October 30, 2019 - It’s safe to say that Croatia’s craft beer scene is thriving, so much so that it’s hard to keep up with the new breweries popping up around the country - that is, until now. Black Dog Bar is looking to bring together the Croatian beer community with a new monthly collaboration in Split - and tasting the craft from around Croatia has never been closer. 

TCN met up with Luke Stewart of Black Dog Bar in Split to find out more. 

“We noticed that there was a lot of separation in Croatia, and with this project, we wanted to bring everyone together rather than everyone doing their own thing, and build some kind of community. 

It seems that everywhere else, everyone works together in the same industry because you all enjoy the same things. Say, you work in pubs, so you’re all into beer. Here, there is a lack of interaction around it, and we are trying to change that.

Especially since we are located in the center of Split, and most everything caters only to tourism, we are trying to do something that gives people a reason to come back into the center of Split as well. The whole project is basically for fun, we’re not getting anything out of it, but we want to get more people into craft beer.”

Black Dog will kick off the monthly collaboration on Friday with Dubrovnik Beer Company. 

“The reason we chose DBC is that their head brewer opened the first-ever craft beer bar in Split (Dva Tona), so in my view, he was right at the beginning of Split’s craft beer scene, and their bar manager is also from Split. So, seeing as we are trying to build community, we’ll start with a different city, but with a connection to Split.

DBC makes great beer, and we doubt that many people in Split have tried it because they haven’t had an opportunity. Our first beer collaboration with DBC will be an Irish Red Ale.”

The project is ongoing and will feature a different Croatian brewery each month. 

“The idea is that every month, we will feature a different part of Croatia. In December, it will be Split, and we will be working with Barba. We will make a new beer with the brewer every month, but we also want to showcase their products, so during that month, we’ll feature the beer that we brew together, and showcase what the brewer is doing while promoting beer culture and making people aware of what’s going on.

Every beer collaboration will be something that doesn’t really get made in Croatia. It’s not easy to find an Irish Red Ale in Croatia, especially one brewed in Split. In December, we’ll offer a Nitro Milk Stout by Barba, which I am pretty sure has never been made here. It’s fun for the brewers and its fun for all of us because we get to try new types of beer.”

Black Dog will launch its first collaboration on Friday with the head brewer and taproom manager of Dubrovnik Beer Company. 

“People can come, meet, and learn about the beer and the people behind it. Like an interactive showcase. The DBC guys will open the event with a talk, not just about the beer they make but about who they are and what they do. We will film it as well and push that out online to showcase the different brewers. The beers will also be on offer for the entire month.

We’re trying to spark something different in Split. Tap takeovers are really common here, but they lack the why and the who behind the taps they’re pushing. Tap takeovers are usually only one night as well, where here they can get used to drinking the beers all month. 

The community is one side of this project because everyone will come together, but it’s also giving each beer and brewery a story.”

Black Dog and DBC will also be giving away free merchandise on Friday, while the beer will be sold at promotional prices. You can find out more about the event here. 

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

October 30, 2019 - A new EU-funded project will help restore, valorize, and improve the UNESCO-protected historic center of Split and Diocletian's Palace. 

Splitski Dnevnik reports that the European Union’s Ministry of Regional Development and Funds announced a tender for proposals for the “Palace of Life, City of Changes Integrated Visitor Infrastructure Development Program of the Old Town and Diocletian's Palace”,  within the ITU Mechanism and Operational Program ”Competitiveness and Cohesion 2014-2020 ".

The project is developed by the City of Split, along with partners, including the Split Tourist Board and the Split City Museum. The project's total estimated value is HRK 23.8 million, of which HRK 18.2 million is available in EU funds.

The project is based on restoring, valorising, presenting and improving the UNESCO site and historic center of Split, with Diocletian's Palace, including individually protected immovable cultural property, the Old Town Hall, and objects within the protected historic entity - like the Split City Museum and the southeast tower of Diocletian's Palace, with the associated depots of the City Museum in the building at Lukačićeva 5 and the exit to the southern part of the eastern wall of the Palace. The project aims to integrate the sites into the function of sustainable development of the local community and present Split as a city of layered and vibrant cultural heritage.

Investments foreseen in the project include conservation, restoration, and construction works and furnishing the facilities above, as well as establishing modern installations that will present the history and development of Split. Thus, more than HRK 7 million will be invested in renovating and furnishing the Old Town Hall, more than HRK 2 million in renovating and furnishing the Split City Museum, and over HRK 5 million in the southeast tower with the associated premises at Lukačićeva 5 and part of the eastern wall of the Palace. Creating contemporary presentations is set at HRK 3 million.

The remainder of the investment is related to the project’s technical documentation, which includes a plan for sustainable visitor management, expert work supervision, training and workshops, visibility, setting up a ticket and visitor tracking system, designing authentic and creative souvenirs, wine and gastronomy products based on local and cultural heritage, and project management.

All of this will contribute to the development of new cultural and visitor infrastructure, relieve the most burdened localities of the old city center, and develop an awareness of the importance of preserving the heritage and its role in the sustainable development of the local community.

At the same time, following the call requirements and the indicators of the Operational Program for "Competitiveness and Cohesion", the project will contribute to increasing the number of local and foreign visitors to the newly renovated cultural heritage sites and consequently contribute to the development of Split as a year-round cultural and tourist city.

Split Development Agency - RaST d.o.o. will accept tenders until November 28, 2019, and preparatory activities are already underway. 

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

October 29, 2019 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for new flights to Croatia with updates from Split.

Avio Radar reports that Great Dane Airlines, a new Danish airline that only started operating in June this year, has announced its 2020 summer flight schedule, which includes its first line to Croatia. Namely, Great Dane will run between Aalborg and Split once a week, on Saturdays, from June 26 to August 29, 2020. This is a brand new line that is not operated by any other airlines, and will run in cooperation with Scandinavian travel agency Appolo Reiser.

There are currently two Embraer  ERJ-195 aircraft in the Great Dane fleet. The main operating base is at the Aalborg Airport in northern Denmark. This summer, it ran seven seasonal routes to Bulgaria, France, Ireland, Greece, Spain, and the United Kingdom, and next month, it will begin operating on the first two scheduled routes to Sweden. 

Avio Radar also reports that British carrier TUI Airways has added a new flight from England to Split in 2020. Namely, TUI will service Split from Birmingham once a week, on Fridays, from May 1 to October 9, 2020. A Boeing 737-800 aircraft will fly on this line. It is also the third TUI Airways flight to Split next year, with the addition of the existing routes from London (Gatwick) and Manchester. 

Recall, TUI Airways increased capacity in their post-season route from London (Gatwick) to Rijeka this month. Specifically, the larger Boeing 757-200 aircraft ran on this line, instead of the smaller Boeing 737-800, with three arrivals on Thursdays from October 3 to 17. 

In other TUI news, their Belgium branch announced a new route between Brussels and Pula in its 2020 summer flight schedule. Namely, this line will begin operations from April 25, 2020, with two flights a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays. A Boeing 737-800 aircraft will serve this line. 

Two more trips will be offered next year - from Brussels to Dubrovnik on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and Antwerp to Split on Mondays and Fridays. 

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

October 28, 2019 - We know that orchestrating your company’s conferences, meetings or team building events can take time and test your patience, but it doesn’t have to be all that bad in the end - that is, if you choose Marvie Hotel & Health. 

Marvie Hotel & Health opened its doors back in 2017 as the first hotel specializing in health tourism in Dalmatia, with each segment of its offer focused on quality self-care. Located in Split's residential area of Zenta, known as one of the city’s poshest neighborhoods, Marvie is spacious and modern, boasting an underground garage on three floors, 74 rooms and two suites, and modular halls that can accommodate up to 65 people. Your team will turn on relaxation mode from the moment they walk through its doors. 

With wellness at the forefront, Marvie has always kept companies in mind, and in doing so, they’ve set the bar high for team members visiting the hotel, offering a variety of morning exercises as a foolproof way to get the day off to a good start -  like yoga, tai-chi, hydro gymnastics, or physiotherapy training. And if you’re feeling a bit more adventurous, you can take your team to the nearby tennis courts or stroll along the coast, which you’ll find just minutes outside of the hotel. 

But that’s not all. 

Marvie offers a tranquil work environment to ensure a fruitful and productive day among colleagues - and once the work is done, the fun begins. Namely, your associates can gather at the hotel restaurant Da’Mar, or the Renevie Wellness next to the indoor pool, for music, drinks, and mingling once the business hours have passed. 

If you’re looking to wind down with food, the Da’Mar restaurant is a paradise for gourmands and offers carefully crafted creative, clean, and mostly gluten-free dishes. But if you’d rather dive headfirst into leisure, the extensive Renevie wellness area boasts an indoor pool and relax zone, jacuzzi, Finnish and Turkish saunas, and a gym. Apart from the various types of massages and beauty treatments, dermatological services and effective but non-invasive skin rejuvenation methods, you can also tap into the full range of medical wellness and physiotherapy methods for faster recovery and better overall health. 

Or, visit the Aqua Med Medical Wellness - Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinic and MediDerm Clinic - a dermatological clinic for cosmetic medicine. Guests can even receive a physical examination at the MediDerm Clinic, where vital functions, lab tests, and specialist medical examinations are at your disposal. Better yet, this can all be done in a day. 

However, if the weather abides, you can take your team to the inviting rooftop terrace and network at the outdoor swimming pool where evening entertainment or relaxing programs will help team members unwind after a long day. The rooftop views of Split are unparalleled. 

If you want to give your team even more, Marvie can coordinate casual team building activities such as a gluten-free cooking workshop or classic Mediterranean cuisine - or have them learn from a cocktail master, barista, or sommelier with the drink workshops available. You can even opt to stimulate your employees further with a corporate seminar led by renowned lecturers.

If your team spirit thrives outdoors, you won’t be disappointed by the excursions on offer, like trips to Croatia’s most famous national parks, horseback riding, ziplining, island hopping, or connecting the Game of Thrones fans’ in the group for a tour of the Croatian filming locations. 

Marvie has done its part to ensure its wellness climate and overall offer are designed to balance business minds. It’s not hard to see why this hotel is chosen for congress tourism in Croatia. 

You can read more about Marvie Hotel & Health here. 

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

October 28, 2019 - The Boranka campaign held this year’s third afforestation action, which took place last weekend in the Split area, and particularly Sitno Gornje, below the Star Village of Mosor, which was devastated in the catastrophic 2017 fire. Dalmacija Danas reports that the weekend saw a record turnout with about 1,200 volunteers participating in the Mosor action.

With the help of experts from Croatian Forests who educated volunteers and assisted them, the Boranka volunteers planted some 12,000 new trees over the weekend by seedlings, seeds, and acorns. Only the native conifer and deciduous species were planted.

The organizers of the action were the Scout Association of Croatia, the Split Scout Corps, Croatian Forests, the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service, the Civil Protection Directorate and the City of Split.

More than 300 scouts from Split, Omiš, Trogir, Dugi Rat, Velika Gorica, Samobor, Koprivnica, Stupnik, Okić, Križevci, and Bjelovar participated in the action. The Split Scouts were in charge of organizing and welcoming all volunteers over the weekend.

“A more beautiful and healthier environment is our common legacy for future generations. The Split Scouts will continue to be available to their community, and to all who have participated in this great undertaking so far, we thank you! We are embracing nature with more and more hands,” said Edi Peric, president of the Split Scouts.

In addition to the scouts, members of the Croatian Navy, students of the Split elementary schools of . Brda and Blatina-Skrape, students of the Archdiocesan Classical High School in Split, students of the Faculty of Kinesiology in Split, students of the Erasmus International Exchange Program, members of the Judo Clubs "Val" and "Student”,  members of the “Vuk Samotnjak” motorcycle club and numerous other volunteers from Split and the surrounding area joined.

Some 30 Raiffeisen Bank employees, the main sponsor of the Boranka campaign, and volunteers from Atos, also participated in the action.

As the Preporod Union is an exclusive partner in the Boranka campaign this year, more than 300 teachers and union trustees from across Croatia joined the action on Saturday, diligently planting new trees on the slopes of Mosor.

“An essential dimension of this action is that all our teachers are also classmates. I am sure that most of them will find ways to get their students interested in Boranka, and then not only Mosor but the whole of Croatia will be greener,” said Željko Stipić, president of the Preporod Union.

The Boranka campaign has been formally supported by the Embassy of Canada from the beginning, and the Canadian Ambassador, Mr. Alan Bowman, joined the action on Saturday with his family. Ambassador Bowman also brought along representatives of the Canadian company Viking Air, who make the world-famous Canadair firefighting planes, to the afforestation action. The Viking Air Company was represented by the director of the company, Mr. Ben Carson and Mr. Mark Dodd.

“The issue of environmental protection and conserving forests and nature is one of Canada's top priorities. We are extremely pleased to be able to participate in and support such a laudable action in Croatia. We are also pleased that Canadian technology, in the form of Canadair firefighting aircraft, helps to protect against fires,” said Canadian Ambassador Alan Bowman, who planted dozens of seedlings on Mosor with his family and Viking Air representatives.

Support for the action was provided by staff and experts from the Croatian Forests and HGSS, volunteers from the City Red Cross Society of Split, members of the Civil Protection Directorate and firefighters from JVP Split and DVD Dugi Rat, and Split-Dalmatia County.

As in the previous year, primary school education is also held within the Boranka project. Scout experts, Croatian Forests, Croatian Mountain Rescue Service, Civil Protection Directorate and firefighters educate elementary school students on the basics of afforestation, protecting the forest and nature, fire prevention and the impact of climate change. After completing their education, the schoolchildren also take part in afforestation actions so that they can apply their first-hand knowledge and help in the regeneration of burned areas.

The Boranka action continues in the Kozino settlement near Zadar on November 9 and 10.

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

October 28, 2019 - The 13th round of the Croatian First League was held from October 25 to 27, 2019. This round featured the derby between Dinamo and Osijek and another Rijeka loss to Gorica. However, perhaps most exciting was watching Hajduk score a bizarre goal against Slaven Belupo, which even caught the attention of international media. 

Varazdin v. Inter Zapresic (0:1)

Varazdin and Inter opened the 13th round on Friday, October 25, 2019, at NK Varteks Stadium in front of 1,473 fans. 

A penalty awarded to Inter in the 31st minute, which decided the fate of the game after Serderov scored for 0:1. A double yellow for Varazdin’s Lisakovich in the 46th minute didn’t help the home team’s chances of equalizing, and the game ended 0:1. 

Varazdin is currently in 9th place with 10 points, while Inter is in 7th with 11. 

Hajduk v. Slaven Belupo (2:0)

Hajduk and Belupo met at Poljud on Saturday, October 26, 2019, in front of 9,045 spectators. 

Hajduk’s first goal came in the 14th minute thanks to Jairo for 1:0 at the half. However, the second goal royally embarrassed Belupo. After Belupo celebrated a goal that never was (because the ball hit the post), Hajduk capitalized on the counter-attack, and Juranovic found himself one-on-one with an empty net… because the Belupo keeper was still on the sideline celebrating. You can watch the fiasco in the video below. 

Hajduk is currently in 2nd place with 27 points, while Belupo is in the last with 10. 

Rijeka v. Gorica (1:2)

Rijeka and Gorica met at Rujevica Stadium on Saturday, October 26, 2019, in front of 4,117 spectators. 

While the first half went without goals, it was Gorica’s Zwolinski to score for 0:1, though Tomecak equalized for 1:1 in the 82nd minute. Gorica took advantage of a Rijeka red card in the 90th minute, and Dvornekovic increased Gorica’s lead to 1:2, which was the final score of the game. 

Rijeka is currently in 3rd place with 22 points, while Gorica is in 6th with 18. 

Istra 1961 v. Lokomotiva (0:2)

Istra and Lokomotiva met in Pula on Sunday, October 27, 2019. 

While the first half went without goals, Tolic scored for the Lokomotiva lead in the 85th minute, and Tuci increased their lead in the second minute of injury time for 0:2. 

Istra is currently in 8th place with 10 points, while Lokomotiva is in 5th place with 19.

Dinamo v. Osijek (1:0)

Dinamo and Osijek closed out the 13th round on Sunday, October 28, 2019, at Maksimir stadium in Zagreb. 

The only goal of the game came in the 42nd minute when Kadzior scored for 1:0. 

Dinamo is currently in 1st place with 28 points, while Osijek is in 4th with 20. 

You can see the HNL table here. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

October. 24, 2019 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for new flights to Croatia with updates from Zadar and Dubrovnik.

Avio Radar reports that Austrian low-cost carrier Lauda announced the introduction of a new route from Vienna to Zadar as part of their 2020 flight schedule. The line will begin operations from March 20, 2020, with three flights a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. An Airbus A320 will fly on this route. 

This is the second new Lauda line to Croatia in their 2020 flight schedule after the Vienna-Dubrovnik route was added. It is also interesting to note that the Austrian national carrier and Star Alliance member Austrian Airlines also announced a new route between Vienna and Zadar for next year, which will run daily. Compared to this summer, when only Eurowings ran two flights per week between Vienna and Zadar, there are now ten flights a week on this route for next year. 

Furthermore, Avio Radar reports that Spanish low-cost carrier Volotea has announced a new flight from France to Dubrovnik in their 2020 flight schedule. The new Toulouse-Dubrovnik route will begin operations from April 4, 2020, with two flights a week - on Wednesdays and Sundays. The end of the seasonal service is currently unknown, as tickets are on sale until the end of August. An Airbus A319 aircraft will fly on this route. 

This route will take the place of German carrier Germania, which filed for bankruptcy in February this year. Germania flew only once a week between Toulouse and Dubrovnik on Sundays. 

Volotea also strengthened three flights from France to Split in its 2020 summer flight schedule. Namely, flights from Lyon, Nantes, and Toulouse will fly to Split three times a week next year - on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Sundays in the peak season. On the other hand, the Marseille-Split route, which only ran three flights a week, was reduced to two flights per week. 

Volotea will reduce traffic to destinations in the northern Adriatic for the 2020 summer flight schedule. Namely, only the Nantes-Pula route will remain with flights once a week, on Thursdays. This year’s new Bordeaux-Pula line is no longer on offer for 2020. Rijeka received its first Volotea line this year between Marseille and Rijeka, though it will not operate next year. 

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

October 24, 2019 - The Split Tourist Board is looking at the model of San Sebastian, Spain, to develop 365 tourism in the city. 

Organized by the Split Tourist Board, Dalmatinski Portal reports that representatives of private renters, hoteliers, travel agencies, camps and museums visited tourism representatives in the city of San Sebastian, Spain, where they exchanged their experiences of managing a tourist destination that successfully realized year-round tourism.

The Donostia - San Sebastian Tourism Organization prepared a series of presentations for the Split representatives for them to get acquainted with the products of the city and the wider region. This especially focused on congress tourism they are successfully developing, as well as ways to attract guests all year long. By the size and population, this Spanish city is most similar to Split, with its strategic commitment to year-round tourism based on the offer of culture and gastronomy, and according to Trip Advisor, next to Bilbao, San Sebastian was selected as the best European destination. 

Among the various topics in destination management, the development of musical events was particularly discussed. In addition to investing in destination development, San Sebastian has an average hotel occupancy of 300 days a year. Thus, as part of this visit, Split's tourism representatives had the opportunity to hear and see their experiences in managing the destination that led to such business results.

San Sebastian cooperates with the Tourism and Hospitality School in educational and tourism experiences, which presented an opportunity to exchange knowledge and skills, especially in light of the fact that in the first nine months of this year, the number of overnights by Spanish guests in Split increased by 20 percent compared to last year.

Recall, Alijana Vukšić, director of the Split Tourist Board, revealed that 837,125 guests visited Split in the first nine months of 2019, with almost 2.5 million tourist overnights achieved. Thus, 67,000 more guests chose Split for their holiday than last year. 

American tourists make up the biggest market for Split, followed by the United Kingdom. The U.S. and U.K. tourists are followed by the French, Germans, Australians, Spanish, and Italians.

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

October 23, 2019 - In four years, ten ports worth over HRK 300 million are in the ambitious plan of the Split-Dalmatia County Port Authority.

To illustrate, from 1999 to 2009, a total of HRK 90 million was invested in port infrastructure. In the last ten years, HRK 250 million has been invested, and at the moment, HRK 200 million of tenders have been opened. At the same time, this county-owned company recorded revenue growth of HRK 45 million. Split-Dalmatia County Port Authority Director, Domagoj Maroevic, revealed more to Splitski Dnevnik. 

What are the projects that the Split-Dalmatia County Port Authority plans to implement or start implementing this year?

“By the end of the year we are starting construction on five ports, at present, tenders are open for HRK 200 million of port infrastructure. One of them is a port in Kastel Stari worth almost HRK 50 million, and they should get over 200 new berths and 9.5 thousand square meters of coastal area, as well as construction of a new port in Omis with over 250 meters of coastline, and a new coast that is 12 thousand square meters, where 80 new nautical berths will be used exclusively in the season.

The plan is to build 70 meters of coastline and waterfront in Postira on the island of Brac, the tender is already finished, and the contract is signed - and there is also Bol. In addition, we are planning to upgrade 180 meters of the marina in Marina, where we should get 30 new nautical berths that would be used only in the season, and one of the biggest projects is the construction of a new port in Sucuraj for which we received European funds.

The competition ends next week and in the autumn, we plan to start the construction of a new ferry port worth HRK 30 million. It would also get a new ferry berth, as well as the possibility of a much larger ferry that would sail between Drvenik and Sucuraj. Today's ferry can accommodate 30 vehicles, and with the introduction of a new one, about 100 vehicles can be loaded in a single ride."

Maroevic continued:

“By the end of the year, we should also get a permit to build a port in Stomorska, Krilo and Bol on Brac. We applied for a location permit for Krilo Jesenice two months ago and we expect it by the end of this month. We have a main project contracted and they would immediately go to the main project and should have a building permit by the end of the year. During 2020, the reconstruction of Vis would begin, and at the end of 2020, a new ferry port in Stari Grad. One year after that, the Križna luka Harbor in Hvar.

We are working with the Society of Architects to develop an architectural design for the entire coast of ​​the port in Hvar. We plan to start the project mid-September, then, through DAS, announce the conceptual design and by mid-December, the commission would select the best offer, after which they would start designing. It would take about two years and these are some projects for the future, and the value of this project should be more than EUR 50 million. It will be a combination of nautical berths, a new catamaran dock, as well as a new operational shoreline and landscaping. One of the bigger plans that should start to be realized in 7 years is the construction of a new port in Vis in the bay of Stonca, as the spatial plan is changing.”

There are also smaller projects that are no less important.

“In Stobrec we await a building permit, which is for a project worth HRK 1.5 million, we have the reconstruction of the waterfront in Vinisce worth HRK 2.5 million, and we still have the second phase of reconstruction in Kut on Vis, where there should be room for another 30 nautical berths."

How successful is the Port Authority in raising money from European funds?

"We have now received HRK 22 million for Sucuraj and we plan to withdraw HRK 45 million for Omis. They should finance Stomorska with about HRK 20 million, and Stari Grad worth HRK 75 million. During this period, they could withdraw funds for Bol, a catamaran port worth HRK 15 million. We have prepared far more projects and we have done it on time, that is the only difference between us and other port authorities."

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

October 22, 2019 - Investor group 'Westgate Tower' has confirmed that the LSG Group will resume construction on the soon-to-be tallest skyscraper in Croatia. The new Split building should also house the first Courtyard by Marriott hotel in the country. 

Slobodna Dalmacija writes that for some time now, the construction site of the soon-to-be tallest skyscraper in Croatia, next to the administrative building of OTP banka in Split, has been dormant. But as investors reveal, the construction will soon begin again. 

“At the beginning of the year, we announced a new general contractor - the LSG Group - and now the conditions have finally been met for them to fully take over the coordination of all works on the tower,” said Davor Pavlov, a board member of the investor company 'Westgate Tower'.

Davor Pavlov responded to numerous inquiries about the current state of the Split construction site.

“In terms of the construction schedule and technology, preparations are underway for the second phase of the works, namely for the installation and interior. At the moment, we are adapting the entire organization of the construction site to this stage, as the currently active groups working on the construction and facade are nearing the end. Also, at this moment, when the facility has 25 of the total 27 floors, the conditions have emerged that the main contractor, the Austrian LSG Group, will fully assume the coordination of all works on the facility.”

Investors recall that at the beginning of the year, the former contractor Tehnika d.d. announced issues in the company and were contracted to continue working with the LSG Group on a turnkey basis.

“In the meantime, 'Tehnika d.d.' entered the pre-bankruptcy settlement procedure, which allowed this company to continue to perform works on reinforced concrete (AB) construction of the facility until the moment of transition, that is, the complete construction site was taken over by LSG Group.

“In such complex objects, technological transitions of this type are not easy and require a certain amount of time. We expect that LSG Group will establish full work dynamics in the coming period and finish the facility on mutual satisfaction and within the given deadline,” said Pavlov.

Currently, 25 floors are built, and the building has reached a height of 95 meters. Investors expect the transition to be completed in a couple of weeks and conclude that it is realistic to expect that the tallest building in the country, the 'Dalmatia Tower', from its six underground and 28 above-ground floors, will reach a full height of 115 meters by the end of this year.

“Although the construction works were temporarily halted by the LSG Group, completion of the 'Dalmatia Tower' is planned for the second half of 2020. We are very pleased with the professional approach of the LSG Group, and are confident in their expertise and ability to complete works within the given deadlines,” Pavlov concluded.

Recall, the ‘Dalmatia Tower’ is set to will house the first Marriott hotel in Croatia, featuring a total of 200 luxury rooms. This hotel will be located between the 16th and 26th floors, and on the top floor, there will be a 'Sky bar' with the most magnificent views of Split and its surroundings. It will be the fifth hotel from this luxury hotel chain in Croatia, though it will be the first 'Courtyard by Marriott' in Croatia, which is recognized worldwide as an ideal accommodation for business travel.

The project is funded by the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development - HBOR.

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.