The traditional 33rd meeting of Chakavian poets ‘Verši na šterna’ took place on Saturday 13 June 2026 at the beautiful Battistella waterfront in the heart of Vižinada.
Organised by the Poreč City Library and the Municipality of Vižinada – Visokoda, the meeting again this year brought together authors, fans of the Chakavian word and all those who recognise the importance of preserving native speech, cultural identity and tradition.
This year's edition confirmed the strong continuity of the event, which for more than three decades preserves and promotes the richness of Chakavian heritage. Almost three hundred new and unpublished poems from 122 authors came to the competition, and the selector, the writer Diana Rosandić Živković, selected 61 poems for publication in the ‘XXXIII’ collection. Versi na šterna’.
The gathered were welcomed by representatives of the organizers and patrons, and on behalf of the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia, the director of the State Archives in Pazin, Mirela Mrak Kliman, addressed the audience. In her address, she emphasized the importance of this event as a meeting place for languages, identities, localities and people who keep the richness of the Chakavian word with their verses.
‘Verši na šterna’ once again showed that domestic besidue lives – in song, in encounter, in communion and in love with the homeland.
