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ZAGREBAČKA Ilica is known as the longest street in Zagreb, a busy place that attracts tourists and locals alike, primarily because of the numerous cafes and shops. It is a part of the city known for its hustle and bustle, but the differences from Jelačić Square to Vrapče are drastic.
We walked along the entire Ilica to record and photograph the condition, but also talked to people who live, work or regularly walk there in order to see the once vibrant urban center through their eyes.
The upper part of Ilica towards the square
On the stretch from Frankopanska, where it is also very lively and has everything, from shops to theaters, all the way to the main square, Ilica looks lively. People are walking, shopping, and shops are open, many of them have been there for years. There are almost no empty or stained or neglected business premises.
Ilica from Britanski trg towards Črnomerac
However, on the stretch from Britanski trg towards Črnomerac, there are fewer and fewer decorated shop windows, there are no crowds in cafes, and no smell of flowers. Here, Ilica is empty, business premises are closed and so neglected that it is clear to every passer-by that there is no interest in that part.
Unfortunately, the employees of shops and other establishments in that part of Ilica were not particularly talkative. Most were overworked. But those who managed to spare a few minutes noticed that businesses were constantly opening and closing, but they didn’t pay much attention to it.
“Apart from going to work and from work, I don’t really notice what’s going on here,” said one of them. What was striking to them was that smaller businesses and coffee shops were closing en masse and being replaced.
Thus, the manager of a travel agency, which operates on that stretch of Ilica towards Črnomerac, said that during the eight years she has been working there, she has noticed how something is constantly opening and closing, regardless of a pandemic or an earthquake, and she is already used to it. .
“There was a cafe across the street. It closed. Then a restaurant came in its place and it closed. And now there’s nothing there. That’s something I see all this time,” she said. “Bars open and close, but I haven’t noticed that there are any rules. Even a few of them have opened recently. But I can’t say that I don’t know, as much as I notice, I only come here for work.”
She noticed that smaller businesses are closing more often, as well as that many are simply moving to another location. “That’s why Q’Art exists, to revive this part of the city.”
An employee of a local bakery, which is visited by residents of Ilica every day, noticed that more shops started to close after the earthquake. “They started to close before, but I think more of them closed after the earthquake. Demand dropped, but I think that’s normal. People left, moved away. But I don’t know if it’s because of the earthquake or because of big chains and shopping – center”. In any case, she noticed that those who leave en masse are small businesses, not larger stores.
Moving, inflation, high rental prices: “There are several factors”
Passers-by had a little more time for us. Many of them regularly pass Ilica and have noticed that their once favorite places for shopping and entertainment are disappearing. They believe that renting office space is too expensive, in line with the rising price of renting residential space. They also agreed that the general poor financial condition of citizens also contributed to the decline of numerous cafes, restaurants and shops.
“There are several factors, in my opinion. Rent prices have jumped. A lot of craftsmen who worked and repaired things no longer exist because it’s easier to just buy mass-produced, cheaper and new. On the other hand, there are more and more shopping centers that are more accessible because they are closed, air-conditioned and with large, accessible and free parking, which is problematic in the center,” said one passer-by.
He also believes that there is mostly an elderly population living near Ilica “who are not creditworthy, although the younger ones are not swimming in money either.” In addition, he believes that due to the high rent prices, people are constantly moving from one part of the city to another, therefore they do not have close relationships with their neighbors, and therefore do not go to nearby cafes and restaurants.
As he works from home, he also noticed that since then he socializes differently with close people: “Corona has introduced mass work from home, which has partially remained or turned into a hybrid. People are no longer in the habit of hanging out after work.”
Other younger passers-by also remembered the lockdown period, which they believe changed the habits of citizens. “I think that due to inflation, people decide less and less to afford a two-euro coffee, when for the same money they drink four at home,” added a young passer-by.
He pointed out that it is difficult for local people to pay for the maintenance of the space. “The money goes to companies outside the country, which means that there is less circulation locally. I also think that Bandić favored the locals and the like, and even then they barely made ends meet.”
Another passer-by blamed the rising real estate prices and rents for the deterioration of certain establishments along the Ilica.
“I assume that considering real estate prices, which have gone up even like this, that the rent of premises in the center is more expensive than ever, and if they manage to rent something, then their own prices would have to skyrocket to even cover the costs, let alone and by raising prices they automatically lose customers,” she pointed out and added that she likes to sit in a cafe, but she no longer has that habit. She lost it, she says, during the pandemic, due to which catering establishments were closed.
We were also stopped by an entrepreneur whose business premises are not located in Ilica, who briefly and clearly said: “I think that the rent prices, the lack of interest in visiting shops in the area, is mostly due to shopping centers. To entrepreneurs who rent premises in that area is probably very difficult to survive.”
Too high taxes have destroyed small entrepreneurs?
Our older interlocutors also blamed the high rental prices, but they also took issue with the policy that they believe works against small entrepreneurs. One of them was a former member of the local board, and he believes that the problem is that the local communities have no influence on who gets what space. “I’ve lived here since ’78, and I just watch every bar close,” he said.
“The space should be given for 1 euro and for the first year these people should be freed from the levy. The city does not have to earn anything in that year, they do not need it. They should be given more freedom to get back on their feet in the first year, because this is too fast they are closing. The rent is too expensive, and they can’t make any profit while they are new and have all these levies”.
He added that the parties lease attractive locations that they do not need: “They don’t need this kind of space, they need office space. The parties have reserved it for themselves, for some reason it is in their interest to have them because everything that comes too quickly collapses”.
A retired woman who spent her working life in a bank agrees with him: “At first everything was closed, you weren’t allowed to talk to anyone, you weren’t allowed to go to the hairdresser’s even in small shops. That’s when it really started. After that came the earthquake and destroyed the buildings where these small shops were, they got red stickers and they couldn’t work anymore.”
She pointed out that on top of all that, last year there was also a ban on working on Sundays. “All this time, these same small entrepreneurs were not exempted from paying all possible taxes, which are otherwise too high. They had no income, and the help they received was a drop in the bucket. They were all expelled in a nice way, and their space bought by big players.”
She also said that for many, the products of small stores are too expensive and that customers are increasingly going to large retail chains that import cheaper products. Inflation is high, and citizens’ purchasing power is poor. “In general, we live very poorly, and we spend most of our money on food and rent, so we choose as cheaply as possible.”
“I have an acquaintance who is a florist, with whom I talked about the closing of flower shops, there are fewer and fewer kiosks, and she told me that everything started in 2007, when Sanader first announced that we were in a recession,” she continued. “And she said that then those houses began to be closed en masse because people could not survive, everything was too expensive for them and they had no choice.”
Shopping centers are more attractive to most customers
The closer we get to the end of Ilica, and in the direction of Vrapč, it is clear that the difference is dramatic compared to the part from the square to Frankopanska. The question arises why the decay is visible precisely on the stretch from Britanski trg to Črnomerec.
Passers-by and a real estate agent think it’s because of a bad pedestrian zone. Neither tourists nor the people of Zagreb have the desire to move around a part of the city that is not suitable for them. “The area around the Square is accessible and full of tourists who make money, hardly any tourist goes up to a Briton, let alone a Black American,” said the young passer-by at the beginning of the story.
“In principle, people are increasingly going from the city to shopping centers because there they can get everything from food, cinema, entertainment, shops. Everything is in one place. You go to the city to go to a store and you don’t have such a large selection as in the centers.” said the real estate agent.
“In the shopping center you have a hundred shops, and if you don’t find something in the city, you have to get back in the car and go further. And the part from Britanski Square and beyond, these are all second-hand shops, there are no quality pedestrian zones and people who they live there. A good pedestrian zone goes to Frankopanska, a little further to Britanc and that’s it.”
