Ivošević: Entire Square in Split's Center Erased from Memory
Former Deputy Mayor Accuses Institutions Over Illegal Structure in UNESCO Zone, Recalls Incident with Police Chief Who Chased Away Communal Wardens
Former Deputy Mayor Accuses Institutions Over Illegal Structure in UNESCO Zone, Recalls Incident with Police Chief Who Chased Away Communal Wardens
Former Split deputy mayor and independent city councilor Bojan Ivošević leveled a series of serious accusations against the responsible institutions on Wednesday, claiming that an illegally built structure has been occupying an entire square in the very heart of Split for years. In a social media post, Ivošević asserted that the location has been literally "erased from the collective memory" of the citizens.
"In Split, it's possible for an entire square in the city center to be erased from collective memory by illegal construction. For years, this illegal structure operated contrary to the law as an open-air nightclub in the city center," Ivošević wrote.
Ivošević also described a specific event from the tenure of former mayor Andro Krstulović Opara, which, as he claims, testifies to the untouchability of the disputed structure. According to his account, two communal wardens came to order the music to be turned off, but were prevented from doing so by the then-chief of a police station.
"It was so untouchable that when two communal wardens, during the mandate of Andro Krstulović Opara, came to order the music to be turned off, they were met behind the bar by the then-chief of a police station, who prevented them from doing their job and chased them away," Ivošević stated.
Particularly concerning are the claims about the safety of the structure. Ivošević referred to the square's designer, Edo Šegvić, who, as he claims, warned several years ago about a serious flaw in the construction. "The square itself was designed by Edo Šegvić, who warned a few years ago that he and a fellow engineer, who at the time calculated the static load-bearing capacity of the ceiling slab, had submitted a written report to the City, the investor, and the conservators that the floor addition had not been accounted for. And that no one responded," Ivošević relayed.
He added that, according to Šegvić, the structural engineer "struggled to calculate the ceiling slab because, due to the low height, they couldn't install reinforced concrete ceiling beams."
Ivošević highlights the absurdity of a situation where, in his opinion, all legal conditions are met for the urgent removal of the structure. "Despite the fact that all legal prerequisites have been met for DIRH to demolish this structure in an expedited procedure, it still occupies our square in the center of Split. First row by the sea. In the second-largest city in the country," he said.
Finally, he emphasized the additional gravity of the entire case given the location. The structure is located in protection zone B of the cultural-historical ensemble of Split's old town core, an area under UNESCO protection, Ivošević concluded.
