January 10, 2021 - The renovation of traditional stone houses on Marjan in Split has begun as part of the 'Marjan 2020' project. 

HRT reports that the works are part of a large project which should be completed by the end of the year and includes the reconstruction and revitalization of the Botanical Garden, a new observatory on the Saddle (Sedlo), new bike and hiking trails, trim trail renovation, and complete multimedia signage.

The concrete roof has been removed from the stone house, which was once built in the port of Lubin. Although they have not served their purpose for a long time, each house has a name: Saddle, Baba Marta's House, Pojevina, Firefighting road, Nursery, and Police (Sedlo, Kuća babe Marte, Pojevina, Protupožarni put, Rasadnik, Policijska.

"This part includes works exclusively in the area of Bene, while we will move to the area of the top of Marjan in the next period," said Ante Šustić, the manager of the reconstruction project.

By the end of October, all seven Marjan houses will look like they were built - and will be a real example of traditional folk construction, says HRT.

"The old plaster should be removed, some should be grouted, and it will mostly be a cover of old stone slabs. This will be done by masters who are a little older and who have already done it," said Zdravko Budimir, a representative of the contractor.

The cadastre from 1831 shows that there were vineyards, olive groves, orchards, and pastures on the peninsula's southern slopes and part of the northern ones. As everywhere in Dalmatia, chapels and shelters for people and cattle were built next to them. After the renovation, the houses will be used for the education and promotion of Marjan.

"This is a very extensive project, Marjan 2020 - the hill of the past, an oasis of the future, which provides for numerous activities, in fact, the restoration and addition of content within the Marjan Forest Park. We are renovating the training area, the children's city, new walking and cycling trails will be built, the trim trails will be renovated, so we will renew a lot of these facilities through the project," said Radojka Tomašević, head of the International and European Projects Service of the City of Split.

The project's total value is 26 million kuna and most of it is supported by non-refundable European funds.

You can see the video on HRT.

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August 8, 2019 - Split's 'green lungs,' Marjan hill, has been under treatment since March. A look at the forest park before and after the rehabilitation to remove the bark beetle infestation. 

At the July session of the Split City Council, Mayor Andro Krstulović Opara, Nenad Ružić, Mate Omazić, and Dragan Brtan informed the councilors about the rehabilitation of the Marjan Park Forest since it has been under treatment for the infestation of the bark beetle. The president of the Marjan Task Force, Nenad Ružić, then revealed details of the first phase of rehabilitation, reports Dalmacija Danas.

“I can say that the works on Marjan are over. Everything was cut down that needed to be cut. Now we are waiting for the situation to be monitored and observed. The bark beetle in most of the landscape is in a drastic decline, though it is still in some areas.”

After the summer, when the bark beetle is calmed, we will see the real situation. Technically speaking, the Matima company has established 90 wire lines. That’s how many were needed to get to every tree. Exactly 12,790 cubic meters of wood, or 38,000 trees, were removed, both dry and infected. In addition to Matima, city services and companies were also involved,” said Nenad Ružić, among others.

Summer is slowly nearing its end, and in a few months, we will know if this significant intervention in the Marjan forest did indeed result in the eradication of the pest. However, in the meantime, we are left wiht the last aerial shots of Split thanks to Google Earth.

Zooming in on the Marjan Park Forest area, it's not hard to notice the impact the rehabilitation has had in the last few months, giving us a look into the reality of the figures spoken by Nenad Ružić.

Below, you can find a comparison of the forest before and after the first rehabilitation phase.

Before

After

Recall, before the rehabilitation, Marjan had more than 120,000 trees, 30 percent of which have been cut. Many people in Split believe that Marjan will never be the same again.

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

While Marjan undergoes treatment for the bark beetle, a bug that attacked its pine forest, many areas of the park are restricted to the public. To ensure there are no trespassers, Split police officers have announced they will punish citizens if they enter the enclosed areas of the park where works by company "Matima project" are ongoing, reports Slobodna Dalmacija on March 6, 2019.

Currently, works are being carried out in the area from the Institute to Bene. Recall, almost one-third of the trees inside the park will be cut and removed from the forest during the treatment. This includes trees that are already dead and those that are still thriving but are under the threat of the bark beetle bug. 

“It is forbidden to access the locations where the works are being carried out. However, so far there has been anarchy. I was constantly worried about something that did not happen. But it will not be that way anymore. Applications to the police against an unknown offender in such cases are not effective. The police are on the ground, not on patrols, but literally on the ground. Whoever is caught will receive a fine on the spot,” said Marjan Nenad Ružić, the Crisis Staff Coordinator.

The Split-Dalmatia County Police Administration revealed that the fine for entering the forbidden areas on Marjan amounts to 500 kuna.

“We call upon citizens to respect the temporary measures of the ban on movement, but it is not our primary goal to punish them, this is for their safety. A fine will be imposed as the ultimate measure, only if someone is really disobeying the prohibitive signs, alerting staff on the ground and the police, and challenging their security, property and the lives of others. But we appeal to the citizens to have patience and walk in other parts of Marjan,” says Ana Čepić from the Split police.

While intensified measures to ban access to the workspace will bring more security to the citizens, the process of works on Marjan will now be less visible on social networks and the media, unlike the last few days where we've been exposed to various videos and photos by citizens. 

Recall, the rehabilitation of Marjan began on February 26, 2019, which forced the closure of all traffic (pedestrian and motor) from the Institute to Bene. The regular bus line is also not operating. The works are being carried out by the company Matima Project - and ultimately, Marjan’s pines will be replaced with more sustainable species. Some 20,000 trees will be removed from the Split park in total and the process, as expected, will take time

To read more about Split, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

Check out how the Dalmatian capital will be celebrating the 1st of May.

A look at the many names of Marjan courtesy of the Facebook page Society of Friends of Cultural Heritage in Split.

Day of the Day is back at Marjan this weekend!

Today is the Day of Marjan. This day is celebrated each year on the first Sunday after May 9th, the day that the Marjan Society was founded in 1903. 

Today, we take a look at Varoš.

We may feel like a broken record constantly repeating this, but as you all should know by now, there is absolutely no lack of coffee places in the city of Split. One thing we can at least try to differentiate them by is their view, and we’re here to give you some of the best cafe bars with stunning views of Split. From the Adriatic sea to the Diocletian’s palace, we hope you’ll enjoy your next cup of coffee in one of these fine establishments.

Despite the heavy clouds and potential rain that threatened the city of Split on Sunday, the annual Day of Marjan went on as planned. Citizens of all ages gathered together to attend the final event of this year’s celebration of Sudjama.

The program began early, at 9am to be exact, beginning with an educational walk from the first viewpoint by the cafe all the way to Šantinih rock. This was then followed by entertainment and a musical program set on the stage of the outdoor amphitheatre next to the zoo. For brunch, Marjan goers feasted on beans, meat, and homemade pasta, led by senior master chef Zeljko Neven Bremec. Food preparations began in the early morning hours as 500 portions had to be made!

During the celebration there was also a “healthy corner”, where patrons enjoyed blood pressure readings with the help of the Red Cross, and the Split Diabetic Society offered blood sugar readings along with other educational information about health.

For children, there were balloon figures and at the Church of St. Jere were various exhibitions displaying their gratitude for Marjan.

The smells of pasta filled the air, the tops of Marjan were paraded with people, and the cloudy day made for the perfect setting to show our respect for the beloved Marjan.