Our Story

Rijeka is a city of many beginnings. Its harbour has welcomed ships, workers and families from across the Mediterranean and Central Europe for centuries, and each wave of arrivals has left something behind: a recipe, a song, a craft, a way of celebrating. This layered culture is the city's great treasure, but it is also easily lost, and access to it has never been equal.

Our association was founded to respond to both of these challenges. We wanted to create a place where children and seniors, newcomers and old Rijeka families, professional artists and complete beginners could meet as equals around a shared creative task. And we wanted to make sure that the living memory of the city would be recorded and passed on, not left to fade.

What we do

Today we organise art workshops and creative education, cultural events and exhibitions, youth and school programmes, community and inclusion projects, and heritage work that documents the traditions and stories of Rijeka and the Kvarner region. Everything we do is non-profit and designed to be as open and affordable as possible.

How we work

We are a small, volunteer-driven association. Our programmes are led by practising artists and educators, supported by volunteers and members, and developed in cooperation with schools, cultural institutions and other organisations. We are governed by our Statute and by the Croatian Associations Act, and we publish our reports openly.

The name we carry, Nada Galijota, honours the spirit of hope (in Croatian, nada) that runs through our work: the hope that culture can heal, connect and inspire.