Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon We help you navigate a myriad of possibilities Sign up for our newsletter for the best of the city By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. Croatia Daydream this Valentine's Day with this gallery of 14 full-of-romance photos. It might just tempt you to book your ticket to Croatia for next February 14th! facebooktwitterinstagramAbout us A Croatian Railways (Hrvatske željeznice) commuter train journeys through Kaštel Stari in Croatia the long-term lack of investment in Croatia’s railways has led to a decline in both its total length of rail lines and the maximum speed of trains In his 1930 book Train in the Snow (Vlak u snijegu) Croatian writer Mato Lovrak tells the story of a group of schoolchildren who travel to a nearby town for a field trip As they are supposed to return to their village When the train gets blocked by a snowdrift the children work together with railroad workers to unblock the track one could say that the popularity of the book has outlived the popularity of railways While the novel is still widely known as a warming tale of solidarity and friendship the concept of (school) trips by train have become a rarity The long-term lack of investment in Croatia’s railways has led to a decline in both its total length of rail lines and the maximum speed of trains, which negatively affects both passenger and freight traffic. When in 2014 the Croatian railway company, Hrvatske željeznice (HŽ) took to social media to ask its followers to come up with its new slogan it received suggestions such as: “Speed isn’t everything” or “Is your life too fast These tongue-in-cheek responses provided an insight into how the national rail service was perceived at the time: slow But Croatia is not an exception in the Balkans Across the countries of the former Yugoslavia the railways have deteriorated due to huge cuts in investment the slashing of services and staff numbers and the poor maintenance of crumbling infrastructure Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro are at the very bottom of the list new development projects in the railway sector have been announced across the region But the pace of modernisation is still slow and some fear that further liberalisation of the market will spell trouble for local companies and passengers When Lovrak wrote his children’s book over 90 years ago Croatia still boasted a rail network that was on par with some richer Western European countries The major part of the railways in today’s Croatia were built in the period up to the First World War when Croatia belonged to the Habsburg monarchy During the periods of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (before World War Two) and Socialist Yugoslavia (after 1945 and until the 1990s) different parts of newly united countries were connected by railway the railway systems before and after the war in Yugoslavia represent “two different worlds” Speaking during a phone interview with Equal Times he said: “What we have today doesn’t even look like a proper railway many train stations used technology they no longer have a train needs to notify the station of departure when it arrives at the end station so that the next train can leave the station That was automatised before,” he explained Today, Bosnia and Herzegovina has a total rail length of just over 1,000 kilometres – a decline compared to 100 years ago when it was 560 km longer – and the average speed of its trains is about 50 km per hour There are no high-speed train lines in the country “The maximum allowed train speed is on average 41-60 km/h while the highest speed of 140-160 km/h is possible on only 4 per cent of the total railway network,” says Nikolina Rajković a researcher from the Institute for Political Ecology (IPE) a multi-disciplinary research non-profit based in Zagreb Germany and Spain have some of the fastest trains in the world with speeds reaching 300 kilometres per hour In its study Our Railways IPE looked into the structural reasons behind the decline of railways in the country Researchers noted that the slow decline of the Croatian railways had already started in the 1960s and 1970s with a national restructuring policy that resulted in closure of lines and train stations When national infrastructure was being rebuilt after the war in the 1990s road infrastructure was treated as a priority Croatia’s current national strategy for transport development until 2030 is exceptionally poor when it comes to the railways “It doesn’t offer any clear and concrete solutions we do not see growth projections of rail traffic compared to road traffic,” she explains EU countries still invest significantly more money in roads than railways They also found that 6,000 km of rail have been decommissioned in the past 20 years and that instead of using the funds for projects that bring quick and major improvements EU states had invested billions in inefficient large-scale projects the EU announced more funding and support would be given to the development of the rail network within the block as well as its neighbouring countries “The standards and the way that transport is run should be identical from the EU countries to Serbia to Montenegro to Albania the region should be integrated into the EU’s transport market even before the countries join the EU,” explains Matej Zakonjšek an organisation on a mission to integrate the transport market of the Western Balkans into the EU A number of railway modernisation and development projects have come to life across the region in recent years The European Bank of Regional Development (EBRD) alone participated in the financing of railway projects in the Western Balkans to the tune of nearly €1 billion and is currently involved in 22 active projects who heads donor visibility at EBRD in the Western Balkans The EU has also stepped in to finance railway modernisation. In Serbia, the largest sum of non-refundable EU funding yet (€600 million) has been allocated to the reconstruction of the Belgrade-Niš railway Some recent projects attracted a lot of controversy, though. In Serbia, the Budapest-Belgrade railway line is seen as increasing Chinese influence in the country, but also as a financial burden for both Hungarian and Serbian tax payers, who will foot the bill for the Chinese loan The total cost of the railway is a whooping €3.8 billion for 370 km of railway the modernisation process can be quite slow “The level of complexity when it comes to the railway infrastructure projects is quite high the Covid pandemic and inflation has made everything more expensive and the complexity is even higher in the region where countries don’t have an established legal and technical framework similar to the EU one,” he says the number of employees gradually decreased In 2021,10,328 people worked in railway companies; 6,431 fewer people than at the end of 2015 providing both passenger and freight transportation services there are four separate companies in Croatia managing different aspects of railway system (passenger transportation This fragmentation makes them “more susceptible to additional liberalisation and the possibility of privatisation,” says Rajković of the IPE She adds that Croatia “simply copied the EU Directives concerning railway packages without thinking how that will impact the quality of service and sustainability of the companies” Rajković highlights the example of HŽ Cargo, the national freight transporter which got the short end of the stick during the division of assets after the fragmentation of Croatian Railways. “Today, it has an outdated train fleet and chronic staff shortages. The company is losing money. In all the EU countries that have adopted the railway packages it is prohibited for the state to subsidise cargo operators Freight transportation is now operated mostly by foreign operators who account for more than half of the total cargo transportation in Croatia.” different actors from the sector have stressed that there was too much dependence on EU funding and that it wasn’t clear to what extent the projects themselves contribute to the railways’ own development goals “The single European railway market is organised in such a way that it relies on the most economically advantageous offer are excluded from the competition because they can hardly compete with large companies This is usually the case with Croatian companies,” explains Rajković The funding is also not likely to be allocated for the upkeep of the existing train tracks which is crucial for the functioning of the railway ten years are spent working on 50 kilometres of rail another 100 kilometres of rail will become defective due to a lack of maintenance,” says Ivan Forgač president of the Trade Union of Croatian Railway workers (Sindikat hrvatskih željezničara) “The role of the state is to maintain the existing railways at a certain level of quality but the maintenance budget is close to zero The train tracks are repaired and changed when something breaks the new trains will be as slow as the old ones,” he says many aspiring railway workers might also be tempted to seek jobs abroad where the salaries are higher and the railways are faster Equal Times is a trilingual news and opinion website focusing on labour politics and the economy from a social justice perspective Water and wastewater infrastructure will be upgraded and extended in the Kaštela-Trogir agglomeration to reduce water loss and pollution and ensure compliance with European Union directives for these two key public services the project will construct 59.86 km of new water supply network reconstruct 65.4 km of existing water supply network build four pumping stations and two 500 m3 water reservoirs Preparatory work for installing 1 640 new water supply connections will be done The wastewater component will involve building 215 km of new sewerage network and reconstructing 4.04 km of the existing network Other works include constructing  6.03 km of pressure pipeline 0.64 km of overflow structures and  13 pumping stations the wastewater treatment plant Divulje will be upgraded from a capacity of 40 000 population equivalent (p.e.) to 100 000 p.e meaning that it fails to meet treatment requirements set out in national and EU legislation The project will upgrade it to allow for biological treatment capacity wastewater treatment plant will be constructed on Čiovo island and will allow for biological treatment of sewage Both plants will reduce the water content in the resultant sludge by up to one third It will then be channelled to the Stupe waste water treatment plant where a system to dry the sludge will be built The agglomeration covered by the project has a total population of around 63 000 inhabitants and 3.9 million overnight stays from tourists annually It includes the City of Kaštela (which includes the towns of Kaštel Sućurac Kaštel Novi and Kaštel Štafilić); the City of Trogir (Trogir Mastrinka and Arbanija on the north-eastern part of Čiovo island) and the coastal part of the Seget municipality (Seget Donji and Seget Vranjica); the Okrug municipality on Čiovo (Okrug Gornji) and Slatine on the north-eastern part of Čiovo which administratively belongs to the City of Split 42 % of the drinking water from the public supply system is lost The project intends to reduce this to 36 % A total of 87 % of the agglomeration’s population is currently connected to the public water supply network The project intends to increase this to 99 % by providing water to 7 700 more inhabitants – residents living in the northern parts of Kaštela This equates to 2 548 new connections The connection rate to the sewerage system in the agglomeration is 45 % (28 350 people) The project aims to increase this to 97 % with an extra 8 613 connections to benefit 32 477 additional inhabitants The aim is to push the connection rate up to 98 % by 2028 The upgrade of the Divulje and the construction of the Čiovo wastewater treatment plants will ensure there is sufficient capacity to handle the new connections A high volume of storm water and sea water – in the coastal areas – gets into the existing sewage collection system A project financed by Croatian water utility ViK Split is being implemented in parallel with the project to reduce the amount of rain and seawater that gets into the sewerage system as this negatively affects the biological treatment of sewage some of the untreated sewage is discharged directly into the sea the project will ensure compliance with the EU’s Water Framework and Bathing Water directives The sewerage system and the wastewater treatment plants will be connected to one supervisory control and data acquisition system A geographic information system will be used to enable better planning of maintenance and reconstruction of the networks Total investment for the project “Improvement of the water communal infrastructure – Kaštela-Trogir agglomeration” is EUR 189 314 243 with the EU’s Cohesion Fund contributing EUR 105 687 206 through the “Competitiveness and Cohesion” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period The investment falls under the priority “Environmental Protection and Sustainability of Resources” Ministarstvo regionalnoga razvoja i fondova Europske unije Total Croatia News Whilst this once renowned hotel is now a serious threat to the public safety Kaštela Tourist board is still listing it as an active hotel where you can spend your holiday and the investor is too busy with its other project “Mall of Split” one of the oldest hotels in Central Dalmatia was built by dr During the 7-year construction of this hotel Camber said: “The sea is our greatest treasure I will transform Kaštela into the French Riviera of our tourism”. For decades it was one of the most representative hotels in Central Dalmatia and a favourite holiday spot for the European middle class but since the numbers were good and the guests were arriving in their hundreds this building is a constant reminder of how we perceive privatisation in Croatia and on May 24 we took a short tour of the ruins remembering the hotel’s glory days Then the wave of privatization swept the country Hotel Palace is one of the reasons why locals in Croatia are very weary when it comes to foreign investors  The agony of this hotel started in 2005 when it was purchased by Tulipan grupa according to their own website was founded in 2005 and their assignments in all projects are acquisition They also add that their goal is to realize projects which ensure client satisfaction while carefully planning and continuous monitoring the different stages of project development They paid 18 million kunas for 70% of shares of Kaštelanska Rivijera a company that owned Hotel Palace at the time they also inherited the company’s 76 million kuna debt and all the creditors were paid  Their intention was to refurbish the main hotel building in accordance with the strict rules of the Conservation department since the building is a protected cultural heritage The rest of the complex (two newer buildings) was to be demolished which they did in 2009 and new objects were supposed to take their place The entire project was supposed to be worth approximately 200 million kunas But as soon as demolition works were completed  They wanted permissions for greater allowed lot coverage and wanted to build within the park which is a protected nature monument The city of Kaštela even held an emergency assembly and changed the Master plan in order to give them the permitted lot coverage they wanted but the park was a no go (which investors later contributed to the eco-activists stating that they cannot believe the project was stopped because of a few trees) the investor concentrated on another project (Mall of Split which opened two months ago but with its fair share of problems and noncompliance with conditions set by the City of Split being some of them) and Hotel Palace was left to rot The hotel project is still on their website listed in the “Projects in development” category but the only thing that’s been developing around this hotel is a serious danger of someone getting injured because the entire object is falling apart and the investors couldn’t even bother to put op protective fences to prevent people from entering the building since they have no money to invest in the hotel but since their asking price is unrealistic considering the current state of the property it doesn’t look like they’ll be signing any sale agreement in the near future the city officials in  Kaštela don’t seem to care about his former tourism pearl either they would have found a way to force the investor to get this project off the ground there’s always a question how the investor was ever allowed to commence any demolition work if their final design was never approved their project was out of allowed bounds and they didn’t have a building permit for any future construction work But, we can all sleep tight because Kaštela Tourism Board is still proud of this hotel, so much so that, on their website, they’re still inviting you to stay in it: Today tourists can spend their holidays at the Palace, Resnik, Adria, Kastel and Villa Žarko hotels, the Tamaris motel, in many rooms and apartments in private houses, and a few camps maybe some guests are really after this particular extreme tourism adventure where the main task is to walk through the building without something falling on your head packages would be sold with a warning: Do not book unless you’ve had your tetanus shot And while we wait for one of the parties involved to do something about this premium location property firefighters in Kaštela will be the ones doing the most work because every few months or so they are called to put out a fire in this derelict building that now houses stray cats rats and local junkies looking for a quiet place to go about their business All photos copyright Total Croatia News and website in this browser for the next time I comment Kaval Group opened the new Stari Kaštel in mid-April a restaurant in which the charm of Istria's past and modernity fly by Restaurant Old Castle famous for the high quality of its food and wine It is located on the square of Stare Kaštela READ MORE: Restaurant Taman – a piece of nature in the middle of the urban jungle which already has a number of popular restaurants in its range From 2004 we research urban trends and inform our community of followers about the latest in lifestyle From year 2023 we offer content in major global languages From 2004 we research urban trends and inform our community of followers daily about the latest in lifestyle style and products that inspire with passion we offer content in major global languages Daniela Rogulj one of the main goals of the current city government has been clear Along with caring for young people and building communal infrastructure arranging the coastal part of Kaštela is the main priority evidenced by millions of investments in the already unrecognizable and is the only city in Croatia with six postcodes It is probably the only one in the world directly bordering two UNESCO cities with the oldest and it will soon become the Croatian “Monte Carlo,” a destination with nearly 20 kilometers of coastline as a prerequisite for the development of tourism and the economy On City Day, which is celebrated on March 4, Slobodna Dalmacija spoke with Denis Ivanović the mayor of the second-largest city in Split-Dalmatia County about the implemented projects but also those that will follow on the coastal part of Kaštela I promised that the focus of my work would be landscaping this is a priority for city authorities and those at higher levels That we are going in the right direction is evidenced by the fact that an active project to build a new port and coast in Kaštel Stari is currently in the final stages despite the health crisis surrounding the coronavirus pandemic This is the most financially expensive project of the County Port Authority since its existence in which almost 15 million kuna was invested from our budget the rest of the funds were provided from the Split-Dalmatia County Port Authority and other sources a breakwater almost 200 meters long was built a total of 9,500 square meters of the coastal belt was arranged and nautical electricity and water connections the people of Kaštela will get 150 communal berths for the domicile population for those who use boats for entertainment and sports but also completely change the look of the Kaštel Stari old town,” says Ivanović The investment is worth almost 50 million kuna In addition to the 15 million from the city the County Port Authority has allocated about 30 million kuna The rest of the money was provided by Split-Dalmatia County “This is truly the largest investment in the coastal part of Kaštela and our goal is for residents to get a modern utility project that will serve them in the first place as well as tourists from whom we live for a good part of the year “The project in Kaštel Stari will certainly affect economic development and we are glad that all the work took place without any interruptions and delays The arrangement of this communal port is one of the major projects in the past decade in the area of Kaštela,” adds the mayor When asked what the next projects are for the coast the mayor announced an investment boom with one goal: Kaštela will be the Croatian Monte Carlo “After we soon complete the new port and coast in Kaštel Stari and it is a matter of days when that will happen which is the complete arrangement of the Kaštel Novi coast and the Ministry of the Sea and the Split-Dalmatia County are ready to help with financing This project will completely change the look of Donji Kaštela which is why it is called the “New Face of Kaštela,” emphasized Ivanović the planned project will significantly expand the existing waterfront into the sea arrange the entire promenade and the city’s coastal part that part of Kaštela will take on a completely new look as Kaštel Lukšić did after we arranged and built the most beautiful and most expensive in our county – Glavica beach We are in the process of doing the main project,” says Ivanović and adds that the citizens enthusiastically accepted the newly renovated part of the Lukšić coast.  The town of Kaštela is preparing and arranging the coast in Kaštel Sućurac “We have prepared a preliminary design for Kaštel Sućurac work should begin on the complete arrangement of the coast in Kaštel Štafilić where part of the promenade has already been arranged With the completion of works in Kaštel Stari then on the stretch to the Ćipiko and Štafilić towers Donja Kaštela will undergo a complete coastal transformation many will envy us,” announces Ivanović and adds that a conceptual solution has been made for Kaštilca and Marina Kaštela “All this is proof that Kaštela is almost the most active area in terms of construction throughout the year almost 20 km long coast will be the most beautiful in this part of Dalmatia,” concludes Mayor Denis Ivanović congratulating all citizens on Kaštela Day.  To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page Although it seems that essentially the entire country of Croatia is ideal for wedding locations we’d end up giving you a list of over 100 and that’s no fun to read we’d narrow it down to the abundance of places along the Adriatic coast that boast the most pristine and perfect locations and venues for your wedding As we know this is one of the most special days in your lives We promise that every spot on this list is first class wedding material and you’ll be ready to book one of these venues in no time First off we have Fort George on the island of Vis Originally a 200 year old fortress built back in 1813 by the Royal Navy an extensive recent restoration has crafted Fort George into a multifunctional event space with a burgeoning bastion of quality music Regarded as one of the most stunning locations on the Adriatic coast it is also one of the most romantic and enchanting places for a summer wedding in Croatia Overlooking the sea in an idyllic garden you have a top notch restaurant and lounge bar You also have the option to hold your ceremony in the garden or on the summer terrace under an intimate atmosphere and you really have to see this beauty to believe it Next, we have Stari Kaštel located in Istria Stari Kaštel is situated on the top of a hill on the Kaštel settlement boasting incredible views of Istria below you The architectural design of Stari Kaštel represents a perfect blend of old and new Its bright and cosy interiors have a rustic touch of class The restaurant has two large rooms which are ideal for wedding parties and there is also a large open terrace and a garden where you can take a stroll surrounded by local flora with a view of Portorož and Umag bays beneath you They even offer a romantic suite with a hot tub The Palm Terrace at Hotel Excelsior in Dubrovnik is one of the more popular venues but we couldn’t imagine leaving it out Steps away from the protected UNESCO World Heritage site in the Old City of Dubrovnik Hotel Excelsior’s Palm Terrace offers a one a of a kind view you will remember for a lifetime with the Adriatic sea crashing into the rocks below you looking out onto the exquisite views of Dubrovnik’s city walls in the distance Your wedding will put Game of Thrones to shame Hvrski Dvori boasting an annual average of 2726 hours of sun Located near Humac on one of the highest tops of Hvar island Hvarski Dvori offers magnificent views onto the Adriatic islands of Scedro and Vis The estate spreads over 30,000 square meters Hvarski Dvori is surrounded by cypress trees rosemary and sage – a perfect blend of what is truly only found in Dalmatia Your wedding ceremony will be held near the infinity pool surrounded by lush vegetation and sunshine – does it get any better After three centuries of tumultuous history, the Martinis Marchi is one of the most unique properties on this list Martinis Marchi is located in a historic castle in Maslinica on the island of Šolta Sparkling teal waters and a landscape dotted with olive trees surround you and this romantic setting has guest capacities ranging between 20 and 90 guests Their open restaurant terrace overlooks a spectacular marina set in Maslinica bay and the 300 year old castle surrounds a peacefully intimate pool terrace suitable for smaller parties and charming ceremonies we hope this has helped to move you along your way into picking the perfect oasis for your special day County Prefect Blaženko Boban said that the one emergency medical vehicle and nine ambulances were fully financed by the county administration Three ambulances will remain in Split while the others will go to Vrgorac The head of the county emergency medical service said that ambulances are a key working resource and the service conducted about 60,000 runs a year and traveled more than 4 million kilometers The ambulances that are going to remain in Split will be used to transport patients to Zagreb while the emergency medical vehicle will transport patients to tertiary health institutions For more, check out our dedicated politics section