A jury of independent experts designated the port city of Rijeka the European Capital of Culture in 2020. Rijeka will be the first Croatian city to hold this title since Croatia joined the European Union in 2013. The year 2020 will be marked by Croatia in more ways than one, since in the first semester Croatia will also take over the presidency of the European Union.
As early as 1916, Croatia was one of the first countries in Europe to grant Islam official status of traditional religion. The centennial anniversary of this recognition by the Croatian Parliament was marked by numerous celebrations in Croatia, where the small Muslim community is among the oldest in Europe. As such, the Islamic Community enjoys many rights (public subsidies, mosques, Islamic teaching, and days off for religious holidays) and represents an example in Europe. Perfectly integrated within the Croatian nation, Croatian Muslims also actively participated in the war of independence with more than 1100 of them fallen on the field of honour. The Islamic Centre in Rijeka, inaugurated in May 2013, is depicted in the photo. (Photo: the Mosque in Rijeka, designed according to plans by the Croatian artist Dušan Džamonja.)