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The best fishermen of the world gather each September in Jezera, a small fishing village on the island Murter in central Dalmatia, as to compete in catching the «big fish» – Big Game Fishing. Drawing out large specimens of fish can take hours, and this kind of fishing can also get rather unpredictable . The catch, the fight, the overcoming and the drawing the fish, which can sometimes weigh a few hundred kilos, out, among which are ,apart from the blue tuna; luca, igluna and albacore tuna, requires from fishermen extreme strength, patience and knowledge. This is an adrenaline sport, uncertain and unpredictable to the very end, which reveals new challenges that bring out team work and a competitive spirit. It is the biggest European competition that is organized at the end of summer, which is the best time for catching tuna and other big sea fish. It is held in the rich fishing areas of Blitvenica, Žirje and Kornati, and this 12th year begins on the 19th September.

Big Game Fishing has become a prestige event at which all the big names of the big game fishing world like to be seen at. Thanks to this competition the small fishing village Jezera has become famous in the sports fishing world. Jezera is located on the southeast side of the island Murter, the biggest archipelago of Šibenik. The island is interesting because of its closeness to land which it is connected to by a 30 metre long bridge. Surrounded by hills, Jezera is drawn into the horseshoe shaped bay. Because of its position it is not exposed to strong winds and its cove is perfect for docking and mooring. In its proximity are two national parks: Kornati and Krka.

Although the first document of Jezera dates back to 1298., it is probably much older, because not far from it, in the bay Podjasenovac, two graves of the Ilyrian tribe Liburni were dicovered, from a pre ancient period, in 1938. The people of Jezera are very proud of their traditional costumes, customs, songs and dances, which can get to be known by tourists in the summer months through the many cultural, sporting and fun events, that are held under the name 'Days of the sea'. During the time of Big Game Fishing visitors will not be «spared» of the many other interesting manifestations.
Source: Croatia.hr

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Lovers of the sea, boats and sailing will not regret it if they visit Šibenik from the 16th to the 19th September at the Adriatic Boat Show, an international nautical fair of new and used vessles. Everything there is to know about shipbuilding and nautica can be found in one place.

Adriatic Boat Show is a fair which on 160 000 m² promotes the small Croatian shipbuilding industry and a segment of mega yachts in the nautical tourism of Croatia, with a large number of foreign manufacturers and exibitors. At the fair are represented boats of all purposes and sizes; motor boats, rafts, sail boats, yachts and mega yachts..

A rich offer of shipping equipment, ship motors, navigation equipment and instruments, nautical and sports equipment, clothes and footware, diving equipment and underwater fishing equipment, are a guarantee that all nautical lovers, from «the average lover of the sea» to the buyer with a «deeper pocket», will be able to find the neccessary information and satisfy their professional curiosity and maybe make some profitable business arrangements.

Besides the rich offer of vessles and nautical equipment the fair offers to its exibitors and visitors an extremely rich program, from concerts, fashion shows and sporting competitions to culinary presentations in collaboration with the best caterers of the Šibenik area. Adriatic Boat Show has only in a few years proved to be an equisite nautical event and has put Šibenik on the nautical map of the world, making it an unavoidable destination in September of every year.

Šibenik is located in the central part of the Croatian coast on the mouth of the River Krka, between two National parks – Kornati and Krka, in one of the world's most attractive nautical locations. Apartments Sibenik

Source: Croatia.hr

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Zagreb and the Sports park Mladost will this year also, on the 1st September accommodate many top athletes, Olympic medal winners, world champions and record breakers. The Zagreb athletic meeting, former Memorial to Boris Hanžeković, from this year is a part of the IAAF World Challenge series. This is a meeting with a 60 year tradition and is highly rated in the world of athletics.

This year's meeting has gotten the honor of hosting the final competition of the male Hammer Challenge, which means the world's best hammer throwers will come together in Zagreb.

This athlete story was born more than half a century ago with the duel of Zagreb's strongest clubs – Mladost and Dinamo, and in 1958. with the participation of top althletes the meeting became international. The 110m Memorial hurdle race, that has been organized as part of the meeting since the very beginning, carries the name of a pre war athlete and representative from Zagreb, Boris Hanžeković, who became famous by beating the well known Greek Hristos Mantikas, at Balkanijada in 1938. Already in the 1960's and 1970's the meeting was attended by respected athletes but a real influx of world stars to Zagreb began in 1997. and has been increasing with every new meeting. In 1998. the popular «Hanžek», as this competition is usually called, climbed to first place on the meeting chart of the EAA (European Athletic Association), and in 1999. was listed on a higher rank – under meetings of the IAAF.
Proof that the Zagreb meeting is highly respected in the world's athlete family is that the IAAF included «Hanžek» among 14 cities which have kept the Grand Prix status in the new system of the World Athletics Tour. Only the Golden league is above it (6 meetings) and the Super Grand Prix (5).

The trademark of the meeting is Croatian athlete, the world champion in high jumping, Blanka Vlašić.

The night atmosphere, fantastic results and excellent organisation, give this top sporting event its charm.
Source: Croatia.hr

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Mali Lošinj, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Adriatic, famous for ideal climate conditions, special flora and fauna which include good dolphins and the antique statue Apoksiomen- has been chosen as the host of the 27th World Championships of underwater fishing by the leading world organisation of underwater sport fishing CMAS.

Mali Lošinj will accommodate, as the host of this prestigious sports event from the 14th to the 19th September, 23 representations, friends and supporters of 96 contestants, who will be able to show thier fishing skills in the beautifuls waters of Lošinj.

Along with the World Championships the hosts will organize numerous events such as concerts, exibitions, regatta's and other things.

Mali Lošinj has a long tradition of underwater fishing. The first underwater gun appeared on Mali Lošinj in 1950., and only six years later a northen Adriatic competition in underwater fishing was held in the waters around Lošinj. After that Mali Lošinj drew attention to itself in 1963. by organizing the 1st World Championships in underwater fishing and even then positioned itself as the world centre of underwater fishing. From 1957. they have held a traditional competition – the New Year's Cup in underwater fishing. The monument to an underwater fisherman in the centre of the town is witness to the deep bond the people of Lošinj have with underwater fishing.

The natural beauty and the diverse fish fauna make the waters around Lošinj an ideal place for hosting such a big sports event. Recommendations for hotels Losinj.
Source: Croatia.hr

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It is a well-known fact that Croatia is a country of top-quality athletes, documented by the many medals they have won around the world, thus becoming a role-model for many children. Thanks to the initiative of the Valamar tourist group, the manager of facilities in Porec, Pula, on the Island of Krk, in Rabac and Dubrovnik, their idols are now a bit closer to them. In July and August, famous athletes such as Franjo Arapovi, Slavko Goluza, Domagoj Duvnjak, Vlado Sola, Sanja Jovanovi and Petra and Dario Kliba will show the little ones the secrets of basketball, handball, swimming and sailing. The program includes everyday training, lunch and dinner with the athletes, and a photograph taken with them. Also the children will be able to enjoy a rich animation program. This is also an opportunity for the parents to spend their vacation according to their wishes. The training will be held until the end of August. Swimmer Sanja Jovanovi will be holding swimming lessons from August 10th to August 17th in the Valamar Club Dubrovnik, and Petra and Dario Kilba will be holding sailing lessons in the Valamar Club Tamaris from August 23rd to August 30th. The program is intended for children form the ages of seven to 15, and is open for both visitors and locals.
Source: Croatia.hr

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16 January to 1 February, Croatia will host the 21st Men’s World Handball Championship Croatia 2009 to be held in several cities: Zagreb, Zadar, Split, Osijek, Varaždin, Porec and Pula. Sport halls, most of them multipurpose, are built for the occasion and will be opened during December, ready to receive the best handball players from the entire world.

As major sporting events like this always have a tourist angle, it is quite clear Croatia will present itself as an excellent host in this segment as well. The event was preceded by the Croatian Handball & Tourism Days in November, during which the Croatian tourist offer was presented in 13 countries participating in the championship, namely in the cities such as Budapest, Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Bucharest, Moscow, Warsaw, Belgrade, Madrid, Skopje, Paris, Frankfurt and Seoul. The presentation included press conferences, presenting the Croatian tourist offer to the invited guests and business partners with emphasis on the cities where matches will be played. This was also an opportunity to try the Croatian wine & gastro offer and see an entertainment program featuring prominent Croatian artists. The presentations were aimed to send a special invitation to business partners and guests and express a welcome to be felt by the athletes and guests in both the host cities and across the country.

Source: press.croatia.hr

Here are some useful links for you:

• adria24.com
• all about Croatia
• Videos from Croatia
  
• Vacation in Croatia

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An historical monument becomes a sportive tourist attraction in Istria

This year a major new attraction was opened in Istria: ‘La Parenzana’,  a new biking and hiking trail starting in Savudria, passing Buje, Groznjan, Livade, Motovun and ending in Vizinada. The path is a great way to discover Istria, passes cozy towns, offers impressive panoramic views and is accesible to all, since it is nowhere steep. Indeed it follows an old railway track, nicknamed ‘La Parenzana’. The name comes from its final destination:  Porec or Parenzo in Italian.

The original railway was a project of the Austria-Hungary Empire, to which Istria belonged from 1815 to 1918. The steamlocomotives were operating on this track from 1902 to 1935. Then, during  the Great Depression, it was decided to abondon the railroad. This original railway was 123 kilometers long and was one of Europe’s longest narrow gauge railway’s. Leaving Trieste it first followed the coast and then turned eastwards towards the Istrian interior with its hilly landscape. The track reaches its highest point at an elevation of 293 meters above sealevel. Due to the many bends and ascents the average trains’ speed was only some 25km/h. There were all together 35 stops. The whole journey between Trieste and Porec took around 7 hours. At slower sections passengers could even jump off the train, pick some fruit from one of many orchards or releive themselves (there were no toilets in cars) and return back to the train. Many “blind passengers”, who could not afford to buy the expensive tickets, used the option to just jump on the train. At the steepest sections locomotives often could not handle the slope. So passengers had to disembark the train and hep pushing. Sometimes the train stopped because children greased rail tracks with figs. The journey could only be continue when the tracks were cleaned.

After World War II several ideas were formulated to reconstruct or reuse the railroad at least partially for the purpose of tourism. During the preparation of the railway’s centennial celebration in 2002, with the financial support of the European Union, the Italian and most of the Slovenian sections were used for the realisation of the ‘Trail of Health and Friendship,’suitable  for pedestrians an cyclists. Somewhat later similar works started at the Croatian side. In  2008 the trail from Trieste tot Vizinada was completed. Only the last section from Vizinada to Porec  (approximatly 10 km) still remains to be completed.

Today ‘La Parenzana’ is suitable for walking, jogging or bycicling. The trail runs through old towns and villages, along the sea, passes vineyards and fields with olive trees, through tunnels, over bridges, across valleys and over hills. There are several stops where visitors can take a break. On the farms along the way visitors can taste local wines and olive oil. The most beautifull part leads from Motovun, via Livade to Grosnjan. It offers spectacular views on the valley of the Mirna  down to the Adriatic Sea and on its way it also passes  Zaversje (Piemonte) and Opertalj (Portole), two remarkable small hilltop towns, embedded in the green landscape of the beautifull hinterland of Istria.

For people who want to avoid the crowd of tourists at the coast and enjoy the calm and beauty of nature in combination with a more sportive program, this Parenzana offers just the right thing. And why not staying in a villa or typical natural stone house along the way. You have houses that offer all the confort that you may wish, including a swimming pool and spa. For houses located in the neighbourhood of La parenzana we refer to Istra Panorama

A last information: on september 2008 the 26th, 27th and 28th the bicycle race Istra MTB Tartuffi Tour will follow the track of La Parenzana. With its specific formula (tourism and professional race) it attracts numerous home and foreign cyclists coming from all over Europe.

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A new tourism project was recently launched in Istra called Parenzana – Route of Health and Friendship in the frame of which is the Parenzana Code Kit guidebook, which offers an intriguing game for all tourists with wanderlust, a desire to explore and for adventure.

For a start a quick reminder of what the Parenzana is – an old railway track from the early 20th century that linked Trieste, Kopar and Porec, passing through much of the Istrian interior. The railway has now been completely overgrown, but the route passing through luxuriant wilderness, right next to many Istrian towns and old fortifications will take tourists on an adventurous trip to unusual places that offer a primeval experience of places and people, incomparable to the traditional form of tourist sightseeing of the usual destinations.

The Parenzana Code Kit is an exploratory and enigmatic guide book through which, step by step, parts of the fascinating mosaic of the past and present of Istra and the highlights of the Parenzana are revealed. Concretely, it is a volume of maps with directions on how to orient oneself along the Parenzana and information necessary to break the code. The maps are numbered and the basic assignment is to discover the proper order they are to be read in order to solve the Parenzana Code.

The code covers the area from Buje to Vižinada, and tourists can head out on foot, by bicycle or car to solve the enigmatic code, all with the help of the maps, and depending on the mode of transport one can solve the riddle in a day or more.

Adventure tourists will certainly find this very interesting, and along the 123 kilometre route they can get to know some of the most attractive places in Istra: Buje, Motovun, Grožnjan, Oprtalj, Završje and Kostanjice. The project will be further developed and the opening of a small Parenzana Museum in Livade is in the works, as are ethnological workshops and cycling races. A DVD is being produced with 3D effects of the train passing, cycling maps as is other promotional material and the installation of information and road signs.

Source: ?Croatia Tourist Board?

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As of recently a cycling tour of the Vukovar Veterans Way is an integral part of the tourism offer in Vukovar and its environs Over the past few years Vukovar has recorded an increasing number of tourists who most often come to the town individually or on the cruisers that ply the waters of the Danube River, or by bicycle on the Danube Tour. And that is precisely why a cycling tour has been conceived that covers all of the key points in the town and its environs. It is 38 kilometres long and starts in the town centre, from where you head out by bicycle to Eltz palace. In this way tourists can best get acquainted with the wartime story of the people of Vukovar, but also of life in the city and its surroundings as it is lived by the people of Vukovar today. Given that the tour is quite long, the best places for a break have been indicated in the route, where tourists can refresh themselves with the local brandy, or in nearby souvenir shops where they can see for themselves the manufacture of souvenirs the Dove of Vukovar, the well-known Vukovar water tower and the cross on the Danube River. Source: ?Croatia Tourist Board?

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