A new landmark for Croatia's capital

05/09/2007

Although Croatia considers itself a sports-oriented nation, it has been dogged by a lack of facilities. The Zagreb Arena -- the largest sports facility to be built in the capital -- will help change that.

By Natasa Radic for Southeast European Times in Zagreb - 05/09/07

A model of the Zagreb Arena. [Trigranit]

The Zagreb suburb of Laniste has become the largest construction site in Croatia. The 87m-euro Zagreb Arena, expected to serve as the main venue for the 2009 World Handball Championship, is being built there. When complete, it will visually dominate the southern entrance into the city.

The Hungarian firm Trigranit and Croatia's Ingra company have been chosen to build the arena. The Croatian government and the city of Zagreb are providing the financing. Construction began in late July and is expected to take 15 months. Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic says construction will continue into the night, under the lights, so the project is completed on schedule.

The arena is the first sports facility of this size to be built in Zagreb, and expectations are high. Croatians consider themselves to be a sports-oriented nation, but the country lacks new sports halls and stadiums capable of hosting big international events.

According to Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, the success of Croatian athletes has made it possible to launch such a project. "The Arena will be an ornament of Zagreb, so great thanks goes to Croatia's handball team," Sanader said at the groundbreaking ceremony earlier this summer.

As soon as Croatia won its bid to host the World Handball Championship, the government started to plan how to prepare for the event. It was clear a major new facility had to be built. The championship is expected to draw more than 15,500 fans and the Zagreb Arena will have the capacity to seat 16,000.

The blueprints and the 3D model shown to the public promise an impressive, modern building. The project's management team toured Europe, viewing arenas and collecting advice and ideas for Zagreb.

Following the championship, the arena will be used for a variety of activities -- football, handball, basketball, concerts, exhibitions, fairs and conventions. The building represents the first phase of the future Arena Complex, intended to be the largest shopping and entertainment centre in Croatia.