Kostrena’s micro-history, which is woven into its everyday life and the culture, is recorded in the Kostrena Ship audio-documentary collage and multimedia exhibit in the Port of Santo Domingo directed by Ljubica Letinić (HR) and in a performance by the inhabitants of Kostrena. The audio collages are made up of countless stories about Kostrena’s names, the people, maritime and women’s history, dialectal specificities, shipbuilding, the reading room of 1876, and the contribution of the women of Kostrena to the National Liberation Struggle (NOB) in WWII. The collages of stories, together with items from private family collections, have been combined into an exhibition called Notes of Life.

PRE-PROGRAMME
Kostrena Neighbourhood Living Room
4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Location: St Lucia Public Reading Room in Kostrena, Living Room

Living Room with socialising:
storytelling – selection from the Living Room programme
presenting European partners – Občina Selnica ob Dravi, Slovenia

PROGRAMME
9:15 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Location: St Barbara Square

9:15 p.m. – Opening ceremony – Protocol and handover of the time capsule from the Gomirje Neighbourhood – the programme will be opened by representatives of the Kostrena Municipality, Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, the City of Rijeka and Rijeka 2020

9:30 p.m. – The Kostrena Seamen’s House, 3D video mapping projection – ceremonial presentation of the artistic idea in the form of video mapping a projection onto the front of the St Barbara old school building

9:40 p.m. – Kostrena Ship in the Port of Santo Domingo, multimedia exhibit, opening – Ljubica Letinić in collaboration with narrators: Harbour Master Darko Glažar, PhD and sea captains: Igor Stipanović, Branimir Šoić, Tomislav Tijan and Berislav Vranić.

10:00 p.m. – socialising with special programme

POST-PROGRAMME
From 28 to 30 August 2020
4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Location: St Barbara Square

Kostrena Ship in the Port of Santo Domingo, multimedia exhibition, viewing – exhibition by author Ljubica Letinić in collaboration with narrators: Harbour Master Darko Glažar, PhD and sea captains: Igor Stipanović, Branimir Šoić, Tomislav Tijan and Berislav Vranić

ABOUT THE KOSTRENA NEIGHBOURHOOD
Located near the city of Rijeka, Kostrena is a coastal town with just over 4,000 inhabitants and was first mentioned in the early 15th century. It first became an independent municipality in 1874 but retained the status for only two years. Framed by the Bay of Martinšćica and the Bay of Bakar, Kostrena is divided into two historical parishes: St Lucia and St Barbara. Kostrena consists of about twenty settlements, many of whose names are derived from the families who live there.

The lives of Kostrena and its people are interwoven with the sea, so it comes as no surprise that their connection to the sea underpins everything they do. Unique in its seafaring and captaincy tradition, Kostrena experienced its golden age during the Age of Sail, when a large proportion of seafarers from Kostrena were officers on sailing ships. Since few houses were without a sailor, this unique characteristic impacted heavily on the everyday life of the locals.

Today, Kostrena is synonymous with maritime knowledge and world-renowned sailors. Given its geographical position, it seems to have grown at a distance from the major population centres throughout history, conceived primarily as a space for families and communities with better economic standings and a connection to the maritime professions.  The castles of Solin and Sopalj, which are the subject of archaeological research, are located on the highest hills above the town. The subject of language is always present in the culture and social life of Kostrena in the form of kostrenska čakavština, the Chakavian dialect of Kostrena, poetry in the Chakavian dialect, the vernacular of the Croatian maritime tradition as part of the Mediterranean nautical culture, and the influence of other languages.

The cultural and social life in Kostrena is alive and thriving throughout the entire year. In addition to the many events during the summer, other traditional events include Spring in Kostrena, Autumn in Kostrena, Days of the Municipality and the Carnival in Kostrena, which is held in the hall of the Public Reading Room. A large number of sports and cultural associations founded and managed by citizens as active creators of cultural and social events reveal the diverse interests of a thriving community.

ABOUT THE IMPLEMENTING BODY
The Municipality of Kostrena is a local self-governing unit established in 1993, at which time it began its self-development as an independent municipality of the Rijeka Ring. Today, Kostrena is one of the most well-developed municipalities in Croatia, which confirms that independence was indeed justified. The mission of the Municipality is to ensure sustainability in its area within the legal framework, which is achieved by continuous improvement of all conditions that directly or indirectly affect the quality of life of its inhabitants. The Municipality ensures that their needs are met by performing tasks of local importance in the areas of spatial and urban planning, utilities, social welfare, child care, education, culture, sports, civil protection, environmental protection, encouraging economic development, and work organisation along with continuous improvements in quality, while respecting business, professional and ethical rules.