HNK Zagreb Head Honoured with High Italian Decoration
ZAGREB, November 25, 2019 - The head of the Croatian National Theatre (HNK) in Zagreb, Dubravka Vrgoč, has received the Order of the Star of Italy whereby Italy acknowledges her outstanding contribution to the promotion of friendship and cooperation and persistent work on the development and expansion of cooperation between the two countries in the field of theatre art.
Vrgoč was presented with the decoration by Italian Ambassador Adriano Chiodi Cianfarani at a ceremony held at the HNK last Wednesday.
Cianfarani said the decoration was a high civic award whereby the Italian state honoured outstanding contributions, by Italians abroad or foreign nationals, to the promotion of friendship and cooperation.
He said that Vrgoč had been awarded for her outstanding contribution to the development of relations between Italy and Croatia in the field of culture and that the decoration bore witness to the importance of culture, cultural cooperation and cultural diplomacy in international relations.
More news about the Croatian National Theatre can be found in the Lifestyle section.
Teachers' Union Leader Says Unions Focused on Monday Protest
ZAGREB, November 25, 2019) - Education and Science Minister Blaženka Divjak said on Sunday that a solution to the ongoing teachers' strike had been on the table since Friday and that it was important for everyone to remain calm and present well-argued positions.
"I have been clear from the start that open dialogue, cooperation and openness to a healthy compromise have no alternative," Divjak wrote on her Facebook wall on Sunday, adding that everyone would lose if students' interests were not given priority.
As for relations between the striking teachers' unions and the government, she said that they had abandoned their entrenched positions and that concrete analyses and arguments had been put on the table.
"Maybe I'm a stubborn optimist but there is room for agreement and a solution has been on the table since Friday, which is why it is important that everyone stays calm and presents well-argued positions..." the minister said, adding that the crisis had to be solved so that students and teachers could return to schools satisfied and motivated and continue co-creating the education reform.
Even though some media outlets have quoted their sources as saying that the negotiations between government officials and the striking unions were expected to continue in government offices on Sunday, the leader of the Union of Education Sector Employees, Željko Stipić, told Hina that his union had not received any invitation.
"We are focused on tomorrow's protest, tomorrow is a big day, we expect tens of thousands of protesters," Stipić told Hina.
According to media reports, 27 buses are expected to arrive in Zagreb from all over the country for the announced protest of education-sector workers.
The leader of the secondary school teachers' union, Branimir Mihalinec, said on Friday evening after a meeting with government representatives that "finally a good meeting has been held" and that they were getting closer to a solution.
"Meetings will continue and we expect a solution to be reached next week. It will then be put to a vote by our members," Mihalinec told the press.
Stipić said today that agreement was reached at the Friday talks to continue with consultations, and that he expected his union to be invited to talks after the protest, which is scheduled to start at noon in Zagreb's Trg Ban Josip Jelačić square.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Friday, after the meeting with representatives of the striking teachers' unions, that the meeting was yet another attempt by the government to find a solution, promising that he would do his best so that agreement was reached and an end was put to the strike. He also noted that Minister Divjak shared the responsibility for the strike.
Plenković on Saturday repeated that he expected the teachers' strike to end next week after the striking unions were on Friday presented with an offer that was expected to help free the strike from political connotations and show that the government respected teachers.
More news about the teachers strike can be found in the Politics section.
VIDEO: Territory of Croatia From Old Age to Ottoman Conquest
November the 25th, 2019 - The territory of Croatia has changed dramatically over thousands of years, as this country and its wider region have been engulfed in wars, conquests and changes of powers, changes of state, and tumultuous times.
From ancient times right up until the modern day, the modern territory of Croatia has ''changed hands'' numerous times. Owing to its location on the map of Europe, at the crossroads between the Southeastern and Central parts of our continent, Croatia has unfortunately been at the forefront of many a conquest, invasion, and change of official borders. While these events have had devastating effects on the country throughout its history, it is just a small part of what makes Croatia such a deeply interesting little nation.
The territory of Croatia has been inhabited since the Paleolithic Age, with the Croats having first arrived and settled in this area way back during the sixth century. It wasn't until 897, when Duke Branimir ruled, that Croatia was recognised as independent by the rest of the world. Following recognition as an independent state of its own, King Tomislav's reign began, and the country transformed into a kingdom, a status it held for two centuries before entering into a union with neighbouring Hungary.
Time passed, and then the conquests of the marauding Ottoman Empire began to threaten the nation, as it had to several others surrounding it. The Hundred Years' Croatian-Ottoman War is an incredibly interesting period of Croatia's ancient history and is definitely worth reading about. The conflicts, which were obviously numerous but not particularly intense, went on for as long as the name of these events states, and encompassed a war between the former Ottoman Empire and the then Medieval Kingdom of Croatia.
It's difficult to imagine just how the territory of Croatia shifted during these tumultuous times, and reading about it only goes so far. Watch the video below to get a real feel of how things changed:
Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for much more.
Flights to Croatia: Volotea Regularly Connecting Mykonos to Croatia for First Time
November 25, 2019 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for new flights to Croatia with updates from Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, Pula, and Zadar.
Avio Radar reports that Spanish low-cost carrier Volotea has announced a new route in their 2020 flight schedule that will connect the Greek island of Mykonos to Dubrovnik. The new Mykonos-Dubrovnik route will run twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, from May 30, 2020. A Boeing 717-200 should service this line.
Thus, for the first time in history, Mykonos will be connected regularly to a Croatian destination. Mykonos is only the second destination in Greece to operate a regular line to Croatia.
Avio Radar also announced that LOT Polish Airlines, a member of the Star Alliance airline association, has begun selling tickets on the Warsaw-Rijeka route. Unlike prior announcements, the new Warsaw-Rijeka line will run for a shorter period of time, i.e., from June 7 to September 27, 2020. LOT will operate one flight per week, on Sundays. The Embraer ERJ-195 aircraft was announced for this route.
Other LOT Polish Airlines routes to Croatia (from Warsaw to Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar, and Zagreb) are on sale the same as this year. However, the Warsaw-Pula line is no longer on offer for next year. Additionally, this year’s new Krakow-Dubrovnik line has been canceled.
To wrap up this edition of flight news, HRTurizam writes that Croatian tourism workers will undoubtedly agree that the key even more success in Croatian tourism, whether we are talking about extending the season or increasing the average earnings from tourism, is an adequate investment in the development of tourism infrastructure, content and, offers, to optimize the "value for money" relationship, which, according to all research, is crucial when choosing a destination.
To this end, the Croatian National Tourist Board's Market Research and Strategic Planning Department has prepared an overview of direct flights and direct air connections of Croatian airports with 20 significant markets according to information obtained from Dubrovnik, Split, Zagreb, Zadar, Osijek, Pula, Mali Losinj, Brac and Rijeka.
You can see the document here.
To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.
HNL Round 16 Recap: Dinamo and Hajduk Draw at Maksimir
November 25, 2019 - The 16th round of the Croatian First League was held from Friday, November 22 to Sunday, November 24. This round featured the never disappointing ‘Eternal Derby’ between Dinamo and Hajduk.
Dinamo v. Hajduk (1:1)
Dinamo and Hajduk opened the 16th round at Maksimir stadium on Friday, November 22, 2019, in front of 15,757 fans.
Dinamo was quick to score thanks to an own goal by Hajduk defender Ismajli in the 12th minute for 1:0. However, a penalty awarded to Hajduk just before the half saw Mijo Caktas score for 1:1.
Neither team was able to score in the second half, and Hajduk resisted Dinamo’s intense pressure throughout the game, even though they were without several of their key players on Friday.
Dinamo is currently in first place with 35 points, while Hajduk is in 2nd with 31.
Gorica v. Varazdin (1:0)
Gorica and Varazdin met in Velika Gorica on Saturday, November 23, 2019, in front of 1,272 fans.
The first half went without goals, and Gorica’s Ndiaye scored only in the 57th minute for 1:0, which was the final score of the game.
Gorica is currently in 6th place with 25 points, while Varazdin is in 10th place with 11.
Slaven Belupo v. Lokomotiva (1:0)
Belupo and Lokomotiv met on Saturday, November 23, 2019, in Koprivnica in front of 754 fans.
It was another low scoring game of the 16th round, which saw Belupo’s Krstanovic score in the 17th minute for 1:0, which was the final score of the game.
Belupo is currently in 7th place with 15 points, while Lokomotiva is in 5th place with 25.
Osijek v. Istra 1961 (1:0)
Osijek and Istra met on Sunday, November 24, 2019, at City Garden Stadium in front of 2,455 fans.
While the game saw Istra’s Pavic receive a double yellow in the 52nd minute, forcing Istra to play with a man down from the 52nd minute, the first and only goal of the game came in the 5th minute of added time (95') thanks to Osijek’s Maric for 1:0.
Osijek is currently in 3rd place with 26 points, while Istra is in 8th with 12.
Inter Zapresic v. Rijeka (1:4)
Inter and Rijeka met in Zagreb to close out the 16th round on Sunday, November 25, 2019, in front of 820 fans.
Rijeka scored all four goals in the first half, thanks to Andrijasevic (6’), Colak (23’, 28’), and Gorgon (32’). Inter’s Soldo was able to get one for the home team in the first minute of added time for 1:4.
Inter is currently in 9th place with 11 points, while Rijeka is in 4th with 25.
You can see the full HNL table here.
To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.
Mate Rimac Opening Research & Development Centre in UK
As Novac/Ilija Matanovic writes on the 24th of November, 2019, lately it has become somewhat difficult for a week to pass without a story popping up somewhere about the truly amazing Mate Rimac and his company: the latest, published in the British automotive magazine Autocar, says that Mate Rimac is set to open an R&D (research and development) centre in the UK.
This information was confirmed today by Rimac Automobili for Jutarnji list, with emphasis being place on the fact that the whole story is still in its very early planning stages, which means that no specific details are yet known, including the size of the office itself or the number of employees. According to the author of the text at Autocar, Mate Rimac told him that he "loves working with the British" and that he considers the "United Kingdom home to the best and most pragmatic European engineers".
''We're looking for engineers for positions that are very difficult to fill, and the United Kingdom is a country with such staff,'' read a statement from Mate Rimac's company.
Autocar spoke with Rimac about the deal between Rimac Automobili and the London-based HR Owen, a group that represents some of the world's most luxury car brands in the UK and is the world's largest dealer of Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Lamborghini and Bugatti.
After Rimac unveils a production version of its C_Two model at the Geneva Motor Show in March, it looks like HR Owen will be the place to sell the car and provide after-sales support to customers when production begins at the end of 2020. It will become available to British customers in 2021 for around £2m, orders are being received now and deliveries will be dealt with exclusively by the HR Owen Experience Center in Hatfield, England.
Mate Rimac told Autocar that the production model would not be called C_Two, but would be given a new name.
''I can't reveal it to you yet. We haven't decided yet,'' Rimac told the English car magazine. He added that between 40 and 50 copies of that hypercar will be produced, plus an equal number of Pininfarina Battista, a car that uses Rimac's carbon chassis and mechanics. Mate Rimac explained that he would carefully limit the production of his cars because "if we stay below 100 copies a year, the big players won't care about that."
In addition, at the recently-opened Los Angeles auto show, Hyundai sports chief N Albert Biermann confirmed that they were already far behind in the development and testing of high-performance electric prototypes, in collaboration with Rimac (it's worth recalling that Hyundai has entered into the ownership structure of the Croatian company with an investment of 80 million euros). Biermann said Hyundai's plan is to come out with as many as 44 eco-friendly vehicles by 2025.
In addition, it should not be forgotten that through the Porsche investment in Rimac's company, the entire Volkswagen Group is in some way affiliated with this utterly remarkable Croatian company.
Make sure to follow our dedicated Made in Croatia and business pages for much more.
Jarun Panorama Project to Begin After 12 Years of Controversy
As Novac/Dora Koretic writes on the 24th of November, 2019, the year is 2024. Zagreb's roundabout has long since been dealt with, and Zagreb's businessmen are laughing as they head off to work on ''that side'' of the Sava river. It's a good thing that the "old roundabout" is now a thing of the past, especially for the two thousand people who found employment in Zagreb's brand new city landmark - the 150 metre tall Jarun Panorama business tower from which one of the most beautiful views of Novi Zagreb is offered. Ambitious runners also spend their mornings on the banks of the popular Jarun lake.
This gorgeous 38-story illuminated building is an impressive sight indeed, it houses the offices of some of the most renowned Croatian and international companies, and it's also the tallest building in all of Croatia, which, due to its imposing character, has quickly become one of Zagreb's most famous architectural spots. The tower is not lonely here, however, and within its ''company'', there are six more separate buildings, among which a green park belt is arranged. Zagreb's brand new residential and business centre is called Jarun Panorama and as has been announced by investors, upon completion of construction, three thousand citizens should gravitate towards it daily.
Five years from now might seem like it's in the distant future, but given the fact that the investor spent almost twelve years engulfed in the “construction” of this project, it could be said that the actual construction of Jarun Panorama is almost within our sights. That is, of course, as long as good old Croatian red tape doesn't throw a spanner in the works before that.
The investor is Rotor South Ltd. d.o.o., which is 100 percent owned by the Oslo-based Norwegian Croatian development property II AS, managed by Robert Hagen. In Croatia, they are represented by consultants from Colliers International, which, after years, finally plans to present Jarun Panorama to the public next week, more specifically on Tuesday at REXPO.
There, visitors will be able to get better acquainted with the details of the project, which extends to just under 35,000 square metres in total, and in addition to the business tower, includes residential and hotel facilities, which is set to make Jarun Panorama the largest residential and business centre in Zagreb.
According to the ideas of the Norwegian investors, about 340 apartments with an average size of over 100 square metres would be built in the area near the roundabout, and Novi Zagreb would also get new hotel content along with this project, as Jarun Panorama also envisages one hotel under the management of a well-known international brand. The category will be a minimum of four stars, it will boast 240 rooms, a conference room and additional amenities such as a restaurant, wellness facilities and the like.
If realised, Jarun Panorama will be located right in the space currently encircled by new thoroughfares built to reconstruct the Zagreb roundabout. It will be located near the Arena shopping mall and the sports hall, and investors hope that the good traffic situation can contribute to the attractiveness of the building - which will be close to major city roads leading to Zagreb's exit, but also towards the city centre itself.
According to Vedrana Likan, director of Colliers International, which represents the Norwegians responsible for this project in Croatia, it is currently the most advanced mixed-use project in all of Croatia, for which two location permits have already been issued, and for which the Hagen-led fund has spent more their time and cash on arranging things and bringing the massive project to this stage of realisation for more than a decade now.
''For over twelve years, it was necessary to resolve the property-legal relations and to buy all the land on which Jarun Panorama would be built. According to our estimates, construction could start within a maximum of 18 months, and the completion date will depend on the pace of construction,'' she says.
The reason why the Jarun Panorama megaproject will be presented at REXPO next week is because the Norwegians have decided they need to find a construction partner, and it is entirely possible that they will acheive that goal, given that so far there is considerable investor interest.
"The search for investors began in October this year, and for the time being, there are interested investors from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and Serbia, the United Kingdom, Germany and Austria. We're also targeting investors from the US and the UAE, and so far, we've continued negotiations with five of them,'' Likan said.
''The project is fully ready for the market and for further development, it's clear of any potential problems. Location permits have been issued and allow for a high level of construction and we're extremely curious about how the story will evolve,'' Hagen stated.
When he mentions that the project has been cleared of potential problems, Hagen is probably alluding to the numerous twists and turns that have surrounded Jarun Panorama since the very first announcement that the Norwegians would build something near the roundabout, which mainly concerned land ownership.
Make sure to follow our dedicated business page for much more on investment in Croatia.
PHOTOS: Official Opening of Museum of Chocolate in Zagreb
November 24, 2019 - To the delight of all chocolate lovers, on the 25th of November in Varšavska 5 in Zagreb, the first Croatian museum dedicated to chocolate is opening its doors to the public.
Muzej čokolade Zagreb (Museum of Chocolate Zagreb) is a theme park dedicated to chocolate, its historical, geographical and cultural significance. The idea of opening the Museum of chocolate came to the spouses Ružica and Domagoj Cerovac, otherwise passionate chocolate lovers. The concept of space was designed by themselves, and their fairy-tale vision was completed by Željka Zrnić, a collaborator of the Museum, which, to the smallest detail, decorated every corner of the premises.
Through an interactive approach, the museum's exhibition and scenery will take visitors on a journey through time and space, arousing their senses of sight, smell, touch, hearing and of course-taste. Visitors will follow the path of the creation of chocolate from cocoa beans in Mesoamerica, through chocolate drinks at European courts to the exclusive praline of today.
All chocolate lovers at the Museum store are also offered the opportunity to buy products from the assortment of small Croatian artisan chocolatiers. The idea is to connect the true lovers of chocolate with experienced producers of this exceptional food.
Visit the Museum of Chocolate Zagreb and awaken the child in you!
Official Museum Instagram profile
Official Museum web page (work in progress)
All photos by Leon Božić, Dnevna doza biljaka
To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
Croatian Cup Final: Mladost Tops Jug in Split for 2019 Title
November 24, 2019 - The Mladost Zagreb men's and women's water polo teams won the Croatian Cup in Split on Sunday.
The first trophy of this water polo season goes to Zagreb! After a long eight years, the Croatian Cup Cup will shine again for the men's team at Mladost, which is their ninth total. At the Poljud pool in Split on Sunday, Mladost stopped the four-year-reign of Jug.
HRT reports that the Mladost Zagreb men's team won the Croatian Cup on Sunday night after defeating Jug Dubrovnik 16-12 (3-3, 3-3, 7-4, 3-2) in the final in Split.
In a match with an unusually high number of goals, Mladost reached the Cup victory, mostly thanks to a great third quarter where they were up 7-4. Jug thus remains at 14 Cup trophies and have won the four previous seasons in a row.
Luka Bukić (4 goals), Cosmin Radu (3 goals), and Josip Vrlić and Franko Lazić, who scored two goals each, were the most effective for Mladost. Paulo Obradović scored five goals to be the best for Jug, while Loren Fatović scored three goals.
The Mladost women's water polo team was also successful on Sunday and raised the Cup after a convincing victory over Split's Jadran. Namely, Mladost won the Croatian Cup after defeating Jadran in the final 20-5 to win their eighth Cup ever, and the third consecutive.
The Zagreb side was dominant in the victory, even though they were without their best possible lineup, as Petra Bukić, who was selected as the best Croatian water polo player in 2017 and 2018, was out due to injury.
However, the 2019 best player Emma Miljkovic was brilliant with six goals in the final. In the last minute of the second quarter, it was 11-0 for Mladost. Jadran's first goal came from a five-meter penalty.
To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.
Croatian Skiers Start the New Alpine Ski Season with 3 Top-20 Results!
The second race and the first slalom of the new season of alpine ski World Cup was held today in Finnish Levi.
And after a few seasons in which Croatian skiers weren't able to show their talents, today three out of five of the Croatian skiers managed to get into the second run, and in the end, all three of them secured the top-20 position! Henrik Kristoffersen won today (his first win in almost two years), while Istok Rodeš was 14th, Filip Zubčić 16th and Elias Kolega 19th.
Kolega performed the best out of the group in the first run, securing the 10th position before the second run, but his second run was not at such a high level which brought him down to the 19th position. Istok Rodeš was 12th in the first run, but it was Filip Zubčić who can be said to have accomplished a miracle today: his starting number was 70, and with such a high number he barely got into the second run (he was 29th in the first). Then, in the second run, his time was the third-best time of the run (!), which secured him the 16th place overall.
The other two Croatian skiers today on the starting list were Matej Vidović, who was not able to qualify for the second run and Samuel Kolega who did not finish the first run. Frenchman Clement Noel took the second spot today, and Daniel Yule of Switzerland was the third.
As is customary, after the opening weekend in Finland, the Alpine Ski World Cup now moves to the American continent, where Lake Louise will host two fast races next weekend, a downhill and a Super-G. The next slalom race, which we're looking forward to the most, will happen after the skiers have returned to Europe, in Val d'Isere in mid-December.
