{"id":851,"date":"2026-04-27T21:41:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T21:41:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/plocegateway.com.hr\/?page_id=851"},"modified":"2026-04-27T21:48:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T21:48:07","slug":"ciro-a-look-at-the-history-of-the-railway","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/plocegateway.com.hr\/?page_id=851&lang=en","title":{"rendered":"\u0106iro – a look at the history of the railway"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\u0106iro – a look at the history of the railway <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>

\u0106iro is synonymous with the old narrow-gauge railway that connected the interior with the sea, and in Plo\u010de it has a special, almost emotional status.<\/span><\/span> The steam locomotive is not just a monument;<\/span><\/span> it is a reminder that Plo\u010de, as a modern port and city, was actually built around the railway.<\/span><\/span> Without the railway that connected Bosnia and Herzegovina with the Adriatic, Plo\u010de would never have become the city it is today.<\/span><\/span> The narrow-gauge railway (760 mm) on the Sarajevo – Mostar – Metkovi\u0107 – Plo\u010de route was the lifeblood of the entire region.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>

The section to Plo\u010de was completed in the middle of World War II (1942), although the railway’s true importance blossomed in the post-war period.<\/span><\/span> The ride on the \u0106iro was slow, dusty and noisy, but incredibly scenic.<\/span><\/span> The passage through the Neretva Canyon was considered one of the most beautiful railway journeys in this part of Europe.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>

There are various theories about the name \u0106iro, but the most popular is that it was a popular name for train drivers or the locomotive itself that \u201c\u0106iri\u201d (peeks out) around a bend.<\/span><\/span> Regardless of the origin of the name, it has become a universal nickname for all narrow-gauge trains in the former state.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>

\u0106iro entered Plo\u010de for the last time in 1966, when the narrow-gauge railway was replaced by a modern standard-gauge railway.<\/span><\/span> Plo\u010de has preserved its own example (series 83), which today serves as a perfect backdrop for photographs, but also as a silent witness to the time when the \u201cblack diamond\u201d (coal) passed through the city.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>

This locomotive, designed in the early 20th century (around 1903) for the needs of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian State Railways (BH\u017d), was not just a machine;<\/span><\/span> it was the pinnacle of engineering adapted to the harsh terrain of karst and narrow canyons.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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About the project <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>

This web platform is being developed as a central place for presenting the tourist values \u200b\u200bof the city of Plo\u010de, with an emphasis on better visibility of local attractions, easier access to information and a more modern approach to destination promotion.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>