Croatian Language and Culture Programme
Students come back again and again for our one week Croatian Language and Culture summer trips to Croatia, exploring from a new base each year and immersing themselves in the language and culture, as well as having plenty of fun. Each year we are also delighted to welcome new faces.
Immediately below you will see details of our forthcoming and latest trips and, if you scroll down a little further, you will discover how the course evolved into the unique event it now is. Normally, the week incorporates 12 hours of language tuition, from native speakers highly experienced in teaching Croatian as a foreign language. Lessons are spread over four days with a day off in the middle and, in between, or sometimes concurrently, students explore the area according to a programme of carefully researched excursions, designed to reveal the true identity and secrets of the selected destination.
17th To 24th June 2023: Croatian Language And Culture Summer Study Trip To The Island Of Hvar
In 2023 we will be studying the language and exploring the island of Hvar, visiting all the major towns and settlements and investigating the food, tradition, cultural history and art of the island.
Many people may know Hvar for its celebrity visitors and the nightlife, focusing on Hvar town. However there is so much more to it than that including the UNESCO protected Stari Grad plain, Vrboska and its bridges, leading to its nickname of Little Venice, Stari Grad itself, the fields of lavender, some great wines and the settlements away from the sea, where the first inhabitants hid from pirates.
18th To 25th June 2022: Croatian Language And Culture Summer Study Trip To Vis and Lastovo
2022 saw the Croatian Language School heading to the island of Vis for its annual booster of culture and language. The history of Vis dates all the way back to the Greeks and, more recently, it reveals many secrets about the two 20th century world wars. Our base was near Komiža, on Vis, and, in between language lessons, we explored Vis’s maritime heritage, investigated its gastro-history, and learnt about its military history. And of course we had plenty of free time to swim, shop, explore and relax.
You can read about some of the highlights here: Language and Culture Course Highlights – The Surprising History of Vis
18th September 2021: Croatian Language And Culture Summer Study Trip “2020” Draws To A Close
Catch up on our activities in a selection of blogs:
Day 2: If We Can’t Take It With Us, We Aren’t Going!
Day 3: Peeking Behind The Veil
[Day 4: Rest Day]
Day 6: Swimming In The Rain On Our Final Day
12th September 2021: Croatian Language And Culture Summer Study Trip “2020” Finally Takes Place
At last, we finally get to go to Rijeka and the surrounding area to practice our Croatian, learn more about the region and its culture and, most importantly, have some summer fun. For those who are not part of the trip, we’ll be posting regular blogs about our exploits.
For now, read about how the trip finally came to be realised here: In Pursuit Of Lovran
Croatian Language And Culture Summer Study Trip 2020 Postponed
All students will have already received an email from us notifying them of the postponement, to 2021, of this year’s Language and Culture study trip as a consequence of the Corona Virus pandemic. We have already done most of the preparation and lined up our guides and you may enjoy reading some of our posts on the trip research and interviews with the guides.
– Rijeka, currently European City of Culture
– Kvarner Region – the most sought after northern Adriatic Riviera
– Gorski Kotar Region – the Green Heart of Croatia
The advance guard has already tried, tested and decided on a number of venues and visits, and the base will be the charming Kvarner town of Lovran with its impressive villas, built in the early 1900s, one of which has been selected as the school’s home for the trip.
To read more about the early preparations and chosen locations, read Julia Molden’s blog by clicking here
2019’s Language and Culture trip to Slavonia and Baranja was another great success and you can read the detailed report here. Below are links to the daily “live” reports on our Facebook page.
Plans are already well underway for the next trip to Rijeka and the surrounding area.
Day 4 Report & Photos – Osijek uncovered!
Day 5 Report & Photos – Kopački rit, Karanac and more.
Day 6 Report & Photos – The early nineteenth century Pejačević castle, Našice.
Below is a brief history of the evolution of these annual events which many students attend year on year to consolidate their language learning, find out more about Croatian culture, and have fun and swap stories with their fellow students.
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In line with our students’ suggestions and aspirations and with the aim of maximising their opportunities to improve and make use of their developing knowledge of Croatian, the Croatian Language School has introduced into its portfolio the ‘Croatian Language and Culture’ programme.
A five-day pilot project was organised which took place at the end of May 2012 with the goal of enabling our students to get to know the cities of Split, Mostar and Sarajevo and to become familiar with their history and culture.The project was a great success and an encouragement to continue with such projects.
In June of the following year, the school organised a week-long study trip exploring the islands of Middle Dalmatia and their culture while sailing along the route from Split to Dubrovnik. In June 2014, CLS played host to its students in Orebić, on the Pelješac peninsula, and in June 2015, CLS and its students headed towards Cavtat and, through our ‘Cavtat – Southern light’ study programme, we introduced Southern Dalmatia to our students.
In June 2016 we had our ‘Zadar’s gems – Crystal falls and pearls of Northern Dalmatia‘ study programme which centred around the school’s home for the week in Kožino, a few miles from Zadar, and in 2017 we were based in Fažana, Istria from where we explored the towns of the peninsula, as well as the Brijuni Islands off the coast, in our ‘Bewitching Brijuni and Terra Magica’ programme. In 2018 we once again returned to Southern Dalmatia and were based on the island of Šipan. We explored the Elaphite Islands in our programme ‘The Secrets of the Elaphite Islands – Another World on our Doorstep’.
During the week-long CLS ‘Language and Culture’ programme students had twelve hours of lessons in language tuition, organised in four three-hour long sessions on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
The classes were conducted at two different levels:
- beginners/improvers
- intermediate
and took place at the school’s home, where certain social events were also held. We also introduced a number of early morning yoga sessions, in which all students could participate if they wished.
Sunday and Wednesday were set aside for whole day excursions: On Sunday there was a full-day boat trip, concentrating on the neighbouring island of Koločep, and on Wednesday, visits to some lesser known sights and places in and around Dubrovnik. On Monday a half-day excursion to the other main island of the Elaphite archipelago, Lopud, dovetailed with lessons. On Tuesday after lessons students were free to explore our base island of Šipan either independently or by joining a group walk to Šipanska Luka arriving in time for dinner. On Thursday after lessons we took a trip to Mali Ston and the neighbouring part of the Pelješac peninsula. Friday evening was an opportunity to relax at the farewell party.
During the special programme of excursions, students had the chance to practice their Croatian amongst themselves, with native speakers, excursion organisers and tour guides. In their free time, students were able to try out their language skills in and around town, in shops, restaurants etc.
We think that the ‘Croatian Language and Culture’ study programme represents a valuable contribution to the CLS ongoing mission, both here in London and globally, to provide a high standard of Croatian language study and the opportunity to gain knowledge about Croatia and its culture.
Learn more about The Croatian Language School course options.
