Total Croatia News but a nightmare for full-time living unless you are very rich The Croatian dream is to live in Croatia with a nice income from abroad Croatia is the Best Place to Live: 8 Reasons Why (see below) salaries are too low and people are forced to emigrate in search of a better life While there is definitely an element of truth to this It doesn’t matter if you are from Boston or Bangladesh if you have the skills and are able to work remotely online.  And while it is certainly true that salaries in Croatia are low what about the opportunities that the global online marketplace offers If foreigners can find ways to live in Paradise and work remotely I posted this on my Facebook and LinkedIn: Do I know many Croats who are living in Croatia, but working remotely for international companies who would be interested in being part of a TCN interview series showcasing living in Croatia but earning online, including advice to others on how to get started? It could be an interesting series. If interested, contact me on paul@total-croatia-news.com Subject Remote Croatia Some 15 emails – and several inspiring stories – later and I think we have the makings of what could be a rather interesting series Croats Living in Croatia & Earning Abroad and if you are not from Croatia or a neighbouring country it will be a challenge to pronounce my surname I grew up and I live in the small town of Ivanić-Grad near the capital of Croatia After finishing high school in my hometown I studied communication science at the University of Zagreb My passion for writing inspired me to start my blog which led to my first gigs as a content writer and also to learning more about digital marketing I worked in a Croatian company as a Digital Marketing Specialist I had a now or never moment and packed my bags for Ireland I landed an amazing remote-first job in an international company CXC Global a series of events and many personal reasons made me pack my bags back to my Croatian hometown The best part was being able to keep my job and not sacrificing anything in the process after quite a few student experiences and one year in a Croatian company I just felt like there must be some kind of hack to have a better life And I’m a (calculated) risk taker by nature I started to apply for jobs on the Irish version of the website Indeed I was already working remotely as a Digital Marketing Specialist for a CXC Global EMEA in Galway I just felt like I wanted to go back to Croatia the job was the only thing I was happy with And the people in my workplace were pleased with me too so there was only one way to go about it – work remotely from my hometown.  but I would say it wasn’t the hardest thing in the world I was also active in a student association which resulted in getting the job more often than not I had the option to open up my business with clients in line I was also offered a job that was based in Zagreb but I didn’t want to live through the same story again I wouldn’t say I experienced so many rejections and the ones I did I see as a redirection to better things I know quite a few people based in Croatia in different industries that can work remotely She can have sessions with clients via phone calls or video calls I also know some people that work in the IT industry there are Croatians nowadays owning Etsy shops and offer their products in a global market I would say it’s possible but it depends on the industry I think there is a general feeling of being stuck in one place Many people are complaining about how bad everything is and not doing anything about it I think people can have more than a good life here in Croatia The grass is greener wherever you water it It depends on personal priorities and the type of risk an individual is willing to take waiting 10 years in one company to have a somewhat decent paycheck is not an option the only problem that nobody talks about in these scenarios is that many Croatian-based companies still require people to be present in the offices I believe that not everybody (including me) wants to live and/or commute to Zagreb and Split There is still not enough trust from the employers’ side toward employees when it comes to remote work In the terms of living a so-called Croatian dream I think many companies are saying that you can live a Croatian dream while other industries are not moving so much We cannot depend only on one or two industries as a country that’s why I would focus more on what each individual can change for themselves rather than looking a collective situation I know that it is scary to move on from things that seem familiar and to do something different It’s not the most comfortable to not know where you will land or if you will land at all but it’s so much better to try than to continue doing something you don’t like for the next month and if you are not qualified to do this thing you want to do start with some small goal because setting up a big goal means setting up for failure maybe you can think of the niche or industry you would like to write about you could volunteer to write a piece for a small business website or create your blog or a LinkedIn article start applying only for jobs that you like and if it says remote-first based in a particular country It can turn out that you are a candidate that they are looking for and they would be able to make an exception or they can contact you in the future in case something pops up but the main thing I feel is the root of the problem is a victim mentality It seems like it’s always somebody else fault for everything that is happening I feel that each individual should take the responsibility for the role they are playing in society You can follow the rest of this series in the dedicated TCN section here If you would like to contribute your story to this series, please contact paul@total-croatia-news.com Subject Remote Croatia What is it like to live in Croatia? An expat for 20 years, you can follow my series, 20 Ways Croatia Changed Me in 20 Years, starting at the beginning – Business and Dalmatia Follow Paul Bradbury on LinkedIn. Subscribe to the Paul Bradbury Croatia & Balkan Expert YouTube channel. Croatia, a Survival Kit for Foreigners is now available on Amazon in paperback and on Kindle. and website in this browser for the next time I comment This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page By Railway Gazette International2023-10-26T05:00:00+01:00 CROATIA: Rail infrastructure manager HŽ Infrastruktura and the European Climate Infrastructure & Environment Executive Agency have signed Connecting Europe Facility funding agreements for two projects The first is the double-tracking and modernisation of the Ivanić-Grad – Popovača and Popovača – Kutina sections of the Dugo Selo – Novska line with €246m of CEF funding towards the estimated €289m cost The remaining 15% is to be financed from the state budget The total value of the Dugo Selo – Novska project is €670m with the work being divided into four sections: Dugo Selo – Ivanić-Grad The second agreement covers the provision of €4·9m of CEF funding to cover 85% of the cost of design work for the 72 km Skradnik – Krasica – Tijani section of the planned new alignment between Zagreb and Rijeka CROATIA: HŽ Infrastruktura has launched a €620m tender for the modernisation and double-tracking its 83 km Dugo Selo – Novska line The project is co-financed by the European Union through the Connecting Europe Facility and the Competitiveness & Cohesion Programme CROATIA: National passenger operator HŽPP has awarded Končar KEV a contract to supply six electro-diesel multiple-units for the 429 km Zagreb – Split route which is electrified at 25 kV 50 Hz as far as Oštarije The €57·3m contract signed on July 23 is being financed .. CROATIA: The European Investment Bank and the government have signed a €900m loan agreement to support a €2·6bn programme to modernise around 500 km of regional railway lines and acquire rolling stock ‘This loan will enable us to make further investments in railway infrastructure Site powered by Webvision Cloud Plasteurope.com is a business information platform for the European plastics industry It is part of KI Kunststoff Information and PIE Plastics Information Europe one of the leading content providers for the European plastics industry We offer daily updated business news and reports polymer prices and other services for the international plastics industry News | Polymer Prices | Suppliers Guide | Jobs | Register | Advertising Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon We help you navigate a myriad of possibilities Sign up for our newsletter for the best of the city By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. Croatia A crazy maze through a cornfield at Dubrovčak Lijevo near Ivanić-Grad on the south-eastern fringes of Zagreb County The labyrinth can be visited until mid-October an unusual attraction whose aim is to promote rural sustainable tourism in the area and bring people closer to nature The feature sits near state bicycle route 2 making it a convenient stop-off for cyclists Designed from natural materials by landscape architect Kristina Komšo the pattern has been inspired by the Hrvatica folk costume of Posavina the historic region of the Sava river basin Instructive panels within the maze reveal informative details about the area The maze is open at weekends between 10am-6pm and by request by calling Marko Klak +385 91 934 0406. For more details, contact the Tourist Board of Ivanić-Grad, +385 1 288 1591, info@tzig.hr. facebooktwitterinstagramAbout us Teenagers in Ivanić-Grad have cast their eyes down the tracks ever since the railway came to town day trips to the excitement and buzz of the big city are looked forward to and taken at any opportunity Smart City Ivanic-Grad has been edging towards becoming its own little centre of contemporary cool Ivanic-Grad train station © Zoran Ozetski / Grad Ivanic-Grad Smart City Ivanic-Grad is the name of the programme under which a series of energy-saving eco-friendly and modern technologies is being adopted by the town First came the introduction of free WiFi around the central city The next stage of its grand connectivity investments come in the form of ultra-fast internet A1 Hrvatska will have invested more than HRK 77 million in the construction of the next-generation broadband access network that will enable internet speeds of up to 100 Mbit/s for residents of Smart City Ivanic-Grad nearby Dugo Selo and the municipalities of Brckovljani The project is to be co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund Construction will begin in the summer of 2021 and should be completed by the end of 2023 Another aspect to Smart City Ivanic-Grad’s ambitions is Solar City Ivanić-Grad whereby a solar farm is set to be constructed throughout the city with solar panels placed on public buildings The energy produced by the panels will primarily be consumed by the buildings on which they are placed with any excess energy delivered into the grid planned locations for the solar panels include five kindergartens the Modular Wood Technology Entrepreneurship Incubator the city administration building and two utility companies The total value of the solar farm project is more than 10.2 million kuna and the start of works is expected in the first quarter of next year Energy-saving LED public lighting system has been introduced in Ivanic-Grad © Grad Ivanic-Grad Already completed projects in the Smart City Ivanic-Grad scheme include LED public lighting a charging station for electric vehicles in Moslavačka Ulica a smart bench near Ivan Švear High School and a system of public bicycles at three locations in the city Even nearer to Smart City Ivanic-Grad by train than the capital is Dugo Selo. As TCN reported last year, Dugo Selo will very soon be connected to a great wealth of European cities and countries by high-speed rail. It’s less than 20 minutes to Dugo Selo by train from Ivanić-Grad teenagers of the town will be able to cast their eyes down the tracks and have much more exotic destinations within reach than the regular day trips to Zagreb Your browser does not support JavaScript, or it is disabled．Please check the site policy for more information Asahi Haikuist Network rippling wavesyou teach me howto film the wind--Debbie Strange (Winnipeg fish pond…a poor boy’ssea--Djurdja Vukelic Rozic (Ivanic-Grad ocean waves…the slow timein between--Pat Geyer (East Brunswick winter beach--the fisherman’s rodas sundial--Antonio Sacco (Vallo della Lucania occasionally drizzling raina cargo shipas a peace carrier--Kazuo Horinouchi (Nara) treasure huntinga crab discoversour flip-flops--Luminita Suse (Ottawa ebbing tidemore and moreof me revealed--Vandana Parashar (Panchkula to mournautumn passing by--Dutch ship’s staysail--Jiro Oba (Kawasaki) deserted shorein a folded fishing netthe shells of summer--Mihovila Ceperic-Biljan (Rijeka the way we grasptreasured memoriessounding whale--Marietta McGregor (Canberra ------------------------------FROM THE NOTEBOOK------------------------------ spring breezeon the palm of my handa pink ship--Kaiki Tokudome (Kagoshima) received an award for excellence in the 10th Setouchi-Matsuyama International Photo-Haiku Contest for three lines inspired by pink blossoms in a photo titled “A Glorious Spring Day” taken by the tourist office in the city of Inuyama Srinivasa Rao Sambangi from India also won an award for excellence for a haiku that matched well with a photo of a special observation path alongside the reconstruction site for Kumamoto Castle which was displayed online by contest organizers received an honorable mention for having composed a poem to complement a photo of the remains of an outer moat at Edo Castle in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward guarded castlea tremor opens the doorto moon When the sun setsAnother city floatingIn the river the contest attracted 4,113 artistic works Winners of four grand prix and eight awards for excellence in the Japanese and English language categories were congratulated by Yoshinori Yuasa the contest co-host at the Asahi Culture Center who also notified them of gifts and certificates The 10 haiku shown at the top of this column were entered into a category that requested contestants to also take a photo of the sea A grand prix was given to Debbie Strange whose three-line narrative above was combined with a brilliantly colored picture of conifers on an island surrounded by a smooth water surface that had just been gently touched by a rippling wind In a category that asked contestants to write about one of 12 photos of Japanese tourist spots provided by the organizers John Hawkhead was prompted by a view of two mandarin oranges placed side by side atop a mooring bollard The talented haikuist used personification to create this calming moment of inner reflection to win one of the four grand prizes sitting togetherwe share a quiet momentin different dreams was honorably mentioned for this timely haiku that matched a photo of tourist rickshaws parked in front of Dogo Onsen almost noon…we ask the rickshaw manto wait for the drums was tickled by a photo of an egret feather that had fallen into a green rice field studied the history of a Buddhist monk known posthumously as Kobo Daishi of Monjuin in Matsuyama autumn begins…starting my Sanskrit lessonswith the word “Karma” was lulled by a photo of the sea to write this poem a song drifts ashorefrom the last fishing boatevening fog from Japan thought of this haiku while watching a golden sunset slip into the Arasaki coastline off Yokosuka was inspired by a sculpture of Takasaka in Higashi-Matsuyama Waiting to meetthe old manpractices his smile recognized the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima Sebastian Chrobak from Poland was honorably mentioned after he prayed these words while viewing a photo of Hokiji temple in Ikaruga omikujihe leaves the future behindon a pine tree Congratulations to everyone who contributed to the success of the 10th Setouchi-Matsuyama International Photo-Haiku Contest in cooperation with The Asahi Shimbun David McMurray has been writing the Asahi Haikuist Network column since April 1995 He is on the editorial board of the Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku columnist for the Haiku International Association a column featuring graduate students in The Language Teacher of the Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT) McMurray is professor of intercultural studies at The International University of Kagoshima where he lectures on international haiku At the Graduate School he supervises students who research haiku He is a correspondent school teacher of Haiku in English for the Asahi Culture Center in Tokyo McMurray judges haiku contests organized by Ito En Oi Ocha McMurray's award-winning books include: "Only One Tree Haiku Music & Metaphor" (2015); "Canada Project Collected Essays & Poems" Vols 1-8 (2013); and "Haiku in English as a Japanese Language" (2003) Information on the latest cherry blossom conditions Please right click to use your browser’s translation function.) A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II In-house News and Messages No reproduction or republication without written permission At a recent meetup for digital nomads in Zagreb one of my colleagues mentioned the annual bučijada (pumpkin festival) starting the following day in Ivanić Grad a town roughly 45 minutes outside of the capital I love eating pumpkin in various forms and the pie (specifically my mother’s creation) is one of my all-time favorite foods Hers is the gold standard of pies everywhere I look forward to this time of year for all kinds of pumpkin goodness is one of the town’s largest fall festivals.) How fun would it be to sample Croatia’s versions of this fall favorite and pick up some new treats too? What do they have here that’s different from what we have at home My stomach led as I walked off the train in Ivanić Grad the next morning surely this bread-forward culture loads it into the bakeries My first-ever serving there at the festival was pretty darn good (The sweetest pumpkin at the festival was working the crowd near his family’s product table.) Croatians love all sorts of fresh vegetables Because the squash is considered animal feed Fresh pumpkin seeds and pumpkin beer were abundant however and pumpkin seed oil—bučino ulje—was the prize at the festival An entire street was dedicated to OPG’s selling this nutty-tasting oil and other pumpkin products I noticed that several bottles displayed “winner” stickers I knew why as soon as the oil hit my tongue—I was blown away by the flavor I’ve had the store-bought oil and I will never do that again there’s absolutely no comparison to Cro’s homemade product I was instructed on proper usage—don’t cook with the oil; only use it raw; cover food such as leafy greens and bean salad; drizzle it on strudel and vanilla ice cream; add to soups and stews for nutty sweetness I’m pretty sure I’ll be sprinkling it on everything My disappointment over the pie was replaced with glee over the oil along with seeds coated in chocolate and other toppings are frequently displayed on vendor tables.) Beyond trail mix and culinary applications pumpkin seeds have serious medicinal credentials pumpkin seed oil is on par with Croatia’s other superfood—olive oil It can improve heart health by lowering cholesterol and reducing high blood pressure it’s an ingredient in skincare products that help hydrate the skin and eliminate the appearance of wrinkles That right there is enough for me to gulp it INA’s oil drills can be seen around town.) I thought I’d seen what the town had to offer when things went in a different direction president of the Association of Heritage Friends and a local tour guide educated me on Ivanić Grad’s “black gold.” It’s a designation given to the town’s three prominent native oils—pumpkin (The Naftalan Special Hospital for Medical Rehabilitation was built to treat skin disorders specifically due to the discovery of Naftalan oil.) Black oil began bubbling up from the ground in 1855 Germans led the first industrial production and oil drills can be seen around town The headquarters of the oil and gas utility INA is located a few blocks from the festival along with several other company buildings Ivanić attracted the nickname “Little Kuwait” for its generous crude supply today it’s drying up and production will soon be shutting down Slightly further away is Naftalan Special Hospital for Medical Rehabilitation The facility is dedicated to the treatment of inflammatory skin disorders and features creams and bath oils made from the medical Naftalan oil Ivanić discovered its natural resource of Naftalan in the 1980s Azerbaijan is the only other place on the planet where the oil is found (The integration of the medical and crude industries is represented in a graphic above the entrance to the Naftalan hospital Aleksandra joked with me that Škrlet is Ivanić’s “yellow gold,” a grape varietal that’s indigenous to the Moslavina region Eight vineyards produce wine from the slopes of the Moslavačka gora Mountain president of Škrlet Moslavina Association and one of the eight family producers “We are proud to produce the wine as we nurture our tradition and identity of our region and our homeland.” Doing my homework for this story (Several items made it home in the author’s backpack: two Škrlet wines (by Kezele and Mikša); 100% virgin pumpkin oil by Bachusha; dried soup mix by OPG Liege; black garlic by OPG Knežević.) The festival was spread out with multiple locations of vendors Director of the Zagreb County Tourist Board “We’re happy to have 200+ rural exhibitors participate in this year’s festival especially during these times with covid.” It’s Ivanić’s biggest pumpkin festival yet and it’s got a lot to offer Riding the train from Ivanić back to Zagreb I reflected on how a pumpkin festival broadened my perspective My American brain recalled memories of pie My Croatian experience was a cultural enlightenment that included bučnica and a cool history lesson on the town’s industry (It takes all shapes and sizes of gourds to make a colorful pumpkin patch.) Story and photographs ©2021, Cyndie Burkhardt. https://photo-diaries.com Learn more at TCN’s Digital Nomads channel 2020 – Dating back to the end of the 19th Century the Draskovic Palace in Dugo Selo has lay abandoned since 2003 it will become a cultural centre for visitors and the community by 2023 An abandoned but nationally-protected building in Zagreb County has secured EU funding in order to become a cultural centre for its community and visitors Draskovic Palace in Dugo Selo will see an investment of HRK 14.4 million with an 85% share coming from the European Regional Development Fund The remaining 15% will be covered by the City of Dugo Selo The Draskovic Palace in Dugo Selo dates back to the end of the 19th Century and is named after its first owners Although a major landmark in the City of Dugo Selo The 1,485-square-metre Draskovic Palace in Dugo Selo will undergo construction and infrastructure works that will last until the end of November 2021. Following these works, a museum space will be built on the ground floor which will house a permanent exhibition of Saint Martin‘s heritage (Saint Martin is the patron saint of Dugo Selo) There will also be exhibits of Templar tradition in the town and exhibits of the city’s industrial history a multifunctional hall of the Mayor’s office is planned there will be seven educational classrooms built and another space for public events The building is scheduled to be opened in 2023 The Draskovic family is one of the oldest recorded noble houses in Croatia The first written mention of them dates back to the 15th century Notable family members included Juraj II Drašković (1525–1585) former bishop of Zagreb and Ban (Viceroy) of Croatia a commander of Croatian and Hungarian forces under the command of Nikola IV Zrinski Ban of Croatia from 1640 and the highest Croatian dignitary in the Hapsburg empire a soldier ranking as Major-General under Ban Jelačić Karlo Dragutin Drašković (1873–1900) was a noted amateur photographer a painter and Maria Drašković of Trakošćan (1904–1969) who was the matriarch of the House of Wittelsbach and the dispossessed Catholic heir to the throne of Great Britain For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily.  Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language – now available in 24 languages Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community. Katarina Anđelković 2023 – The Croatian Railways company (HŽ Infrastruktura) has signed two contracts with the European Executive Agency for Climate Infrastructure and the Environment (CINEA) As Poslovni writes the contracts will provide grants to finance works on part of the project to improve and build a double-track railway on sections of the railway along the Dugo Selo – Novska stretch and for the financing of the preliminary project for the new two-track railway on the section Skradnik – Krasica – Tijani As reported on Friday by the Croatian Railways the grants were provided by the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) The contract for the first project refers to the financing of works on the construction and electric power railway infrastructure subsystem on the Ivanić-Grad – Popovača and Popovača – Kutina sections The total estimated value of eligible costs amounts to 289 million euros The remaining 15 percent of the amount is financed from the state budget These works on the sections Ivanić-Grad – Popovača and Popovača – Kutina are part of the project “Improvement construction of the second track and construction of a new two-track railway on sections of the railway on the section Dugo Selo – Novska” the total value of which is estimated at 670 million euros the project is divided into four sections: Dugo Selo – Ivanić-Grad Popovača – Kutina and Kutina – Novska and as part of the reconstruction of the existing track and the construction of the second track the power and traffic control systems will also be modernized as well as the signaling and safety railway subsystems The second contract is the total value of the acceptable costs for the preparation of the conceptual project with the obtaining of location permits for the new two-track railway on the Skradnik – Krasica – Tijani section of 5.8 million euros of which 85 percent or 4.9 million euros is financed from the CEF and the remaining 15 percent from the state budget The new section of the two-track electrified railway with a length of 72 kilometers will be designed for a speed of up to 160 km/h The project also includes the construction of connecting tracks with the existing railway network and the construction of all new railway facilities: tunnels and underpasses and overpasses for the existing road network