Split Resident Sparks Controversy by Calling Renovated Žnjan a "Mess"
While some praise the new look of Split's beach, others warn of a lack of shade and crowds, and the debate has moved to Reddit.
While some praise the new look of Split's beach, others warn of a lack of shade and crowds, and the debate has moved to Reddit.
The renovated Split beach Žnjan continues to be a hot topic of debate among residents. The latest discussion was sparked by a Reddit user who summed up their experience at this popular location in two words: "Žnjan is a mess."
The author of the post complained about several issues they encountered during several evening swims. "In the last few days, around 6 PM, I go to Žnjan to take a dip, and this is chaos," they wrote, listing as main grievances the difficulty of finding a parking spot, the lack of natural shade, and the unusual location of the children's playground on the roof of a garage. They also believe the beach should be replenished with more sand. They concluded their criticism with: "Anyway, that's my short rant, it's awful to me."
The post quickly drew numerous reactions, with a large portion of commenters believing the author exaggerated. "Imagine going to the most famous beach in Split and there's no parking? Well, it's like that for you and everyone else. Come later and you'll find a spot," one user told them, adding that the playgrounds are being used and that the sun is already low by that time of day.
Others pointed out that many visitors aren't even aware of all the amenities. "80 percent of people who come to Žnjan don't know there's an underground garage with a thousand parking spaces," one commenter wrote.
Those who believe the renovated Žnjan is a major step forward for Split also joined the discussion. "As someone from Zadar, I think Žnjan is a total gem, both for swimming and running. I wish we had something like that," one user wrote. A Split resident shared a similar opinion: "When I hear people say it was better before and that everything is concrete now, I can't help but marvel at how beautiful it is. I always find parking, I swim every day, both morning and afternoon. Besides, there's also a bus."
Although many defended the new look of Žnjan, a large number of commenters agreed on one key criticism, that the promenade and beach still chronically lack shade. "It's a scorching concrete jungle. I have no desire to go for a walk down there until late autumn because everything is baking hot," one user complained.
They received a response that greenery has already been planted, but it will take time to grow. "There are trees, they're just still small. They planted the largest ones possible. It's not like a game where you can speed up their growth with diamonds. There are canopies on the beaches, and additional sand replenishment would only cause damage," another commenter explained.
Another visitor shared a positive experience from early July: "I came around 1 PM and there was plenty of parking. Everything looks great and we had a wonderful time. I just wish there were a few more affordable places to grab a bite. A hundred times better than the dilapidated Bačvice and Ovčice. Split is top, you just don't know what you have."
