Tourist Camps and Prefabricated Structures Produced by Zagreb’s Jugomont for Istria and Kvarner during the 1950s and 1960s

Abstract

After World War II, tourism emerged as an integral component of planned economic and social development in socialist Yugoslavia. Introduction of guaranteed annual leave in 1946 prompted the state to facilitate accessible tourist accommodation. Tourist camps proliferated throughout Yugoslavia, particularly along the Adriatic coast, as a rapid and economical model for providing mass accommodation. In 1955, Croatia took the lead among Yugoslav republics in regulating campsite construction through the Law on Tourist Camping, specifying the type of terrain, accommodation standards, and technical requirements. Prefabricated housing systems were produced by the domestic wood industry, as well as the Jugomont factory in Zagreb, a manufacturer of panel prefabrication systems for mass housing. In 1961 and 1962, Jugomont delivered around two hundred prefabricated concrete panel structures to locations such as the island of Krk, Crikvenica, Mali Lošinj, and Poreč. The buildings were designed by Jugomont’s architects involved in advancing construction systems and technology. Construction of campsites became an important task and a much-discussed topic among the professionals. Nevertheless, Jugomont discontinued the production of prefabricated structures for tourism despite high demand, due to the unprofitability of further improving the technology of tourist accommodation.