Mamutica - the small town
This huge apartment complex was built in 1974. in the eastern part of Novi Zagreb called Travno. The whole neighbourhood was a vision of the urbanist Miroslav Kollenz. He decided that 60% of the new quarter of Travno should be parks and areas for playing. In order to achieve that, a huge building was supposed to be built. Kollenz's vision was put into action by architects Đuro Mirković and Nevenka Postružnik.
In 1974. the building was finished.
It's about 250 meters long, 60 meters high and has 19 floors. There are 1263 apartments in the building and around 5000 people live here. More people live here than in some of the cities in Croatia. For example, more people live here than in cities like Hvar, Supetar, Opuzen or Novalja.
Urbanist Kollenz had the idea for the name of the building. In the past the whole area was covered by meadows so it was supposed to be named "Tratinčica" (Croatian word for daisy), but the residents named it "Mamutica" (the feminine of mammoth in Croatian). In fact, if you look at it, it does look a bit like a mammoth. The whole Mamutica has 100 000 square meters and 300 to 400 tons of concrete was used during the construction work back in the seventies.
Image credit: Zagreb Tourist Board
The whole complex is made out of two massive buildings – ''big'' Mamutica and "little" Mamutica. Together, they have nine entrances, six of them are at ''big'' Mamutica and three of them at "little" Mamutica. Every entrance has over 120 apartments. Also, the buildings have 256 garages, but the most interesting part is, of course, the unique lifestyle that Mamutica brings with itself.
Novi Zagreb part of the town is an example of rational and functional architecture. It means that everything you could ever need in everyday life is just a few steps away from your apartment. From grocery shops, post offices, schools, nurseries...everything is close at hand.
Mamutica in the quarter of Travno is the best example of this kind of architecture. It has 24 premises at its plateau level. Residents consider the plateau as some kind of the Mamutica's living room or even a central square. They meet here, hang around, drink coffee in one of the many cafes or just sit on a bench and talk. At the plateau level, you can find a library, hairdresser salon, cafes, all kinds of shops, pharmacy...all the ingredients for everyday life are here!
In the southwestern corner of the complex, many pensioners play boules. There used to be vegetable gardens in some areas around the building, but open spaces are now all transformed into parks.
Image credit: Zagreb Tourist Board
When you look at Mamutica building, it may seem that the apartments are pretty small and uncomfortable. Well, believe it or not, that's not the case! Apartments are, actually, very spacious, full of light, of high quality construction and tailored for everyday life. The average size of an apartment with two bedrooms is 60 square meters. People often move so the circulation of the residents is frequent.
In the past, when the neighbours were closer, they threw New Year's Eve parties in the halls of the building. Today, life is faster, even in Mamutica, so the neighbours often don't know each other. But, they are inevitably connected by sharing the unique experience of life in this unique concrete complex. Remember, Mamutica is not just a building – it's a lifestyle!
Header image credit: Zagreb Tourist Board
Author: Dora Kršul