HRK 75 million worth reconstruction of the Zadar waterfront begins
County Prefect Božidar Longin reminded of the history of the Zadar waterfront, which is special when compared to the other cities along the coast, due to the fact that it is not paved and has a beautiful green belt.
“The pier was built in the times of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, and not at any place. The engineers of that time have thoroughly examined the power of every wind that blows here, mostly the “Jugo” (the SE wind), and therefore the pier was constructed in a specific position, 80 meters long and 16-18 meters wide, and as such it protected from wind the waterfront, port entrance, all up to the Draženica bay”, said the County Prefect reminding that the bombing in the Second World War destroyed almost all buildings on the waterfront, and a part of the pier as well.
“Since then, the waterfront was repaired from time to time, partly renovated; the part we can see through the window with the installations Greeting to the Sun and See Organ was constructed, but our old lady still needs a thorough and systematic, to use a popular English expression, makeover. This project is a major undertaking which will ultimately restore the glow of the waterfront and ease its maintenance in the long run”, added Longin.
“For me, this is one of the sweetest contracts I have ever witnessed. We want to pass this waterfront to the future generations. This process wasn’t fast, during the last storm there appeared holes that eroded the waterfront, it looked ugly, but thanks to the cooperation of the Government, Minister Oleg Butković and the State Secretary Josip Bilaver, the City and the County, we managed to bring the project to an end”, said the Mayor of Zadar Branko Dukić.
The Secretary of State Bilaver stated that this was the Ministry’s 103rd contract financed by the European Funds, and the 102nd since the beginning of the work of this Government, which means there was only one signed contract when they took over.
“This contract is also my favourite one so far. The Port of Zadar Authority has a big and responsible job ahead of it, and the final deadline for the completion of works is 2023, since this coincides with the final deadline for withdrawing funds from this programming period. We would all like it to be as soon as possible so that the Zadar waterfront could shine in full splendour again”, Bilaver pointed out.
The Port of Zadar Authority’s General Manager Robert Škifić presented three phases of the project – the 905 meters long reconstruction and renovation of the waterfront, the renovation of the pier which will be extended by 15 meters and expanded to its original width, adopting the look it had a 100 years ago, and the reconstruction of the coastal hinterland of the Liburnian Coast from the bridge to the former Bus Station.
Source: Zadar County
