November the 25th, 2024 – It was once frequently referred to as one of the most impressive and significant architectural feats of the former Yugoslavia, but it has been left to the cruel hands of time. Meet the weird and wonderful Makarska “flying saucer” that nobody is quite sure what to do with.
As Morski writes, if you were to ask for the opinions of both art historians and architects, it’s likely they’d say that the Krvavica Children’s Resort near Makarska is one of the most significant works of socialist modern architecture. The former Yugoslavia was somewhat famous for its odd construction habits, usually labelled as “modernist”, and the Makarska “flying saucer” is one of many examples of this left to go to rack and ruin.
This enormous round complex, dubbed the Makarska “flying saucer”, can be found located right next to the coastline. This giant structure has been looted, destroyed, graffitied, polluted, and is now considered very dangerous to visit, according to a report from Index.
The Makarska “flying saucer” is now under the permanent protection of conservators and is registered in the Register of Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Croatia. Like many buildings of its type and time period, the powers that be seem unsure how to proceed with it. It’s an eyesore along the otherwise stunningly beautiful central Dalmatian coast and the famed Makarska Riviera, that’s for sure.
The Krvavica Resort was otherwise being used right up until the end of the 1980s. During the Homeland War in the 1990s, it was used to accommodate refugees and was under the administration of the Ministry of Defence.
“On May the 27th, 2002, the Krvavica Resort was handed over to the management of the then Croatian Privatisation Fund,” confirmed the Ministry of Defence. Following that handover, there was no longer any supervision being carried out over this odd yet very valuable building. The beginning of a long story of ruination and devastation that then befell Krvavica was set in motion.
The Makarska “flying saucer” is therefore today just another sad former Yugoslav building sitting along the Croatian coastline that nobody wants to even begin to tackle.
