Croatian Cultural Club Baden Celebrates Its 25th Birthday

Nearly a quarter of a century after its founding, the Croatian Cultural Club Baden serves today as a cultural and social meeting place for Croats and friends of Croatia in Switzerland. Through its programs, it has been nurturing the Croatian language, culture, and tradition, encouraging community connection, and contributing to cultural exchange and a better understanding between Croats and Swiss society for 25 years. On the occasion of its birthday, they organized a formal celebration to thank everyone who contributed to the successful operation of the Club.

The ceremony was an opportunity to thank individuals and institutions who contributed to the Club's work through their efforts and support. On this occasion, an award of appreciation for contribution and support to the Club's work was presented to the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in the Swiss Confederation, which was accepted on behalf of the Embassy by Ms. Petra Petrić Čavužić.

The program was enriched by a concert by the duo Tihomir Hojsak and Filip Novosel, which was followed by socializing with Croatian specialties in a pleasant atmosphere.

It is difficult to reduce nearly a quarter of a century of work by a volunteer association to a mere chronology of events. Behind the concerts, plays, lectures, magazines, excursions, meetings, and projects, there are always the people who started, organized, supported them, or were simply there when it mattered.

The Club's president, Antonela Grill Zečević, also addressed the audience, focusing on the question of responsibility: how to preserve the purpose of an organization that has lasted for decades, while accepting that its way of operating must change.

"We had to change the Club in order to preserve it," she said, speaking about the transformation of the HKK (Hrvatski kulturni klub) in recent years.

On behalf of the Central State Office for Croats Abroad, Morana Erdelja, senior advisor, addressed the guests.

"The Central State Office has been supporting HKK's projects for years, and it also supported the commemoration of the Club's entry into its jubilee year."

In her address, Erdelja emphasized how much personal engagement, volunteering, meetings, and relationships that do not develop overnight lie behind nearly 25 years of operation.

"And they, the people, are precisely the greatest value of this Club," Erdelja said.

A full Club showed how many people are connected to its program—from those who built it, to those investing their energy today, friends of the Club, Croatian associations, representatives of various institutions, partners, and more than a hundred guests.

Today, part of the Club's communication and cultural activity includes Croatis.ch, a digital platform for the Croatian community in Switzerland, while in its history, it published Libra, a club magazine with a long-standing tradition.

Translated by Branko Lozančić