With Burja around Europe – Creativity among the Green and Cutural heritage of Đurđevac

Members of Zavod Burja crossed the Slovenian border for the second time this year as part of the adult education group mobility in the Erasmus+ program. Six participants in the entourage, primarily members of ethnic minorities and women with fewer opportunities, visited Đurđevac in the second half of May.

In this idyllic town in the Croatian Podravina, we were welcomed by the representatives of the visiting organization of the Women’s Association of the city of Đurđevac, which has been taking care of the cultural heritage of this place for decades.

The main goal of the four-day visit and training program was to encourage and motivate adults to actively engage in informal art activities and improve their knowledge and skills. In addition, we emphasized learning about green strategies and principles of sustainability in culture and art in local communities.

The third important goal was to promote the cultural potential of adults in artistic creation and to facilitate and provide insight into diverse educational programs, projects and events in this field. Through this training, participants developed their artistic, creative, green and digital skills and gained a deeper understanding of techniques and ideas crucial to their work, growth and emancipation.

In addition, the program actively encouraged participants’ participation in local communities by organizing practical activities that contribute to their cultural and artistic wealth. These activities often create an international and intercultural bridge between art and society and encourage adults’ active involvement and contribution to the cultural life of their own and other communities.

In addition to everything, our participants could spend a lot of time creatively making various motifs in different manual skills techniques, which both visitors and hosts appreciate—making lace, embroidery, various jewellery, lace on a stick, creating roses from crepe paper, making jewellery from waste plastic, etc. We also learned about many good green practices in the local community, from a visit to the “Đurđevački pijesci” landscape park to a visit to an old-fashioned mill that traditionally produces organic flour in the heart of unspoiled nature. We also visited the nearby Kladare, where in the old ethnic house – an informal museum, we saw and learned about various old-time tools and household appliances, as they were available a hundred or more years ago. We also tested the operation of old knitting tools and saw a whole collection of different things. We literally went back to the world a hundred or more years ago in a time capsule.

The town of Đurđevac itself is located in the north-east of Croatia and administratively falls under the Koprivnica County. Đurđevac is the centre of Podravina, a region along the Drava River. There are the headquarters of various state and local government institutions, high schools, medical institutions, commercial facilities, more than a hundred different companies, a city gallery, cinemas and multiple sports fields.

Đurđevac is full of lovely churches, good food and even better wine. The landscape is suitable for one-day trips to the geographical and botanical reserve Đurđevački pijesci, to the nature reserve Križnica, where gold is mined, and to the Mura Drava regional park, which is under the protection of UNESCO. The town is medium-sized and has around 7,500 inhabitants.

The place’s most famous cultural and touristic event is the local Picokijada, which dramaturgically creates a mythological story from the time of the Turkish campaigns in this area. Every last weekend in June, thousands of visitors come to the town to be part of the story of how the local people defended themselves against the Turkish attack by sending a rooster at the invaders from a cannon. The rooster thus became the symbol of the city. With this visit, we also learned about the local culture. We learned about many folk customs and institutions, among which we highlight the Đurđevac City Museum, the Đurđevac Sands Visitor Center and the local ZOO, where the biggest attraction is the camels that the city authorities brought to Đurđevac – because of the sand!

Representatives of both organizations expressed their desire to improve our future relations. We have shown great interest in demonstrating joint synergies on long-term projects within the framework of various European programs. We want to take this opportunity to thank the hosts once again for the very organized visit and look forward to our continued cooperation.