Split is reviving plans for a public harbour with 700 community berths and a large aquarium. The first competition has been announced, but no current detailed development plan has been adopted and funding is not secured.
What Split wants to accommodate in Duilovo
For the coastal area east of Žnjan, the current presentation describes a public harbour covering almost 280,000 square metres of water and around 120,000 square metres of land. It envisages 700 community berths and 250 to 300 berths for business or commercial use.
The programme also includes service and slipway areas, halls, travel lifts, public spaces, restaurants and an aquarium. Port authority director Domagoj Maroević cited 12,000 square metres for the aquarium; another recent account gives around 10,000. The discrepancy points to a programme that is still evolving, not to two construction sizes that have already been fixed.
A public harbour, not a private megayacht marina
Since its 2021 amendment, the county plan has designated Duilovo as a public harbour of county importance. That distinguishes the project from a purely private tourist marina.
The term ‘megayacht marina’ appears in reports but does not accurately reflect the main focus. Of the roughly 1,000 berths, 700 are intended for community use. That does not yet create a right to apply: allocation rules, waiting lists and fees have not been published.
The first competition is intended to explore the area
The next announced step is an architectural and urban-planning competition for the coastal strip and the area north of the road. The northern section in particular is to be explored so that the findings can feed into amendments to the general plan.
As of 26 September, neither the Croatian Chamber of Architects nor the Association of Architects of Split had published a new Duilovo call in its competition listings. An earlier forecast that the competition would begin in mid-July must therefore not be presented as an actual launch.
Several stages still separate the design from construction
After the first urban-planning result, the general plan and detailed development plan must be aligned. The Split GUP listed by the city as currently in force is still based on the 2006 master plan with amendments through 2014; a new adaptation draft is not yet a final decision.
Earlier decisions on detailed plans for northern and southern Duilovo ceased to apply. The city's current overview does not list a newly adopted UPU for the overall project. Only after that planning stage are separate competitions for elements such as the harbour and aquarium, permits, funding, procurement and construction expected to follow.
€150 million is not a contract value
A rough minimum estimate of around €150 million has circulated for the overall project. The port authority said joint funding from the city, the state and European funds would be necessary.
That does not establish an approved overall financing decision, a construction contract or a reliable cost framework. The port authority's project overview also does not list Duilovo as an active construction project.
Any opening date given today would be invented
Without a published first competition, an adopted UPU, permits, environmental procedures, funding and procurement, no credible start-of-construction or completion date can be stated. Visible work on the promenade or wastewater infrastructure nearby consists of separate projects and is not evidence that the harbour project has begun.
The next verifiable milestones are a registered competition and formal GUP and UPU decisions, followed by individual competitions and financing decisions. Only when those documents exist will the programme become a project capable of obtaining permits.
Faktatilanne
Lähteet ja päiväys
Lähteet tukevat faktoja. Suunnitteluohjeet ja suositukset ovat Golden Beachin toimituksellisia arvioita.
- Between Žnjan and Duilovo, Split will gain a large harbourAdministrative Department for Tourism and Maritime Affairs of Split-Dalmatia County · 23 January 2026; checked 26 September 2026Programme, areas, berth allocation and rough cost estimate
- Amendments to Split's General Urban Plan – explanationCity of Split · Draft for repeated public consultation; checked 26 September 2026Planned adjustment of harbour use; draft rather than adopted status
- Split GUP – plan in forceCity of Split · checked 26 September 2026General plan in force and previous amendments
- Plans in preparationCity of Split · checked 26 September 2026Official overview of ongoing planning procedures; no current Duilovo UPU listed
- Competitions assigned a registration numberCroatian Chamber of Architects · checked 26 September 2026Competition register; no new Duilovo competition by the review date
- Split has neglected spatial planning: Duilovo is following Žnjan's pathDalmatinski portal · 22 September 2026Press-conference statements on areas, berths, the aquarium and the planned process
