Croatian Government finally issued the so-called location permit for the construction project that would see the entire area of Žnjan plateau refurbished after decades of negligence.
The plateau was first formed at the end of the 1970s as a by-product of massive construction and infrastructure projects that were at the time being built ahead of the much-awaited Mediterranean Games which the city hosted in 1979. The long-term vision to turn this area in the recreational and beach zone for the citizens of Split was never finalized during the Yugoslav period and in the mid 1990s, the first post-war government revitalized the idea after Žnjan was selected as the place where Pope John Paul II was to hold a mass at the plateau as part of his visit to Croatia in 1998. The even at the time had huge importance for the country that was still rebuilding after the Croatian War of Independence 1991-95 particularly because John Paul II was seen by many as an ally to the Croatian cause. Though in the 90s the Žnjan area was finally levelled, while basic infrastructure, particularly the beaches, were put in place, the project was again put on halt following the papal visit.
Since then, Žnjan has grown to become the main beach area for the city of Split, primarily due to its accessibility for cars, its massive size and clean sea water.
In past years, the speculation about the future of the area had intensified both in the media and in the local politics. The things were finally pushed forward in late 2017 when the municipal government of Split refused to extend concession rights to all of the twenty-seven beach bars along the shoreline, which were then promptly removed.
In 2018, a project by a team of architects from the Architectural biro of Ante Kuzmanić won the competition run by the local government and was chosen as the blueprint for the future appearance of the Žnjan plateau. The project costs have been estimated at around 200 million kuna and will take several years to complete.
Now that the first administrative steps have been made, it appears that the long-dragged out tale of Žnjan might finally reach its conclusion, though many remain skeptical about the timing of the announcement, just months ahead the local elections scheduled for May.
Will we see the completion of the Žnjan project in 2020s? Tell us what you think in the comments bellow!