April 8, 2022 - The City of Split announced a brand new electronic music festival this summer led by Alda Croatia and Insomniac, which will bring leading names in the electronic and international music scene to the Žnjan area of the city. 

Big music projects were announced to the public today by the largest international production company, Alda, and the organizer of major world events, Insomniac, which will take place this summer on the Adriatic, specifically in Pula and Split. According to the organizers, over 150,000 visitors from around the world are expected in the Adriatic thanks to these events, reports the City of Split. 

In addition to "Secret Project Presents Pula Music Week", another big music event has been announced that will take place this summer in Split. The organizers have remained secretive about the details, dates, and performers for now. Still, after the press conference, it could be unofficially heard that some of the most popular stars of today's music scene will perform in Split.

According to Alan Harderberg, head of Alda, and Baggi Begovic, Insomniac's director for Europe, Croatia will host some of the leading names in the electronic and international music scene in Pula and Split this summer.

"When it comes to the event in Split, we will not give details yet, but we can confirm that the domestic and international public will be pleasantly surprised. In any case, Split is expecting a spectacle that has never been seen before in our country. All details are organizationally known and contracted. The music event we are preparing will be extremely attractive, primarily because of the performers. This will surely bring Croatia into the focus of music audiences globally," said Harderberg and Begovic.

The Deputy Mayor of Split, Antonio Kuzmanić, expressed satisfaction that the citizens of Split and tourists will receive another world-famous music event.

"Thanks to investments and our popular tourist product, Split has become one of the most attractive tourist destinations. Today, Split is synonymous with a complete tourist destination that offers rich cultural, sports, and entertainment content in addition to exceptional natural benefits. Great music events like this put us on the world tourist map and are valuable marketing and economic potential that we will surely know how to use. With this event, we are reviving the area of Žnjan and announcing its new development phase, which makes me even happier," said Kuzmanić. 

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ZAGREB, 31 Oct, 2021 - Split Mayor Ivica Puljak called on Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Sunday to "stop blocking the development" of Split, while the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure dismissed such a claim and reminded him of the projects that have been launched.

Speaking of the granting of a concession for the city's Žnjan beach, Puljak told N1 television that Sea, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Oleg Butković had said on a number of occasions that, as far as the ministry was concerned, everything was ready and that it was forwarded to Plenković to put it on the government's agenda.

"I invite Prime Minister Plenković... to finally decide who will get the concession so that the project can really be realised. I hope the concession will go to the Žnjan d.o.o. company, which is a city company, and that we will start realising that project," Puljak said, adding that the realisation was almost six months late.

"I think Plenković should stop blocking the development of the City of Split and that he should move away from cheap politics. He should realise that they lost this election, he should get over it in a way and he really must not hold this city back any longer. I think the problem now is him," Puljak said, referring to Plenković's HDZ party and local elections this past May.

The Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure said Puljak's claims that Plenković was blocking Split's development by allegedly procrastinating with a decision on the Žnjan concession were "entirely unfounded and incorrect."

The granting of said concession passed regular government procedure and the opinions of the relevant state bodies are now being collected so that a decision on who will get the concession can be made, the ministry said.

It added that the Plenković cabinet was doing everything for Split to develop as much as possible, and mentioned the transport projects that have been launched as well as a HRK 42.6 million reconstruction project in the city port.

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October 30, 2020 - A building permit has been approved for a Znjan hotel, bringing new tourism to the Split neighborhood. 

Slobodna Dalmacija reports that the company "Split Peninsula Properties" from Zagreb received a building permit to construct a catering and tourist facility on undeveloped plots in the Znjan area of Split. 

This building permit allows for the construction of 156 accommodation units located on five floors with a superstructure boasting 110 parking spaces.

It covers an area of about seven thousand square meters between Šetališta Ivana Pavla II and the Znjan Road, which is now covered with high vegetation.

The mentioned investor company, "Split Peninsula Properties," is registered as a micro-entrepreneur, with one founder - Andrija Antić.

Modus.hr

According to the Court Register, the company was founded at the end of 2018, has a share capital of HRK 20,000, and in that year, had a loss of HRK 304,345.

The architects created the conceptual design in 2018 for 170 accommodation units, but the request for a location permit was submitted for 156, covered by the building permit.

According to the information from the "Condo hotel center" page, which advertises this new hotel, it will be a four-plus hotel with a casino, spa and wellness center, rooftop lounge bar, and 24-hour room service. They say that the apartments will range from 328 to 667 square meters, with prices ranging from 216 to 263 and a half thousand dollars.

Supposedly, the hotel's management would be taken over by a big brand, but they would not buy the building, and different owners would buy the apartments. A contract would be reached with them according to which they would use their real estate 14 days a year, and their services would be charged at the minimum price, while the rest of the time, the hotel house would rent their apartments so that the owners would get a refund.

As for greenery, the hotel should preserve some vegetation on the west side and valuable pine trees, if any. The architects created new greenery around the hotel in the simulation, but in them, the entire Znjan plateau all the way to the promenade along the coast is green - and they drew only grass and trees, without cafes and sports fields. According to the Detailed Development Plan, such radical landscaping is not a bad idea, but it is not possible.

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June 12, 2020 - Great news for Split cyclists was announced by the city administration, as a new bike path will soon run from Dr. Franjo Tuđman Square, or the end of the Riva, to the Znjan plateau.

Slobodna Dalmacija writes that the new bicycle paths will begin as soon as the circumstances allow, and after the public procurement for the works worth 139,582 kuna with tax, the company "Pismorad" from Zagreb was chosen as the contractor, with whom a contract will be signed soon.

The planned bicycle route will be 5,100 meters long, and from west to east it will extend in the following direction: Trg dr. Franje Tuđmana, Obala Hrvatskog narodnog preporoda, Obala Lazareta, Obala kneza Domagoja, Katalinićev prilaz, Preradovićevo šetalište, Put Firula, Spinčićeva ulica, Šetalište kalafata, Šetalište Pape Ivana Pavla II.

From east to west, due to one-way streets, the route from Preradovićevo šetalište extends to the following streets: Hatzeov perivoj, Ulica Matije Gupca, Trg M. Pavlinovića, Biankinijeva, Petrova ulica, Poljana kneza Trpimira. This is the most that could be achieved, given the infrastructure, confirms Denis Spadina, president of the Split-Dalmatia County Cycling Association and one of the people behind the conceptual design of the new bike path.

"This is the best that could be achieved, in fact, it is the only possible solution without demolishing half the city. It starts, therefore, from the bottom of the Riva, from the entrance to Diocletian's cellars, and there will be no traffic across the promenade," Spadina said, since this is the issue that worried the citizens the most. The number of cyclists, especially during the epidemic, has increased significantly in Split - three to four times!

"There are more and more cyclists and this is a great thing for our city, people have been taking out bicycles that are twenty years old from the basement in recent months, and it is a great trend. I am especially glad that it will now be possible to drive through Trstenik, as so far, traffic rules have been violated. The whole path will be properly marked, and we go step by step. This is only the first phase, if it weren't for the corona, it would have been over a long time ago, as we had everything ready in January. The next thing we are working on is the path from Znjan to Stobrec, we have several options, but we do not want to overlap, let this come to life first," says Spadina.

The City confirms that, given the spatial conditions and the previous spatial planning documentation, which did not provide for the construction of this type of communal infrastructure, they will arrange traffic signals in order to contribute to increasing safety.

The good news is that the people of Split break new records in the rental of public bicycles every month, which, thanks to the European project "REMEDIO" implemented by the City of Split in partnership with its company "Split Parking", are available at 12 locations since July last year.

This new path was also prepared thanks to the European project - "Development of the system of bicycle paths of the city of Split" and the activities of the Department for Smart City projects and digitalization and the Service for international and EU projects.

Split is currently implementing the "Interreg Italy-Croatia" project "TOMORROW", one of the main activities of which is the improvement of the existing system of public bicycles, so the purchase of equipment for four new terminals with classic and electric bicycles worth 743,761 kuna with VAT. Split Parking also announced the expansion of the public bicycle system, so soon, every district in the city will have its own station, and citizens will have access to electric and classic bicycles at each one.

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March 21, 2020 - Split police are busy patrolling the city's most frequented areas on Saturday and are pleading for citizens to stay home during the coronavirus crisis. 

Despite numerous recommendations from experts who have sent messages to stay home for days, many citizens have taken advantage of the crisis to enjoy the beautiful spring weather.

On Saturday, 168 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Croatia, and according to scientist Igor Rudan, the real number may be ten times higher, reports Dalmacija Danas.

As of Wednesday, only grocery stores, bakeries, pharmacies, and those deemed necessary are allowed to work, and all children's playgrounds are closed as of Saturday. Saturday morning, the Crisis Headquarters decided on a new regime for maritime transport, while bus transport between cities was suspended entirely.

Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said there was a “some kind of ban on movement in public areas". Citizens will not be physically removed, but police will warn and act in the event of disobedience. It is forbidden to move and hang out in groups in all public areas, and the police are strictly patrolling.

Marjan Forest Park was also closed and police visited Žnjan, Bačvice and the Riva and warned about the ban on movement in groups in public areas.

“Bene has been closed, and we have been instructed by the police to close Marjan as well, and to warn all passers-by that movement in this area is forbidden,” said the Marjan Primary School.

A spokeswoman for the Split police further explained the situation.

“We must all respect the decision of the National Headquarters who issued a recommendation not to hold public gatherings, including in public places. People should not gather in groups and police officers are patrolling and alerting citizens to return to their homes. We urge citizens to respect these decisions for your public health. Police will tour all frequently visited locations: Žnjan, Riva, Bačvice and other promenades. We appeal that only people who need it and who do the most urgent work go out in public. The police are doing this to protect all of us and public health. Let's stay home,” spokeswoman Antonela Lolic said.

Make sure to follow our dedicated section for rolling information in English about COVID-19 in Croatia.

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Summer is right around the corner, and one of the most beautiful beaches in Split, Kaštelet, which is better known as Obojena, will shamefully welcome the new season. The Split Obala firm, as far as their workload is concerned, did only what was needed to upgrade the beach before the season, and did not even bother to fix the broken stone shower which was set up last year, reports Dalmatinski Portal on June 4, 2019. 

Milan Šabić

The entrance to the sea is disastrous - it is bare, with sunken in puddles, broken walls, and graffiti.

Milan Šabić

Obojena was one of Split’s most popular beaches, and thanks to Dragan Jurišić Jenki, the concessionaire at that time, the soul of the beach was not sold to lounge chairs, allowing it to remain mostly untouched. However, after the demolition of the illegally constructed buildings last year, Obojena now looks a bit desperate. Apart from asphalting the access road, the beach saw few cosmetic upgrades. 

Milan Šabić

There are no concession permits in the Maritime Management Plan, although the city, under the euphoric impression of Žnjan's design, announced identical modules in Kaštelet.

Milan Šabić

However, it seems that Obojena has been forgotten.

Just down the road at Kašjuni, we might add, preparations are in full swing for swimmers. Namely, the entrance to the sea has been fixed up with the help of excavators, and sand has been brought in to level the ground around both catering facilities.

The lounge chairs and canopies are ready to go. 

Recall, in Žnjan, works have been ongoing to prepare the beach since March. Last year, eight catering units, each made up of two modules (12 × 12 meters) plus storage space and 300 to 400 square meters of terrace, was implemented last year. The popular Split beach opened their doors to caterers after all illegal facilities were removed in the fall of 2017. Cafes are expected to have better traffic than last year, as they didn’t begin operations until the middle of the 2018 season. 

According to the announcements, the final solution to Žnjan should be implemented in the summer of 2020. 

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Split will welcome summer on Žnjan this year in the same condition they did last year,  dusty with concrete blocks separating the parking and just a few catering facilities, reports Splitski Dnevnik on April 1, 2019. 

The final arrangement of this area is projected for2020, according to the decision of the Architectural Bureau, Ante Kuzmanić.

For now, there are no significant problems with the concessionaires who have signed contracts to work on Žnjan for two years, says the director of the Spalatum DMC, which manages the area. 

"There is no big news for this summer, Žnjan will be slightly upgraded and edited, and it will only be repaired to be better and more functional. All major works will begin in 2020 as anticipated. We will not plan anything new, namely, last year, six or seven green islands were built, which will be maintained further, and are designed to fit into the final project by Kuzmanić. Concessionaires who are contracted with Spalatum DMC are keeping the scale of their catering facilities. As for the concessions granted by the City, there are some discrepancies, but city services are always reacting together with us,” says Ante Šunjić, director of Spalatum DMC.

"The number of parking places will not increase, but we do not expect even bigger crowds. Namely, about 1200 vehicles can be parked at Žnjan, which was also the number before the temporary solution. There is no anticipation for an increase in the number of parking spaces, which is the same as in the final solution. Duilovo Way can also be used for parking. It's going to be the same as last summer, and maybe we'll just add concrete blocks."

Whether there will there be additional content on Žnjan this summer will be decided by a Management Plan that should soon be adopted, which will reveal exactly which activities will be issued for concession.

The realization of a new layout on Žnjan is done in two directions, all the documentation has not yet been obtained, and it is also about the design. At the same time, preparatory actions are underway to get a 30-year concession for the area that will be requested by City-owned companies.

"In the next seven to ten days, we expect the announcement of a public tender for the entire plateau, from all content to building permits, and, according to the plan, it should be completed by the end of this year for construction works to begin on the first day of 2020,” says the advisor to the mayor, Krešimir Budiša.

A tender is still expected by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure, which should be due by next year, to begin work on the design according to the final solution.

For this purpose, a final feasibility study was carried out, i.e., an economic concession study. Next summer, a new promenade will be introduced on Žnjan using the selected project of Ante Kuzmanić, with seven fixed catering facilities, as well as sports facilities and garages.

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Is Žnjan ready?

But don't worry, these are just for storage. 

Žnjan Beach will host the Davis Cup semifinals between Croatia and the USA!