First Week of Croats Outside Croatia starts – what is on

ZAGREB, 25 May (Hina) – The first Week of Croats Outside Croatia, aimed at strengthening ties and unity among Croats worldwide, is being held from 25 to 31 May in the City of Zagreb and Zagreb County, opening today with an exhibition by painter and graphic artist Virgilije Nevjestić.

The exhibition, titled “Nostalgia of Light”, dedicated to one of Europe’s leading graphic artists of the 20th century, born near Tomislavgrad, Bosnia and Herzegovina and artistically active in Paris, will open at the Croatian Heritage Foundation.

Later today, the French Pavilion at Zagreb’s Student Centre will host an event titled “Croatian Identity in Motion: Film, Tradition and Memory”, featuring the screening of short film Unspoken, a presentation of the cultural heritage of Croats abroad by the Lado Ensemble and the opening of an exhibition titled “Identity”.

The Week of Croats Outside Croatia, which will be held annually in the last week of May, brings together Croats from BiH, members of Croatian minorities abroad, emigrants, their descendants, returnees and immigrants to Croatia. Through cultural, scientific and public programmes, the aim is to highlight their contribution to Croatia’s development and identity.

The State Secretary at the Central State Office for Croats Abroad, Zvonko Milas, said recently the event had been launched to place the Croatian people as a whole “systematically, substantively and symbolically” in focus. “The Croatian people are one nation, but they live in different countries and circumstances,” he said.

The programme includes cultural, artistic and scientific events, round tables and public debates, and a session of the government’s Council for Croats Outside Croatia on 29-30 May.

On Tuesday, two round tables titled “Sport and Croats Outside Croatia – Identity, System and Connectivity” and “Culture, Language and Identity” will be held, alongside the Med&X Annual Biomedical Forum 2026 conference and a series of theatre performances.

On Wednesday, the traditional heritage of Croats living abroad will be presented at European Square in central Zagreb. Round tables focusing on media outlets for Croats abroad, as well as the capital and investment potential of returnees and immigrants from the diaspora, will also take place, together with several theatre productions.

Thursday’s programme includes presentations of cultural and traditional heritage, as well as round tables titled “The Strength of the Croatian Network – Stories that Create Opportunities” and “Croats in Neighbouring Countries: Challenges and Perspectives”.

On Friday, the programme features presentations of children’s workshops and a contemporary music concert.

Saturday’s events form part of celebrations marking Statehood Day.

The week-long programme will close on Sunday with the sending of a letter and postcard bearing a commemorative stamp.

The Croatian Heritage Foundation said the Week of Croats Outside Croatia reflected the richness and diversity of cultural and social practices within Croatian communities around the world.

Programme content, organisers added, had been developed in cooperation with figures from the contemporary artistic and social scene.

Nearly 1,000 participants of Croatian origin from abroad, including professional artists and talented young amateur creatives from several continents, are presenting their work in Zagreb, drawing on the canon of modern Croatian culture and social activity, including traditional cultural heritage, cross-border economic links and mobility in science and sport.