Dubrovnik unveils a EU-funded student dormitory

The 216-million kunas project is expected to improve the quality of student life and decrease costs of living

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković inaugurated on Monday a new student dormitory in Dubrovnik. The facility worth 216 million kunas (about 28.5 million euros), partially funded by the EU, is regarded as a key to a higher quality of life for students and reduced study costs in the Croatian seaport.

Dubrovnik is a student-friendly city

During the inauguration, the Prime Minister explained that science and education and investing in young people, including students, is a central priority for the country’s development. He also underlined that in the last couple of years the Government has invested over 1.3 billion kunas for the construction of ten student dorms.

The Mayor of Dubrovnik Mato Franković, who also attended the official event, emphasized that the project is the result of synergy between the City, County, Government and the University of Dubrovnik. In particular, on top of EU funding, the City of Dubrovnik co-financed the construction of the home in the amount of HRK 30 million.

"In this mandate, after more than 30 years, we have built a school, a kindergarten and this extremely important facility. Until 2017, the city government counted EU funds superfluous, and since 2017 we have been actively using them.

First in investing in a dormitory, then in the reconstruction of the Lazaret and communal infrastructure. We have contracted one billion kuna in non-refundable funds," Mayor Franković was quoted saying by the municipal website.

Other guests to the ceremony pointed to the importance of the dorm for the further development of the University, as well as for the reduced study costs and facilitated access to higher education.

The director of the Dubrovnik Student Centre, Marko Potrebica, spoke about the efforts it took to finally realize the project, pointing out the essential financial assistance by the European Union. In particular, out of the total of 216 million kunas, 151 million is a European grant under the "Competitiveness and Cohesion" operational programme.

The new student dormitory has 254 accommodation units on four floors and can accommodate 503 students, of which 290 socially disadvantaged and five students with disabilities, as well as a reception, a kitchenette, a student restaurant, a student club, a fitness centre, a multipurpose hall, common rooms, laundry rooms and an underground garage with 179 parking spaces.