Beatification of cardinal Stepinac

On the occasion of his second pastoral visit to Croatia, Pope John Paul II beatified cardinal Alojzije Stepinac. Although Stepinac was one of the most fervent voices against Nazi savagery during the war, his culpable independence from the Yugoslav communist regime, and, notably, his refusal to create a national Catholic church detached from Rome, was the cause of his conviction in 1946 during a Stalinist political process. Celebrated in Croatia for his martyrdom, Stepinac became a true national symbol of Croatian resistance to the two totalitarian regimes, Nazism and communism, which both brought bloodshed to Europe during the 20th century. The process of his canonisation started in 2014 and is now nearing completion.

1999

16 October

Photo: Boris Ščitar / PIXSELL

Opening of Sveti Rok Tunnel

After six years of works, the motorway tunnel Sveti Rok with two tubes (two lanes in each) drilled through Velebit Mountain and 5679 metres long, was officially opened. A technological exploit, the tunnel became a key link of the future A1 motorway, first connecting Zagreb to Zadar, and then to Split, as it significantly shortened the journey time between the continental part of the country and the Dalmatian coast on the Adriatic. It was constructed by the Croatian companies Hidroelektra niskogradnja and Konstruktor. The construction of Brinje tunnel (bearing the title of the safest motorway tunnel in Europe) followed in 2004, and in 2005 the longest tunnel in Croatia was constructed, Mala Kapela tunnel, 5821 metres long.