News

Too many ATMs spoil the view in Croatia's ancient city

June 25, 2019

Dubrovnik rests on the Adriatic sea in southern Croatia. The ancient city, known for its Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque churches, monasteries, palaces and fountains, is one of the biggest tourist destinations in the Mediterranean. 

Many small shops and restaurants only take the Croatian kuna, leading to a proliferation of cash machines on Dubrovnik's famous strip — 22 ATMs in the space of just 300 meters.

Although the ATMs sit on private property, they are placed on the facades of historic buildings, blemishes on the face of the UNESCO-protected city. 

Unhappy locals have voiced their complaints to authorities, with fruitful results. 

In accordance with the desire of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia, Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Franković sent a proposal to the Council of the City of Dubrovnik to amend the decree on municipal order on June 18, Dubrovnik portal reported. 

According to the proposed amendments, it will be forbidden to set up ATMs at the opening of a building in the historic core of the city. Existing ATMs in the historical center must be removed within 30 days, unless the owner obtains consent from the Ministry of Culture's Conservation Department. 

Auro Domus d.o.o., the Croatian financial institution responsible for placing more than 400 ATMs throughout the country in the past year, is not happy about the move. The bank is preparing to take legal action against the city, according to a report in Novac. 

''The biggest absurdity of the whole story is that the City of Dubrovnik is trying to ban one of the most important tourist activities. The money that tourists withdraw from the cash machines is the money that stays in that local government unit and will be spent in Dubrovnik's cafes, restaurants, shops,'' Loris Dessardo, CEO of Auro Domus, told Novac.