"New Tricks" By Foreigners, According To Vjesnik

[irac]

While I can't speak for current events in Istria, from experience along the coast and inland, it pretty much seems as if foreigners have had only a recent blame to accept for "ruining" the coastline. The horrific hotels, aparthotels (take Solaris as a sad example) were delightedly thrown up by laregly local workforces in order to make a buck from tourists.

Apartments are minor league when talking about disfiguring the sea front, where's the debate on locals cobbling together crimes against architecture when grabbing little patchs of land for their vikendices, and now they're seeing them knocked down for building shoddy structures without licence or planning. Why all the ridiculous focus on the coast? It seems as if this pathway is used by those who don't live here and have only tenuous links (but still find time to elect criminals) and those here who are desperate to protect their own vested interests. Was it foreigners who built 2 apartment blocks in Zagreb that are currently deemed unfit for human habitation, despite the fact that they were erected in 1997 by loyal apparachiks and their building firms. Let's get real, people in glasshouses, stones, throw.....

[morem]

How do you know that these apartments are rubbish ‘fast and poorly built apartments’ If you are an expert on such matters, then forgive me for my rudeness, but obviously you must have proof/evidence of such a statement?

I lived in 4 of them before buying my own flat...They are garbage and built for summer living only! I even brought the building inspector to confirm that and he said that about 90% of the buildings built these days are being insufficently isolated, on poor foundation, built before the concrete was dry enough...
How many apartments have You lived in?


I would imagine it is a similar story as to builders in the UK, or any where in the world for that matter. Good and bad. And that’s up to the individual to find out at the time. New apartments/buildings would have guarantees.

That is the catch! They are used in the summer time only! There is hardly any rain and the climate is generally dry so the builders have no problems. The owners don't care since they need the place for summer only and there will be no problems!


‘Of course, it is not British to blame for it’ – I think you were holding back there!!

Absolutely not! It is the croatian builders and local officials who are thinking about a quick buck only! Even former butchers are now in construction business! That tells a lot!

Isn’t this what Croatia wants and needs, more investors, tourists, more business perhaps? To help the economy, which in turn will help the people of Croatia. You would not think so on some of the comments made on this forum at times. Not everyone is after making a quick profit, some want to come out and live. They feel it is a beautiful country, love the people etc. So why do you make these statements in trying to put us off. Make it sound so bad!!



You have made a good point here but You are not giving a good solution! Help us by investing into something that will keep people on their land instead of helping raise the prices of apartments and flats and chase the young people away. Invest in sheep herding, goat cheese production, fish restaurant tailored to western standards, start buying off Dalmatian sage - the finest in the World...Or this is just not fast enough for You?

Besides, it was in the papers justa few weeks back: if one invested in the Varazdin Stock Market stocks 50 000 Euros 4 years ago, he/she would now have over 180 000 Euros! Talking about investing and helping the economy!

Sorry for going off topic, but the broader picture is needed here. You are helping only the construction people, lawyers and corrupt clerks buy their new BMWs or SUVs and that is not what this country needs.