The revitalisation of the former industrial complex "Rikard Benčić" in downtown Rijeka and reconverting the buildings within the complex into public, cultural and educational purposes through investments and equipment.

The former complex Rikard Benčić will host the Rijeka Civic Library, the Rijeka Civic Museum and the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in the buildings owned by the City of Rijeka, within the dimensions of the existing buildings.

The project titled “The Conversion and Revitalisation of the former complex Rikard Benčić in Rijeka” includes the revitalisation of the former industrial complex “Rikard Benčić” in downtown Rijeka and reconverting the buildings within the complex into public, cultural and educational purposes through investments and equipment.

  1. Reconstruction and equipment of the following buildings:
  • Administration building in the function of the Rijeka Civic Museum of the gross area of 5,700 sq.m.,
  • T-building in the function of the Rijeka Civic Library, of the gross area of 5,750 sq.m.,
  • H-building in the function of the Rijeka Museum of modern and contemporary art,
  • Brick building in the function of the Children’s House within the programme of the Art-cinema, of the gross area of 2,971 sq.m.
  1. Refurbishment of public areas (12,690 sq.m.) within the complex
  2. Specialised training of management and professional staff
  3. Communication and promotional activities
  4. Project management

The applicant and project promotor is the City of Rijeka with the participation of partner institutions – the Rijeka Civic Library, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, the Rijeka Civic Museum and the Art Cinema Rijeka which will strengthen organizational and technical capacity for project implementation. In the operational life of the project, it is envisaged that the renewed and revitalised infrastructure will be managed by the mentioned partner organizations and a newly established company for managing the economic activities of the entire cultural and educational complex “Rikard Benčić”.

The new company will be 100% owned by the City of Rijeka and its primary functions will be marketing management of the entire complex and key activities relating to space maintenance.

The purpose of the project is to encourage inclusive growth and regional development by increasing the quality of cultural and educational services and the development of cultural tourism while creating new jobs and better connecting all citizens in the activities of the library and both museums which will contribute to sustainable regional development and better quality of life in the project area.

The general goal of the project is to create a recognisable identity of the City of Rijeka and the social and economic development of the City of Rijeka in the long run, by:

  • contributing to the development of the City of Rijeka into a strong regional centre of cultural, tourist and creative events,
  • urban regeneration,
  • developing cultural tourism,
  • creating new jobs through the development of small business in the field of cultural and creative industries and tourism and the hospitality industry,
  • social interaction and social inclusion.

The specific goal of the project is the conversion and revitalisation of the former industrial complex Rikard Benčić in Rijeka, i.e. protection, restoration and presentation of heritage, but also the restoration of a neglected part of the city, by:

  • creating new spatial capacities for culture and entrepreneurship,
  • increasing the number of visitors to the museum and other educational, cultural and entertainment contents, and increasing the number of library users,
  • developing knowledge and skills among inhabitant, especially young people, and encouraging innovative business ideas in culture and related activities.

The envisaged funding source is the Operational Program for Competitiveness and Cohesion 2014-2020 (EU grant) as well as the applicant’s and project partners’ own contribution.

Project implementation is envisaged through 5 key components of the phased implementation in the period 2015-2022:

Component 1 – reconstruction and equipping of the Administration Building – RCM,

Component 2 – reconstruction and equipping of the H-building – MMCA,

Component 3 – reconstruction and equipping of the T-building – RCL, • 4 components – reconstruction and equipping of the Children’s House – RCL, MMCA, Art cinema,

Component 4 – refurbishment of the public areas within the complex – the City of Rijeka

The pre-feasibility study is an ex-ante assessment of the investment part of the project “The conversion and revitalisation of the former complex Rikard Benčić in Rijeka” which refers to the reconstruction and equipment of the existing buildings which outcome is the creation of a cultural quarter in downtown Rijeka. The assessment of the investment part of the project takes into account the programme key activity to be carried out within new infrastructure, as well as the results of these activities in the operational life of the investment project, which is impossible to implement without the investment part of the project.

The project “Conversion and revitalisation of the former complex Rikard Benčić in Rijeka” fits into the relevant regional, national and sectoral strategies and is in line with the thematic goals of the European Commission for 2014-2020, which makes it eligible for funding under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for Croatia.

Financial analysis confirms that the project will be financially viable over a time horizon of 10 years and that the accumulated cash flow is positive in all years under review.

Risk analysis has shown that the investment in this project carries low risk.

Skip to content