LaništeA young estate on Jadranska avenija, next door to Arena Zagreb

Lanište at a glance

• To the main square by ZET38 min
• To the centre as the crow flies4.9 km
• Residents of the MO (2021)⁴3,454
• Area of the MO⁴28.41 ha

Where Lanište is

Lanište is a housing estate in Novi Zagreb (New Zagreb), in the city district of Novi Zagreb – zapad (New Zagreb – West). Officially it is covered by the Lanište local committee (mjesni odbor), set up in 2009, which is part of the settlement of Zagreb rather than a separate settlement.^1,2,4 The committee area covers 28.41 hectares, bounded by Jadranska avenija to the north, Remetinečka cesta to the east, the road towards Hotel "I" and the southern edge of the Lanište complex to the south, and a street also called Lanište to the west.^1,4 Neighbourhoods have no official boundaries, so this guide describes Lanište through that committee.

Arena Zagreb, Arena Centar and Arena Park are not in that committee: officially they are in the neighbouring Remetinec committee, which takes in Jaruščica, house numbers Lanište 28–32 and part of Ulica Vice Vukova.³ News sites and the organisers of EHF EURO 2026 in Zagreb still place the Arena and the shopping centres in Lanište.^18,19,20 According to English Wikipedia, Jarun lies to the north, across Jadranska avenija and the Sava.⁴³

For and against: life in Lanište

What life is like in Lanište

Lanište is made up of blocks of flats from several periods: the blocks along Jadranska avenija from the late 1980s and early 1990s, buildings meant first of all for war veterans from the 2000s, and private developers' schemes from around 2008.^9,10,42,12 In 2008 Jutarnji list called Profectus one of the biggest builders in Lanište; its scheme was for 301 flats in four six-storey wings joined by four-storey sections, with 418 garage and parking spaces.¹²

Writing in the journal Korak u prostor, Ivan Mlinar counts Lanište among the New Zagreb estates built wholly or partly as planned units.⁴¹ H-Alter, for its part, concludes that the estate was built without a meaningful plan and without an adequate public park.⁹

In 2017 Večernji list called Lanište "one of the youngest Zagreb neighbourhoods" and the last estate built under the plan to spread Zagreb across the Sava.¹⁰ In 2008 Jutarnji list quoted a resident who described the estate as full of young families with children.¹¹

At the 2011 census the committee area had 3,214 residents and 1,664 dwellings; in 2021 it had 3,454 residents, 240 more.^6,4

Where the name Lanište comes from

None of the sources we checked explains why the estate is called Lanište, and none mentions an older village or estate of that name. As a common noun, lanište (also lanik) means a place where flax grows, but no source links the word to this place.⁸

In its publication on geographical names, the State Geodetic Administration describes Lanište as a relatively new urban settlement which, had it been named after the local pronunciation, would have had to be called Lanišće, like the local forms Savišće and Središće.⁷

A short history of Lanište

The first New Zagreb housing went up in 1956 in neighbouring Remetinečki gaj, and in 1957 the municipality of Remetinec became part of Zagreb's inner urban area.^41,5 According to the parish of Majka Božja Remetinec-Blato, founded on 20 December 1964, Lanište later grew up at the edge of Remetinečki gaj and was assigned to that parish; the page gives no year.¹⁴ According to H-Alter, the blocks along Jadranska avenija were built in the late 1980s and early 1990s.⁹

An urban plan for Remetinec – Lanište – Blato was drawn up in 1999, adopted in 2001 and repealed in 2007.⁴⁰ While Jadranka Kosor was minister (2003–2009), Večernji list writes, the estate was extended with buildings meant first of all for war veterans; then building stalled again until the decision to build the Arena and Arena Centar.^10,42 An urban planner quoted by Jutarnji list in 2008 thought Lanište could come to life the way Jarun did in the 1980s.¹¹

Arena Zagreb took 503 days to build, from 21 July 2007, for the 21st World Handball Championship. It hosted its first match, Croatia v Russia, on 27 December 2008, and the Arena counts the Prljavo kazalište concert on 17 January 2009, with 22,500 people, as its official opening.^15,16 A kindergarten opened in Lanište in 2008 and the local committee was set up in 2009; Arena Centar opened in 2010.^23,2,19

According to Večernji list in 2019, Park branitelja, a simple park with wrought-iron benches, was demolished around 2016, and a residential building that is now the tallest on the estate went up in its place.¹³ H-Alter notes that no replacement park was made.⁹

1. 1956Building of the first New Zagreb housing begins in neighbouring Remetinečki gaj.⁴¹
2. 1964The parish of Majka Božja Remetinec-Blato, to which Lanište will belong, is founded.¹⁴
3. late 1980sAccording to H-Alter, building of the blocks along Jadranska avenija begins.⁹
4. 2003–2009The estate is extended with buildings meant first of all for war veterans.^10,42
5. 2007The Arena Zagreb lease contract is signed and construction begins.^17,15
6. 2008A kindergarten for 250 children opens; in December the Arena hosts its first match.^23,15
7. 2009The Lanište local committee is set up; the Arena counts a Prljavo kazalište concert as its official opening.^2,15
8. 2010Arena Centar opens.¹⁹
9. c. 2016Park branitelja gives way to a residential building.^13,9
10. 2019Arena Park opens.²⁰
11. 2020The Arena becomes an auxiliary hospital for COVID-19 patients.³⁸
12. 2025The foundation stone is laid and building of OŠ Lanište begins.^26,27,28
13. 2026The district council votes to bring paid parking to Lanište.³⁹

What to see in Lanište

• Arena Zagreb

  Officially in the Remetinec local committee.³ The hall at Ulica Vice Vukova 8 was designed as the Lanište multi-purpose sports hall, and the investor was the company Lanište d.o.o. The hall is ringed by 86 precast concrete ribs, its steel roof spans 104 m, and besides 15,200 seats it holds about 22,000 people when the floor is in use; it has 90,340 m² in all.^16,15,18 The State and the City each pay half of the rent.¹⁷

• Arena Centar

  The shopping centre beside the Arena, opened on 5 November 2010. According to ZGportal, it then had 10 large and more than 210 medium and small shops on 180,000 m².¹⁹

• Arena Park

  At Jaruščica 4, beside Arena Centar. Despite the name, it's an 8,000 m² retail park rather than a green space; it opened on 16 May 2019.^22,21,20

• Dječji vrtić Lanište

  According to the Zagreb Society of Architects, the design for Dječji vrtić Lanište, a kindergarten by Mia Roth-Čerina and Tonči Čerina, was nominated for the Viktor Kovačić award for 2008.²⁵

• Hotel "I"

  The hotel used to describe the committee area's southern boundary.¹ According to Večernji list in 2017, golf was played for a while on the land below the hotel.¹⁰

Did you know?

• 1Of the 16 local committees of Novi Zagreb – zapad, Lanište is the only one that had no local community (mjesna zajednica) of its own before 1994.^5,2
• 2From 28 November 2020 the Arena served as an auxiliary hospital for COVID-19 patients; by 10 December it had cared for more than 100.³⁸
• 3In 2008 Jutarnji list reported that a tram stop would be built on Jadranska avenija, across from Profectus's buildings, and that a tram line had been announced.^12,11 Trams still don't run into Lanište.¹⁸

Everyday life in Lanište

Renting in Lanište

Nearby neighbourhoods

• Savski gajNeighbourhood guide
• RemetinecNeighbourhood guide
• TrnskoNeighbourhood guide
• GrediceNeighbourhood guide
• KajzericaNeighbourhood guide
• HorvatiNeighbourhood guide

• Compare districts: New Zagreb – West and Brezovica
• Compare districts: New Zagreb – West and New Zagreb – East
• Compare districts: New Zagreb – West and Podsused – Vrapče
• All Zagreb neighbourhood guides

Questions about life in Lanište