When a drunk customer accidentally runs through the trees in front of Karczma Kalin, the Croatian “Border Guard” police intervene immediately.
When Yugoslavia disintegrated in 1991, the new border ran along a small stream separating the Slovenian town of Obrezje from the Croatian town of Bregana. Just over the border is Tawerna Kalin, a 180 year old pub. In addition, Sasha Kalin, a 48-year-old trader, has a Slovenian father and a Croatian mother. Kalin decided to paint a line of neon paint on the floor next to the pool table to show guests how international borders cross the hostel.
“We are in the Balkans, so every square inch of territory counts,” Kalin said. One day in April 2003, Kalin woke up to find that half of his restaurants in Slovenia were in the Schengen area and the other half in Croatia were not.
Near Kalin, a row of concrete pots marking the border has turned the street in front of the cafe into a cul-de-sac, where the guardhouse of the border guards of both countries is still operating.
Running an international pub in a remote location can be quite complicated. Kalin only pays taxes in Slovenia, but uses two separate phone numbers for its customers in each country. There were not so many Croatian guests in the bar that they had to show their passport at the entrance, so the owner only imported domestic beers to the bar located in Slovenia.
Some Croatians still eat at Kalin, but the owner regrets that there are fewer customers because it annoys him to have to show his passport every time he crosses the border.
Two Slovenian border guards were sitting in front of the restaurant on a rainy afternoon. Inside it smelled of roast pork, but they didn’t dare go inside. “We never ate there. Otherwise, we could accidentally enter Croatian territory and cause an international incident,” said one of the soldiers.
Despite owning a famous pub with a specific address, Sasha Kalin is still waiting for the day when Croatia joins the Schengen area, guests will be able to travel freely and his business will be easier. On that day, the concrete potted plants in front of the shop will disappear and the well-guarded cul-de-sac will become a normal road through the village. Croatia is in talks to join the area and is expected to join the bloc in the second half of 2024.