Hotel Balatura

27/10/2026

Jan Röhnert, pisac prirode krša, ipak na kraju nije mogao doći u Tribalj, iako je njegov dolazak bio planiran gotovo do posljednje minute. Ipak, jedna pjesma koja je ondje trebala biti pročitana uspjela je, i bez svojega autora, odjeknuti eterom i doprijeti do nas.

Zahvaljujući Konstantinu Haagu, koji je svojim neponovljivim glasom i prigodnim vizualima Luke Godeca udahnuo tim mislima virtualni život! 😍😍😍😍
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Jan Röhnert, the nature writer of the Karst, ultimately couldn’t make it to Tribalj, although his attendance had been planned almost until the very last minute. One poem, however, which was supposed to be read there, still found its way into the airwaves and reached us, even without its author present.

Thanks to Konstantin Haag, who brought these thoughts to virtual life with his inimitable voice and the fitting images by Luka Godec! 😍😍😍😍

26/10/2026

Hvala svim Krasopiscima od srca!
😍

26/10/2026

A onda je uslijedilo veliko finale ovogodišnjeg Krasopisa, za koje su nas sva predavanja i razgovori tijekom proteklih dana već pripremali.

Predstavljanje građanske inicijative „Gospić je naš dom”, čiji su nam članovi iznijeli cijeli tijek afere s otpadom, koja traje od veljače 2025., i ispričali kako su se suočili s tom prijetnjom. Njih 15 aktivista, korak po korak, najprije je pokrenulo Gospić i njegovu okolicu, a zatim podiglo na noge cijelu zemlju.

Kada se suočimo s političkim, ekološkim i društvenim katastrofama, emocije ponekad mogu dosegnuti usijanje. Tada su nam potrebni ljudi poput njih – smireni, čvrsto na zemlji, dobro informirani i spremni, uz snažne argumente, ustrajati na dugom putu.
Nemate pojma koliko ste inspirativni i koliko nam dajete hrabrosti i nade – ne samo nama Krasopiscima, koji se također bavimo ovakvim temama, nego i svima koji koračaju takvim, naizgled bezizglednim putevima!

Hvala vam što ste bili s nama! ❤️❤️❤️
Fotografije: Gordan Godec
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And then came the grand finale of this year’s Krasopis, the moment all the talks and conversations over the past few days had been preparing us for.

The presentation by the citizens’ initiative “Gospić je naš dom” (“Gospić Is Our Home”), whose members walked us through the entire course of the waste scandal that has been unfolding since February 2025, explaining how they had dealt with this threat. Step by step, these 15 activists first mobilized Gospić and the surrounding area, and then rallied the entire country.

When we are confronted with political, environmental, and social disasters, emotions can sometimes run high. That is when we need people like them: calm, grounded, well-informed, and ready to embark on the long journey, armed with sound arguments and determination.
You have no idea how inspiring and encouraging you are – not only to us Krasopis participants, who also work with these issues, but to everyone walking these seemingly hopeless paths!

Thank you for being there! ❤️❤️❤️

26/10/2026

Da, i ponekad je potrebna transformacija na sasvim osobnoj razini i vrlo svjesna odluka kako bi se moglo roditi nešto novo i izvanredno. Nešto poput OZ-a – Obećane zemlje.

Izlazak iz voda obeshrabrenosti, iz života vođenih strahom i oblikovanih tobožnjim obvezama. Svjesna odluka o povratku prirodi (u okolici Blagaja).

Ondje su Sead Šašivarević i njegova obitelj stvorili oazu permakulture, osobne odgovornosti i zajedništva. Redovito poziva sve koji su zainteresirani za takav način života i žele sudjelovati u akcijama čišćenja riječnih obala.

A tu je i festival „7 rijeka”, okupljanje zaštitnika rijeka uz brojne raznovrsne događaje.

Mogu li rijeke osjetiti ljubav? U ovom slučaju, itekako!

Hvala ti, Seade Šašivareviću, što si nam ispričao ovu priču!❤️❤️❤️
Fotografije: Gordan Godec
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Yes, and sometimes it takes a transformation on a deeply personal level and a very conscious decision for something new and extraordinary to emerge. Something like OZ – Obećana zemlja (The Promised Land).

A way out of the waters of discouragement, of lives driven by fear and shaped by so-called obligations. A conscious decision to return to nature (in the surroundings of Blagaj).

There, Sead Šašivarević and his family have created an oasis of permaculture, personal responsibility, and community. He regularly welcomes anyone interested in this way of life and willing to take part in riverbank clean-up initiatives.

And then there is the “7 Rivers” festival, a gathering of river protectors featuring a wide range of events.

Can rivers feel love? In this case, absolutely!

Thank you, Sead Šašivarević, for sharing this story with us! ❤️❤️❤️

26/10/2026

Za Aidu Kapetanović zaštita rijeka dinarskog krša ima i sasvim osobnu dimenziju. Rođena je u Mostaru, no odrasla je u Italiji, gdje se i školovala. A onda se, opremljena čvrstim stručnim znanjem, ali i širim uvidom u kulturne i društvene aspekte ekoloških pokreta, vratila Neretvi kako bi se pridružila Fondaciji Atelje za društvene promjene i u taj rad uložila sve ono što je izvan svojih rodnih krajeva naučila i ponijela sa sobom.

I, naravno, njezin angažman ne zaustavlja se na Neretvi. Kako sve to izgleda u praksi, pokazala nam je u svom izlaganju, popraćenom brojnim fotografijama, i pritom nas sve duboko impresionirala! Hvala Aidi, što si to podijelila s nama!😍🥰
Fotografije: Gordan Godec
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For Aida Kapetanović, protecting the rivers of the Dinaric Karst has a deeply personal dimension. Born in Mostar, she grew up in Italy, where she also pursued her studies. She then returned to the Neretva, equipped with solid professional expertise as well as a broader understanding of the cultural and social dimensions of environmental movements. There, she joined the Fondacija Atelje za društvene promjene (Atelier for Social Change Foundation), bringing to its work everything she had learned and absorbed beyond her homeland.

And, of course, her work does not stop at the Neretva. She showed us what all this looks like in practice in a presentation illustrated with numerous photographs, leaving a deep impression on everyone in the audience! Thank you, Aida, for sharing this experience! 😍🥰

26/10/2026

Krešimir Žganec najprije nas je podsjetio na bioraznolikost slatkovodnih ekosustava, na živi svijet koji nastanjuje te vode: ribe, rakove i beskrajno raznolike vodene životinje. A zatim nam je predstavio utjecaj hidroelektrana i brana na krške rijeke – i, naravno, na život u njima. Pritom se prethodno osvrnuo i na globalnu situaciju.

I tada je pred publikom ponovno pao zastor iluzija i naivnosti!

Hvala ti, Krešimire, na ovom dojmljivom i živopisnom predavanju! Tko još uvijek misli da život prilagođen tekućoj vodi može opstati u stajaćoj vodi, taj doista ništa nije shvatio!
🦀🐟❤️
Fotografije: Gordan Godec
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Krešimir Žganec first reminded us of the biodiversity of freshwater ecosystems and the living world that inhabits these waters: fish, crayfish, and an endlessly diverse array of aquatic animals. He then presented the impact of hydropower plants and dams on karst rivers – and, of course, on the life within them. Naturally, he began by putting the issue into a global perspective.

Good grief! Once again, the curtain of illusion and naivety fell away before the audience.

Thank you, Krešimir, for such a vivid and compelling presentation! Anyone who still thinks that life adapted to flowing water can survive in still water simply hasn’t been paying attention!
🦀🐟❤️

26/10/2026

Hidrogeološke značajke krških rijeka Like i Gacke Andrej Stroj objasnio nam je temeljito, od samih osnova. Teško da je moglo biti bolje i sadržajnije pripreme za ono što nas je čekalo kasnije poslijepodne, kada je građanska inicijativa iz Gospića predstavila svoj rad.

Svi razumijemo da nije dobro kada se otpad negdje odlaže. No kolike to razmjere može poprimiti, u kojoj mjeri utječe na cjelokupni podzemni i nadzemni vodni sustav i kako se to tiče svih nas – da, i nas ovdje, koji smo priključeni na vodni sustav Novljanske Žrnovnice! – i to na sasvim fizičan i stvaran način, doista smo osvijestili zahvaljujući njegovu predavanju.

Ponekad je zaista potreban stručni pogled da bismo uopće mogli razumjeti što se događa.

Wow, Andrej Stroj, ovo nas je stvarno trgnulo i otvorilo nam oči!
Fotografije: Gordan Godec
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Andrej Stroj explained the hydrogeological characteristics of the karst rivers Lika and Gacka to us thoroughly, from the ground up. There could hardly have been a better or more substantial introduction to what awaited us later that afternoon, when the citizens’ initiative from Gospić presented its work.

We all understand that dumping waste somewhere is a bad thing. But the scale of the consequences, the extent to which the entire underground and surface water system is affected, and how this concerns every one of us in a physical, very real way – yes, even those of us here connected to the Novljanska Žrnovnica water supply system! – truly hit home through his presentation.

Sometimes, it really takes an expert’s perspective for us to begin to understand what is happening at all.

Wow, Andrej Stroj, that really was a wake-up call!

26/10/2026

Hvala, Goran Barović

26/10/2026

Goran Barović nas je odmah u nedjelju ujutro odveo na Nikšićko polje, na tamošnje rijeke, jezera - pa i akumulacijske vode. Zahvaljujući njegovu stručnom znanstvenom pogledu – hidrogeološkom, ali i praktičnom speleološkom iskustvu – imali smo priliku sagledati razmjere, stanje prije i nakon zahvata te utjecaj izgradnje i rada hidroelektrana u ovom dijelu Crne Gore.

Na svom fotografskom putovanju poveo nas je u dubine ponora i duž reguliranih tokova Zete. Bilo je to jedno od onih predavanja nakon kojih ti ipak ostane knedla u grlu…

Od srca hvala, dragi Gorane Baroviću!
Fotografije: Gordan Godec
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Thanks to his expert scientific perspective as a hydrogeologist, combined with his practical experience in speleology, we had the opportunity to grasp the full scale of the changes, the before-and-after conditions, and the impact of the construction and operation of hydropower plants in this part of Montenegro.

Through his photographic journey, he took us deep into the sinkholes and along the straightened course of the Zeta River. It was one of those talks that leaves you with a lump in your throat…

A heartfelt thank you, dear Goran Barović!

26/10/2026

Novi List! 😍

Naše bivanje u svijetu je stvar odnosa. Međusobnih odnosa nas ljudi, ali i našeg odnosa s prirodom, rekla je Anne Kathrin Godec, umjetnička voditeljica festivala