- by croatiaweek
- April 20, 2026
- in
(Photo: Grad Zagreb)
The Mayor of Zagreb, Tomislav Tomašević, has presented a new wave of capital investments aimed at strengthening the city’s cultural infrastructure, with five major projects valued at around €23 million.
The initiatives, fully funded from the city budget, will deliver approximately 10,000 square metres of new, modern cultural and artistic space across the Croatian capital.
Five new cultural hubs
The newly announced projects include:
• Cultural-Art Centre Pluto
• Music Centre Tesarna in Gredelj
• Cultural Centre Jelkovec
• Intercultural Social Centre Trnje Market
• Draškovićeva Gallery
These developments will transform underused or unfinished buildings into vibrant cultural venues accessible to the public.
Mayor Tomašević emphasised that the goal is to make culture widely available and affordable, creating open spaces for community engagement while offering both established and emerging artists new opportunities to work and present their art.
Several projects focus on repurposing existing structures. A former factory on Branimirova Street will become a large gallery space, the city’s first contemporary kunsthalle, while Draškovićeva Street will gain a new municipal art gallery.
In the Gredelj complex, the protected Tesarna building will be converted into a concert and educational venue dedicated to new original music.
Meanwhile, the former market site in Trnje will host an intercultural centre with a gallery and smaller performance hall, and the Sopnica-Jelkovec district in Sesvete will receive a major cultural and community centre with a large hall and workshop facilities.
According to Emina Višnić, head of the City Office for Culture and Civil Society, the projects form part of Zagreb’s long-term cultural development plan, running from 2024 to 2030.
(Photo: Grad Zagreb)
The strategy promotes a participatory management model, encouraging collaboration between institutions, organisations, artists and local communities, with shared use of cultural spaces.
The new projects build on ongoing investments in major cultural sites, including the Paromlin complex, which will house a new central city library and social-cultural centre, along with the renovation of several key institutions.
Current cultural infrastructure projects under construction are valued at €209.1 million, with the majority funded through European Union sources.
(Photo: Grad Zagreb)
In addition to the €23 million announced, further projects worth €38.7 million are in preparation, including the reconstruction of several cultural centres and the restoration of Kino Tuškanac.
In total, Zagreb plans to invest more than €132 million in cultural capital projects between 2024 and 2030, reinforcing its position as a growing cultural hub in the region.