Alen Rako / glasistrenovine.hr

February 12, 2022 – Stancija Grande near Stara Savudrija, one of the most beautiful historic residential objects in Istria, is about to be renovated and transformed into a luxury tourist destination

Namely, the estate in northwestern Istria is to be transformed into an exclusive tourist resort and golf course, as planned in the project launched in 2006. As reported by Glas Istre, the investment is worth between 80 and 90 million euros, and is divided between two companies, Golf Stancija doo and Golf Hotel Savudrija doo, so that the project can be managed more easily.

The estate covers some 70 hectares, where investors plan to build an 18-hole golf course, a five-star hotel with a capacity of 200 beds and catering facilities. The flagship of the estate, the 19th century palace in neoclassical style, also known as Villa Cesare, will house the resort’s most luxurious accommodation.

The project is led by the same management team that successfully implemented the Skipper project, the construction of the Kempinski hotel and the golf course in Savudrija (Crveni Vrh).

“The business plan designed, financed and launched by the Pelagius doo company in 2006 was abandoned a few years ago for objective reasons, and we are starting from scratch. It is important to emphasize that this project has nothing to do with the massive construction of apartments on the coast and is subject to the supervision of the authorities that deal with historical and cultural heritage,” said Ljubica Marfan, member of the board of directors of Golf Stancija doo

Stancija Grande was taken by the army during World War II and has been in ruins since the 1980s.

The magnificent estate is finally on the verge of being restored to its original grandeur thanks to the new development project.

‘Stancija Grande was built in the 19th century as the estate of the Fabris family, the Counts of Begliano of Friuli. At the end of the 19th century it was sold to landowner Alfredo Cesare and his family, who restored it at the turn of the 20th century, hence its other popular name Villa Cesare. It is interesting to note that the Cesare family was the initiator of tourism in these regions at the beginning of the 20th century, having owned two villas, Villa Lotte near Stara Savudrija and Villa Ziani near Valfontana, the latter being built exclusively for tourism purposes. With our project, we will essentially restore the ruined building of Stancija Grande to its historical splendour, but in a new tourist edition, with regard to the continuity of tourist development in these areas,” Marfan said.

The architectural integrity of the building, as well as its layout, will be preserved according to strict conservation rules, the estate integrating perfectly into the overall landscape.

According to Marfan, negotiations have been started with the Four Seasons to manage the new luxury property. The hotel chain is said to have entered the Croatian market several times, but has not yet done so, so investors now hope to convince them with their project in Istria.

A new golf course, considered one of the most beautiful golf courses in Europe, will be built in the area between Stancija Grande and the new hotel, approximately two kilometers from the coast. Marfan specifies that it is above all a greenfield project that is very respectful of the environment, as reported by Glas Istre in a more detailed dossier.

“The whole project is developed based on the principles of sustainable development and using state-of-the-art technology. For golf courses, this includes the desalination of seawater for course maintenance purposes, the use of solar energy for electricity generation and the installation of glass facades with integrated devices for the storage and conversion of solar energy. We also plan to install water-purifying toilets where possible, in an effort to save water,” Marfan said.

The golf course was designed by Diethard Fahrenleitner from St. Johann in Tirol, the architect who previously designed the golf course for the aforementioned Kempinski resort in Istria. It is a rather picturesque place; the coastline is nearby, and investors plan to plant olive groves and vines along the route in a nod to the estate’s history: Stancija Grande was once a combination of a residential estate used by the owner and his guests, and an agricultural estate which employed the local population.

Last fall, Miro Oblak sold the project managed by the Pelagius company to the Swiss Konrad Ackermann. Marfan explained that Croatia has become a very attractive holiday destination for Switzerland over the past two years, and as such attractive for Swiss investors. Istria occupies the first place due to its geostrategic position, that is, its proximity, but also for its hospitality and its natural beauty which justify the confidence of the growing number of guests who choose the Istrian peninsula as their vacation destination.

It also seduced Ackermann who decided on this commercial partnership. “In addition to their own capital, they will also invest credit funds as they cooperate with the two largest Swiss banks UBS and Credit Suisse. The directors of these banks have already visited us and are happy with the plans we presented,” said Marfan, adding that the company absolutely believes in their vision for the new elite resort in Savudrija.