most complex destination evaluations that is not only based on the number of congress events but delves deeper analytically. The methodology addresses all key meetings industry segments and thus all key MICE products. 75 evaluation criteria are used to determine the final destination score. That is why the Meeting Experience Index has become the bedrock for selecting destinations for meeting planners.

All destinations are evaluated based on fieldwork and thorough research of individual criteria with the objective to come as close as possible to the real situation. Moreover, the editorial board of Kongres Magazine strives to present up-to-date information that is objective and transparent. Each year, the destination scores are revised and corrected with timely information.

You can see all the results on Kongres Magazine's website.

ZAGREB, 14 Oct 2021 - The average net pay in legal entities in Zagreb in July 2021 was HRK 8,130 (€1,082), an increase of 5.4% from July 2020, according to data from the city department for strategic planning and development.

The average wage in the capital city was HRK 1,084 higher than the national average, which totaled HRK 7,046.

The highest average monthly net pay in legal entities in Zagreb was paid in oil and natural gas extraction (HRK 13,259) and the lowest in the production of leather and related products (HRK 4,412).

The average monthly gross pay in legal entities in Zagreb in July this year was HRK 11,257, an increase of 3.2% from July 2020.

(€1 = HRK 7.510550)

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