StenjevecBetween the railway and the Sava, from Zagrebačka cesta to Škorpikova: Špansko, Malešnica and Jankomir

Stenjevec at a glance

• Residents (2021 Census)³⁴53,862
• Households renting³⁵7.9%
• Area³⁸12.2 km²
• Neighbourhoods in our guide5
• Local committees³⁹6

Rents are asking prices from active listings on NajamStanova; residents and renting come from the 2021 Census. Households renting are those paying a market rent.

Where Stenjevec is

Stenjevec is a city district in the west of Zagreb, between the Zagreb – Ljubljana railway to the north and the Sava to the south. From east to west it runs from Zagrebačka cesta to Škorpikova ulica.^12,13 Its neighbours are Podsused – Vrapče and Črnomerec to the north, Trešnjevka – sjever to the east, Trešnjevka – jug to the south-east and Novi Zagreb – zapad to the south, across the Sava.^12,13,2 The whole district is flat, and the lower courses of the Dubravica, Medpotoki, Vrapčak and Kustošak streams cross it into the Sava.^12,13

In the west the border follows the west side of Ulica Velimira Škorpika, from the Sava across Samoborska cesta to the railway. In the north it follows the railway: on its south side as far as Mangartska ulica, then on its north side, beside Aleja grada Bologne, then from Topolčica along the middle of the Aleja to Ilica, and on along the north side of the railway to Zagrebačka cesta.^3,2 In the east the border is the east side of Zagrebačka cesta, down to the junction with Zagrebačka avenija. From there it runs along the south side of Zagrebačka avenija to Ljubljanska avenija, down Ulica Ivana Matetića Ronjgova and Svilkovići odvojak, and along the cadastral boundary to the Sava.³ In the south it follows the southern bank of the Sava, so along this stretch the whole width of the river belongs to the district.^3,2

Neighbourhoods in the Stenjevec district

• StenjevecAn old village round a Baroque church on a Roman site; the church, the old square and the Stenjevec – jug committee area are here.Stenjevec neighbourhood guide
• ŠpanskoA neighbourhood of large 1980s blocks of flats, with streets named after Croatian poets and the Špansko – Oranice estate, begun in 2004.Špansko neighbourhood guide
• MalešnicaAn estate of blocks of flats planned in 1986–1987 on the model of the Lower Town city block, beside an older area of family houses.Malešnica neighbourhood guide
• KustošijaFamily houses along the Kustošak brook, the railway and Grmoščica forest; Donja Kustošija is here, the other two committee areas in Črnomerec.Kustošija neighbourhood guide
• VrapčeAn old Kaptol village on the Vrapčak stream, with St Barbara's church; only Vrapče – jug, the part south of the railway, is here.Vrapče neighbourhood guide

District council and local committees

Zagreb's 17 city districts were created by the City Statute of 14 December 1999.^4,5 Their borders and seats are set by the decision on district borders and seats of 26 February 2009, amended in 2017 and 2020. The 2020 amendment gave Stenjevec a new boundary description, and the consolidated text has applied since 12 November 2020.^1,2,3 The district's local committees (mjesni odbori) were set up in February 2009.^9,11 The district council elected in 2025 has 19 members and first met on 27 June 2025.^6,7 The district and its local office are based at Sigetje 2, the same address as the seat of the Podsused – Vrapče district.^1,2,8

In the late 1940s the area belonged to the Zagreb kotar (county) but not to the city. Parts of it joined Zagreb at the very end of 1949, as the city rajon (ward) of Stenjevec.^9,10 From 1952 Jankomir, Opatovina and Stenjevec belonged to the municipality of Stenjevec, and Špansko to the municipality of Vrapče.⁹ From 1974 to the end of 1990 today's Stenjevec and Podsused – Vrapče districts formed the city municipality of Susedgrad.^10,9

6 local committees (mjesni odbori) in Stenjevec: Donja Kustošija, Malešnica, Stenjevec - jug, Špansko - jug, Špansko - sjever, Vrapče - jug.³⁹

People in the Stenjevec district

At the 2021 Census, 53,862 people lived in the Stenjevec district in 21,043 households. 1,652 households, or 7.9%, paid a market rent (Zagreb: 7.7%). The average household had 2.6 members.^34,35

The district covers 12.2 km², about 4,400 people per square kilometre (Zagreb average: 1,196).³⁸

Its parts: what is where in the Stenjevec district

Two thirds of the district are built up. The east is mainly residential, while the north-west is given over to business: until recently factories, now more and more shops, services and workshops.^12,13 The south is mostly uninhabited, apart from Savska Opatovina, with fields, a waterworks well field and woodland along the Sava embankment. South of Ljubljanska avenija the city plan (GUP) sets a water-protection zone.^12,13

In 1857 today's district held just two villages, Stenjevec with 84 people and Špansko with 111. The first push to settlement came from the Zagreb – Zidani Most railway, built in 1862, and families in the south lived from market gardening and supplied western Zagreb with vegetables.^9,10 In the 1950s one of Zagreb's most important industrial zones grew up in Jankomir, with firms such as Končar, Jedinstvo and Jugorapid. According to the City, most of those large companies have since given way to smaller private firms, mainly in services.^9,12

The district changed most in the 1980s, when large housing estates went up in Malešnica and Špansko.⁹ The local-history site Nepoznati Zagreb calls those two the core of the district.¹⁴ Building carried on afterwards. In the June 2024 draft amendments to the city plan, City planners cite the Jankomir – Malešnica plan area as a bad example, because roads and public facilities did not keep pace with intensive housing construction, although they had been planned.¹⁵

The district shares three neighbourhoods with its neighbours. Of Stenjevec, the old part round the church, the Stenjevec – jug committee area, is here, while Stenjevec – sjever and Gornji Stenjevec are in Podsused – Vrapče. Of Vrapče and Kustošija, only the parts south of the railway belong here, the Vrapče – jug and Donja Kustošija committee areas.^11,12

Jankomir

The area along Jankomir street, in the Stenjevec – jug committee area, where a large industrial zone grew up in the 1950s.^11,9 Klinika za psihijatriju Sveti Ivan (a psychiatric hospital) is at Jankomir 11.^24,12 ZET's bus terminal there carries the name too.²⁰

Savska Opatovina

A cluster of houses by the Sava, the only inhabited part of the otherwise mostly empty south of the district.^12,13 In the 2009 street lists, the house numbers of Savska Opatovina are split between the Stenjevec – jug and Špansko – jug committee areas.¹¹ From 1952 the settlement of Opatovina belonged, with Jankomir and Stenjevec, to the municipality of Stenjevec.⁹

Stara loza

The southern part of the district by the Sava, mostly without houses, with farmland, a waterworks well field and woodland along the Sava embankment.^12,13 The streets Stara loza and Štrokinec belong to the Stenjevec – jug committee area.¹¹

Where the name Stenjevec comes from

The district is named after the old village of Stenjevec. In 1902 the priest and historian Ljudevit Ivančan recorded two explanations: from the Studenac stream, written Studensz in 1209, or from stijena (rock), after the Roman ruins, which was what most people of his day believed.^16,17

Roads, rail and lines in the Stenjevec district

The main roads follow the district's edges: Zagrebačka cesta in the east, Zagrebačka avenija in the south-east, Aleja grada Bologne in the north and Ulica Velimira Škorpika in the west. Ljubljanska avenija and Samoborska cesta run through the district, and Priobalna cesta runs along the Sava.^3,11 Ljubljanska avenija leads from the Jankomir junction on the Zagreb bypass (A3) towards Zagrebačka avenija.^21,22 In 2024 City planners named the extension of Ulica Ivane Brlić-Mažuranić and Ulica Antuna Šoljana as a priority.¹⁵

The Zagreb – Ljubljana railway runs along the district's northern edge, and east of Mangartska ulica the border follows its north side.³ On that line, trains on the Harmica – Savski Marof – Zagreb GK – Dugo Selo route stop at Kustošija (Sokolska ulica), Vrapče (Samoborska cesta) and Gajnice (Aleja Bologne).^19,18

There is no tram; public transport is by bus and train.¹² From ZET's Jankomir terminal, bus 107 runs to Žitnjak, 115 via Špansko to Ljubljanica and 146 via Malešnica to Reljkovićeva.²⁰ The June 2024 draft amendments to the city plan keep a tram corridor from Trešnjevka – sjever along Klanječka ulica, Poljski put and Ulica Ivane Brlić-Mažuranić to a terminus in the Stenjevec – jug committee area. The plan does not say when it would be built.¹⁵

Office, health, police and libraries in the Stenjevec district

Being built in the Stenjevec district

• Bazen Špansko: the City opened the pool on 9 September 2026. The complex cost €36.3 million including VAT, paid from the City budget, and has a 34 × 25 m sport and recreation pool and a 25 × 12.5 m teaching and rehabilitation pool. A new neighbourhood square was laid out in front, and a row of 23 more trees was to be planted beside it over the autumn and winter.^30,33
• New health centre in Špansko: on 14 September 2026 the City opened an €18 million (before VAT) tender for a building of more than 5,800 m² gross at Ulica Matije Vlačića Ilirika 2. According to the announcement, work should start in early 2027, and the current clinic stays open during construction.³¹
• Stenjevec kindergarten: opened on 8 October 2026 as the first newly built kindergarten in the district in 15 years. It has places for 185 children in ten groups, and building and equipping it cost €7.8 million including VAT.³²
• Kindergarten and schools in preparation: according to an October 2026 announcement, a new kindergarten and a new primary school are planned in Ulica Vilima Korajca, for which an urban design competition must be held, and an extension of OŠ Špansko-Oranice is being prepared.³² The City's 2026 procurement plan sets aside €250,000 for design documents for rebuilding that school.³³

Did you know?

• 1In 2024 births outnumbered deaths in only four Zagreb city districts: Novi Zagreb – zapad, Stenjevec, Gornja Dubrava and Sesvete.²⁹
• 2The district's seat is not in the district. Sigetje, the street where both Stenjevec and Podsused – Vrapče have their seats, belongs to the Gajnice committee area according to the 2009 street lists.^1,11,15
• 3The whole district lies over an aquifer, so building green car parks needs the consent of Hrvatske vode, the national water authority.¹⁵

Renting in the Stenjevec district

Nearby districts

• New Zagreb – WestDistrict guide
• Podsused – VrapčeDistrict guide
• Trešnjevka – SouthDistrict guide
• Trešnjevka – NorthDistrict guide

• Compare districts: Stenjevec and New Zagreb – West
• Compare districts: Stenjevec and Podsused – Vrapče
• Compare districts: Stenjevec and Trešnjevka – South
• All Zagreb neighbourhood guides

For listings across the district, see flats for rent in Stenjevec. To compare the neighbours, read the New Zagreb – West district guide and the Podsused – Vrapče district guide.

Questions: living in the Stenjevec district