February 19, 2026 | 5:30 PM
02/26
Dubravka Vranić, PhD
/ FORMA studio /
Andrija Mutnjaković, Member of the Academy
/ Architect /
Prof. Branko Kincl, Member of the Academy
/ Architect /
Prof. Krešimir Ivaniš
/ Architect /
Ivona Jerković
/ Grgurević & partneri d.o.o. /
Prof. Valentina Gulin Zrnić, PhD
/ Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Research /
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How Can Architects’ Actions Be Political?
The lecture reveals how the Krleža Circle, including architects from the interwar Zemlja group, pushed forward the construction of the Brodarski Institute—and, consequently, Novi Zagreb—by leveraging urban informality, that is, the absence of formal urban plans. In Zagreb, which for centuries served as the capital of a nation without a state, the Croatian elite had learned to use “grey zones” to promote urban development as an instrument of nation- and state-building. In postwar ethnocratic Yugoslavia, Zagreb again found itself in a grey zone due to the lack of a formal urban plan, which the Krleža Circle recognized as an opportunity to initiate intensive development that would strengthen the city economically and enhance Croatia’s influence within Yugoslavia. They devised an informal plan to expand Zagreb south of the Sava River into previously undeveloped areas. This plan was implemented in three phases, each aligned with historical and political changes, suggesting that Novi Zagreb was not only an urban project but also a political one.
The lecture is based on a chapter from the doctoral research of Dr. Dubravka Vranić, “Architecture, Power, and Politics in Novi Zagreb”, conducted at the Faculty of Architecture in Ljubljana under the supervision of Prof. Tadej Glažar and Prof. Tahl Kaminer (Cardiff University).
Participants:
The discussion will be moderated by Prof. Dr. sc. Valentina Gulin Zrnić, urban anthropologist, senior research associate at the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Research, and associate professor at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb.
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Damir Mance
Tomislav Stašić
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Seats are limited, so please reserve your spot here. Admission is free!