The
Mediterranean as it once was
Newsletter Mars
2006
Contents:
Slavonski
Brod: Tourists Awaited by Hussars
Unusual Tourist Attractions: Vampires in the Tinjan
Municipality
Koprivnica: First Festival of Recreational Cyclists
Donja Stubica: Jezerčica Thermal Resort Opens
Zadar County: “Kužina zadarskog kraja” – A New
Gastro Guide
Istraturist: Big Investments in Upgrading Quality
Valamar Hotels & Resorts: Online Camp Booking
Camping: “Leading Camps of Croatia”
Dubrovnik:
Excelsior Among the Top Mediterranean Hotels
Osijek:
Everything's Ready for the World Sport Fishing Championship
Pag:
The City Gets Another Hotel
Zagreb:
An Amateur Film Review
Up
Ahead: Seven Cruise Ideas
Split:
Croatia Boat Show, April 1-9, 2006
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Tourists Awaited by Hussars
To put some more spice in the tourist offer in Slavonski Brod the city's Tourist Board has come up with an interesting program called Living History, adapted to organized groups of tourists. The program has already kicked off and is a kind of presentation of life in the Brod Fortress, home in the 18th century to the famous Hussars and their cavalry.
The presentation starts with a screening for tourists at the Ružić Gallery of an eight-minute film "Once Upon A Time in the Brod Fortress" that faithfully shows the life of the Hussars. This is followed by a meeting with the "real" Hussars, people wearing the original Hussar uniform. The Hussars were, as a reminder, the light cavalry that was in 1688 made a part of the Austrian Army. Although for the most part made up of former shepherds, the Hussars were valued for their military prowess and even for their, at the time modern, uniforms – short jackets with double buttoning.
Besides photo opportunities with the Hussars, tourists can in this program try their hand at horseback riding with professional riders. To evoke the life of the Hussars as faithfully as possible, appearing at the Fortress will also be all the others people who once lived and worked within the Fortress walls – besides the Hussars themselves, there were the commanders and the many tradesmen such as bakers and blacksmiths.
In order for the tourists to all the more appreciate the life of the Hussars they will be able to take part in games like a search for lost objects.
Slavonski Brod, a city located in the south of Slavonia, has launched a more intensive appreciation of the cities resources in order to draw more new tourists. As part of this program the Slavonski Brod Tourist Board is handing out grants to all travel agencies bringing organized groups of tourists to the city.
Brod-Posavina County Tourist Board
turisticka-zajednica.bpz@sb.htnet.hr
City of Slavonski Brod Tourist Board
info@tzgsb.hr
www.tzgsb.hr
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Vampires in the Tinjan Municipality
In Istra it is hard to compete for tourists in the company of well-known destinations like Rovinj, Poreč, Umag or the Brijuni islands, so the small village of Kringa, located in the Tinjan municipality near Pazin has offered its own aces in attracting tourists.
Kringa, home to about five hundred people, has its own legend of a vampire, Jure Grando, who, as legend has it, lived here for a full 16 years molesting his relatives and the local population. The tale has given the local Tourist Board the idea to, together with the Albus SF association, come up with an attractive tourist program related, naturally, to this vampire mystery. In this vein, last Friday 13th, the local Vampire café added a few anti-vampire cocktails to its fare, concoctions like Vampire Heart or Jure Grando. At the heart of the vampire menu is garlic-spiced Istrian Supa.
The affair has really heated up, and locals and their guests can already take in exhibitions related to Istra's best-known vampire. There are presentations of recipes needed as a defence against evil forces, screenings of vampire movies and, a few months ago, a competition was launched for best vampire story. The best tales are to be published in a vampire collection that will be presented at Kringa's own Fantastic Tales Festival this coming August 11th when a goodwill blood donation drive is also to be held.
The "vampires" won't rest until then thought. Starting from January the Vampire café will once a month organize literary evenings. The first guests were horror writer Victoria Faust, and Croatian writer and publicist Boris Perić – who got the Jure Grando story started and on the occasion presented his unpublished novel "Vampire".
In the hope that this unique attraction will entice tourists to spend at least a day of their holidays in Kringa, the people there have recently made a walking trail through this "vampire" region.
City of Pazin Tourist Board
tz-pazin@pu.htnet.hr
www.tzpazin.hr
Albus SF Association
www.istrakon.hr
Café bar Vampire
Kringa 32, 52444 Tinjan
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First Festival of Recreational Cyclists
The city of Koprivnica, located in the northwest of Croatia, near the border with Hungary, will this mid June see the first Croatian Festival of Recreational Cyclists. During the two day festival, organized by the Croatian Association of Recreational Sports and the Koprivnica-based Biciklin Oldtimer Club, several thousand visitors are expected, recreational cyclists from across Croatia and from neighbouring countries, and besides the ride, in which licensed competitors will not be participating, the organisers are preparing an excellent leisure program among which are an old bicycle fair and a round table on recreational cycling.
Koprivnica-Križevci County has a truly excellent 84 kilometre long cycling route called the "Drava Route". The route stretches from the mouth of the Mura River as it enters the Drava River near the town of Legrad and the follows the Drava to the town of Pitomača. Its entire length is marked so that finding your way around is easy making it ideal for family outings and recreation. The route avoids long stretches of the same landscape and does not stick only to the main streets of the local towns but turns off to fields and forests and passes through out-of-the-way villages. Besides that, it winds its way through the world-renowned village of Hlebine, the cradle of Croatian naďve painting and, as it passes beside Lake Šoderica and along the Drava River, it offers cyclists a chance to take a swim or enjoy a picnic in nature.
Girdling the city of Koprivnica there is the 75 kilometre “Koprivnica route” with a further about 50 kilometres of marked trails in the city itself, which puts Koprivnica among the top European cities as far as kilometres of cycling routes per population is concerned.
With this level of infrastructure Koprivnica is an excellent recreation area in which those taking part in the festival will be able to get to know the picturesque Podravina region.
Every participant will get a cycling guide and will be able to choose their own route, and those recording good results, although not the focus of the festival, will be granted special awards and commendations.
With the organization of the first Festival of Recreational Cyclists Koprivnica has once again confirmed its title of Croatia's top cycling town. The unveiling last year of a monument to the bicycle symbolically marked the United Nations Year of Sports.
Koprivnica-Križevci County Tourist Board
tz-kk-zupanije@htnet.hr
www.tz-koprivnicko-krizevacka.hr
City of Koprivnica Tourist Board
tzg-koprivnica@kc.htnet.hr
www.koprivnicatourism.com
The Biciklin Oldtimer Club
Bjelovarska cesta 18, 48000 Koprivnica
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Jezerčica Thermal Resort Opens
That the development of top-notch tourism is not limited to the coast was shown recently at the grand opening of the Terme Jezerčica thermal resort in Donja Stubica, a town located in the heart of Hrvatsko Zagorje.
Like all better thermal resorts the Terme Jezerčica hotel offers many services – from lodgings, a thermal water pool and a wellness centre covering over 2000 square metres, to a congress centre, restaurant and bar. The thermal resort is, besides, located right next to the Medvednica Nature Park so that guests can enjoy a walk in a luxurious natural setting. This excellent location with its peaceful setting is one of the best aces for this thermal resort as it can truly offer its visitors a relaxing holiday. The Terme Jezerčica is an excellent spot to organize business meetings and seminars.
Along with this, one of the basic services this thermal resort offers is healthy eating and local specialities, and the head chef is always ready to organize thematic cuisine evenings. Next to the restaurant is a lounge bar with a wide selection of cocktails and a well-appointed wine card with the services of a professional sommelier to make the choice easier. Next to the outdoor pools is the Sunshine bar.
These adaptations have made the Terme Jezerčica a place suited to year-round visits, something that the natural beauty of the Medvednica Nature Park can only add to.
Krapina-Zagorje County Tourist Board
tzkzz@kr.htnet.hr
www.tz-zagorje.hr
Hotel Terme Jezerčica
www.terme-jezercica.hr
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“Kužina zadarskog kraja” – A New Gastro Guide
Zadar County recently promoted its new gastro-guide – “Kužina zadarskog kraja” (Cooking of the Zadar Region) that describes the top Zadar region specialities and where you can find and taste them.
This is the first guide of its kind in the county and may become one of the better tourist draws as Zadar County boasts many indigenous gastro brands.
Zadar's cuisine can in a few words be described as very healthy and simple to prepare. If we add to this the many registered local specialities like the celebrated sheep's milk cheese of the island of Pag, the dry-cured Dalmatian hams of Posedarje, the similar Dalmatian "Šokol", and the olive oil that has been produced in these parts for over 2000 years now – we get a praiseworthy selection of specialities to savour. It is precisely these kinds of local delicacies that make a region specific and worth visiting, for those who have already enjoyed them and especially for those still waiting to discover them.
When it comes to Zadar's gastro offer not to be missed is one of the County's celebrated trademarks, the renowned Maraschino liqueur – a beverage in whose flavour and aroma are the essence of the indubitably medicinal qualities of the Marasca sour cherry, transplanted from its Asian habitat to the Karst ambient of the Zadar region.
Its quality is long known to the world. Besides winning the heart of Napoleon Bonaparte, it was always to be found in the courts of Russia, Vienna and Italy. Like in centuries past, it is today most often served as a dessert liqueur or as a complement to ice cream and fruit salads. The hand woven bottle sleeve makes it an excellent souvenir of Zadar.
Zadar County Tourist Board
tz-zd-zup@zd.htnet.hr
www.zadar.hr
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Big Investments in Upgrading Quality
Coming up to the peak tourist season ahead of us the Umag-based Istraturist Company is making significant investments into its facilities. This time the company is building a new hotel in the existing Garden Istra tourist resort. The 22 million Euros investment will round off the complex and make Garden Istra a truly special tourist resort.
The renovation and creation of Garden Istra was launched in 2004 and should end in late June of this year when the opening of the new hotel is scheduled.
The new hotel will have 300 rooms. Its construction will reflect a vision of the true Istrian ambient, which is in fact one of the basic goals of the Garden Istra investment.
The Garden Istra project is based on the concept of replacing the stereotype facilities reminiscent of 1970's construction with modern but localized architectural solutions adapted to the region's ambient. Creating facilities that will with their appearance, size and services reflect the culture and lifestyle of the region they are located in is a real challenge. Garden Istra will incorporate elements of typical Istrian architecture like church bell towers, stone houses, vaults, "baladura" (a local kind of veranda) right up to elements of landscape and the horticulture of the Istrian countryside. The best example of this will be Istra Village aqua centre spreading along the outer edge of the entire resort.
Work will also continue on improving the sports facilities on offer – tennis, squash, badminton, basketball and volleyball courts, bowling alleys and other sport facilities.
That these kinds of investments aimed at upgrading quality are more than useful is demonstrated by the example of the Istraturist camps Kanegra, Stellamaris and Finida. Thanks to orderly grounds and sanitary facilities they were this year granted the prestigious ADAC Yellow Plaque, while the Park Umag camp was given ADAC's high environmental commendation, the CCU ECO Plus. All four camps now have high four-star ratings while the company's fifth camp – Pineta in Savudrija, is awaiting re-categorisation so that by the next peak season all of the Istraturist camps will be four-star affairs.
Istra County Tourist Board
info@istra.hr
www.istra.hr
Istraturist Umag
www.istraturist.hr
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Online Camp Booking
The Valamar Hotel & Resorts Company is the first in Croatia to introduce online booking for its camps – the Laternacamp in Poreč and the Turist in Vrsar. In the coming period, starting with 2007, the system is to be introduced for the Valamar Group's seven other camps.
Online booking works on the principle of direct sales of chosen lots in the camp that can be chosen in advance via interactive maps of the camp on the company's web site. Besides the classic online system lots can be reserved directly by calling the Valamar reservation centre.
A study has shown that over 50% of guests who have stayed at Valamar camps use the Internet to plan their holiday so that this online system should be well received by clients.
Valamar Hotels & Resorts manages a total of 40 tourist facilities along the entire Adriatic coast, more precisely 23 hotels, eight apartment resorts and nine camps.
Valamar Hotels & Resorts
www.valamar.com
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Camping
“Leading Camps of Croatia”
A new brochure is hot off the presses. The "Leading Camps of Croatia" features 21 camps – 16 in Istra, three in Kvarner and two in Dalmatia, that combined account for a third of the total camping facilities in Croatia. In Istra these camps are Park Umag, Sirena and Mareda in Novigrad, Solaris and Lanterna in Tar, Ulika in Červar-Porat, Zelena Laguna and Bijela Uvala in Poreč, Valkanela and IstraNaturist in Funtana, Turist, Porto Sole and Koversada in Vrsar, Valdaliso and Valalta in Rovinj and Bi Village in Fažana. In Kvarner the camps covered are Poljana in Mali Lošinj, Kovačine in Cres and Pila in Krk, while Dalmatia is featured with the Šimuni camp in Pag and the Nin Zaton camp.
The criteria for including a camp in this brochure was based on the results of inspections done by ADAC, granted Blue Flags and the fact that every second of the listed camps has its own pool.
It should be pointed out that Croatia has for the first time received five ADAC Yellow Plaques for top quality in sanitation and the visual appearance of the lots. They went to the Istraturist camps Kanegra, Stellamaris and Finida, the Poljana camp in Mali Lošinj and the newly opened Nevio camp in Orebić. Along with these commendations the Poreč camps Bijela uvala and Zelena Laguna and the Umag camp Park Umag were granted noteworthy environmental awards.
Overall Croatia has by the number of awarded camps taken its position alongside more developed camping destinations and is highly ranked on ADAC's “Camping und Caravaning Fuehrer”. Based on this year's ADAC inspections new candidates have been selected that in 2007 should also make Croatia's club of most successful camps, these are Finida, Stellamaris, Kanegra, Nevio, Bunculuka in Krk, Lopari in Mali Lošinj, Puntižela in Pula, Zadar's Oaza mira, Krk's Ježevac, Zadar's Paklenica and Primošten's Adriatic camp.
Croatian Camping Association
www.camping.hr
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Excelsior Among the Top Mediterranean Hotels
After the prestigious World Travel Award last year won by the Dubrovnik Palace hotel, Adriatic Luxury Hotels have gotten another important recognition. The respected British newspaper Sunday Times recently ran a report in which Dubrovnik's Hotel Excelsior was listed among the top 11 hottest Mediterranean hotels, putting it in the company of the most sought-after hotels in France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal and Turkey.
The top-list of hotels covers the year 2006 while the ranking was based on demand for accommodation, i.e. the booking situation, especially in the winter period.
Despite strong domestic and foreign competition the choice of Hotel Excelsior as one of the best is truly an excellent confirmation of quality and persistence in creating an internationally recognizable hotel brand that successfully combines a long tradition and modern trends in the hotel business.
The Excelsior is a luxury, five-star, hotel with a tradition going back to 1913.
The hotel features 146 rooms and 18 suites and is located in the direct vicinity of the old core of the city of Dubrovnik making it over the years a favoured destination of the famous.
City of Dubrovnik Tourist Board
info@tzdubrovnik.hr
www.tzdubrovnik.hr
Adriatic Luxury Hotels
www.alh.hr
Hotel Excelsior
info@hotel-excelsior.hr
www.hotel-excelsior.hr
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Everything's Ready for the World Sport Fishing Championship
The image of an ever more popular continental tourist destination will for the city of Osijek this year continue to develop. The last years have seen several new hotels built and opened and the city is getting a thorough face-lift and in a way changing its old appearance. Efforts to male the city more attractive for tourists will continue this year and the City of Osijek Tourist Board has highlighted several projects that are soon to be completed and put on the tourist market.
For starters is should be said that Osijek and its environs will in mid June of this year host the 26th World Championship in Sport Fishing, to be held on the Drava River, more precisely at the Stara Drava location near the town of Bilje, several kilometres from Osijek. Work is nearing its completion on fitting the entire location out for the many fishers who have announced their arrival from 35 countries so that they can relax and enjoy their stay there during the entire competition. After the fishers leave, Osijek and its visitors will have a new recreation and outing area.
Osijek itself is getting ready to finish putting up the "brown" municipal road signs that will mark all of the city's more important attractions. The top news is that the cities streets will soon see a tourist tram dating from 1926, one of the oldest trams in Europe. The driver and conductors on the tram will wear uniforms modelled after those used in the first half of the twentieth century so that tourists coming to Osijek will be able to feel some of Osijek's history. Along with this there will soon be a tender for horse buggy services so that visitors to Osijek will most likely soon be able to hire rides like Osijek's upper class used to.
Other news is that a new Tourist Information Centre has opened at the Osijek Fortress (Tvrđa) where tourists can get all the information they need on everything that is on offer to visitors in Osijek and its environs.
Osijek-Baranja Tourist Board
info@tzosbarzup.hr
www.tzosbarzup.hr
City of Osijek Tourist Board
grad-osijek@os.t-com.hr
www.tzosijek.hr
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The City Gets Another Hotel
The growing popularity of the north Dalmatian island of Pag has lead in the past few years to significant investment in building new accommodation on the island.
This has not, of course, bypassed the city of Pag in which work is picking up on the construction of a new hotel located in the direct vicinity of Pag's old city core.
The future four-star Meridijan Hotel will feature 50 expansive rooms, some of which are to be adapted to those with special needs and to non-smokers. Besides the usual facilities a hotel of this class must have, visitors of the Meridijan will be able to hire bicycles, diving equipment, one-day bus or boat excursions, enjoy the nearby pebble beach with their car parked in a garage with its own security and much more. Also on offer will be a large wellness centre with a complete offer including a beauty centre, fitness hall and many relax programs. The hotel's first floor will feature an open-air pool.
With this hotel Pag will get another top-notch lodging facility that is sure to contribute to its appeal.
The city of Pag, besides as a classic summer destination, is also known as a city of salt, as the valuable mineral has been produced here since the 15th century. The ancient method of its drying is now especially attractive to tourists. It is also known for its world-renowned lace – Paška čipka (Pag lace), that has for centuries now been a part and parcel of the city's and the island's tourist image, just as the well known Pag lamb and sheep's milk cheese are.
Zadar County Tourist Board
tz-zd-zup@zd.t-com.hr
www.zadar.hr
City of Pag Tourist Board
tzpag@hi.htnet.hr
www.pag-tourism.hr
Meridijan 15 Agency
www.meridijan15.com
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Amateur Film Review
Zagreb is from March 19 to 25 to host the fifth international Review of Amateur Film, popularly known as the RAF.
The Review is conceived as a program that includes the presentation of amateur films from across the world without a selection procedure and came about to address the need of young video artists to have their works screened before a wider public. Many film festivals, namely, do not offer a venue for amateur works making small festivals like this one an excellent opportunity for both the authors and the audience to see some good and quite out of the ordinary films.
Besides this, the festival provides a place for direct contact and the exchange of new ideas and new projects, something young film amateurs from Croatia and abroad always look forward to.
This years Review of Amateur Film will be held at Zagreb's Trešnjevka Culture Centre with the closing program being organized at the Booksa café, home to a literary club lead by the Kulturtreger Association for Promoting the Arts. Booksa was opened with the intention of gathering at the club all lovers of books and literature and looks much more like a library than a typical café.
It is precisely its purpose that has delighted many people in Zagreb and visitors to the city of which there are more and more each year, especially younger tourists who are all the more often putting Zagreb on their travel itineraries, as the city is offering youth progressively more excellent attractions and programs.
RAF Organisers
The Postpessimists / Postpesimisti c/o Revija amaterskog filma Poste restante, 10000 Zagreb
raf@revijaamaterskogfilma.hr
www.revijaamaterskogfilma.hr
Booksa
www.booksa.hr
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SEVEN CRUISE IDEAS
We've prepared seven yachting routes for this year's excursions and each is to be featured in one of the coming seven issues of our Newsletter. Each will feature some basic suggestions – what to look out for in particular, the most attractive things you can expect and what to avoid.
All seven cruises will start from harbours and marinas most often used when sailing on rented vessels. We'll assume that you are not an overly experienced skipper and that you're using a sailboat so that the chosen routes will run across well-known and safe larger and smaller harbours. Besides, every one of these routes can be adjusted to your desires. Maybe you'll want to spend the night in some romantic cove; maybe you've already gotten to know some of the harbours well; maybe you'll be on a fast motorboat and can travel greater distances each day.
Safe sailing!
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Croatia Boat Show, April 1-9, 2006
The Croatia Boat Show (www.croatiaboatshow.com) is an organizational marvel recording constant growth. The organiser's vision and passion has seen a project that has in seven short years recorded global success and now holds an excellent 9th spot in the world ranking of nautical fairs. The once charming local affair today pools the world's top boat makers, all of the renowned nautical brands, global nautical gear manufacturers, tens of thousands of visitors and boat lovers from across Europe and the world who come to Split in the early spring to browse and buy.
The fair's growth has been aided by Split's improved road ties to the rest of Europe via the newly constructed fast and comfortable highway, growth on the tourist market and the arrival of business people and capital from Europe of interest to boat makers.
In anticipation of a favourable effect of these factors on every aspect of the fair it has for 2006 been extended to 9 days, from April 1 to 9 (both weekends included). To beef up the fair's general concept the organizers have, besides strengthening promotional and commercial activity further developed its expert, sporting, educational and entertainment aspects through organized seminars and expert symposiums as well as regattas and other events. All this aims to create a setting as comfortable and stimulating as possible for better business ties between companies from East and West Europe and to offer a complete experience to all visitors, regardless of their age or interests.
Dario Matosevic, chef. Marija Bakovic,
tel + 46 (0)8 53 48 20 80, fax + 46 (0)8 20 24 60
Kungsgatan 24, 111 35 Stockholm
croinfo@telia.com Upp