Zagreb’s Vjesnik tower to be demolished after fire

The news in Croatian

1. srušiti
   uništiti ili dovesti nešto do pada tako da više ne stoji uspravno ↩︎
2. oštećen
   kojemu je nanesena šteta, koji više nije čitav ili ispravan ↩︎
3. neboder  (m.)
   vrlo visoka, mnogokatna stambena ili poslovna zgrada ↩︎
4. stradati
   pretrpjeti štetu ili ozljedu zbog neke nesreće ili lošeg događaja ↩︎
5. konstrukcija  (f.)
   glavni nosivi dio neke zgrade ili predmeta, način na koji je nešto izgrađeno ↩︎
6. urušavanje  (n.)
   rušenje ili padanje nečega prema dolje, obično zato što je oslabljeno ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: Why is Slavonska Avenue closed?

Question 2: What are the police investigating after the fire in the Vjesnik tower?

Vocabulary

Croatian	English
srušiti	to demolish
oštećen	damaged
neboder  (m.)	skyscraper
stradati	to be damaged / to suffer damage
konstrukcija  (f.)	structure
urušavanje  (n.)	collapse

Read the full story

The Croatian authorities have decided that the badly damaged Vjesnik office tower in Zagreb will be demolished after a major fire left its structure at risk of collapse. The high-rise, a well-known former media and office building beside Slavonska Avenue, suffered extensive damage in a blaze that spread across several floors.

The decision followed a series of technical inspections and measurements carried out inside the building. Experts from the Croatian Centre for Earthquake Engineering (HCPI), the Faculty of Civil EngineeringLARICS robotics laboratory at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing worked together, supported by the technology company Avyonx. Their joint report concluded that the tower’s load‑bearing structure has been seriously weakened.

According to HCPI engineers, the fire caused high temperatures that led to cracks in concrete elements, the chipping and falling off of parts of columns and walls, and particular damage to the eastern side of the tower. Photographs taken inside show charred columns, blackened walls and visible fissures in the structural elements. Experts warn that the remains of the building are now also exposed to rain, snow, moisture and frost, which can further degrade the concrete and increase the risk of a partial or total collapse.

After a meeting between the Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets, representatives of the City of Zagreb, HCPI engineers and emergency services, Minister Branko Bačić confirmed that the tower must be removed and that this should happen as quickly as possible. He stated that demolition is necessary both because of the danger of the building falling and to allow safer traffic organisation in the area.

Since the fire, Slavonska Avenue and an underpass next to the building have remained closed to traffic due to safety concerns. Temporary works are under way to widen alternative routes so that vehicles can bypass the area while the situation around Vjesnik is being resolved. The authorities have not yet announced a detailed demolition timetable, but experts stress that waiting too long would increase the risk to people and infrastructure nearby.

Both the minister and structural engineers emphasise that the interior of the tower is now a high‑risk environment. Before demolition, investigators and other services still need to carry out an on‑site inspection. However, according to HCPI, no full guarantee of safety can be given for those entering the building, and anyone who goes inside must do so for a very short time and at their own responsibility. This warning reflects the seriousness of the structural damage identified in the monitoring.

Alongside the engineering assessments, the authorities are also investigating the cause of the fire. The State Attorney’s Office has reported that two 18‑year‑old suspects are being held in investigative custody on suspicion of causing the blaze and posing a risk of repeating a criminal offence. According to the official statement, there is a reasonable suspicion that on 17 November 2025, on one of the upper floors of the Vjesnik building, cardboard boxes filled with paper were set on fire, leading to the rapid spread of flames across several levels and causing large‑scale property damage.

Croatian media, quoting unnamed sources, have reported that a group of young people may have entered the abandoned tower as part of an alleged social media challenge. These suggestions have not been officially confirmed in detail by investigators and remain part of wider media coverage of the incident rather than formal findings.

The Vjesnik building, once a symbol of the Croatian press and a familiar landmark for residents and visitors, is now awaiting controlled demolition. For many in Zagreb, the loss of this high‑rise marks the end of a visible chapter in the city’s modern architectural history, while the focus of the authorities remains on securing the location and preventing any further accidents.

Info: ‘Croatian Learner News’ is a service from ‘Let’s Learn Croatian’, a Croatia language school that offers various types of online Croatian courses. We focus on helping learners develop their Croatian language skills in a structured and accessible way.