Industrial Heritage in the Crosshairs of Investors

Industrial heritage in Croatia is a victim of weak oversight, corruption within local government, the absence of an independent expert body for the evaluation and protection of heritage, superficial and short-term spatial planning, and slow application of laws…

Written by: Goran Arčabić
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The collapse of residential and commercial buildings in recent weeks, accompanying works at a dozen construction sites in Zagreb, has once again raised the question of responsibility among investors, contractors, relevant city offices, and supervisory services. The devastation of part of the former Nada Dimić knitwear factory, caused by the construction of an underground garage for the future business center owned by Željko Kerum, should be highlighted as a glaring example of neglect and irresponsible behavior towards industrial heritage.

Namely, the factory complex where Nada Dimić operated after World War II was originally built in 1910 for the company Edmund Moster and Drug, which produced graphite mechanical pencils according to the patent of inventor Slavoljub Penkala. The factory was designed in 1909 by the Zagreb architectural studio Hönigsberg and Deutsch, and its current appearance is essentially an extension and modification according to the project of Rudolf Lubynski from 1919. Even disregarding the fact that the production and auxiliary buildings are the work of some of the greatest names in Croatian architecture, there remains an irrefutable argument for why this unique industrial complex should be preserved for the future. It is, in fact, a factory that, except for the German market where it had its own branch, was the first in the world to serially produce the mechanical Penkala pencil – a product that should become one of the recognizable Croatian brands. Given that the factory at Branimirova Street 43 is a protected cultural monument, the location permit issued by the relevant city office in 2005 envisages the reconstruction and repurposing of the street and the reconstruction, extension, and repurposing of the courtyard business building, rather than their demolition.

Not wanting to speculate on whether the construction works within the factory complex, which led to its partial collapse, were carried out intentionally or not, one must ask whether the contractor would have acted with the same negligence and carelessness if it were, for example, the construction of an underground garage beneath Zagreb Cathedral or the Croatian National Theatre. Certainly not, because in that case, due to public pressure, the relevant institutions would have reacted promptly. The event from two weeks ago is just the latest in a series of damages or complete devastation of industrial heritage sites in the City of Zagreb. When the Lipa Mill factory was demolished in the summer of 2006 in just over a month to make way for a mixed-use business-residential complex, the media merely noted a new business venture by the Heruc group. The last trace of nearly a century-long tradition of paper goods production vanished without a trace. The City Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments and Nature did not find it appropriate to react, as according to existing criteria, the building was not evaluated as a protected object.

Post festum, the advertising slogan ‘we free space for the new’ on the website of a construction company from Vinkovci sounds ironic, as it cites the demolition and removal of the former Lipa Mill factory as an important reference, successfully completed in just 38 working days! Early industrial buildings in urban centers are generally located in areas attractive for the construction of business and residential zones, so financial interests often take precedence over heritage, which is generally contributed to by the logic of quick profit in considering their future. However, ruthless investors and construction contractors are not the only culprits for such a state. Industrial heritage in Croatia is a victim of weak oversight, corruption within the local government system in the application of construction legislation, the absence of an independent relevant expert body for the evaluation and protection of heritage, superficial and short-term spatial planning, lack of transparency in the implementation of urban plans, uninventive architectural designs, and principled and slow application of laws.

Unresolved ownership relations result in neglect or architectural changes to authentic objects completely beyond the control of conservators. Hence, the main obstacle to sustainability arises from insufficient awareness of the need to preserve industrial heritage as part of our economic history and urban identity, as well as its developmental potentials, resulting in a lack of interest and concrete ideas. The City of Zagreb, where all the aforementioned problems are clearly visible, is not an isolated case but an example of the established pattern in which industrial heritage is treated in Croatia. Three protected industrial historical units registered in the Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia are undoubtedly the most valuable part of Zagreb’s industrial heritage. However, their condition and prospects largely depend on the will of the city authorities. According to the amendments to the General Urban Plan from 2006, the repurposing of ‘old industry’ is defined as an area and theme of city projects, for which the relevant city offices for spatial planning, strategic planning and development, and for the protection of cultural monuments should provide guidelines for future contents at selected locations.

Paromlin (Royal Privileged Zagreb Steam and Artificial Mill) is the oldest large industrial complex. After a fire in 1906, which destroyed a large part of the existing facilities, their reconstruction followed, along with a series of later extensions and expansions. After World War II, Paromlin operated as part of the company 8. maj, or Žitokombinat until March 1988, when it was again damaged by fire. In the last two decades, several ideas for the renovation and repurposing of the complex for cultural and commercial purposes have been current, but they have not been realized. Although protected, Paromlin has no function and is decaying in neglect. The City of Zagreb owns part of the land and buildings of Paromlin, and the location where it is situated is treated according to the amendments to the General Urban Plan from 2006 as a city project. It is to be expected that by resolving ownership relations, i.e., transferring Paromlin to the complete ownership of the City, this location will gain a new role, as it is located on an extremely important line connecting the Lower Town with the new Zagreb neighborhoods.

Since its construction in 1894, the Engine Room of the Hungarian State Railways was strategically and economically one of the most important industrial facilities in Zagreb. The buildings of the former Engine Room are immersed in the hypertrophied complex of the Gredelj Railway Vehicle Factory and are still used for their intended purpose. In addition to the buildings themselves, the authentic interiors and technical equipment of the workshops for the repair of locomotives and wagons from the late 19th century have great value, which should house the Croatian Railway Museum. The future of this project is uncertain given the recent amendments to the GUP, which, after the 2006 contract for the purchase of the Gredelj factory land by the City of Zagreb was signed, foresee the completion of its relocation from the city center, the reurbanization of that part of Trnje, and the repurposing of attractive land for predominantly business purposes. The protected unit of the Engine Room, whose location is treated as a city project, could thus directly conflict with the interests of powerful financial and economic lobbies. The City must find a way to preserve valuable industrial heritage on an area of 13 hectares amidst the new business zone.

The protected historical unit of the former City Abattoir and Livestock Market is located in a business zone at Zavrtnica, in the triangle formed by Kneza Branimira Street, Heinzelova Street, and Radnička Cesta. It is an exceptional example of modern interwar industrial architecture. It operated as an independent company and as part of several companies for the processing and distribution of meat (Zagrastok, Sljeme, Zagrepčanka). The facilities were used for their intended purpose until 2000, when bankruptcy proceedings were initiated against Zagrebačka. The complex and land covering one hundred thousand square meters were purchased by the City of Zagreb in 2001, which transferred that property to Zagrebački Holding in 2007. According to the latest amendments to the GUP, the location will be repurposed into a predominantly business zone. Considering the announcement of the construction of a new city business-residential project City Center Zagreb, further amendments to the GUP are expected in that area, which will allow the construction of buildings taller than the maximum prescribed nine floors. An urban planning-architectural competition should provide answers to the questions about the contents and methods of transforming the protected industrial unit of the City Abattoir, which has proven to be an extremely suitable space for various cultural events (concerts, exhibitions, performances, lectures).

What is the future of industrial heritage in Croatia and what are the prospects given the numerous obstacles that stand in the way of utilizing its potentials? One of the conclusions of the International Conference on Industrial Heritage and Sustainable Development, held in September 2007 in Prague, is the need to raise public awareness of the necessity of its protection as part of the common European cultural identity. In this regard, the potentials of industrial heritage should be utilized in a way that brings it closer to everyday users, consumers, so proposals for repurposing range from the musealization of the most valuable industrial units to the commercialization of contents close to the average person (hotels, shopping centers, educational institutions, entertainment). The criterion that is not abandoned is the unconditional protection of historical buildings. Successful examples across Europe, especially in the German Ruhr area, where industrial heritage has been a driver of economic development in the region for years, testify to numerous possibilities for the transformation of industrial objects, which are enough to reach for and apply to one’s own resources.