Lifestyle

March the 3rd, 2023 - For Croatian winemakers, entering the American market represents a significant step forward in their business and gaining global recognition for wine. The Fakin Winery, one of the leading and multiple award-winning Croatian wineries from the village of Bataji at the foot of Motovun, gains a place on the wine map of the world. The Fakin winery nurtures the typical Istrian grape varieties Malvazija, Teran and Muscat, currently has nine active wine labels, some of which it presented to the American market in February, at several organized tastings and wine presentations in New York. Members of…

March 1, 2023 - Who is the most impressive foreigner you have met in Croatia? For me, none I have met comes close to this Syrian student-turned-entrepreneur.  Due to study in Italy, he pass through Zagreb and stayed, a decision which led to more than 50 years in Croatia during which he achieved so much. This despite having his business plans ruined twice, on two different continents. The amazing story of Mohamed Radwan Joukhadar - born in Aleppo, found love in Vukovar - where the tragedy of war in his two cities did not dampen his determination to build a…

March the 1st, 2023 - Once you've been approved for Croatian residence, the main bulk of your administrative woes will be over. No more standing in lines, stamps, and being frowned at by ill-informed clerks at MUP. No more limbo. But there are still rules to follow when it comes to how long you can be absent from the country for. Citizens of the European Union/European Economic Area with temporary Croatian residence If you're an EEA/EU citizen and you've been approved for temporary Croatian residence (this is typically approved for a period of five years, but it can be less),…

February the 28th, 2023 - The Croatian healthcare system saved my life. This isn't an understatement.  Back in 2006 when I went into anaphylactic shock in Zagreb due to allergies I was unaware I had, hitna pomoć (the emergency services) arriving when they did and not a minute later meant that I could keep breathing and can now sit and write about it. I depend on HZZO (the Croatian Health Insurance Fund) for access to my medication, I’ve had four surgeries, and countless tests and consultations have taken place in between. I joke that having to juggle several chronic conditions…

February the 27th, 2023 - The Southwestern Kajkavian dialect, sometimes referred to as the Turopolje-Posavina dialect, is one of the main dialects which makes up Kajkavian. We've explored many of the dialects, subdialects and indeed languages in their own right as some linguists consider them to be which are spoken across modern Croatia. From the Dubrovnik subdialect (Ragusan) in the extreme south of Dalmatia to Northwestern Kajkavian in areas like Zagorje, the ways in which people speak in this country deviate from what we know as standard Croatian language enormously. That goes without even mentioning much about old Dalmatian, Zaratin, once widely spoken in and around…

February the 26th, 2023 - The plan for next year is to finally bring in the much talked about ETIAS. The ETIAS is not a visa but a travel authorisation which should take a mere few minutes. Who will need an ETIAS to enter Croatia? First things first, let's have a look at some ETIAS facts An ETIAS is not a visa but a travel authorisation, and it is currently not in operation, so applications cannot yet be made. The plan is for it to become operational in 2024. ETIAS approval is not the same as having a residence permit…

February 26, 2023 - It is just over a year since carnage was unleashed in Ukraine, leading to millions of Ukrainians forced to flee the country.  How many ended up in Croatia? It has been 12 months of heartwarming stories of Croatians opening their arms to help those fleeing the war in Ukraine. Memories of their own Homeland War less than 30 years ago are very fresh in the memory, and the overall Croatian response has been outstanding.  The influx of Ukrainians into Croatian society is plain to see, from the school and kindergartens to the labour market. But just…

February 26, 2023 - A new book exploring the land of Dalmatians by Albert Anthony.  Many people are already familiar with the popular breed of dogs known as Dalmatians, but did you know where they originate from?  One young American business author went on a journey to discover the land of the Dalmatians, and at the same time discover his own distant family lineage. The business author, who writes on Amazon under pen name Albert Anthony, traces his ancestral roots to this region, and recently went on a journey to learn more about the area, using newly digitized birth & death records to…

February the 22nd, 2023 - New York based Croatian rapper Steve Mesic LUDI has released his sixth hip hop single "TI I JA" (YOU AND ME) on which he hosted Iva Ajdukovic. He describes the song as "ideal for relaxing after a night out when everything is kind of too loud and you just want to rest your ears". The production and arrangement was handled by Serbian producer Mija Pavlek Trim, who is also the author of the music while Ludi is the author of the lyrics. D'Knock did the mixing and mastering. "Working on the release single was pure…

February 22, 2023 - We are delighted to welcome Maja Dezulovic to TCN, and she begins with a somewhat different perspective - life as a black Croat in Croatia. Welcome Number 185! If you would like to write about Croatia from your perspective, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Subject Writing. When I was a high school student in Zagreb from 2005 to 2007 I could go months without seeing people of African descent anywhere. For the entire first year I was the only student of African origins in the school. I remember how seeing an African in the street was memorable because it felt…