Episode 78

Dobrodošli, prijatelji!

Welcome back to another great episode.

Since we’re huge movie fans here at LLC, we’ve decided to do Movie-themed lesson tonite.

What are some words you’ll need to know for a night at the movie theater?

Stick around and find out!

Lesson - A Night at the Movies

movies/cinema - kino

movie/film - film

ticket - ulaznica

popcorn - kokice

candy - bombon

drink - piće

actor/actress - glumac/glumica

Let’s go see a movie? - Idemo pogledati film?

Super Slatko Report

In this edition of the SSR, DJ Moe tells about Croatia’s upcoming move to a new currency, the Euro!

We’re sad to say goodbye to our friend the Kuna, but we’re hoping the transition to the Euro will be as smooth as DJ Moe’s Super Slatko report!

As you may or may not know the Croatian Kuna is being replaced by the Euro starting January 1st 2023.

We covered the Kuna as the Croatian currency way, way, way back in Super Slatko Report #18. This is Where I covered the Kuna in animal form and the origins of the Kuna in monetary form.

But in this SSR, I’ll be doing a quick overview of the current Kuna monetary design and the Croatian transition from the Kuna to the new Croatian Euro.

The Kuna currency started its life back almost 30 years ago in 1994, back then transitioning from the Croatian Dinar.

1 Kuna itself is subdivided into 100 Lipa.

The Plural of Kuna, can be Kuna or Kune.

And bills came in denominations of

10, 20, 50, 100, 200, & 500

And coins come in:

1, 2, 5 and 25 Kuna denominations

While Lipa come in 1,2, 5, 10, 20, and 50

The current bills have people on them….

Such as…

Juraj (Giorgio) Dobrila on the 10 Kuna bill, who was a catholic bishop,

And

Stjepan Radić a politician from the 1920’s who can be found on the 200 Kuna bill.

The current Kuna coins have animals on them….

As we know the Kuna itself and the value of each coin appears on one side

And the opposite side shows:

A Nightingale on the 1 kuna coin

A Tuna on the 2 kuna coin

And a Bear on the 5 Kuna coin.

While the 25 Kuna coin was commemorative and changed often over the years

Fun fact, the smaller denomination lipa coins display plants on their face:

Using Corn, Grapevine, an Oak Branch, a tobacco plant, an olive branch and the Degenia; a protected endangered plant only found in the Velebit and Kapela mountain ranges.

But starting on January 1st 2023 all Croatian Bank accounts and credit cards will automatically be converted to euros, Kuna cash maybe exchanged for Euros at no charge.

So depending on when you visit,

If before January 1st, 2023 you will need to use Kuna, after January 1st 2023 you’ll need Euros.

Don’t despair if you still have some old Kuna in your possession, if you travel before 2023, you will still be able to use it or exchange for Euros. And if you’re into memorabilia, maybe hold onto a few bills or coins before they’re gone for good and have them framed, its up to you.

Although it’s sad to see the Kuna currency go away, to many experts the change is a positive one, which will help bring about some economic stability, attract some investors and provide aid during periods of crisis.

In May of 2022, the final Euro Croatian coin was decided. The final design has the Kuna we know and love; not leaping, but in a more upright posture type pose on a chessboard background, the reverse has the map of Europe and the 1 Euro designation.

Other selections were made in February of 2022,

For the 2 Euro and 50, 20 and 10 cent coins.

The 2 Euro Coin features a map of Croatia and words from Ivan Gundulić’s, “Dubravka.”

While the 50, 20 and 10 cent coins have world famous inventor Nikola Tesla on the National/face side.

The 2 and 1 cent coins opted for Glagolitic script, which is the oldest known Slavonic Alphabet that is still in use in the Croatian Church along the Dalmatian Coast.

Thank you to my sources; Wikipedia, Bloomberg News and Croatia Week for some amazing and helpful articles.

And that’s it for the Super Slatko Report!