Time Out Croatia news

Although there's a breeze in the air, it's a bright and sunny day across Croatia. And today, the sun is shining its rays down on hundreds of artworks that are being displayed outdoors for the 'Art in the Street' (Art na Cestu) day. Photographs, paintings, drawings and poems are just some of the works that have been pinned to public buildings or temporary display lines, each with the message 'Adopt me' (Udomi me) attached, inviting the public to take home for free anything they see which they like. This is Art in the Street's third annual occurrence. The ambitious scheme is organised by the Karlovac-based art collective F12 and marks World Community Art Day. With the event, F12 hope to encourage the idea of art as a tool for social development and to make it accessible to all. Last year, the event featured some 25 artists who exhibited around 135 works in the Croatian cities of Karlovac, Zagreb, Zaprešić, Velika Gorica, Osijek, Zadar, Varaždin, Marčan (Vinica) and Sisak. This year, towns and cities such as Kutina, Dugo Selo, Djakovo and Šibenik have also enthusiastically 'adopted' Art in the Street, with a sister event also taking place in the Serbian capital of Belgrade. This year, for the first time, artists working in media outside of painting and drawing have contributed, including writers, musicians, performers, poets and makers of arts & crafts. The event began at midnight last night and continues until midnight tonight, so keep a look out for anything you see in the

Founded some 17 centuries ago by the Roman Emperor Diocletian, the city of Split was originally a wondrous fortified domain whose walls were lapped by the gentle, crystal-clear waves of the Adriatic Sea. Those walls remain and today Diocletian's Palace is still one of the greatest Roman monuments to be found anywhere in the world. But, the city of Split is so much more than a Roman relic. Diocletian's Palace and the entire historical centre may have been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, but today the palace is more alive than ever, thriving with residents, businesses and services. It is the living, breathing heart of Croatia's second city. And amongst its grand old townhouses and the traditional, Mediterranean dwellings of its old town, you can now find ultra-modern facilities, luxury accommodation plus pockets of contemporary culture, entertainment and cuisine, all sympathetically blended into the vista of this seaside jewel.Loved by summertime visitors for its many close-by beaches, Split is a city of limitless options, all lying within walking distance of each other. One minute you could be pausing between pillars where Roman leaders addressed their subjects, the next you could be strolling through the pine-scented paradise of Marjan park, one of the city's best-loved spots for recreation. After a lunch of traditional Mediterranean food or contemporary Croatian cuisine, you could hit the beach or the gym, later settling into the sunset on a luxurious roo

One of Pula's beaches has received the classification of eco-beach. The beach is found on Veruda island, located in the bay of the same name. Locally the island is known as Frater island. To receive the classification a beach must be as natural as possible, respecting the environment, its plants and its wildlife. Eco-beaches are not developed by tourism or intruded on by commercialised aspects. Pula's eco beach is located on the north side of Frater island, near the main pier and the reception of the nearby campsite. The beach is 350 metres long with an average width of 12 metres and lies just in front of a forest of pine trees. Frater island © Michele Federico During the summer, a popular camp is organized on the island, frequented by visitors who prize the island's untouched natural beauty. Scouting troupes are just one of the groups who take advantage of the camp. Scouts are perhaps well-equipped to deal with the island's distinct but minor challenges because, although the city's water supply is connected to the island, there is no mains electricity on Frater island. The island is also very popular with groups of divers, the surrounding waters being protected and rich in sea life. Frater island is connected to Pula all summer by a boat which takes only 10 minutes, making the island and its eco-beach a viable day-trip for tourists and locals alike. However, in order to preserve the beach's special status and the island's environment, visitors are asked to observe specia

Mountain walkers have taken a video taken from the high glass bridge being built at Ravna Vlaska on Biokovo mountain. The new skywalk viewpoint sits 1228 metres above sea level and extends out from the mountain by some 12 metres. Being made mostly of glass, the walk might be nerve-racking to some, especially as it has not yet officially been finished. But, some of this group enjoying the mountain Biokovo look not to have been perturbed. Their video shows the skywalk offering incredible views of the Adriatic and towns like Makarska. A fine, pretty and well-judged piece of design and engineering, this is clearly not the skywalk's first official video introduction. However, the video shows it could soon be receiving official visitors.

A church in Vodnjan in Istria, Croatia, holds in its display the remains of St Hubert and a copy of the Turin Shroud. Though the remains have long been held in the church of St. Blaž, Vodnjan (main picture) they were only rediscovered in 2017. Pastor Marijan Jelenić claims that the heritage of the remains has now been proven beyond all doubt. He also claims that the copy of the Turin Shroud held there is one of the five original copies made of the cloth, which purportedly covered the body of Jesus Christ prior to his resurrection. Over the years, many copies of the Turin Shroud have been made, with over 50 copies now lying guarded in churches and shrines around the world. The copy held at St. Blaž church measures 4.15 metres by 1.43 metres, the exact same size as the original canvas.The Turin Shroud. The original is held at the Cathedral of Turin.Saint Hubert was born in present-day France and died in the year 727 or 728. He was first buried in the collegiate St Peter's Church in Liège, present-day Belgium, where he was the city's first bishop. But, his remains were exhumed and transported to the Benedictine Abbey of Amdain, present-day Saint-Hubert, Belgium, in the Ardennes in 825. The abbey became a focus for pilgrimages until his coffin and remains disappeared during the Reformation. Some presume that the remains may have ended up in Croatia having been carried by Crusaders on their way to or from the Holy Lands. Saint Hubert, as depicted by the Netherlandish School circa

An incredible new cave has been discovered by members of the Speleology Society Špiljar from Split. The cave, which has not been explored by human beings for hundreds of years, if ever, was found above the village of Dugobabe, about 30 kilometres from Croatia's second city, Split.The team from Speleology Society Špiljar included well-known cave explorer Tonći Rađa, who has travelled internationally on many previous adventures, exploring caves and cataloguing the rarely-seen life that exists within them. They were taken to an already known cave in the area by a local guide. After surfacing, the guide told the group that he knew of another cave nearby which neither he nor anyone else had yet descended into. The group decided to go and take a look.After dropping a stone in the cave to test its depth, the explorers became excited. One of Tonći Rađa's colleagues descended first and when she did not report back for many minutes, they realised they were onto a substantial discovery and Rađa followed her through the narrow entry point into the cave. Inside, they found a cave of some hundred metres in length. It was filled with pristine and perfectly preserved stalactites and stalagmites, some as large as four metres wide and four metres high, which have formed over tens of thousands of years.The cave is completely dark and contains small pools of crystal clear drinking water. In his 45-year career doing speleology, Rađa has entered thousands of caves all over the world, yet he easily

The Croatian public is enthusiastically supporting ecological issues and the fight against plastics, despite the extra cost. Supermarket giant Spar have revealed they sold one million biodegradable bags in 2019, even though the bags carry a small charge. Non-biodegradable bags for fruit and vegetables in Spar remain free, but many shoppers chose the small, extra charge in order to help the environment. Spar have well over 100 outlets in Croatia and are one of the major supermarket brands in the country. The supermarket also offer other biodegradable bags within their stores, including paper bags in which bread and pastry products are sold.

It was always going to rain. With more annual rainfall even than Manchester – England's so-called 'Rainy City' – it was a sure-fire bet. But, though the clouds hung overhead all day, the rain was actually intermittent. And, whatever the weather, nothing was capable of dampening spirits on the day.Tens of thousands of people were drawn to Rijeka on its Inauguration as European Capital of Culture on Saturday 1st February. Rijeka is used to big crowds at this time of year, its carnival in late February is the largest in Croatia. But, nobody could have anticipated the enthusiasm with which people from all over Croatia, Slovenia and further still, answered Rijeka's call to come and join the 24-hour party.If 24 hours sounds like a long stint, truth be told, it was actually longer. Partying started the night before, when Rijeka wholeheartedly embraced the nationwide Night of the Museums event. All of Rijeka's museums and galleries, like those across the whole of Croatia, were thrown open for free and many of the key exhibitions of Rijeka European Capital of Culture 2020 year were on show to visitors who attended in their multiple hundreds. Special mention simply must be given to the David Maljković: with the collection exhibition, which debuted at the Rijeka Museum of Modern & Contemporary Art on the evening. Rijeka-born and, like his home city, holding a unique perspective of history, art and beauty, nobody was perhaps better placed than the internationally-renowned Maljković to ha

The Ginkgo biloba tree which stands in front of Castle Janković in Daruvar is in the finals of European Tree of the Year award. Voting has just opened and this elegant 242-year-old deserves your vote. It is only the second Croatian tree to reach the finals of the 10-year-old European Tree of the Year awards. The other previous Croatian entry – the massive plane tree, the symbol of Trsteno - won 7th place in 2018. The Ginkgo biloba tree in front of Castle Janković in Daruvar © JU-Priroda-BBŽ Daruvar's Ginkgo biloba aka maidenhair tree has been protected since 1967, has a trunk circumference of seven metres and is the oldest of its kind in Croatia. Ginkgos have been used in traditional medicine for hundreds of years. In autumn, their leaves turn an incredible saffron yellow colour. When their leaves finally fall to the floor, they create an incredible carpet of colour. A Ginkgo tree in China drops its leaves in autumnGinkgo biloba's are the last surviving subspecies of a tree family which dates back as far as 270 million years. Daruvar's tree will compete with finalists from Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, The Netherlands, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Spain, Slovakia, United Kingdom.Daruvar's Ginkgo biloba in autumn © Grad DaruvarVoting is open only between February 1 and February 29. Voters must choose a first choice and a second choice (pick your second choice intelligently if you want the Daruvar Ginkgo to win!). Voting

Croatia is the 8th most-visited country in Europe. Official data shows that the country is ranked 8th out of all European destinations when judged on overnight stays. Only Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Greece and the Netherlands have more visitors based on overnight stays. However, informed by analysis from the Regional Aspect of Tourist Seasonality, made by the Croatian Chamber of Economy, Croatia has the largest disparity in Europe between visitors who come during the season and those who visit off-season. July and August have the largest number of stays with a huge 60% of all overnight visitors coming in this period. In other European Mediterranean countries, on average, these months account for only 34.6% of all overnight stays. Croatia's off-season potential is slowly being unlocked. Capital city Zagreb has attained international recognition for its Advent programme and the city-wide Christmas markets. Zagreb county, northern Croatia and the Kvarner region are also recognised internationally as leaders in health, wellness and medical tourism. However, major cities and regions in Croatia, both coastal and continental, lie largely dormant in terms of tourism in the off-season. Although many hold great events, activities and natural assets, the viability of Croatia as an off-season destination does not seem to be reaching an international audience.