Croatia to get its own Fort Knox.
The Ministry of Defence and Croatian National Bank are negotiating on the sale of 170,000 square metres of land at the “Croatia” military barracks in Zagreb. Croatian National Bank would build a new central vault at the site, reports Jutarnji List on october 21, 2015. For the last six years, Croatian National Bank has been looking for the most suitable location for the new vault. The Ministry of Defence wants to sell the plot situated in the northern part of the barracks, and defence minister Ante Kotromanović has repeatedly said that the Ministry does not need the plot for the military. Last year, the Ministry gave a proposal to the city planning commission for a part of the barracks to be converted from a special purpose area to a mixed-use area, which was a prerequisite for the sale of the plot. This proposal has been accepted by the City of Zagreb.
On the part of the land today there are several dozen deer which the former chief of General Staff general Josip Lucić brought there from Brijuni islands, while the rest of the plot is unused. The plot is ideal for the needs of Croatian National Bank. It is outside of the city centre, but is well connected by road with the airport. The security could be provided jointly with the rest of the barracks. Croatian National bank announced in January 2009 a tender for purchase of a plot between 40,000 and 100,000 square metres. At the time, the Bank received 25 bids, but asking prices per square metre were astronomical.
Bank governor at the time Željko Rohatinski was under great pressure to accept one of the offers, but at the end the project was suspended. Even then, the entire project was named Croatian Fort Knox (after the impenetrable military fortress which houses US gold reserves). Central vault of Croatian National Bank is currently located in the centre of Zagreb, two floors below ground. Although it meets all the current requirements, it is an inappropriate location for the future. According to unofficial information, the new central vault would be the regional centre for the distribution of euros in this part of the world. Also, it would distribute cash to banks, shopping malls and everybody else.
According to estimates, the Ministry of Defence could receive between 1.7 and 3.4 million euros for the plot. The money would be used for several military construction projects. Even after the sale of the plot, the Ministry of Defence and the Army would still continue to use the rest of the “Croatia” barracks.
