Exploration of revitalization possibilities for the former Pounje Textile Factory in Hrvatska Kostajnica, Croatia
On Monday October 16th, 2023, the RIS4 Danu project team visited Hrvatska Kostajnica in Croatia to explore opportunities for a revitalisation of the former Pounje textile factory together with local, regional and national stakeholders. Working on this site was particularly challenging because of an ongoing bankruptcy process, the poor condition of large parts of the site and an unfavourable, remote location right on the border to Bosnia-Herzegovina (i.e. an EU external border).
However, a beautiful scenery and natural environment, successful adoptions to high tech industries like e.g. ICT/gaming or new materials / ceramics in the surrounding Sisačko-moslavačka region, a large-scale site in close proximity to the city, and last not least the border situation with Bosnia provide a number of possible starting points for transformative activities.
Thanks to the great commitment of all workshop participants, including Martin Eichler of BAK Economics, several possible and promising development paths were identified. The group concluded that it would be worth exploring a number of different opportunities in more detail before narrowing down and focusing on one path towards the future of Pounje.