Culture and Sports: Croatia's Stari Grad Plain makes World Heritage List

09/07/2008

A Croatian island site gains inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Also in the news: Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria won the Wimbledon Grand Slam, and the European Shotgun Championship opens in Cyprus.

Stari Plain. [AFP]

Stari Grad Plain on the Croatian island of Hvar on Monday (July 7th) joined the UNESCO World Heritage List along with five other European sites. UNESCO added the island to its list because of its ancient history -- it was first inhabited in the 4th century BC by Ionian Greeks. The population still grows olives and grapes, bearing testimony "to the geometrical system of land division used by the ancient Greeks", UNESCO said.

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Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov won the 2008 Wimbledon championship in boys' singles on Sunday (July 6th). Dimitrov, 17, became the first Bulgarian to score such a victory in the championship. He defeated Henri Kontinen from Finland in the final, taking both sets.

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The European Shotgun Championship opened in Cyprus on Saturday (July 5th). The contest continues until Monday (July 14th) at the Olympic Shooting Range in Nicosia. A total of 400 athletes from 40 countries are competing in the trap, skeet and double trap disciplines, the Cyprus Shooting Sport Federation announced.

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The Balkan Festival of Folk Songs and Dances began in Ohrid, Macedonia, on Sunday (July 6th). The event, organised by the Grigor Prlicev cultural centre in the city, receives financial support from Macedonia's culture ministry. It features performances by artists from Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, Albania, Turkey, Montenegro, Costa Rica and Macedonia.

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This summer the Croatian national railway is launching ten new trains that will provide day trips to cultural, gastronomic and other sites. Starting on Saturday (July 12th), the trains will head to Zupanja, famous for its harvesting traditions and rituals, and the Kriz Festival of Confection and Delicacies in September, while another train will head to Osjek for a tour of Kopacki rit, a nature preserve.

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The northern Albanian town of Shkodra hosted the fourth edition of the Shkodra Jazz Festival, which began on July 2nd and concluded on Saturday. Soul and jazz musicians from Albania, Great Britain and Italy performed alongside a local swing-gospel choir. The festival included music discussions and screenings of music videos.

(Various sources – 02/07/08-09/07/08)