The largest project in Bjelovar's history, worth nearly €42 million, is set to open in two months, with the European Junior Swimming Championships already secured.
In Bjelovar, construction of the Wellovar Thermal Spa is nearing completion, marking the biggest undertaking in the town's history, with a total value of nearly €42 million. The complex, which includes ten pools-some indoor and some outdoor-is scheduled to open in two months, and the first major event has already been secured: the European Junior Swimming Championships, set to take place next year.
At the construction site in Veliko Korenovo, seven kilometers from the center of Bjelovar, 270 workers are on site daily. Over an area of 20,000 square meters, tiles need to be laid, a task already completed in the Olympic-sized pool, which features seating for 600 spectators. This pool will be the third in Croatia to hold an international certification.
Due to the rules and standards of the world swimming organization, a deviation of no more than five millimeters in either direction is allowed. Wellovar Thermal Spa site manager Dragutin Hrg stated that the most precise surveying instruments were used.
The complex will combine tourism, sports, and recreation, with numerous water attractions. Heating will be provided by medicinal geothermal water sourced from a depth of 500 meters at 32 degrees Celsius, as well as solar collectors.
Wellovar will be heated using solar energy from Bjelovar and warm water from Bilogora. There isn't a single gas pipe. Bjelovar's mayor, Dario Hrebak, emphasized that the City of Bjelovar, i.e., Terme Bjelovar, holds full ownership of all boreholes.
Ticket prices are still being determined, but the spa management has announced they will be 10 to 15 percent lower than competitors'. Of the nearly €42 million total, 40 percent comes from European funds, with the remainder secured through the City's loan.
Wellovar Thermal Spa director Zvonimir Žarec expects at least 200,000 visitors annually and believes the business could enable the loan to be repaid before the 15-year term.
Žarec explained that he believes the business will be so successful that the loan funds will be repaid within ten years, even though the plan was 15.
A key advantage will be transport connectivity, as an expressway is expected to reach Veliko Korenovo, right in front of the spa, next year.
Approximately 400,000 people will be within a 35 to 40-minute drive from Bjelovar. Hrebak said that those who doubt it can try to calculate it themselves.
Many believe the opening of the spa will bring significant changes to life in Bjelovar. Land prices in the surrounding area are already rising considerably, and private investors are showing interest in building hotels. Bjelovar boasts a long swimming tradition, with an Olympic-sized pool opened as early as 1932, right after Ljubljana.
