February 2, 2020 - Last year, the implementation of the IQM Destination Lika or Lika Integrated Quality Management project began, aiming to improve the overall quality of the destination by connecting the entities in the destination to provide the best service to the guests.

HRTurizam reports that in 2019, Lika gathered as many as 96 partners from 7 categories (attractions, hotels, caterers, camps, local products, private accommodation and travel agencies) to join the project. And now it's time for everyone else to get involved.

Due to the great interest of the public, the Lika Destination Cluster, Plitvice Lakes National Park and Feel IQM are inviting all interested tourist entities to contribute to the development and quality of tourism in Lika this year to apply for the project.

All interested parties can submit their applications by Monday, March 2, 2020. You can find out more about the project here.

The project to brand Lika as a unique tourist destination was started in 2015 through the INTEGRA LIKA 2020 project. Through this process, Lika developed a system of regional quality labels for locally produced food, beverages and souvenirs called Lika Quality, which already has 169 certified Lika Quality products in its system, with 62 manufacturers.

The destination of Lika includes the coastal and inland part of the County of Lika-Senj, the Municipality of Gracac in Zadar County and the Municipalities of Rakovica, Saborsko and Plaški in Karlovac County. The project aims to connect the subjects and encourage excellence to improve the overall quality of the destination.

As part of the project, in 2019, a series of educational workshops were held, which will continue in 2020, to encourage mutual networking, synergy and raising the quality level of each of the entities involved and the overall tourist product of Lika.

The whole story from beginning to development is more than impressive, especially in the context of development in the underdeveloped tourist area, regardless of the importance of Plitvice Lakes National Park.

The story of the development of the Lika Destination cluster is a great example of how to develop a tourist destination in a quality and sustainable way, using the most EU funds. An excellent positive and concrete case study will be presented at the first conference of the HrTurizam.hr portal - One Day Or Day One, which will be held on 02.04.2020. in Zagreb.

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

February 2, 2020 - Tens of thousands of people attended the central EcoC opening programme that communicated the courageous messages on the values upon which modern Europe is founded. On Saturday evening, the uncommon Opera Industriale transformed Rijeka Port into a huge stage, where there were thousands of performers accompanied by the sounds of work, industry and noise.

The Opera Industriale’s  final song “O Bella Ciao” symbolically reminded Europe and Croatia of the freedom which the citizens of Europe have been enjoying for the last 75 years with words “È questo il fiore del partigiano, morto per la libertà! / This is a flower for the partisan, who died for the liberty”. Messages appearing on light installations were: RIJEKA LET'S GO; FORZA FIUME; PORT OF DIVERSITY; TOLERANCE; RESPECT; COEXISTENCE; PEACE, ANTIFASCISM; ART; EUROPE, CULTURE 

“Through the programme in the port, in front of the eyes of Europe, Rijeka paid respect to its workers and its industrial heritage, its avant-garde art and the tradition of its surrounding region, at the same time reminding us of the core values the modern Europe was built on. Rijeka Port was chosen as the symbol of modern and open Rijeka, for which reason the motto of European Capital of Culture Rijeka is Port of Diversity. The uniqueness of this program was ensured by the huge audience which rang the cowbells, cheered, created noise and lights, and thus participated in performance both as a living instrument and as the very reason for the existence and realization of the European Capital of Culture,“ said Emina Višnić, Rijeka 2020 CEO immediately after the ending of Opera Industriale. 

Opera Industriale is based on the musical framework designed by Rijeka art duo JMZM (Josip Maršić and Zoran Medved) and orchestrated by Croatian composer, maestro Frano Đurović. Besides them, this central opening programme in Rijeka Port featured numerous artists, including DB Indoš – House of Extreme Musical Theatre with Rumoristi, the mixed Choir of The Opening of European Capital of Culture which was  lead by  Jeka Primorja choir and fronted by Igor Vlajnić, and string and wind orchestra. The Finish Choir Mieskuoro Huutajat offered an especially attractive performance that included screaming, shouting and rattling. Opera Industriale also featured around twenty Rijeka guitarists, ten drummers, dancers and the workers’ orchestra of grinders, welders and sparks. 

This urban Rijeka opera has brought forth a reminder of the rich and stormy Rijeka past, along with the messages of respect for the power of workers in the life of a modern city, the working people who proudly built Rijeka. In regard to the tackled themes, this performance also included a reference to Janko Polić Kamov, the greatest Rijeka writer and a predecessor of the European avant-garde, whose verses were recited in a very peculiar style. A Finnish choir of screaming men sang the hymns of all the states in which Rijeka existed during the past hundred years. During Opera’s grand finale, the famous song of Italian antifascists “O Bella Ciao” was jointly sang by all the performers: rock guitarists, drummers, The Choir of The ECoC Opening, orchestra, Finnish Choir Huutajat and DB Indoš along with a large part of audience. Through the messages that pervaded this programme, Rijeka clearly demonstrated the values it cultivates and represents, the messages it wishes to send to both Europe and the world. Programme’s narrator was Zoran Prodanović Prlja, a well known Croatian rock frontman. The spectacle was rounded with spectacular fireworks.  

Rijeka has been having fun from the early mourning hours 

Following Opera Industriale, entertainment and fun will continue to the early morning hours, in Rijeka’s cafes and clubs, its streets and squares. 

Welcome to Rijeka, the European Capital of Culture, one of the most interesting European cities this year. 

This is a message from Rijeka!

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

It is no secret that Russian tourists love visiting Croatia, and the current Days of Croatian Tourism being held in Moscow has done nothing but confirm the enormous amount of interest on the Russian market for what Croatia has to boast of in its rich tourist offer.

As Glas Istre/Silva Bodlaj Ivasic writes on the 1st of February, 2020, the Croatian National Tourist Board's (HTZ) representative office in the popular Russian city of Moscow organised the Days of Croatian Tourism event, at which representatives of numerous Croatian tourism companies, including Uniline from Pula, had the opportunity to connect with potential partners from Russia and bring Croatia closer to them as a top destination.

Days of Croatian Tourism, organised by the Croatian National Tourist Board, took place in Moscow on Thursday. Representatives of the Croatian tourism sector had the opportunity to learn more about the specifics of the Russian market and to better connect with potential partners from Russia. The Croatian delegation in Moscow was led by Minister of Tourism Gari Cappelli, Assistant Minister Tonci Glavina and the director of the Croatian Tourist, Board Kristijan Stanicic, hosted by the director of the HTZ Representative Office in Russia - Rajko Ruzicka.

Representatives of Uniline, a leading destination management company in Croatia and the region were some of Croatia's representatives, including Dario Guljelmovic, sales and production manager at Uniline, and key account manager Marko Borscak.

"The Russian market is huge and we really recognise its great potential. At one place, we were able to meet a number of potential associates. On the Russian side, more than 100 entities from the tourism sector visited Days of Croatian Tourism. The event was also visited by the Russian Minister of Tourism, various officials, interested parties from the F&B sector and many others,'' stated Dario Guljelmovic.

The Russian market is specific in that it doesn't actually include the middle class, unlike on more western markets. When it comes to Russia, they're either extremely high paying guests, or the total opposite.

From a Russian perspective, Croatia is an extremely interesting destination, especially among clients seeking top-notch service and with a desire to stay in five or four star hotels. The biggest obstacle to strengthening cooperation with Russian partners is the current visa regime. With the entry of Croatia into the European Union, guests from Russia required a visa to enter the country. As a positive example of addressing this obstacle, Guljelmovic points to 2018's FIFA World Cup held in Russia, when it was relatively easy for fans with tickets to obtain the necessary visas to enter.

Guests from Russia are excellent consumers with typically very high paying power. In addition to classic tourism, there is great potential in health tourism, and they are interested in Croatian spas. Guljelmovic points out that there is great interest in staying in villas in the interior of the region of Istria. Recently, this type of tourism has become somewhat of a trend, and in Russia, it's especially emphasised. Russian guests appear most interested in top quality accommodation, they want villas in amazing locations, with swimming pools and other amenities included.

"At Uniline, we can see great potential on the Russian market and we're working intensively on this. Russians, just like the Croats, prefer to book later and are only now completing brochures for the new season, so this was an ideal time to host a manifestation such as Days of Croatian Tourism,'' concludes Guljelmovic.

Make sure to follow our travel page for much more.

As Novac/Vedran Marjanovic writes on the 1st of February, 2020, Croatian Motorways (Hrvatske ceste) has signed a contract with the Trafficon Pro urbe business association to develop a study on connecting southern Dalmatia to the motorway system, adding a highway to Dubrovnik, which actually marks the completion of the Zagreb-Dubrovnik motorway.

HAC expects the Trafficon Pro urbe association to create a study two routes within the aforementioned interconnection of southern Dalmatia into the highway system. The first direction is from the Metkovic junction on the A1 motorway to the future Peljesac bridge, and the second from the Doli junction down to the City of Dubrovnik in the very south.

With regard to the Peljesac bridge and access road profiles, one of the questions that the aforementioned traffic connection study will have to answer is the feasibility of a full highway profile with the option to begin the construction of two-lane thoroughfares.

The Croatian Government ordered HAC to commission the study at its session in Dubrovnik last February. On this occasion, Minister of Maritine Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure, Oleg Butkovic, expressed his expectations that the transport connection of southern Croatia to the A1, more specifically the highway to Dubrovnik, would receive European Union (EU) co-financing, much like Peljesac bridge did.

On the other hand, according to the provisions of the respective open call from HAC, the study is actually not linked to EU funding. HAC will allocate 2 million and 387 thousand kuna for the preparation of the study, and the successful bidder in the tender is obliged to submit the ordered document, completed by the end of this year.

At the aforementioned session in Dubrovnik, members of the government didn't mention either the amount of investment in connecting southern Dalmatia with the A1 motorway, nor did it mention the actual date of commencement of the works. The expected deadline for completion of Peljesac bridge is August the 1st, 2021, and the access roads should be completed one year later.

When it comes to the cost of completing the highway to Dubrovnik, Jutarnji list recalled the now distant 2009 calculations when the previous idea for the project to build a highway to Dubrovnik was studied, which would have come with a hefty price tag 732 million euros for 80 kilometres of highway from Ploce in the Neretva valley down to Dubrovnik. In this variant, ten viaducts and eight tunnels would need to be built on the imaginary thoroughfare.

Since a part of the highway from Ploce to Dubrovnik was indeed constructed in the meantime, and the study ordered may suggest different routes that would be used by the roads from previous solutions, the said amount of cash needed when it comes to the actual investment will certainly be changed when in comparison to 2009.

Make sure to follow our lifestyle page for more.

As Jurica Gaspar/Morski writes on the 1st of February, 2020, the gorgeous coves and bays of the island of Zirje, much like most of Croatia's islands, are unfortunately full of discarded plastic waste.

Zirje is being written about specifically because as this harmful plastic rubbish arrives on the island, so do the lovers of Zirje as they embark on yet another praiseworthy beach clean-up action. This time, they cleaned up as much as one tonne of plastic waste in just two or three hours, and their satisfaction with their hard work for the good of the environment was sadly spoiled by the fact that someone else would surely arrive and throw more plastic there before long.

This is far from the first time that volunteers, under the organisational baton of Sibenik's city councillor, Anton Dobra, have engaged in cleaning up bays on Zirje which have been contaminated by plastic waste. They regret that the politicians sitting comfortably in Zagreb, as well as many lower-ranking authorities and local government units, still don't feel the need for organised action.

The Adriatic sea seems to concern them only in the domain of its commercial exploitation, as if they've not been concerned at all with the obvious, extremely worrying problems of high amounts of plastic pollution along the Croatian coast and in the sea over recent years. It's like it's not happening at all, or it's happening to someone else, somewhere on another planet.

Owing to this selective blindness, few people except local volunteers rolled up their sleeves on Zirje at least. This is precisely why they urge that at least those who are actually paid for it finally begin to do their work to protect the only sea Croatia has.

''When people start working, then not even jugo (strong southern winds) can stop us. Luckily, we managed to clean up a tonne of plastic, and we're sad that this evil seems to have no end,'' Dobra wrote on Facebook, proud that the volunteers filled up 35 bags with plastic waste that had ended up on Zirje.

''It's important for me to emphasise that we need to awaken people's consciousness. So that it isn't too late for us. The Adriatic is increasingly polluted! The political structures need to be awakened, by volunteers, by individuals… For 2-3 hours of work, there are so many benefits. And this is just a drop in the ocean, this is our national problem - the state MUST get involved! At the moment, there are at least two garbage trucks' worth of trash on Zirje alone. Every county should have its own boat for this kind of thing. This is a global issue, but it's also our problem, we have to face the reality,'' concluded Dobra, showing photographs that confirm the far from optimistic reality on Croatian islands.

Divers claim that below the surface of a seemingly sparkling, clean Adriatic, the situation is sadly even worse.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for more. If you're interested in both official and unofficial ways Croatia takes care of its environment, give Total Eco Croatia a follow.

There is an enormous amount of talent in this geographically small country. From the world of sport to medicine and science and beyond. The IT and tech sector has recently been experiencing somewhat of a boom in Croatia, with many great minds creating innovation. Croatian software developers are among those with some excellent ideas.

As Lucija Spiljak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 1st of February, 2020, the term financial planning used to be a synonym for a messy and chaotic system for Katarina, Luka, Mateja, Matija and Zrinko in all of their past jobs, in which most reports, they explained, would be created with a lot of manual data collection from many different systems and with delays of up to two months.

Based on the experience of all five of them, with a combination of that experience, knowledge in the fields of communication, IT and telecom, they decided to launch a system that allows small and medium-sized enterprises to easily plan and monitor operational and financial components in just a few clicks. This is the Farseer platform presented by, among sixteen other teams, at last year's Zicero's (Zagreb Innovation Centre) pre-accelerator programme - Startup Factory.

The whole idea of ​​Farseer was developed at Kod Biro, a software agency that develops mobile and web applications.

"The guiding principle was to facilitate the process of financial and operational planning and reporting while achieving transparency and saving employees time. Planning and reporting is a critical strategic business management activity, and in most companies, it's performed on a yearly or a quarterly basis, often using technologically outdated tools, with most of the time spent on data entry and organising inputs instead of strategic decisions and business modeling,'' explains platform co-founder Matija Nakic.

The system is intended for middle and senior management participating in the business planning process of an enterprise, and certain operational tasks can easily be given to any responsible person in the system, adds Katarina Trbara.

"We primarily target medium to large companies that, owing to their size and complexity, need structured business planning," notes Trbara. Furthermore, the system created by these Croatian software developers allows for the defining the structure and process of the plan in a mere few clicks, a significant improvement over Microsoft Excel.

Young innovators have incorporated Excel's strengths into their user interface, so they have cells, functions and a formula engine, but everything is subordinate to planning. Users receive planning tasks, administrators monitor the completion of the plan and at some point ''lock it'', after which the realisation of costs and revenues is monitored in real time," Nakic explains.

Among the major advantages of Farseer, the ''child'' of these Croatian software developers, are therefore significantly reduced time, the simplification of the process of creating plans and minimising manual tasks, which allows users to focus on strategy instead. According to Nakic, users can easily monitor the results achieved, compare them with the plan and simulate different business scenarios before making any important business decisions.

''We also touched on the general financial literacy of employees and managers in Croatian companies, which young innovators consider to be at an unenviable level. In larger companies with controlling departments, the situation is better, but planning is still seen as an administrative commitment ''done'' a couple of times a year, while global trends in this field promote so-called continuous planning, which involves a lot of operational planning and continued simulation. The planning process should be more collaborative and lean towards strategy and defining concrete ways of implementation," says Trbara.

The young team of Croatian software developers' desire is that planning with Farseer is something managers actually want to do, not something they have to do. In addition to implementing the system, they also offer planning and reporting consulting, as they point out that they want to help Croatian companies track global trends in this field. They continue to work with Zicer as part of their Startup Factory programme, they say, and have undergone an intensive education process, worked with top mentors and made valuable contacts, especially as young entrepreneurs seeking to improve their product and business skills.

Gaining additional experience, they completed the first version of Farseer, and the entire team is currently focused on selling and integrating Farseer with existing customer systems.

They received an incentive from HAMAG-BICRO to develop an innovative technical solution that will be used for the self-service integration of Farseer with ERP systems.

"Since companies abroad are more mature in the context of orderliness and automation, our primary focus will be on foreign markets, but we'll certainly continue to talk to regional companies and institutions, among which there are some bright examples," conclude Matija Nakic and Katarina Trbara.

Make sure to follow our dedicated business and Made in Croatia pages for more.

February 1, 2020 - The Rijeka 2020 morning programme kicked off the city's European Capital of Culture events.

From the early morning hours, the streets of Rijeka have been in a festive and joyful mood, marking the start of the all-day culture party that includes more than 70 events at over 30 different locations. The event’s organization includes more than 40 different associations, entrepreneurs, artists’ organizations and numerous individuals. Today, Rijeka enters the year in which it will be the European Capital of Culture. 

“We are proud that today Rijeka officially becomes the European Capital of Culture.  All the citizens of Rijeka, regardless of age, along with the esteemed guests of Rijeka, will get a chance to enjoy truly varied cultural entertainment. While the morning hours have been dominated by dance, theatrical and musical performances along with performances by children’s choirs, vocal groups and dancers, the evening will be crowned by a central event that is going to take place at 7.30 p.m. under the title Opera Industriale. We are inviting all the citizens of Rijeka to come to the port, where they will also be able to participate in the programme“, said Emina Višnić, the CEO of Rijeka 2020. 

Among the numerous programmes, one sold out days ago. This is the Anti-tourist Tour, a guided bus tour that is hosted by Rijeka actresses Tanja Smoje and Jelena Lopatić. Mayor of Rijeka Vojko Obersnel joined the passengers on the first tour that took place at 10 a.m. This hilariously intoned tour offers quite a unique view of Rijeka, that is also self-ironical and typical for Rijeka.

While some begun their morning with the Anti-tourist ride, the other joined a programme titled Rijeka, Steps and Time that took place in Rijeka’s main street of Korzo, where people walked through 116 years of Rijeka history, with the assistance of 232 meters long timeline. The magnificent building of Rijeka Fish Market found its place in the programme, as during the morning hours, it hosted a gig by Vocal Studio Rijeka.

A rich musical morning in Rijeka gathered all the generations. The pupils of Elementary School Vežica performed children’s songs, nursery rhymes and lullabies in many European languages, thus showing how . childhood in Port of Diversity looks. Mixed Choir of Rijeka Pensioners performed for passers-by in Kružna Street, under the lead of maestros Vinko Badjuk and Damir Badurina. The all-day plethora of evens was joined by The Association of Restaurants and Caterers of Primorsko-goranska County, which organized a programme in numerous cafes and squares in the centre, with musical performances, cocktails mixing spectacles and big-time entertainment.

The program continues throughout the day and night 

It is expected that the audience that will follow the central programme of the opening of European Capital of Culture will start gathering from 7 p.m. in the Rijeka Port. Opera Industriale, beginning at 7.30 p.m., is based on the musical template of the Rijeka art duo JMZM – Josip Maršić i Zoran Medved, and on the orchestration of the Croatian composer Frano Đurović. The programme will bring the noise, city sounds, sounds of workers, sparks and light effects. It will be performed by more than 200 performers and involve a large part of the audience. The director of the central opening programme is Dalibor Matanić.

The space for the audience visiting Rijeka Port stretches to all piers in the port – Adamić Pier, De Franchesci Pier, Karolina Riječka Pier, Boduli Waterfront, and Molo longo. Those who want to participate in the performance should come to Molo longo, especially children with their parents, high school students and university students. They should arrive there already between 6 and 6.30 p.m. due to the limited capacity for the audience on Molo longo. On Molo longo, the audience will receive cowbells they will use to participate in defined moments during the performance. One part of Adamić Pier has been turned into a space where people with disabilities will be able to follow the program in a pleasant way. In order to avoid jams, it is highly recommended for them to arrive at the Port between 6 and 6.30 p.m.

Happiness, positive energy and party in Rijeka will last throughout the day. In the afternoon, there will be rock, pop, jazz and blues concerts, as well as DJ sets. The only break and rest will be during the one-hour Opera Industriale. Starting from 9 p.m. in the clubs and in the open, there will be performances of many bands - from Jonathan, Paraf, Fit, Denis&Denis, The Siids, Associations of Rijeka rockers from the 1960s and 1970s, and also Marko Tolja, Dule Bonaca, Šajeta and many others.

All programmes that will be running in Rijeka throughout the day are completely free for all visitors, and especially for this occasion, working hours of all bars, restaurants and clubs have been extended.

It is an excellent introduction into the programme of the European Capital of Culture 2020, which will feature more than 600 individual events. Over 300 organisations from Croatia and 40 European countries and the rest of the world have been involved in the organisation.

This opening program is all but a classical-style event. The essence of performance can be summed up as sound, music, and noise, along with the combined effects of light and darkness. By using strong symbols in the actual performance, Rijeka will pay homage to its workers who worked in port, shipyards, factories, who came here over the course of many centuries, who built this city. In this manner, workers have also built the city identity, which has then been recorded by the artists. Hence, this opening ceremony is also an ode to Rijeka's artistic avant-garde and the traditions of the adjacent region. And, last but not least, Opera Industriale will remind us of all the founding social values upon which modern Europe was built.

PROGRAM

19:30 

1. SHIP SIREN MARKS THE START; TURNING OFF THE LIGHTS; MAIN STAGE: ORCHESTRA; . LIGHT INSTALLATIONS: PIXEL ART + MIGRANT WAVES + SEAGULL – START; DANCERS BEGIN DANCING; A BOAT WITH NARRATOR BEGINS SAILING THROUGH THE PORT IN DIRECTION OF FRANCESCHI PIER

The narrator is Zoran Prodanović Prlja, a singer of Rijeka's rock group Let 3, a band with a unique image and extraordinary texts as well as performances marked by specific humour and a feeling for the bizarre. 

The orchestra consists of string and brass sections from the Croatian National Theatre Ivan pl. Zajc. Dancers are members of Flame, a group from Rijeka, and of Ana Maletić School for Contemporary Dance from Zagreb. 

Scaffolding, wagons and cranes in Rijeka Port have been transformed into art installations and came to life with movement and light. For the sake of this occasion, a range of specially formed light installations have been set up across Rijeka Port

Seagull installation turned typical port cranes into a fascinating large-scale light sculpture, which celebrates the flight of a seagull as expression of freedom. As part of stage scenography an installation named Digital was set up on De Franchesci Pier, evoking industrial-technological heritage of Rijeka. Pixel Wall is a light installation in front of the Maritime and Passengers terminal building on Molo longo. It is an unusual videowall composed of pixels. Migrant Waves installation was set up in the extension of the breakwater and reminds that the port is a place of migrations, which is one of the central topics of the European Capital of Culture. It also symbolizes waves – sea waves and sound waves.

19:34 / 04:15 

NARRATOR Zoran Prodanović Prlja ONTO DE FRANCESCHI PIER, APPROACHES THE CRANE, PICKS UP A GRINDER AND BEGINS WORKING – WORKERS APPROACH AND BEGIN WORKING, CLIMBERS BEGIN CLIMBING; CRANE: THE SOUND OF GRINDERS 

The sounds of work, welders, sparks, and the noise of grinders that initiate the opening ceremony convey the message about the dignity and strength of workers in the life of a modern city.
These are the symbols of labour and workers who proudly built Rijeka, and by including the sound of working in the opening ceremony, Rijeka pays tribute and respect to the working class.

Performers in Opera Industriale are dressed in worn-out and new workers’ coats in different colours, mainly different shades of blue. 

19:36 / 06:30 

Zoran Prodanović Prlja INVITES THE AUDIENCE LOCATED ON MOLO LONGO AND EQUIPPED WITH COWBELLS TO JOIN GRINDERS; MOLO LONGO: AUDIENCE EQUIPPED WITH COWBELLS; 

The entire zone around the port basin is intended for the audience, whereby the zone on the breakwater, Molo Longo, is also the zone for those who will take part in Opera Industriale. A special place is reserved for children with parents, young people, and many others who received cowbells at the entrance to the breakwater, which they will ring several times during the performance and thus participate in the program.

19:38 / 08:00 

FIREWORKS APPEAR ON THE CRANE

19:38 / 08:37

MAIN STAGE: DB INDOŠ - CHILDREN ON INSTRUMENTS – SCHACHTOPHONES

Damir Bartol Indoš is a performer and visual artist who creates experimental music instruments, sound sculptures Schachtophones and graphic partitures. Schachtophones  in Opera Industriale have graphic partitures and with their help, they produce sound and bring the intensity of verses by Janko Polić Kamov, a great writer from Rijeka. Kamov lived at the turn from the 19th to the 20th century and he was a writer who transcended physical boundaries of Rijeka and Croatia, but also artistic boundaries of Europe at the time, bringing it into the new age and upheaval, announcing European literary avant-garde. In this part of the programme the following verses will be performed:

“I was enraged at the noise made by the people beneath my window and I fell asleep again only when I found out those were the horses.”

They are part of notes/aphorisms entitled Acceni, published in 1913, three years after his death, in Italian magazine Lacerba.

19:43 / 12:40 

MAIN STAGE: NARRATOR + ORCHESTRA + CHOIR; CHILDREN LEAVE THE MAIN STAGE

NARRATOR Zoran Prodanović Prlja narrates historical facts about Rijeka:

1230 The first mention of the city's name: Saint Vitus' Rijeka

1599 Venice attacks Rijeka with artillery due to Rijeka's support to Uskoks

1659 Emperor Leopold issues two-headed eagle coat of arms to the city of Rijeka

1719 Rijeka was proclaimed Free Royal Port

1739 Public masquerade balls were prohibited due to the plague

1747 Rijeka was connected to Trieste and Vienna by stagecoach

1752 Sugar refinery was put into operation

1765 The first Rijeka's theatre was built

1778 Traditional bull hunting through the city streets was abolished

1813 Karolina Belinić stopped the British fleet attack at the city

The reminders of interesting and turbulent history will be mentioned in several occasions during Opera Industriale.

19:43 / 13:00

MAIN STAGE: DB INDOŠ PERFORMANCE 

Damir Bartol Indoš is the author of the mentioned Schachtophones, instruments for producing sound, based on the art of noise. The instrument is started by the opening of the manhole cover. Schachtophone boxes have a network of springs inside of them. Springs are started by opening cover and putting your hand in them or entering the manhole-boxes themselves. 

Schachtophonia Notes for Kamov, by the authors Damir Bartol Indoš and Tanja Vrvilo, performed by The Rumourists: DB Indoš, Tanja Vrvilo, Ivan Bilosnić, Nino Prišuta, Ratko Danilović, Damir Prica Kafka, Ivana Pedljo, Lidija Šola, Jasmin Dasović (percussionists and performers on schachtophones, two vocalists, performers of the new circus, drum, bass guitar, electric guitar and a musician playing who plays prepared piano, saxophone and piano keyboards) as well as Children schachtophone orchestra, composed of eight students from Ivana Matetića Ronjgov Music School in Rijeka, under the mentorship of prof. Anita Primorac.

In this part the artists perform Kamov’s quote:

“At the moment of death there is no more exaltation, because death is the ultimate exaltation.“

19:43 / 13:35 

FOLLOWING THE RHYTHM SET BY DB INDOŠ, BOATS ENTER THE PORT; INSTALLATION SEAGULLS ARE SET IN MOTION, IN ACCORD WITH THE RHYTHM

Small boats and vessels also participate in Opera Industriale. They joined the performance together with many other groups of citizens and inhabitants of Rijeka who will have a special role in the opening ceremony. 

19:48 / 18:01

MAIN STAGE: NARRATOR + ORCHESTRA + CHOIR; FINNISH CHOIR ASSUMES POSITION ON A PLATFORM BENEATH THE MAIN STAGE 

NARRATOR Zoran Prodanović Prlja articulates the following set of facts about Rijeka’s history: 

1832 Composer Ivan Zajc was born

1833 Steam engine was put into operation at the Paper Factory

1836 Cholera epidemic breaks out in Rijeka

1849 People's Reading Room Rijeka, that exists to this day, was founded during the Illyrian movement

1855 The old basin of the Rječina River becomes Dead Canal

1858 The first issues of the literary magazine „Neven“, the only one of the kind at the time of Bach's absolutism in Croatia

1866 Luppis-Whitehead torpedo was successfully tested in the Rijeka Bay  

1868 Rijeka becomes corpus separatum

1873 The first football match in Croatia was played, and the railway connected Rijeka with Budapest and Vienna

1883 Oil refinery was put into operation

1885 Rijeka gets lavish Municipal Theatre „Giuseppe Verdi“

1886 Janko Polić Kamov was born

1893 The first woman was employed at the Oil Refinery

1899 Electric tram sets off through the city, and opera conductor Lovro Matačić was born

1900 Advanced journalism visionary Frano Supilo launched the Novi list newspaper

1903 Regular shipping line Rijeka – New York started operating, the first synagogue of Rijeka was built, the city's animal cemetery was opened

The choir of the opening of the European Capital of Culture led by Mixed Choir “Jeka Primorja” (“Echo of Primorje”) led by Igor Vlajnić take the stage. More than 40 members of the choir perform on the stage.

19:52 / 22:16 

PLATFORM BENEATH THE MAIN STAGE: FINNISH CHOIR
Mieskuoro Huutajat (Men's Choir The Shouters), from the Finnish city is one of the most unusual and longest-lasting icons of Finnish culture. Their singing resembles traditional
Maori war cries. In Opera Industriale, Mieskuoro Huutajat Choir performs with 23 singers. These unusual Finnish people will, in several sets, perform specific covers of anthems of the countries Rijeka existed under throughout the tumultuous 20th century: Hungary, Austria, Italy, the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Germany, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and in the end the Croatian anthem Our Beautiful Homeland and Ode to Joy (German: An die Freude) as the anthem of the European Union. In this part of the performance the Pixel Wall displays in loop the following text:

BUDAPEST 

VIENNA

The choir performs Hungarian and Austrian anthems.

19:53 / 23:48 

MAIN STAGE: NARRATOR + ORCHESTRA + CHOIR; VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF SEAGULL INSTALLATION DOMINATES THE PORT; FINNISH CHOIR CLIMBS UPON THE MAIN STAGE

NARRATOR Zoran Prodanović Prlja: 

1912 The Carpathia steamship, sailing on its regular line from Rijeka to New York, receives the SOS signal and rescues Titanic survivors

1913 Kantrida stadium opened

1919 Gabrielle D'Annunzio enters the city

1920 The Free State of Fiume was established under the Treaty of Rapallo

1921 Gabrielle D'Annunzio leaves the city

1924 Border wall between the kingdoms of Italy and Yugoslavia was erected, separating Rijeka and Sušak

1940 Benito Mussolini's yacht was launched at Rijeka’s shipyard

1942 Rijeka’s Skyscraper was completed, supposedly funded by Marco de Albori, Al Capone's accountant

1943 German army occupied the city after the surrender of Italy

1944 The Allies bombard the occupied Rijeka

1945 Yugoslav Army frees Rijeka from fascists during the Battle of Rijeka

1947 The Paris Peace Treaty transferred Rijeka to Yugoslavia

1948 Rijeka and Sušak reunited

1951 Trolleybuses introduced as the city's means of transport, and famous conductor Vjekoslav Šutej was born

1955 Ante Babaja wins Golden Arena for the direction of his documentary “Jedan dan u Rijeci” (A Day in Rijeka), the Liberation Monument was erected, and the Faculty of Medicine was established

19:57 / 27:08 

MAIN STAGE: FINNISH CHOIR

Since the establishment of Mieskuoro Huutajat (Men's Choir The Shouters) in 1987, hundreds of men passed through the choir of 30 voices, surprising the audience across the world. Let by conductor Petri Sirviö, the choir is best known for their loud renditions of Finnish patriotic songs but have also performed foreign tunes such as “The Star-Spangled Banner”. They come from the Finnish city Oulu, a candidate for the European Capital of Culture 2026. Huutajat is a choir that does not follow the musical notes but shouts. Twenty well-dressed men in a military manner scream, rattle and shout anthems and similar texts, and they performed on world stages and events, such as the Royal Festival Hall in London or the Venice Biennale, but also on squares and streets in many European cities. 

In this set the Finnish choir performs the anthems of the following countries: Italy, the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Germany, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Pixel Wall displays in loop the following text:

FIAT 500, ALFA ROMEO, VW BUBA, GOLF 1, YUGO 45, ZASTAVA 101 

19:59 / 29:10

NARRATOR DRAWS ATTENTION TOWARDS DRUMMERS; MALL RI: DRUMMERS

As part of Opera industrial, 10 drummers will perform on the roof of Mall Ri. The drummers are from RiRock Association:

Vinko Golembiowski (UMA)
Saša Vukosav (ex Father)
Goran Grgurev (God hates a coward)
Mateo Rožić (Zenoth / Hand of Apollo)
Igor Klanfar  (Kraj Programa / Mburns)
Kristian Kirinčić (Fanaa)
Vanja Kauzlarić (Pachamam Street Conection/Officer Down)
Stefan Drmač (Media Effect /Johnny Quid)
Tihomir Kešelj (Obrazovni Program)
Karlo Mihelčić (Fanaa)

Together with guitarists, who will perform later on, these drummers bring the propulsive energy of Rijeka punk and rock.

The Pixel Wall displays in loop the following text:
DRUMS, PLEASE 

20:00 / 30:10 

Zoran Prodanović Prlja INVITES THE AUDIENCE EQUIPPED WITH COWBELLS, STANDING AT MOLO LOGO, TO JOIN THE DRUMMERS; AUDIENCE EQUIPPED WITH COWBELLS ON MOLO LONGO

The Pixel Wall displays in loop the following text:
COWBELLS, DRUMS

20:01 / 31:09 

31. MAIN STAGE: NARRATOR + ORCHESTRA + CHOIR; ON THE CRANE – WORKERS AND CLIMBERS WORK

NARRATOR Zoran Prodanović Prlja: 

1957 Husar Rock Club was opened

1959 Che Guevara visits Rijeka and the 3d May Shipyard as a member of Cuban delegation

1960 The rock-band Uragani was founded, and the Puppet Theatre opened

1965 Lemmy Kilmister performed with his first band in Rijeka

1966 Youth Club, later named Palach, started working

1967 The creation of the character of Professor Baltazar, and the Baltazar-City where he lives was inspired by the urban look of Rijeka

1971 The first kidney transplant in the country, performed at the KBC Rijeka Hospital. The same year 78 people died in an airplane crash at the airport on the Krk island.

1975 Twin skyscrapers with 30 floors were built in Turnić. They remain the highest residential skyscrapers in the country.

1976 - on 10 March, to be precise, Rijeka had the highest daily snowfall, the record of 52 centimeters of snow, unprecedented to this day

1977 The first performance of the punk trio Paraf, and Takazumi Katayama set the record of the Preluk motorsport circuit, averaging 162 km/h

20:03 / 33:16 

MAIN STAGE: FINNISH CHOIR  

In this part, Mieskuoro Huutajat (Men’s Choir The Shouters) perform the Croatian anthem Our Beautiful Homeland and Ode to Joy (German: An die Freude) as the anthem of the European Union.

With the previous three sets in Opera Industriale and this last one, they brought the reminder that Rijeka is a city used to changes, considering that, throughout its history, it has very often changed countries under which it existed. They performed anthems as symbols of the states Rijeka belonged to in the last one hundred years.

The Pixel Wall displays in loop the following text: 

LIJEPA NAŠA; BEETHOVEN; MIHANOVIĆ; EU

(translation: OUR BEAUTIFUL HOMELAND; BEETHOVEN; MIHANOVIĆ; EU)

20:05 / 35:18

MAIN STAGE: DB INDOŠ 

The third set by Rumourist and DB Indoš brings Kamov’s verses:

“I cannot imagine anything madder than our life, our country, us people and our perception of this madness”

Precisely at 20:20 the Pixel Wall displays in loop the following text:

20:20

2020

20:10 / 40:08

MAIN STAGE: NARRATOR + ORCHESTRA + CHOIR

GUITARISTS ASSUME POSITION ON MAIN STAGE
The Pixel Wall displays in loop the words which will be understood by inhabitants of Rijeka and Rijeka region; dialect, jargon from Rijeka area:

KACOT, BALINJERA, PUNJETA, BETON, VEŽICA, ČA JE ČA!, KANOTJERA, KAPO MAKINE, CAMPETTO, KONTEJNER, PRUGA, KANTRIDA, BURA, SVJETIONIK, KRPENJAČA, BARBA, SILOS, LUČKI RADNIK, PUNK, LAZARET, KORZO, DIVOJKE, KONT, KREPAT!, ŠKVER, NE MOLAT!, ORIJENT, MURVA, PRIŠLIĆ, ČIGOV SI?, NEVERA, MRTVI KANAL

NARRATOR Zoran Prodanović Prlja speaks: 

1984 Football club NK Rijeka beats Real Madrid with 3:1 at the Kantrida stadium

1987 3rd May Shipyard has 7.061 employees

1991 Hartera produces as high as 5% of the total world cigarette paper. 89 percent of inhabitants of Rijeka vote yes to the independence of Croatia on the referendum. Rijeka brigades of Croatian Army are formed with the goal of defending the country

2003 Pope John Paul II spent five days in Rijeka

2013 Rijeka Islamic Center inaugurated, considered to be the most beautiful in Europe

2016 University Campus on Trsat was inaugurated

2017 Football Club Rijeka becomes the champion of the Croatian League

2017 The Modern and Contemporary Art Museum moved into new premises in the Benčić Complex

2020 Rijeka becomes European Capital of Culture

20:12 / 42:04

MAIN STAGE: GUITARISTS
The power of sound of electric guitars and the rhythm of drums which has already resounded in Opera Industriale are the reminders of rebellious and brave Rijeka. During socialism, at the end of the 1970s and the beginning of 1980s, this sound resonated in the Southeast Europe and spread the word about progressive Rijeka. 20 guitarists from Rijeka are on the stage:

Dražen Baljak and Matej Zec (Let 3)
Vlado Simcich Vava (ex Laufer / Turisti)
Tomislav Radinović and Darko Petković (Jonathan)
Luka Benčić and Matko Botić (My Buddy Moose)
Davor Tomić (Father)
Vedran Vučković (Nord / Gerila)
Karlo Horvat and Rade Malobabić (Kryn)
Darko Terlević (The Siids)
Vladimir Tomić (Moskva)
Ilir Domnik (ex Družba bijesnih lisica / solo artist)
Andreas Kornjača (Fanaa)
Zlatko Štefančić (Zenoth)
Davor Margan (Lost Lucid)
Borna Žderic (Mamut)
Matej and Ivan Hanžek (Old Night)

The city whose history was crisscrossed by borders became open precisely because it learned how to transcend, ignore and move them. Creative energy and power of artists reflected resistance even at times when freedom of creation was not implied, when some tried to put art into the mold of “correctness” and to prescribe its objectives. Based on this resistance and orientation towards the Western European cultural sphere, arose the propulsive energy of Rijeka punk and rock. This is the moment in which guitarists from Rijeka symbolise this part of the identity of Rijeka.

The Pixel Wall displays in loop the following text:

RIJEKA 

EPK 

2020

(translation:

RIJEKA

ECoC

2020)

20:13 / 43:22 

MAIN STAGE: NARRATOR + ORCHESTRA + CHOIR + DB INDOŠ + FINNISH CHOIR
MALL RI: DRUMMERS JOIN THE PERFORMANCE; CRANES: WORKERS AND CLIMBERS POUND ON, FOLLOWING THE RHYTHM

 “O BELLA CIAO” song begins:

Una mattina mi son svegliato

O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao

Una mattina mi son svegliato

Eo ho trovato l'invasor 

O partigiano porta mi via

O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao

O partigiano porta mi via

Che mi sento di morir 

E se io muoio da partigiano

O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao

E se io muoio da partigiano

Tu mi devi seppellir 

Mi seppellire lassù in montagna

O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao

Mi seppellire lassù in montagna

Sotto l'ombra di un bel fiore 

E le genti che passeranno

O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao

E le genti che passeranno

Mi diranno: "Che bel fior"

È questo il fiore del partigiano

O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao

È questo il fiore del partigiano

Morto per la libertà 

(English translation:

One fine morning I woke up early

O, bella, ciao, bella, ciao, goodbye, beautiful

One fine morning I woke up early

To find the fascist at my door

Oh, partisan, please, take me with you

O, bella, ciao, bella, ciao, goodbye, beautiful

Oh, partisan, please, take me with you

I’m not afraid to die no more

And if I die as a partisan

O, bella, ciao, bella, ciao, goodbye, beautiful

If I die as a partisan

You will have to bury me.

Bury me high up in the mountains

O, bella, ciao, bella, ciao, goodbye, beautiful

Bury me high up in the mountains

Under the shade of a beautiful flower

Show all the people, the people passing

O, bella, ciao, bella, ciao, goodbye, beautiful

Show all the people, the people passing

The beauty of this flower of mine

This is the flower of the partisan

O, bella, ciao, bella, ciao, goodbye, beautiful

This is the flower of the partisan

For freedom he gave his life)

This song is the symbol of Italian antifascists. The song, whose author remains unknown, is a reminder of the great suffering in the last World War and of the freedom Europe has enjoyed in the past 75 years. The freedom that grew on the foundations of antifascist values.

Arrivals of conquerors, them passing through the city, strength and power, weaved in Rijeka the natural clarity in differing good and evil, openness towards new and different as opposed to being closed and exclusive. That is why Rijeka, which was the martyr of the first fascist experiment, preserved from its contemporary history heritage of European historical antifascism which is today reflected in citizens’ openness, tolerance and their respect for human rights. At this moment, by performing Bella Ciao song, historical European antifascist position of Rijeka is highlighted.

Rijeka reminds Europe of freedom and basic values it was built on in the modern period, following the end of the last historical suffering in the entire Europe.

20:17 / 47:31

AUDIENCE EQUIPPED WITH COWBELLS JOINS IN
The Pixel Wall displays in loop the following text: 

AJMO RIJEKA; FORZA FIUME 

LUKA RAZLIČITOSTI

TOLERANCIJA, POŠTOVANJE, SUŽIVOT, MIR, ANTIFAŠIZAM, UMJETNOST 

EUROPA, KULTURA

(translation:

LET’S GO RIJEKA; GO FIUME

PORT OF DIVERSITY

TOLERANCE, RESPECT, COEXISTENCE, PEACE, ANTIFASCISM, ART

EUROPE, CULTURE)

In continuation, the Pixel Wall displays in loop the following text: 

LJUBAV 

(translation: LOVE)

20:19 / 49:30
BELLMEN ARRIVE – FROM SEVERAL POSITIONS IN THE PORT THEY START THEIR MAGICAL EXPEDITION WITH NOISY BELLS. ONE GROUP IS BY THE MAIN STAGE, ONE GROUP ARRIVES BEHIND THE BUILDING OF TERMINAL ON MOLO LONGO AND ONE GROUP EXITS TRANSADRIA BUILDING AND MOVES ALONG THE WATERFRONT 

This is the moment in which Rijeka honours the tradition of the surrounding region. Bellmen bring magical energy on which life lies in its primal form, with a humongous noise of the bell – magical age-old pagan ritual – they chase winter away and announce spring in the European Capital of Culture, the new age Rijeka is entering on 1 February 2020.

20:20 / 50:30 

CHAOTIC ATMOSPHERE IN THE PORT – EVERYONE’S ON THE MAIN STAGE + BELLMEN ON THEIR POSITIONS + DANCERS + DRUMMERS + WORKERS/CLIMBERS ON THE CRANE + AUDIENCE EQUIPPED WITH COWBELLS; FIREWORKS ON THE CRANE

This magnificent ending announces the new age Rijeka enters tonight by taking over the title the European Capital of Culture 2020. 

20:23 / 53:00 

PORT: DISPERSAL – BOATS DEPART FROM THE PORT, PERFORMERS (PRLJA, DB INDOŠ, ORCHESTRA, CHOIR, FINNISH CHOIR) LEAVE THE MAIN STAGE, BELLMEN DEPART FROM THEIR POSITIONS, WORKERS/CLIMBERS DEPART FROM THE CRANE, DANCERS AND DRUMMERS LEAVE THEIR POSITIONS

VIDEO WALL PROJECTIONS OF THE FACES OF ALL PARTICIPANTS IN OPERA INDUSTRIALE

More than 200 performers, 500 bellmen and huge audience in Molo longo participated in this performance.

FIREWORKS

Opera industriale was performed live and with the help of recordings. Numerous performers did it by combining the sounds of the city, the industry and noise, melodies of classic, rock and entirely unusual instruments. As it was announced, but also as those who know Rijeka expected, we have seen an unusual, eye-catching art performance, which does not resemble classic manifestations, the performance that once again confirms that Rijeka is the city which has no mould, always brave and always open towards the new and different.

Now it is a given that Rijeka will be one of the most interesting cities in Europe during 2020. It is interesting that Rijeka is the first Croatian city carrying this title, and for the first time in European history, the same country has both the Capital of Culture and presides the European Union. This is an opportunity for Croatia and Rijeka to present themselves in the light of culture.

Rijeka invites all fans of art and culture, all citizens of Europe prepared to experience the unusual open city to visit it during 2020.

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

ZAGREB, February 1, 2020 - At the summit in Beja on Saturday, the leaders of the Friends of Cohesion group will define their positions on cohesion policy that is important for all, and especially for those European regions that are yet to catch up with those most developed, the Croatian and Portuguese prime ministers said in this Portuguese city.

"Our task today is to define our positions ... on the so-called traditional policies, and those are, first of all, cohesion policy as well as agricultural policy," Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said at a joint press conference with his Portuguese counterpart Antonio Costa.

"Cohesion policy is the redistributive strength of the European budget that EU citizens need, regardless of where they live, and especially in those regions of our member states where we still strive to reach the development level of the most developed regions in Europe or those of average development," Plenković said.

Costa said that Portugal and Croatia have different experiences in the EU, but that there are also common aspects such as cohesion. Both countries are interested in getting adequate funding from the EU budget in the next seven years.

"Our message regarding cohesion is clear. We want to make it clear that Europe is one and united in its interests. It is important to us that Britain has left, but it is even more important that Europe should stay coherent," Costa said.

Today's meeting of the informal group Friends of Cohesion is important ahead of an extraordinary meeting of the European Council on February 20, which was called by European Council President Charles Michel in an effort to reach a compromise between the Friends of Cohesion and the countries that seek to reduce the EU budget and direct most of the reduced budget at new priorities, such as climate change, at the expense of cohesion and agricultural policies.

The new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) will largely define what the EU will be like in the next ten years or so. The EU member states are divided over the MFF, the first without the United Kingdom which left the European Union on January 31 at midnight Central European Time.

Cohesion policy is an inseparable part of the single market and concerns all EU member states, Costa said, recalling that cohesion is important for all member states because they have all used these funds.

"It's no coincidence that the Friends of Cohesion have gathered together 17 countries, from the Baltic to the Mediterranean, which is a real proof of how important this policy is. It enables every village, every town and every citizen to deal with their problems and get closer to the European level standard," Costa said.

He added that it would be bad for the EU if these funds were cut in favour of some other policies.

"Of course, we need a compromise. We have the position of the European Commission, Parliament and Council and we need to bring them closer and reach a final agreement," Costa said.

Plenković reiterated that Croatia would be pleased if this agreement was reached during its presidency of the Council of the EU, but noted that it wanted it to be a good agreement. He said that the agreement should be reached this year.

Plenković used his working visit to Portugal to meet with Costa. They concluded that the two countries had very good and friendly relations.

Both countries are interested in strengthening their trade, which reached about €115 million last year.

"We think we should get both Croatian and Portuguese companies more interested in investing and cooperating. I am particularly glad that we are seeing a growing number of Portuguese tourists," Plenković said.

More news about relations between Croatia and Portugal can be found in the Politics section.