April 1, 2020 - Shop at Split's famous green market online thanks to the new Facebook group Virtual Pazar Split.

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, the usually bustling outdoor markets are closed, the banks are empty, and only a few people can be found on the streets.

However, until things turn back to normal, we’ve discovered the beauty in the virtual world - and many small Croatian producers are getting the exposure they’ve never had before.

Namely, Slobodna Dalmacija writes that Pametno party member Marijana Puljak has done a great thing for both buyers and producers and sellers of fruits and vegetables at Split Pazar. Less than a week ago, she founded the Facebook group Virtual Pazar Split on Facebook, which already has over 8,000 members.

Due to the inflation of new members and offers, the group administrators introduced rules and asked everyone to adhere to them.

- We ask all sellers to include product prices with their offer in the announcements.

- Limit the number of posts to find everything you need as quickly as possible. If you need to change your bid or pricing, change your initial posts.

- This group serves to help each other overcome these difficult days, so keep decency and determination in communication with each other.

The idea, Puljak said, came from her Facebook friend Zoran Djurdjic, who pointed out to her that other cities are opening similar groups on social networks.

“We have seen that such groups work well, directly connecting small-scale producers of food production and home delivery with buyers who are mostly confined in their homes today. I searched for something similar for Split already and I couldn't find one. In less than 48 hours, we had over 5000 members, which is a real surprise to me. It shows that a platform like this was really needed. You can find producers of fruits and vegetables, butchers, fish markets, even sellers of flower and vegetable seeds,” says Puljak.

Puljak is pleased that she can help people follow the recommendations of the Civil Protection Headquarters to stay home, but have the opportunity to purchase quality products under these conditions.

“On the other hand, this helps producers market their goods during these times. The group is completely open to everyone and we invite everyone to take this opportunity to connect. Leave your comments, as you are satisfied with the service; this is the best way to support all those who do their job excellently,” said Puljak and concluded:

“Take care of yourself altogether and use #VirtualPazarSplit.”

It should also be noted that the administrators of this group, along with Marijana Puljak, are two other members of the Pametno party Branimir Urlic and Nenad Introic. You can join the group HERE.

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December 13, 2019 - It’s no surprise that the green market or ‘pazar’ in Split is due for an upgrade, and the famous fish market has become too small for today's needs. Thus, the City of Split has set out to renovate both city symbols to maintain their primary functions - selling fish and food products - while preserving the recognizable images of the city.

The City of Split writes that Mayor Andro Krstulovic Opara and architect Dinko Peracic, in front of the architectural office ARP, presented two architectural and spatial studies for the design of pa zar and the fish market.

Concerning pazar, the conclusions showed that it is optimal to keep the trade of produce on platforms under the existing deciduous trees and parasols, while improving conditions by bettering the equipment and arranging and organizing the space with new trees. Dairy, meat and similar products, which require controlled conditions, would be concentrated east of the St. Dominic monastery. In the southern part, it would be optimal to form fixed buildings that would spatially separate the market from the waterfront, but also provide good pedestrian connectivity, and accommodate non-food items.

Of particular importance for pazar to function is opening the pedestrian traffic that is now blocked by kiosks, and Hrvojeva Street would be transformed into a full-width pedestrian zone. Sellers would only be allowed to operate with mobile equipment set up under strict guidelines.

The fish market, considering all the architectural options, would be expanded to Marmontova with a new section of the same height, and the old and the new part of the market would constitute one complete building. The front of the fish market requires a veranda that would protect customers at the entrance, protect the glass facades from the sun, and bring new quality to Marmontova’s public space. Thus, this upgraded section would become, as appropriate, a covered square used for other purposes outside the opening hours of the fish market.

By expanding and opening the fish market, the city receives new content, based on all its traditional values. Its equipment would be adapted to the modern conditions of selling fish on stainless counters, and all necessary service facilities would be installed inside the fish market as a separate element.

As Peracic emphasized, these are not finished conceptual designs, but more about the intelligence of the space, which contains everything necessary for the realization of these projects to succeed: 

“It is important not to fall into complete solutions, but to see what is needed. We did it; this is the basis for the future design.”

"More detailed planning of the realization of these projects can now begin, we are considering the stages of renovation to enable its efficient realization, but more importantly, to ensure that the pazar and fish market operate during the works,” the mayor added.

In order to qualitatively prepare for these renovations, several additional preliminary activities are planned before the next stages of the project documentation is prepared. These include detailed planning of terms of sales points in cooperation with the vendors, defining precise conditions for the development of architectural design in cooperation with the Conservation Department, making a snapshot of the existing state of the building and installations, preparing conservation studies, drafting project documentation through the procurement process, business plan and securing funding.

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

Whether you call it “pazar” like the Split people or the “green market” like everyone else, we’re fairly certain this place conjures the same happy feeling for everyone.

The famous characters from Pazar, arguably the most vibrant attraction in Split, are getting a 21st-century upgrade through the Instagram account Harperspazaar.

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Warm weather is the magentic force that pulls Splićani onto the streets, and it's safe to say that warm weather in winter magnifies that force even more. After Croatian crops (and Croatians) suffered a bit of frostbite in the earlier part of this month, we can happily say that our beloved Green Market is once again full with crops and full with people, thanks to some warmer rays of sun. 

This weekend finally brought the citizens back to the streets of Split. Pazar, or what many also know as the "Green Market", was once more given life - although from the looks of it, pickings were slim. While the cold weather was the culprit to a visibly less amount of crops, the people of Pazar always seem to have a special way of making up for it.