Time Out Croatia news

For ten days from August 20, the streets, passageways and parks of Croatia’s capital will be transformed by some of the country’s most notable artists, muralists and sculptors. In collaboration with the Zagreb Tourist Board, the annual Okolo (‘Around’) initiative interprets contemporary themes through unique creations conceived for this very project, many of them site-specific. Okolo Zagreb/FacebookOkolo Zagreb Among the many creatives taking part this year will be the internationally renowned, Zagreb-born Lonac, recently highlighted for his transformation of a tram stop in Osijek. His huge, photorealistic works are now in evidence across the globe. Look out, too, for the acclaimed Nikolina Ivezić, who uses several artistic disciplines – painting, sculpture, comics – to express her thoughts. For this year, it’s an ironic take on the nature of luxury. Vitar Drinković uses multimedia to transform public space into art while Ana Sladetić creates her 3D characters by means of AD technology. See here for more details about the items on view from August 20, including a map so you can take your own art walk around the city.

As part of an urban Intervention project and the Osijek Summer of Culture, the city’s oldest tram stop on Europska avenija has been transformed by Lonac. The Zagreb muralist has worked all around the world, including China, the USA and Dubai. Dubravka Petric/PIXSELLOsijek The shape of the stop itself reminded the artist of cupboards and cabinets from his childhood, each filled with strange curiosities. Croatia’s only tram network apart from the one in Zagreb dates back to 1884, when it was horse-drawn, before being electrified in 1926.

In July 2022, a unique contemporary cultural attraction was unveiled in the tiny traditional village of Momjan in north-west Istria. The House of Castles is a visitor and creative centre as well as an artist-in-residence space and virtual museum showcasing the architectural heritage of castles across Istria. The initiative is part of a general move involving a different approach to tourism. Visitors are being encouraged to connect more with the surrounding culture they see and not simply consume then leave without a deeper interaction. In turn, local centres receive funding to be more accessible, more sustainable and aim to welcome visitors year-round. Momjan is the latest in a string of projects under the umbrella of Take It Slow, a high-budget, EU-funded strategy to regenerate the Adriatic region across Italy and Croatia, along the coast and into the interior. Its remit is to use their natural and cultural heritage as tools for sustainable and more balanced local development. Thousands flock to Poreč every summer to lie on a beach – now there’s a perfectly good reason to take a cloudy morning out and head to Momjan, 35 minutes away. Running over 30 months, Take It Slow extends until December 31, 2022, by which time it will have assisted 120 separate sites and centres focused on promoting natural and cultural heritage. Slow tourism is nothing new, of course. A burgeoning trend in the industry, it grew out of Italy’s successful Slow Food movement, initially a one-man campaign

A stone cake might not sound like the most appetising dessert, but the residents of Dol on Brač would beg to differ. Perhaps their most important tradition, harking back to the 18th century, is a cake called hrapocusa. Unique in its coarse and rustic look, the cake shares its name with a local reddish stone used in almost all construction in Dol. Many houses have been hewn from historic caves where island’s early residents, named after a mythical supernatural being, first lived. CENTAR ZA KULTURU BRAČ Now the present-day citizens of Dol will be celebrating the almond-and-walnut flavoured delicacy – protected by the Croatian State as an intangible cultural heritage – this evening, Sunday August 14, from 8.30pm. Aside from copious amounts of hrapocusa, the celebrations entail an exhibition on the cake’s history and preparation that takes place within the caves themselves. Around the main square, another exhibition, The Brač Memento, presents the works of famed photographer Aleksander Kukec, who immortalised the island between 1955 and 1965. The musical programme on the square includes the prize-winning Brač traditional klapa singing group Morbin, performing amid beautifully illuminated surroundings.

Scattered across Zagreb are many works by Ivan Meštrović. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the death of Croatia’s best known sculptor, with multiple events taking place around Croatia and the United States, where he later settled. The Meštrović museum in Zagreb’s Upper Town may be closed for long-term renovation, but our walking tour of his most important works in the capital should give you a good idea why is still revered today.  Nikolas Pfanner / Time Out Croatia Meštrović Pavilion Built in 1938, the pavilion is one of the most distinctive and recognizable structures in the city. Over the years, the building has served many purposes, mirroring Zagreb’s history in the 20th and 21st centuries. First built as an art gallery, it was converted into a mosque during World War II. Afterwards, it was again converted into a museum commemorating the revolution against Fascism. Today, the pavilion has returned to its original purpose and hosts art exhibitions and frequent cultural events.  Nikolas Pfanner / Time Out Croatia Main Square Frieze To the west in Zagreb’s main square of Jelačić trg s an often overlooked Meštrović piece. On the north side, on a curved building façade, a frieze depicts muscular male figures wearing togas. This is an early example of the sculptor’s exploration of the human form which would become one of the main themes of Meštrović’s career. Nikolas Pfanner / Time Out Croatia Nikola Tesla Going to the south and west, passing Cvjetni trg, is a Meš

Australian singer Kylie Minogue is in Rovinj, staying at a luxurious villa in the company of her friend and producer Sky Adams. Recently, the Melbourne-born star reprised her role in the farewell episode of Neighbours, the TV soap that launched her career back in the 1980s. Eagle-eyed PIXSELL photographer Srečko Nikitić spotted Kylie as she was about to take a tour of the city.

Watching over Zagreb since 1254, newly renovated Medvedgrad Castle is due to reopen its visitor centre on August 19 and plans to stage all kinds of cultural events, including a medieval fair at the end of September. Abandoned in 1590 after a series of earthquakes had reduced it to rubble, the castle was only visited by the occasional hiker and treasure hunter for 400 years until archeologists began to research the site in 1979. One of the best preserved medieval castles in Croatia, Medvedgrad has seen its palace, fortifications, southern tower and Chapel of St Philip and Jacob rebuilt from ruins thanks to the recent renovation. The tower provides sublime views over the Croatian capital and beyond. Medvedgrad Nature ParkMedvedgrad Though not in use until this year, the castle had lived on in the public imagination thanks to a popular local brewery, pioneering Medvedgrad, which has been depicting the historic landmark on its labels since 1994. Now it will be brought back to life with live music performances, film screenings and, in September, a medieval fair featuring a jousting tournament and dishes made from recipes created in the Middle Ages. Part of Medvedgrad Nature Park, criss-crossed by hiking and mountain-bike trails, the castle also provides easy access to the Zrinksi Mine and Veternica Cave nearby. Medvedgrad Castle Himper ulica 16 (medvedgrad.eu/en). Open 11am-6pm Tue-Sun. Tours 11am, 1pm & 4pm. Bus 128 to Lukšići-okretište/bus 102 to Potočani, then 30min walk.

Croatia is a land of sporting champions. Millions around the world have seen the country’s footballers, tennis players and basketball stars grace the greatest stage and win the most prestigious tournaments and trophies. And yet Croatia has a population of barely four million, less than half of London’s.    The reasons can be linked to physique, an active lifestyle and deep national pride. Then there’s also the landscape itself. Croatia is blessed with dramatic mountains for skiing, hiking and caving, verdant cycling country, fast-flowing rivers – not to mention one of the world’s most beautiful coastlines, ideal for sailing. With so much of it unspoilt, and so little built over or disturbed by industry, Croatia beckons active visitors of all ages and abilities. Kids can learn the basics of sailing on the calm, clear waters of the Adriatic, the business traveller staying in Zagreb can slope off to Sljeme for a day’s skiing, and anyone who loves riding horses will have a field day in Slavonia. Peaks & slopes The Paklenica National Park is a popular destination for climbing. Close to the sea, an easy hop from Zadar, Paklenica offers nearly 600 signposted routes of varying degrees of difficulty. The shortest ones are in Klanci, the narrowest section of the Velika Paklenica canyon. These are even suitable for the youngest climbers, with the right equipment and headgear, of course. Julien Duval / CNTBHiking at Northern Velebit National Park The most famous rock is Anića kuk, 35

Much has been made of the newly unveiled cable-stayed bridge that gracefully spans the Adriatic between the village of Komarna on the Croatian mainland and the Pelješac peninsula facing it. After decades of having to pass through a section of Bosnia to drive between the main Dalmatian hubs of Split and Dubrovnik, motorists can now skirt round it completely, thus avoiding border crossing to and from the EU. Then there’s the bridge itself, a thing of wonder when backdropped by the sea and rolling vineyards of Pelješac. Anyone who has been to Podgorica in Montenegro will recognise the handiwork of Slovenian engineer Marjan Pipenbaher – his cable-stayed bridge over the Morača looks similar in appearance, albeit much smaller in scope. Igor Kralj/PIXSELLPelješac Bridge Driving over this huge construction, though, toll-free and well signposted, is another matter entirely. Leaving behind the half-moons of beaches, bars and konobas lining the seafront of previously little-visited stretch of Dalmatia south of the Makarska Riviera – there’s now even a Bridge Restaurant at Komarna 97 – you head for Pelješac as pylons 98 metres high tower above you. Dramatic is the word you’re looking for. It’s then that you realise that the bridge, all 2.4km of it, now grants access to the vineyards, windsurfing spots and oyster beds of the Pelješac peninsula, without you having to take the infrequent ferry from Ploče or Korčula. More than just shortening the route between the familiar hubs of Split an

A country with more than 1,200 islands, Croatia is bristling with undiscovered nooks and hidden beaches. Beyond the most popular holiday destinations and tourist trails, the adventurous traveller is rewarded with remote villages, picturesque rivers and under-visited towns ripe for fresh discovery. Bjelolasica Bjelolasica is the highest mountain in the Gorski Kotar region and offers incredible views of forests, meadows and the neighbouring mountains of Velebit, Lička Plješivica and the islands of Krk, Cres and Lošinj. It's a rare sight to be able to look over each of Croatia's different regions – the coastal, continental and mountainous – from one vantage point, even more so from one whose views are undiminished by the season. Bjelolasica exists within one of the justly most popular areas for hiking in summer (there's great access for cyclists, too), while in winter it offers skiing. Cetina river Omiš is regarded as one of the prettiest towns in Dalmatia, but what makes this area so distinct is the river Cetina, which meets the sea at the town. Forget the beach for the day and venture inland, following this 100-kilometre-long river for as far as you can. There’s a plethora of water-based activities as well, from boats that drop you at traditional eateries to canoeing, kayaking and white-water rafting. The river also has one of the best zip lines in Croatia, passing over the waters and steep canyon walls. Daruvar The Slavonian town of Daruvar has a history of winemaking dating