November the 28th, 2022 - Vrbovsko, located among the beautiful rolling hills of Gorski kotar, is set to provide land to those who decide to move and set up their lives there, but only under certain conditions.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Vrbovsko will give those who move there some land for use, but the condition is that they build a house within a period of three years. If they fulfill that request, then the land in question will be transferred entirely to them.

Memories of the days when Vrbovsko teemed with life are now as deep in the fog as the tops of the trees and buildings are at this time of year in that part of the country. Every ten years, Vrbovsko loses around one thousand inhabitants. This isn't a large area at all, and this new measure is intended to become the drop that fills the well of hope that things could eventually be like they were there once before.

"Vrbovsko is dying ff, more and more young people are leaving, so these measures contributed to us creating more jobs, and something that for me as a young boy would've been... a much more normal life,'' Neven Sulic from Vrbovsko tells Danas.hr.

"We believe that people can start building houses even in their fifties and sixties. These houses will be able to be either for residential purposes or for tourist purposes,'' says Marina Tonkovic of Vrbovsko's local administration.

The previous measure showed that changes are indeed possible, and 200,000 kuna was allocated from the local budget. Two families each received a hundred, which was part of the amount for the purchase of houses. Vlasta also moved from Solin with her husband and ten children.

"First we were in a smaller place, we waited for the loan to be granted, it took a year and finally everything opened up. We bought a house there and settled in Vrbovsko, living there permanently. Our experience was good, the locals welcomed us very warmly and I think that whoever moves here will be satisfied with it all,'' says Vlasta Majic from Vrbovsko.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated news section.

ZAGREB, August 24, 2019 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Friday visited the Vrbovsko-based Cedar timber factory and said that it was important for the region of Gorski Kotar to have such businesses that can create jobs and generate economic growth.

"I am confident that the activity of Cedar, fully export-oriented company, will contribute to Vrbovsko, Gorski Kotar and parts of Lika," Plenković said after he toured the company's compounds, which include the state-of-the-art hardwood processing plant under construction, and other units as well as the biomass co-generation plant.

We have seen the modern factory which does business according to the best technological standards, Plenković said.

He added that he expected good cooperation between this company in the mountainous region of Gorski Kotar and the state-run national forest management company "Hrvatske Šume".

The premier recalled that the government had made great headway with the legislation on the mountainous and hilly regions and on the regions entitled to special state aid.

The Cedar director Darko Prodan said that with the completion of the hardwood processing plant, this factory would be one of the top companies in that segment in Europe. Currently, some 350 people are on Cedar's payroll.

Cedar has to date invested more than 70 million euro in its capacities, and the total value of the whole investment stands at 100 million euro.

Agriculture Minister Marija Vučković said that the ministry would work on making sure that as much raw material as possible be directed to timber factories with higher levels of finished products.

More business news can be found in the dedicated section.

In order to strengthen the destination and increase the competitiveness of Croatian tourism as a whole, the "Kamačnik Canyon Visitor Center" in Vrbovsko, a town in western Croatia at the far east of Gorski Kotar in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, was a crucial project to the country, reports HRTurizam on November 24, 2018. 

After all the tenders were conducted, and documentation was collected, the City of Vrbovsko began construction on the Kamačnik Visitor Center with HRK 16,041,996.26 at the beginning of September. This was also when the project documentation was produced and a valid building permit was issued. A project that foresees revitalizing the ruins of the old sawmill at the entrance to Kamačnik canyon, with this solution, the space will become an attractive new entrance into the canyon which will even boast cultural, conference and multimedia facilities. 

Thus far, part of the existing walls in the area have been dismantled and demolished, as they would not make a good foundation for the construction of the new due to their dilapidated state.

Kamačnik is a protected landscape of remarkable beauty, and the 3-kilometer trail that runs through this crystal clear stream reveals the magic of hanging bridges, abundant flora, and fauna.

Protected, natural, and stunning landscapes have attracted the attention of tourists for many years. Through the picturesque gorge, a pedestrian way, wooden bridges, and galleries were built in 1961. The Kamačnik canyon passes through the gorge in the Velika Kapela massif and continues into the Dobra river. 

The Kamačnik source is typical of karst, where the water to the source comes from a submerged cave channel. It is even an area that hosts numerous exciting events throughout the year, and it is the ideal place for active holidays - and especially long walks and picturesque picnics. 

To learn more about the area, follow TCN's dedicated page here. 

Project idea by Anamarija Unković, Kaja Šprljan Bušić, kreativnikrajobrazi.hr