The dream can quickly collapse into ruins. Behind inexpensive holiday homes on the Adriatic in Croatia there are often black buildings that are torn down when they are discovered.
Zagreb – More than half a million black burrows dot Croatia, especially the coasts on the Adriatic. A huge problem for the country – and for numerous ignorant emigrants. Because the dream house by the sea can quickly turn out to be an expensive failure.
Buying a holiday home in Croatia: Experience shows that caution is advised
This is shown, for example, by the story of a retired couple from Austria. The couple arrived in Croatia and suddenly there was a house in front of their home - black-built in the driveway. Elsewhere, communities are already sounding the alarm that foreigners are illegally enclosing the coasts with concrete. But it is far from just newcomers and immigrants who are causing the construction sins on the Adriatic.
Croatia has a problem that has grown historically. The Yugoslavia Wars (1991 to 2001) left devastation in the Balkans. That also means: bombed-out hotels, destroyed holiday homes, ruins in prime beach locations.
Black buildings on the Adriatic: Croatia is still fighting against chaotic development today
The reconstruction couldn't go fast enough and so it degenerated into chaos. There was a lack of money in the country, so when something happened, the authorities were happy to turn a blind eye. But even worse were the ownership issues, some of which were difficult to resolve. Who actually owns the land? Often difficult to understand in Croatian land registers.
At the urging of the European Union, Croatia adopted a tourism plan in 2020. The country had failed at this several times in previous years. According to the resolution, investments amounting to three-digit millions were triggered. But Croatia is still struggling with the traces of the previously chaotic development today.
Black buildings everywhere and authorities who apparently like to ignore it. “The problem is that the office responsible for reviewing these very cases is completely understaffed. There are no direct controls on site. And that’s why people come here and just do what they want,” says Silvia Buttignoni from the nature conservation organization Natura Histrica on
n-tv
. Her group takes photos of black buildings and sends photos to the authorities - but there is usually no response.
“You only pay 20,000 euros”: Supposed Adriatic dream houses are available cheaply in Croatia
The prices for the dream houses in Croatia are attractive. Buttignoni explains: “It’s very easy and cheap. You can buy a piece of land here and put your house on it. And only pays 20,000 euros.”
Large companies often take advantage of this. They buy entire areas of land and build numerous small houses on them, some in the middle of nature. They then sell the companies as romantic holiday homes to unsuspecting foreigners, who in most cases do not question how the entire construction process went.
Often the local authorities don't even really have anything against it; after all, the foreigners bring money into the often remote towns. Or they even take part in it themselves, as the
dnevnik.hr
portal recently reported from Umag in the north of the peninsula, for example. However, cases of corruption occur again and again.
Bought a black building by mistake: For holiday home owners and emigrants, the dream can quickly collapse
What does this mean for emigrants who are perhaps unknowingly living in an underground building while they retire? They live in constant danger of their dream home crumbling into rubble - literally. If the authorities take action, illegal buildings will be consistently demolished. Because the situation is simple: Anything that was built without building permits cannot be left standing.
For many emigrants or holiday home owners, this comes suddenly, but the cases are now increasing. The population and authorities are taking ever more strict measures against illegal buildings. The Balkan Wars have been over for over two decades and Croatia is working hard to end cronyism, corruption and tourist overgrowth on the Adriatic.
So it's important to be careful when choosing a house. In the land of longing it doesn't always have to be a holiday home. Croatia attracts with numerous campsites, holiday apartments and hotels. And anyway, be careful when emigrating, which was also experienced by a pensioner who wanted to move to Spain. She asked online about her experiences and promptly received an urgent warning.
(moe)