The new multi-apartment building is part of a historic housing project in the earthquake-affected area, with apartments to serve displaced residents and later young families.
On Saturday, August 1, 2026, keys to a new multi-apartment building at Branitelja Sunje Street in Sunja were ceremoniously handed over. The building with 19 apartments marks the culmination of a major reconstruction and housing development project in Sisak-Moslavina County, an area severely affected by a devastating earthquake.
The keys were presented to future tenants by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Physical Planning, Construction and State Property Branko Bačić, County Prefect Ivan Celjak, State Secretary Tonči Glavinić, Sunja Municipality Mayor Ivanka Crnko, and Dragan Hristov, Director of the Agency for Legal Transactions and Real Estate Mediation (APN). The investment, funded from the state budget, is worth approximately 3.3 million euros including VAT, and construction was completed within the contractual deadline, as reported by Sisak.info.
Minister Bačić highlighted that in the areas affected by the Zagreb and Petrinja earthquakes, over 15,000 locations, or 57,000 housing units, have been completed so far, with around five billion euros invested in the entire reconstruction process. He emphasized that reconstruction is not merely about repairing damage.
"Through the Reconstruction Act, the Government has chosen a strategic approach based on the modern concept of structural reconstruction. This means we are not just repairing buildings and homes to address the aftermath of the earthquake, but elevating them to a higher level of mechanical resistance and safety, providing citizens with a safer place to live and work," Bačić told Sisak.info.
He particularly praised the initiative of County Prefect Ivan Celjak and then-State Secretary, now Mayor of Sisak, Domagoj Orlić, whose idea was to not only reconstruct damaged buildings but also revitalize the county by building new homes. The Government embraced this initiative and launched a project to construct a total of 59 multi-apartment buildings, of which 57 have been completed to date. The entire project, from concept to realization, was carried out in just two years.
County Prefect Celjak explained that the apartments in Sunja will initially be used for temporary housing for earthquake victims while their properties are being reconstructed. Beneficiaries are exempt from paying rent, and utility costs are also co-financed. Once reconstruction is complete, the building will become part of the affordable housing stock.
"After our fellow citizens return to their renovated homes, we will make these apartments available to young families and professions in shortage. This housing stock is a strong foundation for the demographic strengthening of Sisak-Moslavina County, both in terms of retaining young people and attracting others who currently live outside our county. At this moment, we have 57 more residential buildings than before the earthquake, which means about a thousand more apartments than before the earthquake," Celjak emphasized for Sisak.info.
