Free Coffee to Lure People Back to Tourist Spot

A cafe owner in the Croatian city of Rijeka is hoping to bring back life to a neglected tourist spot, and has come up with a novel way of doing it that is going down well with the locals…

Ivan Jagičić, who owns Vivas Cafe Bar in Trsat, has declared Wednesday’s free coffee day. Every Wednesday for the month of February the coffee is free at Jagičić’s cafe, and he told daily 24sata the reason behind the offer.

“I want to return the vibe back to Trsat which has been lost lately. We have this priceless heritage here, which everyday people would check out, and now they seemed to have forgotten about it. I do not know if it’s because of the crisis, but I want to get people out of their houses,” said Jagičić, whose initiative has been well received by locals.

“Now with this money we save we can buy another loaf of bread. Some people might think it is a small thing, but for us it is such a nice gesture. It is so nice when in these hard times someone makes the day better with this free morning coffee,” said one local.

Trsat is a 138-metre hill located just above the city of Rijeka, and has a historic castle and several historic churches located on it. The Croatian noble Prince Vuk Krsto Frankopan is buried in one of the churches and has been a popular Croatian Christian pilgrimage. Jagičić has appealed to the Tourist Board to help him bring back to life the once popular spot.