Portanova is a

shopping center A shopping center in American English, shopping centre in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, spelling differences), shopping complex, shopping arcade, ...

in the western part of

Osijek Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...

, a city in eastern Croatia. According to the

International Council of Shopping Centers The International Council of Shopping Centers, doing business as ICSC, is the global trade association of what it calls the "Marketplaces Industry" (i.e., shopping centers, shopping malls, and all other retail real estate). History Founded in ...

, Portanova has a size of with of gross leasable area (

GLA GLA or Gla may refer to: Entertainment * ''GLA'' (album), by Scottish alternative rock band Twin Atlantic * Great Lakes Avengers, a fictional comic hero group Organisations * Gangmasters Licensing Authority, a British regulatory body * Genera ...

). This area serves as a regional center and has a

catchment A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, th ...

population including parts of Croatia as well as

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

, and

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

History

The initial concept and planning for building a center began in 2007, with the site development work beginning on May 15, 2009 after all permits were granted. The financial investor in Portanova Shopping Center is Amplitudo d.o.o., while the development work was carried out by multiple teams from different companies. Teams that were involved in the project include CBRE, Mace Grup Ltd, Studio XXL, Chapman Taylor Architetti, and Gradnja (from

). When Portanova shopping center opened its doors to the public on March 24, 2011, it was the sixth largest shopping center in Croatia. The name of the center, Portanova or “new door,” reflects a term that is based on both the local environment and the site's location on the western entrance to the City of Osijek. Gross floor area is while the GLA is . The center has been designed with three levels (two of which are for commercial and retail use with the remaining one for leisure use). There are just over 1,600 free parking spaces located at the site split between the center's underground garage parking, the land surrounding the center, and the center's roof.

Architecture

The structure was developed in a longitudinal shape with an overall size of 20,000 m² (220,000 sq ft). The height of the structure ranges from 15 to 22 m (49 to 72 ft), increasing from one side to the other through the ground floor, 1st and 2nd floor, and the basement garage. The building was constructed mostly from concrete and steel, utilizing dark brown concrete panels and copper metal sheets which contrast with white-colored cement sheets. The main vision for the project was to develop a sculptural building that integrates into the urban landscape while presenting a high visual impact in accordance with the principles of contemporary minimalistic architecture. The building takes the shape of an enormous rock set on the ground, with entrances located in areas where it appears as though pieces of the rock-face have been broken off. The cuts in the rock define three distinct volumes linked together by the shopping malls, which form the core of the building.

Interior

The malls on the ground and first floor connect two piazzas where the entrances and vertical connections (e.g.,

elevators An elevator (American English) or lift (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) is a machine that vertically transports people or freight between levels. They are typically powered by electric motors that drive tracti ...

) are situated, leading to the shops and anchor stores. Due to the design, every unit in the center has a high shop front and an equal width proportional to its area. Additionally, the longitudinal shape of the building ensures that every shop is oriented towards the central area of the mall, making it easy for visitors to locate every store in the center.

Shops

While there are a wide range of retail establishments within Portanova, some

anchor tenant In North American, Australian and New Zealand retail, an "anchor tenant", sometimes called an "anchor store", "draw tenant", or "key tenant", is a considerably larger tenant in a shopping mall, often a department store or retail chain. They are ...

s that distinguish themselves from other tenants include

Konzum Konzum is Croatia's largest supermarket chain, with over 700 stores throughout the country and more than 10,000 employees. Konzum serves over 650,000 customers each day. With its headquarters in Zagreb, Konzum is part of the Fortenova Group sinc ...

Hypermarket, H&M, Müller,

Zara Zara may refer to: Businesses * Zara (retailer), a fashion retail company based in Spain * Zara Investment Holding, a Jordanian holding company * Continental Hotel Zara, Budapest, Hungary People and fictional characters * Zara (name), primari ...

, C&A, NewYorker, and Blitz-Cinestar multiplex cinema. The Blitz-Cinestar cinema is part of the entertainment section which is located on the second floor and also contains a bowling alley, a casino, and

gastronomy Gastronomy is the study of the relationship between Human food, food and culture, the art of preparing and serving rich or delicate and appetizing food, the cooking styles of particular regions, and the science of good eating. One who is well ver ...

services.

Location

Portanova Shopping Center is located to the west of Osijek city center, with a regularly scheduled bus service connecting the center with the city. Portanova is also readily accessible via the southern bypass and access roads, which enables almost 600,000 people to reach the center with a one-hour drive.Portanova, official web site/Location
. Date Accessed 25 October 2011. The shopping center is located in the Osijek metropolitan area which makes it iaccessible from all of eastern

Slavonia Slavonia (; ) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria County, Istria, one of the four Regions of Croatia, historical regions of Croatia. Located in the Pannonian Plain and taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with f ...

and Baranja, including the cities of

Valpovo Valpovo is a town in Slavonia, Croatia. It is close to the Drava river, northwest of Osijek. As of 2021, the population of Valpovo is 7,406, with a total of 11,563 in the municipality. Name In Hungarian the town is known as ''Valpó'' and in ...

(),

Belišće Belišće () ( sr-Cyrl, Белишће, ) is a town in Croatia, located in the region of Slavonia, Osijek-Baranja County, at the altitude of 93 m. The population of the town is 6,518 (2011), with 10,825 in the municipality. In 2011 census, the maj ...

(),

Beli Manastir Beli Manastir ( sr-Cyrl, Бели Манастир, ) is a town in eastern Croatia. It is the principal town of the Croatian part of Baranja, located in the Osijek-Baranja County. Name The name means "white monastery" in Serbo-Croatian. Origina ...

(),

Vinkovci Vinkovci () is a city in Slavonia, in the Vukovar-Syrmia County in eastern Croatia. The city settlement's population was 28,111 in the 2021 census, while the total population was 30,842, making it the largest town of the county. It is a local tr ...

(),

Vukovar Vukovar (; sr-Cyrl, Вуковар, , ) is a city in Croatia, in the eastern Regions of Croatia, regions of Syrmia and Slavonia. It contains Croatia's largest river port, located at the confluence of the Vuka (river), Vuka and the Danube. Vukova ...

(), and

Našice Našice (; , sr-Cyrl, Нашице, , ) is a town in eastern Croatia, located on the northern slopes of the Krndija mountain in eastern Slavonia, 51 km southwest of regional hub Osijek. Administratively it belongs to Osijek-Baranja County. ...

() away.

References

External links

*
Cinestar Osijek
{{Shopping malls in the Western Balkans Shopping malls in Croatia Buildings and structures in Osijek 2011 establishments in Croatia Shopping malls established in 2011 Tourist attractions in Osijek-Baranja County Economy of Osijek