A seaside resort built for members of a former Communist country’s armed forces is on the brink of a £126million revamp. Kupari, near Dubrovnik in Croatia was built on the orders of the former Yugoslavia’s leader, Josip Tito.
The resort was exclusively for the country’s military, with villas for top brass, six hotels available for lower ranking personnel and foot soldiers pitching tents at a campsite. Kupari was shelled during the battle for Croatia’s independence after Yugoslavia broke up and war tore the country apart.
But locals now hope this long-neglected spot on the Dalmatian coast will be regenerated thanks to a 150 million euro development.
Marko Dabrović, the architect overseeing the plans, told the Observer: “It has been an eyesore for 30 years, so everyone is pleased it will be developed and it will offer local employment.”
Russian investors had shown interest in redeveloping the site and had plans drawn up, but Russia‘s war against Ukraine and subsequent sanctions saw them pull out.
Now a consortium based in Singapore has teamed up with the Four Seasons hotel chain to develop the scheme.
While Kupari has lain derelict for decades, it has still attracted some, with US YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, also known as MrBeast, filming I Survived 7 Days in an Abandoned City at the post-apocalyptic site.
Some of the buildings will be demolished under the plans, which include a 220 bedroom luxury hotel and 32 villas set in the surrounding hillside.
Tito’s villas won’t be touched because they remain state property, according to the Observer. The “jewel” of the resort, the Hotel Pelegrin, is among the buildings earmarked for demolition.
Built in 1963 to a modernist design based on plans by the Bosnian architect, David Finci, the hotel boasted 400 bedrooms.
At its height, the resort could accommodate 1,600 holidaymakers as well as 4,000 more at campsites nearby, according to Euronews.
Architectural historian Boris Vidakovic told the same outlet last year: “Hotel Pelegrin appeared on the covers of architecture magazines when it was built.
“At the time, it surprised both experts and the general public. The building is one of the pioneers that ushered a new generation, a new type of coastal projects.”
Now it stands abandoned along with others at the 15 hectare “resort” that once echoed with the happy cries of holidaymakers, but now draws curious crowds intrigued by a bygone chapter in Croatia’s history.
