Renovation of the Old Hospital into a University Center Begins

The tender for selecting a financier for a period of 15 years, starting with a one-year grace period for the adaptation project of the Old Hospital for the needs of the University of Dubrovnik, will be published on Monday. This was announced by Rector Mateo Milković and Minister of Science, Education and Sports Dragan Primorac on the occasion of the Government’s decision to allocate 100 million kuna for the needs of this university.

As they stated, the signing of the contract with the most favorable creditor, namely a bank, is expected by mid-November at the latest, and the tender for the contractor will follow at the beginning of next year, starting in April, and at the latest in June 2008. The meeting and press conference were attended by the rector and the minister, as well as the Mayor of Dubrovnik, Dubravka Šuica.

The works, which are expected to be completed within a year, will be carried out in several phases, starting with the adaptation of the central part of the building, which will ultimately have three amphitheaters – the largest with about 300 seats, and two smaller ones with two hundred seats each. After the adaptation, the central building will house a music and art academy, a study of restoration and conservation, a study of communication, and a study of economics and business economics.

Commenting on the statement by the leader of the HNS in Dubrovnik, Andre Vlahušić, who said that the Government’s decision to allocate 100 million kuna to the University was the result of pressure from the HNS, Minister Primorac stated that there are no individual merits, only collective efforts. “If there had been individual lobbying, there is no chance that the project would have been realized,” Primorac was emphatic, praising the persistence and patience of Rector Milković regarding the realization of the project, as well as the Mayor of Dubrovnik, who insisted on the earliest possible start of the project’s implementation.

Šuica stated that the project is the result of “the synergy of the city, the Dubrovnik-Neretva County, the Ministry, and the University,” making it unique in Croatia. The University of Dubrovnik was established four years ago. It is located in a highly attractive area, very close to the historical core. Initially, it was intended to be adapted to the needs of Dubrovnik tourism, but ultimately the version of a “city of science” prevailed. (H)