Former Croatian Army barracks may be turned into fairground

14/02/2008

Hundreds of jobs could be created if the Dracevac army barracks becomes the new site of the Split Fair.

By Ivo Scepanovic for Southeast European Times in Zagreb --14/02/08

Croatian President Stipe Mesic proposed the initiative. [Getty Images]

Under an initiative by Croatian President Stipe Mesic, an army barracks near Split would become the country's largest fairground.

At the opening last year of SASO Tools Fair, a component of the Split Fair, Mesic proposed that the municipality of Split take over the barracks in Dracevac and convert the entire complex to civilian use as a new site for the fair. Mesic also suggested that other military property be turned over to civil authorities for economic purposes.

Businessman Igor Bagaric welcomed the initiative. In his view, Dracevac is a perfect location to take the Split Fair to a higher level. The present location in Znjan, south of Split, is only 15,000 sq m, while Dracevac would offer 40% more space.

"The current Split Fair area does not offer enough space for all of the potential exhibitors. This year, at the SASO Tools Fair in October, we had more than 2,000 exhibitors from 16 countries. More companies intended to exhibit, but could not due to space restriction," said Bagaric.

He thinks Dracevac could become a site for the fair by as early as this year, depending on how quickly the barracks can be transformed. "The municipality of Split and the state have the opportunity to create a fairground and congress centre of European standards in Dracevac. Construction could take up to a year, but the SASO Fair could take place in Dracevac, if not in 2008 than in 2009, after which the Split Fair could run year-round," said Bagaric.

Early estimates project that an investment of up to 54m euros would be needed. However, the economic impact could be very positive, with more than 900 jobs created.

"So far, the Split Fair has helped promote the city of Split, which, in turn, boosts the city's economy," says Mayor Ivan Kuret. "Space restrictions of the present fair in Znjan forces us to seek a new fair space, such as Dracevac. If we expedite the construction, we could soon achieve much better conditions for the Split Fair."

Local media are already comparing the Split Fair to the Zagreb Fair, which is the leading fair in Southeast Europe and the 11th largest in the world. Meanwhile, the army has vacated the premises at Dracevac, leaving the grounds available for a new role.