June 25, 2021 - The issue of maritime welfare in Croatia was raised once again after a heated discussion on a beach in Drvenik Veli. Here are the details of the case and legal guidance to the maritime welfare in Croatia.

With the 2021 tourist season already being 58% better than 2020, tourists once again visit Croatia as one of the top holiday destinations.

However, like any year, the season can't go without at least some sort of incident.

Lovely beach, disgusting words

Yesterday, Croatia was shocked and enraged with the incident that happened on a beach on Drvenik Veli island (not so far from Trogir). Croatian journalist Tonka Alujević and her friend went to a beach where two Czech tourists started complaining that it's a private beach, perks of paying for a villa, and that Alujević needs to leave. Alujević refused to leave, stating that beaches are maritime welfare and cannot be privatized, refusing to move. After, as Alujević claims Czech tourists hit her head with a phone, they called the villa owner. 24 Sata daily newspaper published a video Alujević's friend recorded.

„Ma'ams, Ma'ams, how did you get here? On foot?“, asked the owner on a phone that was on speaker and held by the Czech tourists.

„I'm a journalist. Do you know Croatian laws? Do you want to end up in media?“ replied Alujević with a chill face while smoking a cigarette on a sunny day at the beach.

„Come on, put me in the media, come on put me! But first, go to the land register and see that my beach is private," screamed the owner in Croatian, with a lot of derogatory phrases (if only Czech tourists had a translator to understand the rich swear word heritage of Croatian language, right?)

The whole thing ended up with inspection stepping on the scene. Despite the video footage being clear, the owner, identified by Index.hr as Tomislav Meštrović, owner of Centovi Dvori Villa, tried to justify himself, saying everyone is welcomed at the beach, and he attacked the women because they passed through his doorway.

„No, I have no idea what video, who what... who knows what that is... I called the police for trespassing through my land“, said Meštrović to Index.hr when asked about the footage.

the conversation at the beach, screenshot/ 24sata

Law and order

Following this story, Index.hr's columnist Goran Vojković analyzed the law to clear up the issue of maritime welfare.

„The Maritime Welfare and Sea Ports Law states 'at least six meters from a line horizontally distant from the line middle waters'. But it can be wider, for example, if part of the land that in its nature or use serves to exploit the sea. It can also be narrowed- for instance, if support walls or a public road are close to the sea“, Vojković listed general rules but adding that maritime welfare border is specifically determined.

„So, the coast is free to use where the beach is, in general, six meters. You can come and use it for your needs, such as bathing, tanning, or walking. The land behind can be private, but the coast cannot“, concluded Vojković.

On the other hand, there are ways to limit the use of maritime welfare.

„There are some parts of the coast where you cannot enter. You can enter the marina and walk around it, but only until 10 pm. You cannot enter at all in a shipyard port. Those are the parts of maritime welfare for which the state assigned a concession to someone. The concession can limit or terminate public use“, explained Vojković.

Additionally, the law states that it is possible to have a beach in its concession and limit public entrance. But it needs to be registered, and the prices are so expensive that there are very few beaches like this in Croatia (Drvenik one not included in that small list).

„If someone claims that has a concession and that he/she can exclusively use some part of the coast, he needs to have a proof you can easily check in the register. I repeat, there are very small examples; even beaches in front of five-star hotels are public good“, Vojković pointed out.

And such beaches are filled with deck chairs, food stands, etc. But as Vojković pointed out, on a public beach, you have the right to bring your own deck chair, your own food, and drinks, and you can't be forced to consume content on the beach.

„In short, enjoy the Adriatic coast- with some very small exceptions of exclusive concessions, the entire coastline (including island coast) is free for your use and joy. Nobody can hold a grudge or complain if you came to a bath where they think it's 'their' beach. If someone is uncomfortable, don't debate, call authorities“, advises Vojković.

Pixabay

And the beach is open for public happily ever after

As Jutarnji List reported, the Drvenik case has a conclusion to an intriguing plot. Unhappy with Meštrović's behavior, Dalmatian locals went vigilantly and started writing bad reviews on Google, seeing the villa losing its value and tourists.

„Even though neither the building, nor its surroundings changed since the video was released, the unkindness of the owner was enough to move once-prestigious villa to the lowest grading Croatian places on Google“, says Jutarnji.

A couple of more lessons can be learned for a successful and enjoyable season from this tale.

For owners: present your offer fair in accordance with the law as transparency is the best way for your offer to beat the competition.
For tourists: if you were promised a private beach, but you see locals coming, don't be rude to them and don't attack them. The only one you can really be mad at is your host, who perhaps lied about what they can truly provide.

Learn more about beaches in Croatia on our TC page.

For more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

July 17, 2020 - Find a beach that welcomes you and the family pet with this useful interactive map to Croatia's Dog Beaches

With domestic travel and tourism being more valued this year than in most, there's never been a better time for people in the region to hastily pack, throw the kids into the car and set off for the coast. But, what to do about the four-legged member of the family?

Luckily, Croatians are renowned dog lovers, and finding accommodation by the sea that will welcome the family pet isn't difficult. Man's best friend can also accompany you to a surprisingly large number of cafes, bars, and taverns, where the dog-loving staff will usually have gifted your pooch a bowl of water even before they've brought you your drinks. But, what to do when you go to the beach?

With lots of small children playing care-free by the shore, it's understandable that not every beach in Croatia welcomes dogs. However, many do. Now, you can find the best-known of Croatia's Dog Beaches using this useful interactive map.

Want to know where on island Pag you can bring your poodle for the pawfect paddle? Are you and your dog taking a howliday somewhere unfamiliar and not sure where to go? This map holds the answers.

While not wholly definitive (you can take your dog to almost any beach in Croatia unless it has signs saying specifically you cannot), the map has at least 65 designated dog beaches listed. Simply open it to find the one that's nearest to you.

No more worries about returning to your rented apartment to find it destroyed by the bored German Shepherd you left inside. Of course, it's possible you may still see a few fat Dalmatians on the coast, resting grumpily in the shade because they can't join in the fun, but by using this handy dog beach locator, at least now it needn't be the black and white spotted one that lives with you.

© Pixabay

The results of the program to ascertain the sea quality at beaches in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County for 2018 has just been published

Do you feel Bol is truly utilising its massive potential?

After the Parliament adopted the Law on Concessions a couple of weeks ago, multiple cases of concession holders banning locals from beaches have been reported. The latest comes from Dalmatia, where a woman named Barbara Buličić was asked to leave the beach at the Brown Beach House Trogir on Čiovo island on July 16, 2017.

The internationally recognised flag will fly on Valamar Dubrovnik President's beach once again this year.

Dubrovnik's Banje Beach is ready to greet the season! Are you?