The former railway that shares a length of 18 km from the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina to Zvekovica was remodeled as part of the project 'cycling through history - the revitalization of the old narrow-gauge railway Ćiro', an attractive cycling and walking route, reports Dulist.hr on 10 December 2016.
The most attractive part of this path is the section from Mihanići where the path boasts a protective fence, as well as benches and tables where cyclists and pedestrians can relax and enjoy the beautiful views of Konavle. There are also tourist signs with info boards throughout in which visitors can learn something about the specifics of Ćiro and the southernmost municipality in Croatia in general.
Special attractions are the three tunnels, with the largest tunnel being the 'Mihanići' habitat of bat colonies - on the Red List of mammals in Croatia. At the southern entrance to the tunnel there is a seaside resort where, especially at dusk, you can have the pleasure of observing bats - an activity that is popularly called 'bat watching’.
In addition, the infrastructure equipment for this trail project has also given great emphasis on strengthening the capacities of end users. Stakeholders in tourism, in other words, financed activities which included educational workshops for tourists, and organized a study visit to the track 'Parenzana' in Istria. They then purchased bikes and maintenance kits for the bikes, and through public invitation they were given to the end users in Konavle. The project 'Ćiro' also adapted to the needs of modern tourists and visitors who are able to use QR codes to experience a 360° virtual reality experience of the history of 'Ćiro' through an updated and new perspective.
The project 'cycling through history - the revitalization of the old narrow-gauge railway Ćiro' has been realized since December 2014 together with partners from BiH. The project leaders involve Croatian partners, the municipality Konavle and other Croatian partners such as the Tourist Board of Konavle and the Regional development agency of Dubrovnik - Neretva county DUNEA. The overall objective of the project is to contribute to linking the cross-border area of this county and Herzegovina through the establishment of a new joint tourist offer, which has acted as a sort of 'open-air museum' dedicated to the past of Ćiro.
