"Croatia without mines" - The foundation for the humanitarian demining of Croatia and 23. ATP Vegeta Croatia Open have organized a donors dinner in Umag where funds have been gathered for the demining of a suspicious area in the vicinity of the birthplace of a great scientist and inventor Nikola Tesla in the village Smiljan in Lika. The donor's dinner was held under the high sponsorship of the President of the Republic of Croatia, Ivo Josipović, who was a guest at the dinner as well.

The importance of this project is immeasurable, since only last year the birthplace of Nikola Tesla and the Memorial center was visited by over 25.000 guests.

 "With this donor's dinner we have gathered 100.000 kuna which have been doubled by the International demining foundation ITF, therefore 200.000 kuna will be invested towards demining Smiljan. The funds were donated by big Croatian companies such as INA, Allianz, Bank of Zagreb, Podravka and Franck", said Đurđa Adlešić, administrator of the Foundation for humanitarian demining "Croatia without mines". She added that once the demining is finished next summer, the tourists visiting the Memorial center won't have to see the warning signs, or be in danger from mines.

The mine suspicious area around the birthplace of Nikola Tesla and the Memorial center takes up a total area of 15.260 2. Along with Tesla's birthplace and the attributed land, the Memorial center encompasses the Church of st. Peter and Pavao, the cemetery, stone monuments and benches by architect Zdenko Kolacio, but also the newly build objects, such as the monument by the sculptor Milo Blažević, auditoriums and prototypes of Tesla's inventions. The center is managed by the Museum of Lika Gospić, it was opened on July 10, 2006, during the celebration of 150 years of Nikola Tesla's birth.