Funny enough, from what I've heard the #688, the one that was supposed to be left as museum, was the first one to be scrapped this year... And, if I'm not mistaking, was the last one to operate in Split.

Correct - under current EU Cohesion Fund policies, 1 vehicle is supposed to be retired/scrapped/donated for every new vehicle delivered. Twenty vehicles, mostly the older Lion's City and a couple of Citaro buses, have been donated to Mostar so far.

But where is the logic? 688 was probably the one with the best condition, it would be logical to left him for a museum piece.

The only reason these buses, or rather their remains, are still there is that they are part of a litigation against Promet that has been going on for decades regarding the payment of their leasing fees. As such, they are pieces of evidence which cannot be destroyed. When that case finally ends (knowing Croatian judiciary, in 2050), they will be scrapped. 688 was scrapped (and reused as part of the EU project) as it was the only one fully owned by Promet. The restoration ship has sailed, unfortunately.

P.S. When you come unannounced, you are at the mercy of security guards, who don't have to do anything for you (at least this is their view). Some might let you in, others might be very rude. Next time, try sending an official e-mail beforehand and you will probably be let in.

Also, the final number of buses donated to Mostar is 22, of which only one is a Citaro.

Thanks for the explanation, as always I'm very impressed by your sheer amount of inside knowledge about Croatian bus companies. What a shame about those buses though... Out of curiosity, are there any surviving / restored Avtomontaža-SGs you know of?

Yes, there are two, one at inBUSclub, Trieste, ex Koper (http://www.inbusclub.it/mezzi_storici/au...220.htm), the other in the Slovenian Technical Museum, ex Ljubljana (https://www.tms.si/digitalna-zbirka/mest...ontaza/)

Those buses (or at least some of them) are still at the Promet depot in Split! Unfortunately, I didn't have the chance to take a photo while driving along the depot on the nearby street. But you can also them on current google streetview.