The Presidential Palace (), also referred to by the

metonym Metonymy () is a figure of speech in which a concept is referred to by the name of something associated with that thing or concept. For example, the word "wikt:suit, suit" may refer to a person from groups commonly wearing business attire, such ...

Pantovčak, is the official workplace of the

president of Croatia The president of Croatia, officially the president of the Republic of Croatia (), is the head of state, commander-in-chief of the military and chief representative of the Republic of Croatia both within the country and abroad. The president ...

since late 1991, situated in Pantovčak,

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

. However, the president does not reside in the building and it is instead used to house the Office of the President, while the president continues to reside in his or her private residence during the duration of their term of office. Even so, welcoming ceremonies for visiting foreign dignitaries, state functions commemorating national holidays, and consultations with leaders of parliamentary parties during post-election government formation processes, among others, are all usually held at the palace. Furthermore, it has become somewhat customary for the outgoing president and the

president-elect An ''officer-elect'' is a person who has been elected to a position but has not yet been installed. Notably, a president who has been elected but not yet installed would be referred to as a ''president-elect'' (e.g. president-elect of the Un ...

to hold a bilateral meeting and a joint press conference in the palace on the former's last day in office, before his or her final departure from the palace grounds and the beginning of the latter's term of office at midnight. The structure covers and in the 2009

government budget A government budget is a projection of the government's revenues and expenditure for a particular period, often referred to as a financial or fiscal year, which may or may not correspond with the calendar year. Government revenues mostly incl ...

, it was allocated 54 million kuna ( 7.3 million

euro The euro (currency symbol, symbol: euro sign, €; ISO 4217, currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the ...

). As of May 2008, the office employed 170 staff with the maximum staffing level set at 191 by the Regulation on Internal Organisation of the Office of the President of Croatia.

History

The building, formerly known as ''Villa Zagorje'' or ''Tito's Villa'', was designed by architects

Vjenceslav Richter Vjenceslav Richter (; 8 April 1917 – 2 December 2002) was a Croatian architect. He was also known for his work in the fields of urbanism, sculpture, graphic arts, painting, and stage design. Career In 1949, Richter graduated at the Department ...

and and completed in 1964 for the former Yugoslav president

Josip Broz Tito Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito ( ; , ), was a Yugoslavia, Yugoslav communist revolutionary and politician who served in various positions of national leadership from 1943 unti ...

. It has been used as an official workplace (and formerly an official residence) since President

Franjo Tuđman Franjo Tuđman (14 May 1922 – 10 December 1999) was a Croatian politician and historian who became the first president of Croatia, from 1990 until his death in 1999. He served following the Independence of Croatia, country's independe ...

moved there following the October 1991

bombing of Banski dvori The bombing of the Banski Dvori () was a Yugoslav Air Force strike on the Banski Dvori in Zagreb—the official residence of the President of Croatia at the time of the Croatian War of Independence. The airstrike occurred on 7 October 1991, as ...

, the official presidential residence up to that point. In addition to the original building, there is also a annex built in 1993, an ancillary structure housing office security services and a

bomb shelter A bomb shelter is a structure designed to provide protection against the effects of a bomb. Types of shelter Different kinds of bomb Shelter (building), shelters are configured to protect against different kinds of attack and strengths of host ...

predating the 1990s.

Pantovčak forest

The forest and park surrounding the palace are inhabited by numerous types of animals, ranging from species native to parts of Croatia (

fallow deer Fallow deer is the common name for species of deer in the genus ''Dama'' of subfamily Cervinae. There are two living species, the European fallow deer (''Dama dama''), native to Europe and Anatolia, and the Persian fallow deer (''Dama mesopotamic ...

red deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or Hart (deer), hart, and a female is called a doe or hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Ir ...

foxes Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

, various

bats Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (). With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-out ...

squirrels Squirrels are members of the family (biology), family Sciuridae (), a family that includes small or medium-sized rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and ...

peregrine falcons The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known simply as the peregrine, is a cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family Falconidae renowned for its speed. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-grey back, barred white underpa ...

, stock doves, European tree frogs, European pond turtles) to those originating from more distant parts of the world (

bighorn sheep The bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis'') is a species of Ovis, sheep native to North America. It is named for its large Horn (anatomy), horns. A pair of horns may weigh up to ; the sheep typically weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates th ...

peacocks Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred to ...

). Of the species present on the complex grounds some are categorized as endangered. In early 2018 President

Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović (; born 29 April 1968) is a Croatian politician and diplomat who served as the president of Croatia from 2015 to 2020. She was the first woman to be elected to the office since the first multi-party elections in 1990 ...

announced plans to hand over a majority of the forest, currently a restricted area, to the

Government of Croatia The Government of Croatia (), formally the Government of the Republic of Croatia (), commonly abbreviated to Croatian Government (), is the main executive branch of government in Croatia. It is led by the Prime Minister of Croatia, president o ...

so that it may be turned into a forest park which would be freely accessible to the public.

In popular culture

The then-''Vila Zagorje'' was featured in the 1991

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

comedy film '' The Pope Must Die'', as the residence of fictional

mafia boss A crime boss, also known as a crime lord, mafia don, mob boss, kingpin, or godfather is the leader of a criminal organization. Description A crime boss has absolute or nearly absolute control over the other members of the organization and is ...

Vittorio Corelli.

Gallery

File:Predsjednicki dvori Zagreb glavni kolni ulaz.jpg, Main entrance to Presidential Palace compound. File:Boris Tadić & Stjepan Mesić 2007.jpg, President

Stjepan Mesić Stjepan "Stipe" Mesić (; born 24 December 1934) is a Croatia, Croatian lawyer and politician who served as the president of Croatia from 2000 to 2010. Before serving two five-year terms as president, he was Prime Minister of Croatia, prime minis ...

and

President of Serbia The president of Serbia (), officially styled as President of the Republic (), is the head of state of Serbia. The current officeholder is Aleksandar Vučić, who was elected in 2017 and has held the role since 31 May 2017. According to the C ...

Boris Tadić Boris Tadić, (born 15 January 1958) is a Serbian politician who served as the president of Serbia from 2004 to 2012. Born in Sarajevo, he graduated from the University of Belgrade with a degree in psychology. He later worked as a journalist ...

saluting an Honor Guard Battalion in front of the palace, 2007. File:Predsjednicki Dvori - Conference room.JPG, President

Josipović Josipović is a Croatian surname, a patronymic derived from ''Josip Josip () is a male given name largely found among Croats and Slovenes, a cognate of Joseph. In Croatia, the name Josip was the second most common masculine given name in the deca ...

chairing a meeting in the North Salon. File:Predvorje Predsjednički dvori.jpg, The lobby of the palace and its iconic staircase. File:Inside Predsjednički Dvori.jpg, The first floor of the lobby during the Tuđman presidency, 1995. File:Predsjednicki Dvori - Kabinet2.JPG, Office of the President during the presidency of

Ivo Josipović Ivo Josipović (; born 28 August 1957) is a Croatia, Croatian Academic staff, academic, jurist, composer, and politician who served as the president of Croatia from 2010 to 2015. Josipović entered politics as a member of the League of Communist ...

, 2010.

References

{{Commons category, Presidential Palace in Zagreb Buildings and structures completed in 1964 Buildings and structures in Zagreb

Gornji Grad–Medveščak Official residences in Croatia Yugoslav Croatian architecture