July 26, 2019 - From plastic bottles to nautical bracelets, meet the new Break Time #reCYCLED collection. 

Croatia is catching onto the plastic-free movement, which can be seen in just some examples of introducing reusable cups at the two sold-out Foo Fighters’ concerts at the Pula Arena to initiating actions at the Motovun Film Festival. Though it’s not hard to see why, considering the world is currently producing 300 million tons of plastic each year. 

Today, we have even more good news as we bring you yet another example of one Croatian company saying no to plastic - Break Time nautical jewelry. 

Namely, Croatia’s favorite jewelry team has introduced a brand new collection that vows to do its part in reducing plastic waste - meet the #reCYCLED by Break Time nautical jewelry collection. 

“We are committed to doing our small part in reducing plastic waste, so we have partnered up with one of the oldest rope factories in Europe - Langman (operating since 1638 in the Netherlands), and we are proud to use - for our new #reCYCLED by Break Time® collection - their absolutely innovative yachting ropes, produced for us in beautiful colors (navy blue, red, bright orange, bright green) and - most importantly - made 100% of recycled plastic,” said Break Time when they announced the new collection on Thursday, and further revealed that 40 PET bottled are used to make 1 kilogram of yachting rope. 

You can have a look at the entire collection here. 

Fortunately, you can help save the planet, too.  The new #reCYCLED by Break Time collection is available now online at www.nautical-bracelets.com and over the coming days in Break Time’s five Croatian locations: 

Ilica 14, ZAGREB

Zadarska 1, SPLIT

Trogirska 8, SPLIT

Antuninska 5, DUBROVNIK

Via Arsenale 10, ROVINJ

To make sure you never miss a Break Time beat, follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. 

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

Fans of electronic music are ecstatic about today’s news - The Chemical Brothers are coming to Dom Sportova in Zagreb on October 12 for their first performance in Croatia’s capital!

For more than 20 years, The Chemical Brothers have defined electronic music. Their live performances evolved from modest London clubs to the world's biggest stages, and the core idea remained the same: their concert creates a transcendental audio-visual space where the audience can fully let loose, reports Muzika.hr on July 14, 2019.

This electronic duo doesn’t just perform DJ sets, but a complete visual spectacle accompanied by unbelievable production, creating a whole new experience and one of the most entertaining live shows out there.

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The group was founded by Manchester duo Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons who, along with the Prodigy and Fat Boy Slim, is considered one of the pioneers of the electronic music genre. The latest, ninth album "No Geography" released a couple of months ago is a critic favorite and has received international praise. 

The last time The Chemical Brothers played in Croatia was at the Ultra Europe music festival in Split in 2015 and Novalja on the island of Pag in 2010.

Tickets are on sale through Eventim (and Rockmark in Zagreb) for 430 kuna for the floor and 350 kuna for the stands. 

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

July 23, 2019 - So what is it like travelling through the new Zagreb Airport. A frequent international flyer offers some opinions and suggestions. 

Last week, we reported on the very pleasant passenger experience through the new Split Airport terminal by TCN's Pyatigorsk correspondent. This week, a different airport, a different view and lots of helpful suggestions from a world traveller who sent this to us: 

World-class travelers enjoy comparing their travel experiences in different countries, sights and of course the airports they use to get there-

Having enjoyed the services of over 50 international airports worldwide and talking to my friends who travel a lot, I am confident to say that Zagreb has one of the most dysfunctional services for its visitors. Even the services at the old terminal were much better and the airport was organized in a more efficient manner, many would agree.

Although Zagreb airport has recently won a global award for quality of service, it looks like the surveyed passengers never left the transit area. There are many issues which could and should be taken care of in order to reach the standards of similar medium-size airports around the globe. If someone is even thinking about that? Let’s start.

Parking – more or less, one of the most expensive parking ticketing in the region if not much wider as TCN as reported earlier. The last ridiculous move was the introduction of a fee for parking under 10 minutes which was free of charge and normally used for pickups. Now, to enter this part of the parking, you need to pay 27 kn. And don’t count on waiting outside of the terminal as security will immediately accuse you of undermining airport security and perhaps even terrorism. You can do what other people do – go to the Kiss and Fly zone for departures and ask your beloved ones to come upstairs to be picked up. Now, how stupid is that? Very. How much does it cost? Zero. If you decide to pay after all, don’t count on the paying machines at the exit ramps will work 100%, as they only work with no problems occasionally. So, it’s probably better to use the machines inside of the airport building not to have to return anyhow if the system at ramps is down. Parking is not user-friendly, to say the least.

Toilet facilities – they are made for XS and S size people who travel without any carry-on luggage. The cabins are so small that you can hardly bend if you accidentally drop something. I personally witnessed big people getting stuck while trying to get out. Considering the spaciousness of the new terminal, one can only conclude that the architects have imposed the small measurements trying to save on the square meters of used material. Or they were tiny people themselves. Moreover, it’s always messy and slippery in the basins part as the hand driers and paper towels are far from the sinks. So that the poor cleaning ladies must be there all the time if they are to keep the toilets clean and dry. And they are not.

Departure area – impossible to sit and rest there if you are neither a person with special needs nor willing to observe ridiculously high prices in the one and only cafe. Let’s say you came to escort your unaccompanied minor who is flying abroad. As a parent, you are obliged to wait until the aircraft leaves the airport. Or you simply came too early and want to read a book or some materials about Croatian tourism destinations? You can only do it on the floor as there are no sitting areas for ordinary passengers. And sorry, there are NO promo materials about Croatia on this floor. So, if you are travelling from Zagreb to Split or any other domestic destination, use your mobile device and surf for sights and other interests. At least the internet is good.

The Café – perhaps it got a bit better over time, but this is a prime example of how Croatian tourism works. Unreasonably high prices for self-service with rather slow coffee & snacks preparation. Glasses are usually dirty as well as the terrace which is cleaned only occasionally. So, it’s very likely that you will enjoy your drink at an uncleaned table as services operate like in some fast food restaurant. But the prices are Hilton high. Disgraceful.

Queuing Belts – although the system mostly works fine, I always wonder how hard it is to remove those belts when there are no passengers queues? Looks like this is a highly sophisticated operation as the belts are there not too be adjusted. Ever. So, just keep walking and - enjoy our belts for no reason and purpose. Walking is good for you. We care about your health.

Food and drinks, shops in gates area - Want to buy a book about Croatia or a postcard? Perhaps some travel accessory or an international magazine? Wrong area, sorry. The initial offer at the terminal opening did not diversify. No need to say that the prices are sky high which is a both contrary to the company running all gastronomy facilities and that the offer is rather limited. Shameful for a country which wants to promote its food, culture and everything else. And there are very few vending machines so your small bottle of water might cost you up to 4 EUR. Not to mention that the small drinks kiosk between the gates does not have running water which absolutely represents a potential health hazard. I don’t know whether the rental prices are too high or what, but Zagreb and Croatia have so much more to offer.

Electricity and electronics in Tesla and Rimac country - Is it so hard to fix and sync all electronic clocks at the airport to show the exact time? No, I am not talking about minutes or seconds. Today at around 9 am, several clocks were showing 8 pm or so. Although we all have mobile phones and watches, this piece of information might be rather useful if you are trying to catch your flight. It looks like there is a general problem with electricity though. The majority of plugs, beyond those for mobile phones – do not work. As my laptop battery was running rather low last month, my close scrutiny shows that only 1/8 are working. If you are able to locate one. It’s a new terminal, right? Did anyone professionally check those plugs ever? Or are they there for decoration purposes only?

Arrival area – the same as in the departure area, there are rather few chairs though it got better than when the terminal initially started to operate. Considering that the baggage system is incredibly slow (my personal statistics is around 20-25 minutes from plane landing compared to Brnik Slovenia – 10 minutes), there are passengers who might be prompted to sit, but hey – did they just not sit in the airplane??? This shows an incredible health concern policy for the airport management. Sitting is bad! That’s why they put very few chairs very far from the baggage belts. Once you finally get your bags, I hope you have an umbrella if raining. I don’t really understand how an airport, which does not have a roofed pick up area (not even for taxis), got this prestigious international award for quality of services?! I don’t trust the survey sample at all. Looks like it has been completed by people who never visited this airport. The terminal is like Croatia - beautiful from the outside, rather dysfunctional internally. So, pray for no rain on your arrival and that taxis will accept credit cards as they usually don’t. 21^st century still to arrive.

The name – many people are still confused these days about different names of the Zagreb airport and the new terminal. The traffic signs read Pleso as it was the name of the old airport operating since 1962 with only one passenger terminal. The French were given the concession to build a new passenger terminal, not the new airport. The name debate was so heated after the terminal was opened that even the Government had to interfere naming the entire airport after the former President of Croatia Franjo Tudjman. However, the official web site reads Franjo Tuđman Airport Zagreb, whilst the entrance displays Franjo Tuđman Airport. It was very simple at he old airport terminal – Zagreb Airport, but not anymore. I guess people don’t need to know where they have landed - Zagreb, Croatia or whatever else. Not a big deal but would be nice the real name of the airport once you are there.

A tourism country - one would think that the airport should, could and would be used to promote your beauties, Croatia. Wrong. Its advertising areas show that foreign companies are more attracted to airport marketing than tourism authorities and/or local entrepreneurs. So, the airport today looks like an Uber display with many uncontracted/blank areas. There is a Zagreb Visitor Centre in the arrival area, but you are rather likely to miss it as it will be behind your back as you are leaving the airport building. No, you cannot ask a question about Međimurje hotels here, sorry. There are two employees sporadically interrupted by tourists and very few brochures stretched to cover the empty shelves. For comparison, Serbian Tourist Board, as well as Slovenian, has a simple stand in the departure and arrival area where you can find promo materials in several languages 24/7 from all over these countries. Is that so hard??? Any why only Zagreb and selected neighboring areas where the space is specious enough to accommodate the entire country? Hell, the airport itself could be an exhibition of Croatia’s cultural and industrial heritage, cuisine, wine, investment. Sorry, no big investments in Croatia going on in this century. And no strategical thinking about the promotion of Croatia obviously. 

And the next steps, please. I am rather pessimistic that ANYONE responsible will read this article and treat it as a constructive criticism rather than an attack on their professional integrity. They know it all and the airport shows it rather well. Is it the French company who got a concession to build the terminal and run it for 30 years, is it the Turkish company which was hired to manage the services, or is it Zagreb or Zagreb county or any other level of authority or institution - I don’t really care. As long as someone in that circle understands that airports are the first contact tourists and visitors have with beautiful Croatia and should serve the promotion services, and not exclusively the money-making and makes some steps to remedy the abovementioned absurdities.

What are your experiences travelling through Croatia's airports? Send us your stories to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

For a guide to the new airport, check out the Total Croatia Zagreb Airport in a Page guide. 

There are so, so many wonderful, expertly organised and popular events happening in Zagreb during the summer (and we've written about many of them). And then there's Ljeto na Savi (Summer on the Sava) event, which was planned for last year, got sidetracked, and then re-emerged this year with a sky-high price tag and spectacular failure in terms of the popularity and the number of people visiting the events held there.

Over 11 million kuna (that's more than 1.5 million euro) was invested into the project by the City of Zagreb, and Mayor Milan Bandić kept telling everyone that the project would be a huge success, that it will bring the people of Zagreb back to the Sava river, which they used to enjoy in the sixties and before that, before the river became polluted. Now, admittedly, the pollution is almost completely gone and the river is quite clean again, but the people have not returned. Nor have they for this event.

The "grand opening" of the event was held last week - and almost nobody in Zagreb knew about it.

The public tender for food and drinks and other services was also a complete failure, because not a single company applied, so none were selected. That means - no food, no drinks, nothing near the stage (which cost 11 million kuna and looks nothing like what the plans had envisioned).

The program near Most Slobode (Freedom Bridge) is held every evening, and the benches by the stage are completely empty. The schedule for the events taking place within the Summer on the Sava program have been published on the City of Zagreb's official website, but honestly, after having done some research, that's the only place where you can find it. It's almost as if someone was trying to hide what is happening near the Sava river every day.

The original project was given awards when it was presented to the international public, but what we can see now has almost nothing to do with the original project. The critics keep repeating that an elementary school could've been built and furbished for the money that was spent on this project (or, even more realistically, several old schools could've been reconstructed and refurbished to bring them into the 21st century).

The program of free concerts and movie projections will go on until September the 12th, and hopefully at some point, more people will decide to visit it, so that the money spent on it is not completely wasted.

As Novac/Matea Grbac writes on the 19th of July, 2019, when he took over the leading position of the third largest shopping centre in the whole of Croatia, Westgate, Deputy Managing Director Denis Čupić announced a series of radical changes. Now, just one year later, Novac decided to visit this somewhat forgotten centre near Zagreb and find out if something really has changed.

Upon arrival, it was obvious that the announced change of the focus from the fashion to the family really had happened, and 76 percent of the rented spaces housed home decorating shops and those with children's equipment and clothing, while fashion stores fell into another plan.

''The marketing story was a failure ever since the very beginning. Rather than turning to the neighbouring area, namely to Krapina-Zagorje County and the western part of Zagreb, the former government targeted the east of the city. Although now, after eight years of bad business results, it's difficult to return, I believe that by completely changing the policy and introducing some new brands, we'll succeed. A good indicator of our work is our steady growth of 15 percent when it comes to people visiting,'' explained Čupić.

Otherwise, in March last year, the ownership and management structure of this shopping centre was taken over by an Austrian investment firm.

Along with the changed policies and focus of this Zagreb shopping centre, the new leaders brought some new brands over the course of a year. In the interior decoration sector, Prima COCO maison, Bima, TEDi, and the renowned Mobel Land, which will expand over an additional 20,000 square metres in autumn, all readily opened their doors to the public. Along with the aforementioned brands are some brand new fashion names, bookstores, the renowned Helen Doron foreign language schools, and even a martial arts club.

''Our idea is to finally divide the centre into three parts and offer our visitors 20,000 square meters of interior decorating shops, 4,000 square meters for conversion into a children's play area that will be four times bigger than any other playroom in shopping malls, and the remaining 70,000 square meters would have fashion stores as well as other entertainment facilities placed in them.

Most of the changes will only be visible in autumn. Our plan is to attract some of the new international brands we've already had conversations with. Because of the clauses we have in the negotiations, we can't yet reveal the names, but they're primarily brands that have only one or two outlets in Croatia'' he added.

In addition to opening new stores, they also strengthened the gastronomic and entertainment offer of the centre. They re-opened the bowling alley, and the first children's cinema with sixty seats and a play area was also put in place.

''We're currently working on multifunctional halls with 250 to 350 seats, and we expect to complete all that before the end of the month. We already have queries for four conferences, as well as for six weddings, as some space will be able to be converted into a wedding salon,'' explained Čupić, adding that soon, they will start building a multiplex cinema, too.

Along with all of the drastic changes they have already made in the centre, they also want to convert an outdoor zone spreading over 480,000 square feet of construction land. In this area, in partnership with their partners, the Zagreb centre's new management plans to build two to three brand new hotels with 100 to 120 rooms, and even an outdoor wedding resort.

"We have already sold a plot and the works will get going soon, we're still in negotiations. Next year, we're planning to open additional home improvement stores, which will include a number of interior decorating shops with two ceramic and lighting salons. In the middle of next year, we expect the completion of a new hub, which will enable us to enter the highway directly,'' concluded Čupić.

Follow our dedicated business page for much more. If it's just Zagreb you're interested in, give Total Zagreb a follow and check out Zagreb in a Page.

July 19, 2019 - A new route between Zagreb and Rome could be on the horizon if the bankrupt Alitalia is successful in their plans to re-establish themselves as a lucrative European airline. 

Namely, Ex Yu Aviation reports that the Alitalia transport group and Delta Air Lines have been named partners to rescue the struggling Alitalia and have announced a 3-year development deal, which would begin in 2020. In their plans, Alitalia would initiate flights between Rome and Zagreb and boost seasonal operations to Split and Dubrovnik. 

You might recall that the flagship carrier maintained two flights a day to Zagreb until they went bankrupt in 2008. They even planned on reinstating flights to Zagreb five years ago though they were unsuccessful. A line between Zagreb and Rome could be useful, considering Croatia Airlines currently operates no nonstop flights from the Italian capital to the Croatian capital. 

Furthermore, in 2018, 1,148,078 Italians visited Croatia, which is an increase of 3.4% from 2017. The Zagreb Tourist Board also recently reported that Italy is the fifth largest market for arrivals to the capital, and the third-largest for overnights. 

However, nothing will be known about the potential of Alitalia until at least September 15 this year, when Italy's state railway Ferrovie dello Stato must present a business plan and offer for the ailing airline. 

Recall, Alitalia declared bankruptcy in 2008, and not even an investment from Etihad could save it from bankruptcy again in 2017. The Italian airline has named its struggles in competing against low-cost airlines as the reason. 

Apart from Zagreb, the ‘new’ Alitalia should also operate from Rome to Vienna and Budapest, and will switch its focus to boosting long-haul routes while eliminating their unsuccessful ones. 

Alitalia also currently codeshares on the Air Serbia service between Belgrade and the Croatian capital.

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

July 12, 2019 - As previously reported on TCN, the first Domovina Birthright Program is taking place in Croatia at the moment, an initiative between the American Croatian Association of Professionals, and the Croatian Government.

The idea of the program is to take the young adults of Croatian descent (ages 18 – 30), who wish to learn about their heritage, explore Croatia, connect with their Croatian identity and meet other young Croatian adults on an amazing trip to Croatia.

Kristiana Banđen is one of the 34 initial participants in the program, and she has kindly agreed to document her journey as she explores the country of her heritage. Over to Kristiana:for Day 4-5:

Day 4 into the Domovina Program, we headed back to Zagreb to spend two days exploring the capital. Even though our initial meeting place was Zagreb at the beginning of the trip, we did not spend any time there. Before leaving towards Zagreb, we stopped at Borovo shoe store, where Startas shoes had generously offered every participant to receive a free pair of the Croatian made shoe. A big thank you to Startas from the Domovina group!  

Upon arrival in Zagreb, we enjoyed a mouth-watering lunch at Apetit City Restaurant and Bar. Located on Masarykova street in the city centre, it is one of the restaurants in Zagreb awarded with a Michelin star. We were spoiled with another three course meal, which included prosciutto and cheese, strukli (a traditional Zagreb cheese dish), lamb as the main course and a chocolate mousse cake for dessert. None of us are complaining about the amazing food, that’s for sure!

To walk off our meal, we had a private tour through the old and new part of the old city centre. Visiting the historical monuments including the Ban Josip Jelačić statue, the cathedral (along with viewing cardinal Stepinac’s burial site), St. Mark’s church, the parliament buildings and the stone gate. All of these sights have interesting history that I enjoyed learning about and should be on everyone’s list to research and visit when exploring Zagreb. We finished off our walk at Katarina’s square and were welcomed into the Dverce Palace  by members of the government for a reception with appetizers and drinks. We ended our first night in Zagreb with a night out like true Croatians.  

Day 5 fell on a Sunday in which we had the option to enjoy mass in the morning followed by some free time to do some shopping for souvenirs and enjoy coffee like locals. It has been really great connecting with everyone on this trip, so it was also nice to spend some free time outside of the excursions to further connect!

A group of us stayed behind with our leaders to explore Lenuci’s horseshoe walk, a U-shaped area of seven landscaped town squares and a botanical garden in the city. Along the way, we admired many statues, parks and buildings. Another great walk to add onto a visit in Zagreb.  

Lunch was enjoyed at the University of Zagreb followed by a presentation from the dean and two students. The University of Zagreb has so many great opportunities to study abroad with a semester or even to consider a full degree. The university is always open to speaking to potential students about the opportunities. If you are interested or know anyone who may be, the university is very welcoming!

Our send-off from Zagreb was dinner at the Croatian Heritage Foundation building.

To follow the latest news from the Croatian diaspora, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

An idea born in Zagreb has now made its mark all over the world. Thanks to a franchise model that has pushed Croatian innovation outside the borders of the country, the Museum of Illusions has opened its doors in China.

At the prestigious location near the famous Shanghai waterfront promenade ‘The Bund’, the Museum of Illusions opened its doors on July 13, 2019. The latest Museum of Illusions is the largest of this franchise yet - and after impressive locations opened in New York and Kansas City last year, the Shanghai Museum of Illusions is the 16th in the world and the first in China, reports HRTurizam on July 16, 2019.

Just four years after opening in Zagreb, the Museum of Illusions has gained international popularity and has quickly become one of Croatia’s finest tourist export products. Recall, today, the Museum of Illusions can be found in Athens, Belgrade, Berlin, Dubai, Hamburg, Kansas City, Kuala Lumpur, Ljubljana, Muscat, New York, Shanghai, Tbilisi, Toronto, Vienna, Zadar, and Zagreb.

The Shanghai Museum of Illusions began work three months after the cooperation was signed between the founders of the Museum and the Chinese partner, a long-time promoter of the Croatian-Chinese economic cooperation, on the margins of the Dubrovnik 16 + 1 Summit. The Chinese partner intends to offer Croatian products in the Museum of Illusions' souvenir shop as they will become available on the Chinese market.

The Croatian media is continually pointing out the interest of Chinese investors, strengthening the link between Croatia and China, and placing Croatia's services and products on the Chinese market. Thus, opening the Museum of Illusions in China is one of the concrete economic successes that is the result of the favorable climate between the good relations between Croatia and China.

Furthermore, the year of culture and tourism between Croatia and China will be marked in Shanghai on November 2 at the China International Import Expo. Croatia will have a presence in Shanghai with representatives of the Croatian National Tourist Board and the Croatian Chamber of Commerce. The friendly cooperation between Zagreb and Shanghai will mark its 40th anniversary.

The Museum of Illusions' franchise plans to expand to Amsterdam, Bruxelles, Dallas, Doha, Istanbul, Las Vegas, Madrid, Miami, Paris, Riyadh, Rome, Stuttgart, Taichung City, and Rhodes. 

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

July 16, 2019 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for new flights to Croatia with updates from Zagreb and Dubrovnik airports. 

Avio Radar reports that British Airways, a Oneworld member, will increase traffic on both lines to Croatia for their winter flight schedule. 

The route between Zagreb and London Heathrow Airport will have two additional flights, on Fridays and Sundays. A total of nine flights per week will be offered this winter.

The route between Dubrovnik and London Gatwick Airport will feature four flights per week in the period immediately after the end of the summer flight schedule. Thus, for the Christmas and New Year holidays, there will be three flights offered per week, or one more than last year. Likewise, in February and March next year, three flights will be on offer per week instead of last year’s two trips. British Airways will fly to Dubrovnik on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and in November this year on Sundays. 

Furthermore, Avio Radar reports that Korean national carrier Korean Air, a member of SkyTeam, will further boost traffic on the Zagreb-Seoul Incheon line. In addition to the existing three flights per week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, the fourth-weekly flight will be introduced on Fridays. This reinforcement will operate from August 30 to September 20, 2019. 

Although the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft will fly on the existing flights in September, an Airbus A330-200 will work on the additional flight on Fridays. 

TCN recently reported that Croatia welcomed 81 new scheduled and charter routes from 24 different markets in the peak summer months, which are mostly operating from Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and the Netherlands. 

Thus, three of Europe’s biggest low-cost airlines - EasyJet, Norwegian Air Shuttle, and Ryanair, are said to be driving Croatia’s five busiest airports this summer. 

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

This is a unique and cleverly thought up opportunity for Croatia's craftsmen, who don't have their own business space or are located outside of the capital city, to exhibit in the very centre of the capital. Meet the Zagreb crafts shop.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Lucija Spiljak writes on the 16th of July, 2019, at the Croatian Chamber of Crafts in Zagreb, the Zagreb Crafts Shop has been officially opened, it is the first and only one in Croatia to offer handicrafts from craftsmen from both the City of Zagreb and the wider Zagreb County.

More than 100,000 kuna has been invested in this praiseworthy project to promote and popularise traditional arts and crafts, and Mirza Šabić spoke to Poslovni Dnevnik about how that idea came to be in the first place.

What prompted you to open a crafts shop and what do you have on offer? How many craftsmen have you drawn together until now?

We wanted to give craftsmen from Zagreb and Zagreb County the opportunity to further promote their unique products and at the same time promote craftsmanship in its entirety.

This is a unique opportunity for our craftsmen, who don't have their own business premises, or have them in Zaprešić, Sesvete or Velika Gorica, to exhibit their products in Zagreb city centre. The aim of the Zagreb Chamber of Crafts is to give the members help in selling and placing their products.

We're planning to expand the concept of the crafts shop because of the huge amount of interest from our craftsmen, and we will have to think about it in the future. There will be unique jewellry, handbags, wallets, souvenirs with Zagreb motifs, floral decorations, hand-stitched notebooks, ornaments and many other handicrafts, all of which share aesthetic and creative features. The shop can now boast of thirty craftsmen, whose products will be exhibited across a 34 square metre sales space.

When did the idea come about and how much has been invested in this project?

The idea itself came about two years ago. First, we launched the Zagreb Crafts digital platform, through which more than 100 craftsmen were offered online shopping opportunities. Opening the shop in the centre of Zagreb was a logical sequence. About 100,000 kuna was invested in the project. The space is owned by the Zagreb Chamber of Commerce, but we had to completely renovate it. All of the work was done by our members - craftsmen. Therefore we're encouraging those craftsmen. Great support has always been given to us by the City of Zagreb which has followed us for all these years, as well as Zagreb County.

So, other craftsmen have shown interest, as well?

The interest is enormous from both tradesmen and from the general public from the moment we publicly announced our intention to open it for the first time nine months ago. This really is a unique project and it will take a while for it to fully come to life, but we believe it will be a total hit and that it will further enrich the tourist offer of Zagreb, given the fact that it's entirely focused on Croatian products, namely traditional and artistic crafts.

The answer to the question of how much interest there is, is perhaps best evidenced by the fact that we're already considering a larger sales space. Nearly 22,000 crafts have been registered in Zagreb, but this number is growing. In the area of ​​the City of Zagreb, eighteen percent of the total number of craftsmen in all of Croatia are active, with the largest number being in professional, technical and scientific activities. There were 380,660 employees in the City of Zagreb last year, of which 29,620 were tradesmen and freelancers.

What is your point of view when looking at today's situation when we talk about traditional art crafts and craft trades?

In the past two years, more than 2,000 new trades have been opened, and we expect that by the end of this year, the number of craftsmen will be over 22,000. Four years ago, we had 18,000 trades registered, therefore we recorded an increase of 2000 trades each year.

What, then, is the potential of the Zagreb craft shop?

This is a specialty shop and will be one of a kind in Zagreb, which will give craftsmen an excellent opportunity to present their work to a wider group of potential customers.

Having your own exhibition centre in the centre of the Croatian capital city for every craftsman individually, especially for those who work outside of Zagreb, would [otherwise] be an impossible mission. In this way, things will be much more visible and much closer to customers. Our goal is popularisation and promotion. Given the quality and uniqueness of the products, the interest of the government and the number of craftsmen who want to exhibit and sell their products, we estimate that the Zagreb crafts shop will be expanding rapidly.

Given the fact that the City of Zagreb is following this project, we've been given a lot of great help, so we've got hope for the future as well as for expansion.

Make sure to follow our dedicated Made in Croatia and lifestyle pages for much more. If it's just Zagreb you're interested in, give Total Zagreb a follow or check out Zagreb in a Page.