1964 Zagreb flood

Flood in Zagreb, Yugoslavia November 2021 November 2021 1964 Zagreb flood Tratinska Street in Zagreb flood 1964.jpg A flooded street corner seen from above. About a dozen people are standing in shallower water. Several others are wading across the intersection. One car is stranded in the water. Water on Tratinska and Kranjčevićeva Street, Trešnjevka 25–26 October 1964 Zagreb, Yugoslavia 17 direct 160 billion Yugoslav dinars> US$100 mil­lion On 25 October 1964, a devastating flood of the River Sava struck Zagreb, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia. High rainfall upriver caused rivers and streams in the Sava catchment basin to swell and spill over their banks in many places throughout Slovenia and northern Croatia. The worst of the flooding occurred in Zagreb. Sava floods were a known hazard in the city, having affected the development of the area since the Roman times, and the 1964 flood did not have the largest extent. However, it occurred following several decades of large-scale industrialisation and urban growth which had caused the city to expand into the most flood-vulnerable areas. The quality of building construction and flood defences in the floodplain was mostly low. Regulation of the Sava and its tributaries upriver from Zagreb cut off many natural detention basins, such as fields and pastures, which caused water to pile up ahead of the city. To make matters worse, the soil was already saturated from a mid-month episode of fairly high rainfall. A second episode of high rainfall, during 22–25 October upriver in Slovenia, produced a record-high water wave in the Sava. At Zagreb's Sava River gauge, the water crested at 514 cm ftin above zero level, exceeding the previous high water mark by more than half a metre (2 ft). This proved too much for the city's embankments. Around 60 km2 of the city was flooded, including most neighbourhoods on the western side of the floodplain. The worst-stricken areas were the working-class suburbs of Trnje and Trešnjevka. A network of arterial roads raised on small embankments failed to hold the water. In some areas single-storey houses were submerged whole. The onset of the flood was quick, the warnings came late and the intensity and height of the flood was not communicated to the residents in time. Many were unable to save their belongings and ended up stranded in attics and on the rooftops. The brunt of the flood lasted from 25 to 28 October as the water progressed through the city from west to east, mostly on the more populous left (northern) bank. The neighbourhoods on the right bank only saw groundwater flooding for the most part. The railway embankment and sandbag dykes successfully protected the northern and eastern part of the floodplain, and Donji grad and much of Peščenica were spared. A total of 17 people died in the flood. The living quarters of 183,000 people were flooded; 40,000 of these lost their homes. The damage was estimated to 160 billion Yugoslav dinars, or, alternatively, over US$100 million.Bonacci Ljubenkov 2008 1190 The flood was followed by urban redevelopment, changing Zagreb's cityscape. Around 26,000 new flats and houses were constructed in the next four years. The challenge of housing flood refugees led to the creation of several new planned neighbourhoods. Existing neighbourhoods where much of the housing had been condemned due to water damage were rebuilt, often as high-rise housing estates. Several factories were moved eastward from the flood-prone central part of the city. The disaster also prompted a rework of the flood defences on the Sava. The Sava embankments in Zagreb were reconstructed, raised and lengthened, and the river was channelised throughout the city. Diversion canals were built around several cities in the Sava basin, including the Sava–Odra–Sava Canal bypassing Zagreb. As a result, although there have been several destructive Sava Valley floods since 1964, their effects in Zagreb were limited to groundwater flooding in a few streets. However, changes in the riverbed are believed to have somewhat decreased the effectiveness of the defences as of the early 21st century. Background Geography and hydrology Located in northwest Croatia near the border with Slovenia, Zagreb's geography is largely defined by two features: the Medvednica Mountain whose foothills contain the city's historic core and northern suburbs, and the River Sava floodplain to the south, which contains most of the city, including the post-19th-century city centre, Donji grad.Flood defence plan for Area C14, 2014 8Osnovna hidrogeološka karta Hrvatske – list Zagreb Basic hydrogeological map of Croatia – Zagreb https://www.hgi-cgs.hr/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/ohgk_zagreb_tumac.pdf Croatian Geological Survey 10 November 2021 Zagreb 37 hr 1998 Originating in Slovenia, the Sava drains much of Slovenia and northern Croatia. It is the Danube's biggest tributary by discharge.About the basin http://www.savacommission.org/basin_about International Sava River Basin Commission 10 November 2021 en 5 February 2009 The river exhibits a nivo-pluvial regime. The water level peaks with spring snowmelt and autumn rains, while the minimums occur in summer and winter. The autumn peak is more pronounced in the Sava's upper course.Sava https://www.enciklopedija.hr/clanak/sava Croatian Encyclopedia Miroslav Krleža Institute of Lexicography 10 November 2021 Zagreb hr Due to the low permeability of the hilly and mountainous terrain of Slovenia and northwest Croatia, the river exhibits a high seasonal flow variability, exacerbating the risk of flooding.Osnovna hidrogeološka karta Hrvatske – list Zagreb Basic hydrogeological map of Croatia – folio Zagreb https://www.hgi-cgs.hr/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/ohgk_zagreb_tumac.pdf Croatian Geological Survey 10 November 2021 Zagreb 8 hr 1998 Before the river regulation works at the turn of the 20th century, Sava's flow in Zagreb was described as "torrential".Zagreb – grad na Savi? Zagreb – a city on Sava? https://geografija.hr/zagreb-grad-na-savi/ Geografija.hr Croatian Geographical Society 10 November 2021 hr 4 April 2004 21 April 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210421202042/https://geografija.hr/zagreb-grad-na-savi/ dead The average annual discharge at the Zagreb gauging station is around 300 m3/s, while flows over 1000 m3/s occur on a yearly basis.Bonacci Ljubenkov 2008 1194 Average yearly precipitation over the Sava's upper course in Slovenia measures 1570 mm in 1, contributing the largest part of the Sava's water over its entire course. High rainfall events can increase water level in the Sava and its tributaries to flood levels within days.Vadlja 1965 26 The location of the city on a transition from hilly to flat terrain increases flood risk. The Sava flows at an incline of 1 per cent through Zagreb, but between Rugvica (about 20 km or east of the city core) and Sisak, the river is highly sinuous with sharp meanders, and flows on a nearly flat terrain with an incline of 0.05 per cent. The latter part sustains much lower flows than the former, which can cause the water to pile up upstream.Šterc 1979 108–109 Numerous torrential streams on the Medvednica Mountain pose an additional flood risk. The Medveščak stream caused the city's deadliest natural disaster in 1651, when a flash flood swept away houses in Tkalčićeva Street, killing 52 people.Vujasinović 2015 32 The most recent notable flash flooding event occurred in 2020.Urban flash flood in Zagreb Croatia, July 2020 Copernicus EMS https://www.efas.eu/en/news/urban-flash-flood-zagreb-croatia-july-2020 European Flood Awareness System 30 March 2021 en 30 July 2020 Floods of the Sava in Zagreb have been recorded since the antiquity. The development of Andautonia, a Roman town on the fringes of the modern-day city, was influenced by a devastating flood in early 2nd century AD.Goldstein Goldstein 2012 12 The first floods attested in modern records date back to 14th century.Karbić Škreblin 2015 167 The first chronicled flood occurred in 1469.Vujasinović 2015 31 The twin cities of Kaptol and Gradec, which are located at the lower end of Medvednica foothills and form the core of modern-day Zagreb together with the adjacent Donji grad, controlled land in the floodplain on both banks of the Sava as early as the 13th century. This waterlogged area contained a few small villages and was mostly used for hunting, planting orchards and harvesting wood from willow trees as a construction material.Karbić Škreblin 2015 168–169 The city was slow to expand since even the Donji grad area, which lies on the northern edge of the plain, was prone to flooding until it was artificially raised around the beginning of the 20th century. In the 19th century, floods would sometimes reach the bottom of the foothills, destroying houses in Ilica Street.Slukan Altić 2010 206 Only with the 1850 unification of Kaptol and Gradec, which made financing flood defence projects possible, and the 1892 construction of the railway embankment which doubled as a flood barrier, did Zagreb's urban area begin to approach the river.Kolar-Dimitrijević 2010 223–228 Suburban expansion into the floodplain thumb|right|The planned neighbourhood of Cvjetno naselje is located close to the river. It is one of many new neighbourhoods which arose in the decades before the flood.|alt=A wooded neighbourhood consisting of 2-to-4-storey apartment houses with slanted roofs. Industrialisation brought factories, whose number greatly increased after 1900. These were located near the railway, which divides the plain between Medvednica and the Sava into two parts. The land south of the railway had been largely owned by the Catholic Church until the land reform of 1918 which made it available for development, and it was settled in great numbers by factory workers, who migrated into the city from the countryside, constructing houses and shacks on small subdivided lots in the quickly growing suburbs of Trešnjevka, Trnje and Peščenica. Most dwellings were built without permits because underemployed factory workers could not afford the fees. Illegally constructed buildings were ineligible for insurance from flooding, which was a frequent occurrence in the new suburbs.Kolar-Dimitrijević 2010 223–228 Large floods occurred in 1876, twice in 1895, in 1923, 1925, 1926 and 1933, but smaller ones were almost a yearly occurrence.Vujasinović 2015 32Kolar-Dimitrijević 2010 224Vadlja 1965 26Bonacci Ljubenkov 2008 1190 In 1900, only 4,000 of Zagreb's 57,000 inhabitants lived in Trnje and Trešnjevka, while Peščenica had not yet been incorporated into the city.Slukan Altić 2010 211 By the 1931 census, the population of Trešnjevka alone had grown to 21,350 residents, increasing the necessity and value of river regulation.Kolar-Dimitrijević 2010 228 The surroundings of the Sava, which had many meanders, oxbow lakes and islands, were partially protected when the river was channelised at the beginning of the 20th century. The oxbow lakes were fenced off by fascines.Slukan Altić 2010 210 Work on flood defences was sporadic and of poor quality due to a scarcity of funding. An embankment protecting Trnje was partially built in 1924–25, but washed away by the November 1925 flood.Slukan Altić 2010 210 By 1929 the central part of the suburbs was protected by an embankment,Kolar-Dimitrijević 2010 224 which was in the 1930s extended away from the river to Radnička Road in Peščenica in the east, and along the Črnomerec stream up to the northern border of Trešnjevka in the west.Slukan Altić 2010 210–211Vadlja 1965 30 These defences were not enough to protect the city from the 1933 flood, when the Sava, at a height of 455 cm ftin,Vadlja 1965 27 breached the embankments, causing flooding that lasted seven weeks.Kolar-Dimitrijević 1983 199 The embankments were mended and somewhat improved over the next several years, which were nevertheless marked by successive floods.Čapo 2020 67 Further works were carried out in 1945 and 1960–61 by youth work actions organised by the Communist government. Embankments were extended and flood defences improved in Trešnjevka, Trnje, and Peščenica.Bešker Inoslav Je li urbana legenda da Zagreb od poplava čuvaju i Sinagoga i minareti? Is the urban legend that Zagreb is protected from floods by the Synagogue and minarets true? https://www.jutarnji.hr/naslovnica/inoslav-besker-je-li-urbana-legenda-da-zagreb-od-poplava-cuvaju-i-sinagoga-i-minareti-803443 Jutarnji list 10 November 2021 hr 25 May 2014Senjković 2017 12Hutinec Goldstein 2013 212–213 However, the embankments were still low and of poor construction quality, and protected only the central part of the city, leaving the flanks exposed.Kuzmić 2013 20Vadlja 1965 30 Following World War II, the three suburbs were responsible for much of the city's high population growth. By 1961, Zagreb numbered 430,802 inhabitants; the population of Trešnjevka had surpassed Rijeka, Croatia's third most populous city.Hutinec Goldstein 2013 146 After a lull in construction following the war, late 1950s and early 1960s saw the creation of new neighbourhoods of apartment buildings, such as the prefabricated buildings in Voltino hr (Trešnjevka), Folnegovićevo naselje (Peščenica) and Trnjanska Savica, and the low-rise cohousing estate in Veslačka Street.Hutinec Goldstein 2013 211Bencetić 2020 81, 83–84 The southern districts became home to new University of Zagreb faculty buildings, and industry complexes such as the Rade Končar factory in Trešnjevka and the Žitnjak industrial zone in Peščenica, while district heating was introduced with new thermoelectric and heat plants.Hutinec Goldstein 2013 206–211 However, living standards in general remained low; only 10 per cent of Trešnjevka's streets was paved in 1960.Hutinec Goldstein 2013 194 During Mayor Većeslav Holjevac's term, the city began to expand to the Sava's right bank, forming Novi Zagreb. Savski Gaj, the first planned neighbourhood in Novi Zagreb, was built in 1957. The Zagreb Fair was also moved from the city centre to its modern-day position in Novi Zagreb's Kajzerica near the Sava Bridge.Hutinec Goldstein 2013 196 Flooding In late October 1964, the Sava's upper course in Slovenia was affected by heavy rains. Ljubljana saw 113.0 mm in of rainfall on 22–25 October; Sava Bohinjka's source received 101.3 mm in and Novo Mesto received 90.0 mm in.Vadlja 1965 27 Although the rainfall totals were several times lower than in the 1933 flood,Vadlja 1965 27 river levels increased rapidly. During the afternoon and evening hours of 24 October, the gauge station in Radeče near Zidani Most, Slovenia (roughly halfway between Ljubljana and Zagreb) crested at 40 cm in less than the 1933 maximum, but this was preceded by a rise of nearly 6 m ft in a matter of hours.Kuzmić 2013 11 This rise was likely accelerated by the saturation of the drainage basin by moderate rainfall the previous week, which had produced a smaller water wave that ended up cresting at 304 cm ftin in Zagreb on 16 October.Vadlja 1965 26–27 Timeline 25 October The flood began in the morning of 25 October. The undefended plain between Zaprešić and Samobor, directly upstream from the urban area, was the first to flood in the Zagreb metropolitan area.Kuzmić 2013 15 At 11:45, water topped the right-bank embankment opposite Podsused hr, on the westernmost fringes of Zagreb.Kuzmić 2013 13 One of the first urban neighbourhoods to be affected was Rudeš, in the western part of Trešnjevka, which was flooded by 14:00. The Tempo quarry near modern-day Lake Jarun was inundated around 15:30, when water breached makeshift dykes, and the company's cement supply was flooded.Kuzmić 2013 14–15 In the following hours the flood reached Jankomir, Lučko, Prečko, Vrbanov Put (today Vrbani) and Kajzerica. Kajzerica was on the right (southern) bank of the river and was protected by the embankment, but endangered by groundwaters.Kuzmić 2013 16–17 Further east, settlements near the river, such as Petruševec (Peščenica) and Drenje (right bank), were also inundated, since the embankments ended at the recently built Zagreb Thermoelectric Heat Plant near modern-day Savica Lakes hr Savica (jezera) and Folnegovićevo naselje.Vadlja 1965 30Kuzmić 2013 15, 18 By the evening, all the city's bridges were closed as the water neared the tops of the embankments. The embankments were initially defended by makeshift dykes made out of sandbags supplied by the city's construction companies, including 100,000 sandbags provided by Paromlin hr Zagrebački Paromlin. The sandbags were used to raise the embankments and block the breaches near the Sava Bridge – the left embankment was breached near the Mladost sports facilities at 20:20 and in Veslačka Street at 22:00. At that point, the level at the Sava Bridge gauge was 460 cm ftin, slightly exceeding the high water of 1933,Kuzmić 2013 17–18 which had been the record high since the gauge became operational in November 1849.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 6 "Od 1849. do 1964. samo četiri puta više od 400 cm" At 470 cm ftin, the water filled the southern half of Trešnjevka. This area included the neighbourhoods of Jarun and Knežija, west of Savska Road and south of today's Ljubljana Avenue (then part of the Ljubljana–Zagreb–Belgrade Highway, running east–west through Zagreb). These two roads were slightly elevated from the surrounding terrain and acted as barriers to the waters. At this point, the water was at the level of the crown of the embankments west of the Sava Bridge.Vadlja 1965 30 26 October thumb|right|Flooded Trešnjevka from the Vjesnik Building. The Ljubljana–Zagreb Highway passes through the middle of the photo.|alt=refer to caption Initially, it seemed like the highway would withstand the flood,Vjesnik/Večernji list, 27 October 1964 1 "Deviza: spasiti ljude" but as the water level rose to 500 cm ftin at 04:00 (26 October) both it and the Savska Road were overcome.Vadlja 1965 30Kuzmić 2013 19 states that water was flowing freely across Savska Road by 01:40 at a water level of 494 cm ftin, when the efforts to hold it back there were abandoned. The floodwaters spread north throughout Trešnjevka and east into Trnje, beginning with Cvjetno naselje, towards the city centre, reaching the Proletarian Brigades Street (today Vukovar Street). The high water at the Sava Bridge gauge was reached at 08:00, reading 514 cm ftin, or 59 cm higher than in 1933. At that time, much of Trešnjevka was flooded except for some areas north of today's Ozaljska Street (then part of Končar Street), and Voltino.Vadlja 1965 30–31 Under the railway overpass near Stadion Kranjčevićeva, where the sandbags were stacked to protect the city centre, the water reached the height of the traffic signs.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 9 "Gdje su nekad bili pločnici" The Rade Končar factory in Voltino was at the edge of the flooded area and defended by over 2,000 factory workers and employees, and the army, over the following two days.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 27 October 1964 2 "Trešnjevka na nogama"Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 2 "S Trešnjevke se voda povlači" The last remaining passable thoroughfare in Trešnjevka was a section of Samobor Road, an east–west street along the railway.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 2 "S Trešnjevke se voda povlači" On the western side of Trnje, University of Zagreb's Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences building in Vrbik was flooded around 08:00–09:00.Roksandić Branđolica Lovrić Sarić 2010 244 Surging from Trešnjevka, breaching the embankments west of the Sava Bridge and topping them near the Liberty Bridge where they were lower, the water enveloped most of Trnje. Trnje's northwestern corner, Martinovka, was flooded, while a part of the eastern neighbourhood of Kruge, Zagreb hr Kruge (Zagreb) Kruge north of the highway remained dry. On 27 October, the eastern line of defence was Držić Street, west of Sigečica and Folnegovićevo naselje.Vadlja 1965 30Vjesnik/Večernji list, 27 October 1964 2 "Dramatična noć" The northernmost extent of the flooded area was the railway embankment at the fringe of Donji grad, Zagreb's central district, where sandbag dykes at railway underpasses protected the city core. In some places in Donji grad the groundwaters rose through the sewers. Backflow destroyed machinery in the Josip Kraš biscuit factory on Branimir Street. The neighbouring Nada Dimić textile factory was saved by its workers, who plugged all sewer drains with sandbags in time to stop the flood.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 27 October 1964 2 "Borba za svaki pedalj zemlje" 27–28 October thumb|left|Jakuševec Bridge on 27 October|alt=A bridge in water reaching almost up to its roadbed By 27 October, as the crest moved eastward, waters began to recede from the western areas, including the Samobor–Zaprešić plain and Trešnjevka. As the streets in Ljubljanica (Trešnjevka), north of the highway, became passable again,Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 2 "Evakuirano 3500 osoba" and Liberty Bridge and Končar Street were re-opened to bus and tram traffic, respectively,Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 1 "Voda se povlači iz grada" water rose on the eastern side of the city, where the defence line at the time ran along Držićeva Street. In the afternoon of 26 October, Trnjanska Savica was flooded and quickly found itself under 1.5 m ft 0 of water, while Folnegovićevo naselje and Sigečica were flooded by groundwaters. When water began to flow along Držićeva Street during the night of 27–28 October, endangering Kanal and inner city neighbourhoods to the north, channels were dug through the street with jackhammers, redirecting the water towards the Savica oxbow (today the Savica Lakes) and surrounding meadows.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 27 October 1964 2 "Nema više čamaca"Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 4 "Gdje je najteže – Armija" Water then began piling up against Radnička Road as the embankment of the rail spur for the heat plant prevented outflow from the Savica oxbow. The spur was dynamited in two places, after which the water relatively quickly receded from most of the flooded area.Vadlja 1965 30–31 On the right bank of the Sava, flooding was extensive in rural areas, reaching past Karlovac Road near Samobor and Lučko, upriver from Zagreb.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 27 October 1964 1 "Deviza: spasiti ljude" Urban areas in Novi Zagreb were largely unaffected. Apart from Kajzerica,Kuzmić 2013 17 there was no flooding in the first two days of the flood,Vjesnik/Večernji list, 27 October 1964 1 "Dramatična noć" but in the night of 27–28 October rising groundwaters began to cause localised flooding in Trnsko, Trokut and Savski Gaj. Groundwater flooding on the right bank was worst in Blato. The Zagreb Fair, which was in the off-season used as a warehouse for factories, lies close to the Sava, and was also affected. The authorities, aided by local residents, evacuated machinery from the fairground buildings.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 6 "Spašeni elektromotori vrijedni milijardu"Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 8 "Posljednja vijest" Extent of the flood in Zagreb thumb|right|Boats were the only viable means of transport for days in much of the flooded area.|alt=A group of soldiers rowing a small boat in a flooded street Since volumetric discharge was not directly measured in 1964 Zagreb, the peak flow can only be estimated based on the water level readings. Different sources estimate the peak flow at the height of the flood at 08:00 on 26 October to either 3126 or 4440 m3/s.Marušić 2019 352Riđanović 1964 294Kuzmić 2013 6Hutinec Goldstein 2013 237Kuzmić 2013 and Hutinec Goldstein 2013 write that 4400 m3/s 3 is the most recent figure in scholarly sources. Marušić 2019 cites 3126 m3/s 5 as the only figure for 1964. The flooded area included more than half of Trešnjevka Municipality, much of Črnomerec Municipality, and parts of Remetinec and Peščenica municipalities.Riđanović 1964 294 In much of this area, flooding was too deep for lorries, and travel was possible only by boat; citizens constructed makeshift rafts out of floating debris.Hutinec Goldstein 2013 238 During the night of 27–28 October, after the water started receding, the flooded area was estimated to encompass 56 km2.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 6 "Spašeni elektromotori vrijedni milijardu" Despite the smaller amount of rainfall and the 40 cm lower crest at Radeče compared to the 1933 flood, the flood defences built in the intervening decades contributed to a much higher crest in Zagreb in 1964,Vadlja 1965 28–30 at 117.40 m above sea level.Bonacci Ljubenkov 2008 1190 Channelling and embankments built on the Sava and its tributaries Sutla and Krapina effectively fenced off farmland, marshes and open fields, which had previously functioned as natural detention basins that flattened the flood wave.Vadlja 1965 28–30 Outside Zagreb thumb|right|River Sutla/Sotla in the Zelenjak Gorge, near Kumrovec|alt=River bend in a thick deciduous forest Zagreb was not the only city in Croatia flooded by swollen rivers, though it bore the brunt of damages. About 221900 ha of Croatia's territory, of which 158000 ha was farmland, was flooded. Apart from Zagreb, affected areas included Istria, Zagorje, Podravina near Varaždin, and Međimurje.Roksandić Branđolica Lovrić Sarić 2010 242 In Zagorje, the River Sutla (sl Sotla), a left tributary of the Sava, washed out the railway in Kumrovec and stopped road traffic in Klanjec.Kuzmić 2013 13 Flooding in Kumrovec began on the night of 24–25 October. By 03:00, residents of a dozen houses in the village of Gmajna were stranded on the roofs of their homes.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 9 "U svitanje najtužnijeg dana" Major roads near Krapina and Pregrada were rendered impassable.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 10 "Obavijest zajednice za ceste"Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 9 "Gdje su nekad bili pločnici: Djeca u naručju vojnika" Flooding on the right bank of the Drava upriver of Varaždin affected villages along the river, as well as the area around Matoš Square in the city.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 27 October 1964 1–2 "Ne samo Zagreb" In Istria, material damage to agribusinesses in Umag and Labin was estimated at 3 billion Yugoslav dinars. The central and western Istria waterworks was knocked out, leaving 80,000 customers without tap water for at least three days. The Kupa overflowed near Karlovac, but had returned to normal flow on 28 October, as did the Sutla.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 7 "Poplave u Hrvatskoj" In Sisak, the next city downriver from Zagreb, the village of Tišina Kaptolska was evacuated as the water began to rise on the night of 26–27 October. The city was saved by dynamiting the embankments upstream at Lijevi Dubrovčak, Martinska Ves and Zablatje. This caused the water to spill onto cornfields, and the water level at Sisak subsequently decreased by a metre (3.3 ft).Vjesnik/Večernji list, 27 October 1964 1 "Dramatična noć"Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 7 "Sisak izvan neposredne opasnosti" By 28 October, all the bridges along the River Sava were closed, and the Jasenovac and Slavonski Kobaš pontoon bridges were pre-emptively dismantledVjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 10 "Obavijest Zajednice za ceste" because the river was carrying uprooted trees and large debris.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 7 "Poplave u Hrvatskoj" Flooding was also intense in Slovenia. Houses were flooded in Celje. Numerous roads were flooded in northeast Slovenia, including the road connecting Lendava, Slovenia, with Mursko Središče, Croatia, where a bridge over the Drava was destroyed by the torrent. In the southeast, in Krško, the waters caused damage to the Đuro Salaj paper factory. In the Nova Gorica District in the southwest, the worst damage occurred in Vipava, which was still under 30 cm of water on 27 October.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 27 October 1964 1–2 "Ne samo Zagreb" Preparations and impact Though the extent of the flooded area in 1926 and 1933 may have been larger than in 1964, the expansion of the city in the meantime meant the impact on the city was much worse in 1964.Vadlja 1965 26Milčec Zvonimir Četrdeset i pet godina od poplave u Zagrebu Forty-five years since the Zagreb flood https://web1.zagreb.hr/cetrdeset-i-pet-godina-od-poplave-u-zagrebu/17060 Zagreb.hr City of Zagreb 10 November 2021 hr 14 July 2009 Following the news of high water at Zidani Most, the city authorities held an emergency meeting at 08:00 (CET, 07:00 UTC) on 25 October. The embankments had been improved to hold against a flood of the scale of the 1933 event, but it immediately became obvious they would be topped. All emergency services together with the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) were mobilised to help with flood defence efforts. By this point, the water level at the gauge at the bathhouse near the Sava Bridge, Zagreb sh Savski most (Zagreb) Sava Bridge, located at the border of Trešnjevka and Trnje, had already reached 288 cm ftin, nearly the height of the previous week's water wave crest.Kuzmić 2013 5–6, 11 The first radio warning of the flood was broadcast on Radio Zagreb on 25 October,Zlatar Pero Pero Zlatar Veza sa svijetom Connection to the world http://www.yugopapir.com/2014/10/katastrofalna-poplava-u-zagrebu-1964.html 10 November 2021 Studio November 1964 sh as well as on television,Vjesnik/Večernji list, 27 October 1964 1 "Vjesnik je pretrpio golemu štetu" and bells were rung in the city centre to alarm the citizens. Unfortunately, the riverside suburbs were too far from the centre to hear the bells,Prošlo je 55 godina otkad je Zagreb preživio poplavu gigantskih razmjera. Teško je ostati hladan gledajući slike It has been 55 years since Zagreb has survived a massive flood https://www.telegram.hr/fotogalerije/zivot/proslo-je-55-godina-otkad-je-zagreb-prezivio-poplavu-gigantskih-razmjera-tesko-je-ostati-hladan-gledajuci-slike/ Telegram.hr 10 November 2021 hr October 2019 and many households did not own radio nor TV sets.Hutinec Goldstein 2013 237 The warnings also arrived fairly late; the first radio warning was only issued at 13:30, when parts of Podsused were already underwater.Kuzmić 2013 13 As most of the flooding happened at night and the warnings did not reach residents, many remained unaware of the danger until the water reached their houses.Hutinec Goldstein 2013 237 Many people who received the warnings were initially unwilling to leave their houses.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 2 "Evakuirano 3500 osoba"Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 6 "Postradali neprestano dolaze"Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 7 "Probija se nasip u Držićevoj ulici" During the floods of the 1920s and 1930s, almost none of the residents had dared leave their houses unattended for fear of looting.Čapo 2020 62 Many residents sent their children away with rescue services, planning to wait out the flood and take care of their possessions, only to find themselves trapped in attics and on the rooftops of their single-storey and two-storey homes as the water kept rising.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 27 October 1964 2 "Trešnjevka na nogama"Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 2 "Evakuirano 3500 osoba"Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 6 "Postradali neprestano dolaze" For instance, in Folnegovićevo naselje, during the night of 26–27 October, the water reportedly rose by 2 m in three hours.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 27 October 1964 1 "Dramatična noć" In the later days of the flood, residents who successfully took shelter at the upper floors of taller buildings were also evacuated, as they were without access to tap water and sanitation.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 7 "Akcije koje predstoje" Newspapers noted that the sudden arrival of the flood created a confusion among many in the unaffected parts of the city who attempted to visit or commute to the flooded neighbourhoods, unaware of the disaster.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 9 "Akcije koje predstoje" Damages and casualties Scoured road at Jankomir Bridge.png Sl. 8 - Autoput kod Jankomirskog mosta.jpg 400 Parts of the highway to Ljubljana were washed out by the flood. The first casualties were found and identified on 27 October, in Petruševec, Knežija and Staro Trnje.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 1 "Dosad identificirano šest žrtava" A total of 17 people died in the flood (14 according to some sourcesHutinec Goldstein 2013 237), while 65 were injured;Hutinec Goldstein 2013 237Kuzmić 2013 6Vujasinović 2015 91 not a large number considering the extent and severity of the flood.Hutinec Goldstein 2013 237 Out of half a million people living in Zagreb in 1964, 183,000 were living in the flooded area. The flood inundated 6000 ha acre km2 of urban area and a third of the city's residential buildings, including 300 tower blocks. The maximum north–south span of the flooded area was 4 km in Trnje.Kuzmić 2013 7 The flood reached the railway embankment situated between Trnje and the city core.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 27 October 1964 2 "Borba za svaki pedalj zemlje" In Zagreb's surroundings, around 30000 ha of farmland was underwater in the municipalities of Samobor, Zaprešić, Velika Gorica, Dugo Selo and Sesvete.Kuzmić 2013 8 40,000 citizens lost their homes as 10,000 flats and single-family houses were condemned. Another 35,000 housing units were damaged but deemed fit for repairs.Kuzmić 2013 7Hutinec Goldstein 2013 237 In Trešnjevka, 8,254 households, accounting for half the district's inhabitants, suffered property damage. Two kilometres (1.2 mi) of the Ljubljana–Zagreb–Belgrade Highway were washed out. The flood scoured the foundations of Jankomir Bridge sh Jankomirski most Jankomir and Red Bridge, Zagreb sh Crveni most (Zagreb) Jakuševec Bridges.Kuzmić 2013 7 The roadway of the latter was underwater during the flood.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 10 "Helikopteri nad poplavljenim gradom" While many employees aided by citizen volunteers tried to protect their workplaces, a total of 120 companies reported damage from the flood. 65 per cent of building material was lost, which complicated the rebuilding efforts.Vadlja 1965 31Kuzmić 2013 7Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 650 godina od velike poplave u Zagrebu 50 years since the great Zagreb flood https://arhiv-vijesti.hrt.hr/260170/50-godina-od-velike-poplave-u-zagrebu Croatian Radiotelevision 10 November 2021 hr 26 October 2014 16 November 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211116190624/https://arhiv-vijesti.hrt.hr/260170/50-godina-od-velike-poplave-u-zagrebu dead A total of 3,297 industrial property units were destroyed.Bonacci Ljubenkov 2008 1190Kuzmić 2013 7 The Jugomont construction company suffered 1 billion dinars in losses. Nearly all of its facilities were destroyed.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 7 "Izjava M. Tripala" In the Žitnjak industrial zone in Peščenica, the facilities of Auto-Hrvatska,History of Business Group https://www.autohrvatska.hr/en/history-of-business-group.aspx Auto Hrvatska d.d. 10 November 2021 enVjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 6 "Bitka za Toplanu" Hidroelektra,Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 4 "Prvo – čišćenje poplavljenih terena"Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 6 "Bitka za Toplanu" Viadukt and Gramat were flooded.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 6 "Bitka za Toplanu" The Zagreb tram depot in Ljubljanica (Trešnjevka) was flooded soon after midnight on 25–26 October, but all tram cars were quickly evacuated and parked on higher ground on Mirogoj Road. Tram traffic remained in operation on the Črnomerec–Dubrava line along the dry northern rim of the river plain.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 9 "Saobraćaj samo u sjevernim dijelovima grada" Some factories endangered by the Sava and its tributaries outside Zagreb proper included Serum Zavod (today Pliva) in Kalinovica,Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 2 "Čitavu noć vodila se borba" Žumberak in Savski Marof, Jugomontaža in Brdovec, and Karbon (factory) sh Karbon (tvornica) hr Tvornica Karbon, Maršala Tita 94 (Zaprešić) Karbon and Jugokeramika in the Zaprešić area.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 27 October 1964 2 "Borba za svaki pedalj zemlje"Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 4 "Prva pomoć radnih kolektiva svojim članovima" In the Trešnjevka Square Nama, only six per cent of the inventory was saved from the flood.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 2 "Evakuirano 3500 osoba" The Šimecki shoe shop sold wet shoes at a 95 per cent discount, finding a great demand.Hutinec Goldstein 2013 238 The initial estimate of damages was 100 billion dinars, not including personal property.Kuzmić 2013 8 This was later revised to 160 billion dinars, which was 9.18 per cent of SR Croatia's gross domestic product.Vujasinović 2015 91 Another estimate puts the damages at "more than US$100 million".Bonacci Ljubenkov 2008 1190 For decades, the 1964 flood remained the costliest natural disaster in the history of the city.Vujasinović 2015 91 thumb|left|River Sava in Trnje. The reddish-brown Vjesnik Building can be partly seen at the right edge of the photo.|alt=View along the Sava from the embankment opposite to Trnje. The river occupies the bottom of the picture, flanked by rows of deciduous trees. A number of large buildings, mostly brutalist in style, is located behind the trees. Zagreb's mass media were substantially affected by the flood. Zagreb's most widely read dailies, Vjesnik and Večernji list, and a number of weeklies, had their headquarters and print works in the Vjesnik Building hr Vjesnikov neboder, located in the low-lying Cvjetno naselje. Most of the machinery, paper, supplies, storage space and offices were in the basement and the first few floors of the building,Vjesnik/Večernji list, 27 October 1964 1–2 "Vjesnik je pretrpio golemu štetu" as the higher floors were still under construction.Balija Petra Smrtno je stradalo 17 ljudi, a 40.000 ostalo bez krova nad glavom 17 people died, 40,000 lost their homes https://www.vecernji.hr/zagreb/smrtno-je-stradalo-17-ljudi-a-40000-ostalo-bez-krova-nad-glavom-1032727 Večernji list 10 November 2021 hr 24 October 2015 Consequently, they were immediately under threat from the floodwaters which began entering the building at 03:00 on 26 October, and in several hours overcame impromptu defences and flooded most of the equipment, causing around 1 billion dinars in damages. Some parts of the building were in up to 4 m of water. This event left Zagreb without daily newspapers until Vjesnik and Večernji list managed to publish a limited-run joint two-page issue on 27 October, printed at the old print works in Donji grad.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 27 October 1964 1–2 "Vjesnik je pretrpio golemu štetu"Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 2 "Osigurano izlaženje 'Vjesnika' i 'Večernjeg lista'" This joint arrangement between the two newspapers continued for a week.Rašović Renata Glas iz tranzistora te je noći bio jedini zvuk koji je pratio huk podivljale rijeke That night, the voice from the radio was the only sound aside from the raging river https://www.vecernji.hr/vecernji60/glas-iz-tranzistora-te-je-noci-bio-jedini-zvuk-koji-je-pratio-huk-podivljale-rijeke-1304923 Večernji list 10 November 2021 hr 6 March 2019 The Radio Television Zagreb, whose headquarters were close by, in Vrbik, faced a similar ordeal. As a consequence of these mishaps, there is some confusion as to the details of the events.Ivanjek Željko Noć kad je potonuo Zagreb – 50 godina od velike poplave u metropoli: Prizori iz vodenog pakla The night Zagreb sank – 50 years since the capital's great flood: Scenes out of a watery hell https://www.jutarnji.hr/vijesti/foto-noc-kad-je-potonuo-zagreb-50-godina-od-velike-poplave-u-metropoli-prizori-iz-vodenog-pakla-569056 Jutarnji list 10 November 2021 hr 19 October 2014 Rescue and relief efforts thumb|right|Tram passes alongside a scoured stretch of Savska Road|alt=A tram car occupies the top half of the picture. The bottom half shows a several-metre-deep ditch containing soil, boulders, and torn cables or piping. The rescue effort included 3,188 soldiers, who rescued around 3,000 trapped citizens.Hutinec Goldstein 2013 239 Lorry, tractor and bulldozer drivers were ordered to report to the city authorities to help with flood defence and rescues. In many factories, workers protected their workplaces round-the-clock, and in some cases they were aided by local residents.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 6 "Spašeni elektromotori vrijedni milijardu" There were over 5,000 ambulance interventions between 25 and 29 October.Hutinec Goldstein 2013 239 In addition to 25 motor vehicles, ambulance crews often used boats to reach the patients.Hutinec Goldstein 2013 239Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 4 "Hitna pomoć evakuirala 3000 ljudi" Light injuries were treated at the Red Cross building in Donji grad. Injured and sick children were transferred to the Bistra Hospital in Zagorje.Kuzmić 2013 9 Over 10,000 people took part in maintaining flood defences, evacuating neighbourhoods, caring for the flood refugees at the shelters, treating injuries, and other mitigation efforts.Hutinec Goldstein 2013 238 The rescue efforts were hampered by the fact that there was no electricity in the flooded area, and rescue crews had to rely on torches.Kuzmić 2013 17Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 9 "Grad je prešao u napad" The proceeds of the NK ZagrebA.S. Roma association football match held on 28 October for the 1964–65 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup were donated toward recovery from the flood. The game was held at the Maksimir Stadium. NK Zagreb's home ground, Stadion Kranjčevićeva, was in flooded Trešnjevka.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 7 "Zagreb – Roma se ipak igra"Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 8 "Zagreb-Roma u srijedu u 18 sati"Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 9 "Gdje su nekad bili pločnici" Numerous cities in Croatia and Yugoslavia, as well as foreign countries, offered help with relief efforts. The United States, Italy, West Germany, and Austria offered medical supplies and equipment. Belgrade, Bjelovar, Karlovac, Kragujevac, Rijeka, Split, and Virovitica offered assistance with relief efforts. Belgrade sent tankers for street cleaning, and electric generators. Bjelovar, Karlovac, Varaždin, Donja Stubica, and Jastrebarsko sent generator-powered water pumps.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 4 "Pomoć Zagrebu"Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 7 "Izjava Mike Tripala" The SR Croatia Red Cross set up camp beds in Zagreb hospitals, and distributed clothing, blankets and some food supplies to the evacuees.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 6 "Pomoć u hrani i odjeći" Food supplies were donated by various companies, including Sljeme, Mosor and Lovački Rog.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 9 "Škola – prihvatilište" Firewood was brought in from other cities and Yugoslav republics, as Zagreb's firewood stores were flooded.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 7 "Uklanjanje posljedica" A chlorination campaign was carried out due to the contamination of the city's water supply. In addition, the hygiene crisis prompted an organised mass vaccination of Zagrebers for typhoid and paratyphoid fever.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 4 "Počelo cijepljenje"Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 7 "Uklanjanje posljedica" Karlovac, Novo Mesto, Opatija, Ljubljana and Kranj sent tankers with clean water.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 4 "Počelo cijepljenje" Aftermath Effects on the city thumb|right|1960s skyscrapers in Vrbik. Large apartment buildings gained foothold in neighbourhoods previously dominated by single-storey homes.|alt=refer to caption A few houses were reportedly carried away by the water current in Jarun.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 27 October 1964 2 "Trešnjevka na nogama" Most flooded buildings remained standing but many of these were rendered uninhabitable by effects of the flood and subsequently condemned.Kuzmić 2013 7 Some of the yellow crosses signifying buildings tagged for repair survive to the present day.Radovanović Vanja Poplava 1964. 1964 flood https://mapiranjetresnjevke.com/kvartovi/gredice/poplava-1964/ Trešnjevka Mapping 28 January 2014 19 November 2021 hr Many buildings which were found fit for repairs were temporarily uninhabitable, as their waterlogged walls and floors made it impossible to dry and heat them for the incoming winter.Susreti s ljudima Interviews with residents https://mapiranjetresnjevke.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/poplava1-70.jpg 10 November 2021 Zagrebačka panorama Special flood issue 1964 31 hr For instance, the building of the University of Zagreb's Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, constructed in 1962 and located in Vrbik, was flooded up to 1.6 m deep, and following the flood, the basement and ground floor remained unusable for over a year, some of the classrooms could not be heated, and the walls had to be replastered due to the damp.Roksandić Branđolica Lovrić Sarić 2010 241, 243, 245 Around 13,000 students were unable to attend classes because of damage to schools and the University of Zagreb. Costly damages were incurred in university laboratories, libraries and telephone exchanges, which tended to be located on the ground floor or in the basement.Roksandić Branđolica Lovrić Sarić 2010 246 Citizens whose homes were flooded were evacuated to student dormitories and school classrooms.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 4 "Črnomerec: za sebe i za druge"Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 6 "Postradali neprestano dolaze" The consequences of the flood changed the cityscape of southern Zagreb. The worst damage occurred in Trnje. The neighbourhood of Vrbik was almost completely destroyed: 90 per cent of its housing units was condemned.Hutinec Goldstein 2013 239 The recovery efforts, organised by Mayor Pero Pirker, led to the creation of a number of new neighbourhoods to replace and compensate for lost housing. As a first recourse for those made homeless by the flood, the city government passed a motion to begin construction of 1,000 flats with another 9,000 slated for construction in 1965.Kuzmić 2013 10 Estates of prefabricated small single-family houses and single-storey apartment houses were erected in many suburban locations, including Botinec, Retkovec,Hutinec Goldstein 2013 239 Prilesje,Šimpraga Saša Sve što fali, treba doći tu All that is missing should go here https://www.h-alter.org/vijesti/sve-sto-fali-treba-doci-tu H-Alter 10 November 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20200330125159/https://www.h-alter.org/vijesti/sve-sto-fali-treba-doci-tu 30 March 2020 hr 28 March 2020 dead Maksimirsko naselje, Gajnice and others.Ivković Hana Kvart je idealan za djecu, kvadrati nisu skupi, još samo da je više parkirališta... The neighbourhood is ideal for children, square footage is cheap, but it could use more parking spaces... https://www.vecernji.hr/zagreb/kvart-je-idealan-za-djecu-kvadrati-nisu-skupi-jos-samo-da-je-vise-parkiralista-1414166 Večernji list 10 November 2021 hr 2 July 2020Kos Borna Na današnji dan Sava je "pokazala" zube Zagrebu On this day, Sava "bared teeth" at Zagreb https://www.zagreb.info/ritam-grad/nadanasnjidan/na-danasnji-dan-sava-je-pokazala-zube-zagrebu/194427/ Zagreb.info 10 November 2021 hr 26 October 2018 These neighbourhoods were meant to be temporary until the residents could be assigned a free replacement flat; however, due to a housing shortage, many residents ended up living in the temporary buildings into the 21st century.Bogdanić Siniša "Kao da ih je donijela poplava..." "As if the flood dragged them in..." https://p.dw.com/p/1DWO5 Deutsche Welle 10 November 2021 hr 17 October 2014 In total, around 26,000 new housing units and 34 schools were built during the next three years. In the next decade, the neighbourhoods of Knežija, Kalinovica and Srednjaci in the Jarun area, which had been mostly occupied by single-storey and two-storey houses, were turned into high-rise housing estates, home to 29,300 people by the early 1970s.Beus Richembergh Goran Istaknuti zagrebački gradonačelnik Pero Pirker Prominent mayor of Zagreb, Pero Pirker https://nacionalnemanjine.hr/istaknuti-zagrebacki-gradonacelnik-pero-pirker/ Portal Nacionalne manjine HR 10 November 2021 hr 5 March 2020Richter 1975 72 On the whole, 6,731 new housing units were built in Trešnjevka between the Ljubljana–Zagreb Highway and the river.Iz povijesti (Trešnjevka – jug) https://aktivnosti.zagreb.hr/gradske-cetvrti-19/tresnjevka-jug/iz-povijesti-13526/13526 Aktivnosti.zagreb.hr City of Zagreb 10 November 2021 hr The worst hit partVjesnik/Večernji list, 27 October 1964 2 "Nema više čamaca" of Kruge similarly evolved into the modern-day high-rise Trnjanska Savica neighbourhood,Sutlić Korana Čudesna povijest jednog od najvećih zagrebačkih kvartova: 'Nakon Drugog svjetskog rata tu je bio El Dorado. A onda se dogodila katastrofa...' The remarkable history of one of Zagreb's largest neighbourhoods: 'After World War II this was El Dorado. Then, disaster struck...' https://www.jutarnji.hr/magazini/cudesna-povijest-jednog-od-najvecih-zagrebackih-kvartova-nakon-drugog-svjetskog-rata-tu-je-bio-el-dorado-a-onda-se-dogodila-katastrofa-7192629 Jutarnji list 10 November 2021 hr 2 April 2018 and further high-rise estates were constructed in Novi Zagreb. Despite the flood, Zagreb's population increased by a third during the decade of 1961–1971.Stanovništvo Population http://www1.zagreb.hr/zgstat/documents/Ljetopis%202007/058-080.pdf City of Zagreb 10 November 2021 hr 26 June 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080626195411/http://www1.zagreb.hr/zgstat/documents/Ljetopis%202007/058-080.pdf dead In the latter half of the 1960s a number of factories were moved from the inner city to the outskirts, outside the flood zone. The Kraš factory was moved to its present-day location in Ravnice.1960–1970 – History of Kraš https://www.kras.hr/en/about-us/about-us/history-of-kras/1960 Kraš Group 10 November 2021 en The Gredelj railway workshop facilities in Trnje, next to Zagreb Main Railway Station, were gradually closed as a new plant was opened in 1968 in Peščenica.Gredelj započinje gradnju novih pogona u Vukomercu Gredelj begins work on new facilities in Vukomerec https://www.index.hr/vijesti/clanak/gredelj-zapocinje-gradnju-novih-pogona-u-vukomercu/372563.aspx Index.hr 10 November 2021 hr 29 January 2008 Improvements to flood defences thumb|right|Groundwater floods Lake Jarun quay, close to the Sava's left embankment, September 2010. The 2010 Slovenia floods heavily affected areas upriver and downriver, but Zagreb suffered minimal damage.|alt=A car is passing through shallow water The government quickly set out to improve Zagreb's flood defences. On 28 October, the authorities began making repairs to the embankments. More flooding was feared,Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 1 "Voda se povlači iz grada" because the wave action of the receding waters deepened the breaches.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 4 "Borba za Žitnjak" Several months after the flood, an overhaul of embankments was started with youth work actions.Senjković 2017 12 The embankments, whose tops had been 1.5 - 2 m ft 0 above the floodplain,Knežević Velinka Poplava iz 1964. ne može se ponoviti zbog visokog nasipa The 1964 flood cannot happen again due to raised embankments https://www.vecernji.hr/zagreb/poplava-iz-1964-ne-moze-se-ponoviti-zbog-visokog-nasipa-852159 Večernji list 10 November 2021 hr 15 December 2008 were reconstructed and elevated to a height of 4 - 6 m on the 27 km stretch from Podsused to Ivanja Reka.Šterc 1979 107 On this stretch, the embankments were built 300 m apart; the river was placed in a roughly 100 m wide channel flanked by detention fields of a similar width.Šterc 1979 107Trninić Bošnjak 2009 263 The regulation works significantly altered the terrain near the parts of the river which had not been covered by the old embankments. Among other changes, this included draining the marshes and lakes in the village of JakuševecDjeca smeća Children of the rubbish https://www.jutarnji.hr/globus/djeca-smeca-4088055 Globus Europapress holding 10 November 2021 hr 19 March 2013 and separating Lake Jarun from the Sava.Štulhofer Barišić Marenić Uchytil 2010 237 During the flood, the city's landfills were under water, so the refuse was dumped at a temporary site in Dubrava.Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 4 "Počelo cijepljenje" During the river regulation works, a new landfill was built in 1965 in Jakuševec. The floods prompted work on flood defences on the entire course of the Sava,Kuzmić 2013 20 including diversion canals protecting Zagreb, Sisak and Karlovac. Construction of the Sava–Odra–Sava Canal in Zagreb started in 1965,Hutinec Goldstein 2013 239 and ended in the early 1970s.hidrografska obilježja Hydrographic features Branching from the Sava's right bank upriver of the inner city, at Jankomir, the canal extends 32 km in the southeast direction, connecting the river with the River Odra and the Odra Field hr Odransko polje, a natural detention basinŠterc 1979 97 which can accommodate up to 1809000000 m3 acre-ft of water.Marušić 2019 353 The canal has a capacity of more than 1500 m3/s.Bonacci Ljubenkov 2008 1190 The 1000 m wideMarušić 2019 352 Jankomir weir is opened by dynamiting the lip of the embankment.Šterc 1979 105 It is designed to accept water into the canal when the water level at the Sava Bridge gauge exceeds 350 cm ftin, which corresponds to a flow of 1900 m3/s.Šterc 1979 97 This acts to reduce the amount of water entering the urban area during high water events, and decrease the risk of the floodwater rising past the crown of Zagreb's embankments.Šterc 1979 107 thumb|left|The River Sava at the Liberty Bridge. At low to moderate flow levels, the Sava stays in its channel (as pictured), while at high flow it expands into the detention fields up to the embankments.|alt=View of a river from the air According to Hrvatske vode, in the Zagreb urban area between Podsused Bridge sh Podsusedski most Podsused and Mičevec Bridge sh Željeznički most Sava-Jakuševec Mičevec Bridges, the embankments exceed the crest of a 1,000-year flood by a metre (3.3 ft).Kuzmić 2013 20 Sava prije 53 godine poplavila Zagreb Hrvatska Vodoprivreda October–December 2017 XXV 221 74 https://www.voda.hr/sites/default/files/clanak/klimatske_promjene_i_pojava_poplava_hr_vodoprivreda_221.pdf 10 November 2021 53 years ago, the Sava flooded Zagreb Hrvatske vode hr 8 October 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20181008114938/http://www.voda.hr/sites/default/files/clanak/klimatske_promjene_i_pojava_poplava_hr_vodoprivreda_221.pdf dead However, surrounding towns and villages are protected by lower and less secure embankments. As such, low-lying parts of the surrounding area remain in danger from flooding. The flood of 1964 was the last devastating river flood in Zagreb. Some of the later Sava Valley floods, such as the ones in 1979Šterc 1979 107 and 2014Zagrebačka Kajzerica pod vodom: Poplavljene garaže i podrumi Zagreb's Kajzerica underwater: Garages and basements flooded https://dnevnik.hr/vijesti/hrvatska/foto-kajzerica-pod-vodom-gradjani-vjeruju-da-je-sava-pozemnim-putem-poplavila-dio-cetvrti---352131.html Nova TV 10 November 2021 hr 14 September 2014Sisak i Gradiška dočekuju vodeni val Sisak and Gradiška prepare for the water wave https://balkans.aljazeera.net/news/balkan/2014/9/14/sisak-i-gradiska-docekuju-vodeni-val Al Jazeera Balkans 10 November 2021 hr 14 September 2014 have produced localised groundwater flooding in a few streets in Kajzerica and Jarun.Kuzmić 2013 20-21 The 1990 Sava Valley flood broke the 1933 high water mark in Radeče by another 54 cm in and caused much damage in Zagreb's surroundings, especially the area of Samobor and Zaprešić, but the city proper was spared, except for the (by then already decommissioned) Jakuševec Bridge, which was carried away by the river current.Riđanović Tusić Tropan 1991 4 The levels of flooding of 1964 and before have not recurredKuzmić 2013 20-21 as of 2021. Progress on the Sava–Odra–Sava Canal stopped in the 1970s. It was initially intended to extend along the Odra's course all the way to the Sava,Šterc 1979 107 but today ends in the Odra Field.Pocrnjić Vana Projekt "Zagreb na Savi" donosi i završetak kanala Sava-Odra The "Zagreb on the Sava" project will complete the Sava–Odra Canal https://www.vgdanas.hr/grad/projekt-zagreb-na-savi-donosi-i-zavrsetak-kanala-sava-odra/ VGdanas 10 November 2021 Velika Gorica, Croatia hr 5 July 2018 This increases the flood risk in the Odra Valley; during the 1990 Sava Valley flood, high inflow into the canal caused the Odra to flood the village of Čička Poljana.Riđanović Tusić Tropan 1991 5 Near Samobor and Zaprešić, the river in parts completely lacks embankments.Flood defence plan for Area C14, 2014 15HINA Dramatične fotografije: 'Bježali smo, a sve što smo imali progutala nam je voda'. Izvanredne mjere u Velikoj Gorici! Dramatic photos: 'We had to flee, everything we had is underwater'. State of emergency in Velika Gorica! https://www.jutarnji.hr/vijesti/hrvatska/dramaticne-fotografije-%E2%80%98bjezali-smo-a-sve-sto-smo-imali-progutala-nam-je-voda%E2%80%99.-izvanredne-mjere-u-velikoj-gorici-1360569 Jutarnji list 10 November 2021 hr 8 November 2012 According to academic Stjepan Šterc, cutting off the detention basins in this area without completing the Sava–Odra–Sava Canal would increase the risk of flooding in Zagreb.Šterc 1979 107 thumb|right|The Sava–Odra–Sava Canal is dry most of the year. It is opened when the Sava reaches flood stage.|alt=Aerial view of a large, mostly dry and grassy canal The water flow necessary to activate the canal has increased over the years due to the incision of the Sava's riverbed in Zagreb by more than 3 m.Bonacci Oskoruš 2011 14–15 Already in 1979, a level of 382 cm at the Zagreb gauge was not enough to cause water to flow over the Jankomir weir.Šterc 1979 106 The issue of river profile changes due to sediment transport was intended to be solved by a series of hydroelectric dams between Podsused and Rugvica,Šterc 1979 108 but these plans were not carried out. The incision trend stopped and began to reverse in 1994 following the construction of a weir near the Zagreb Thermoelectric Heat Plant in Peščenica.Bonacci Oskoruš 2011 15 Despite the riverbed changes and the diversion canal, a 2011 study found no statistically significant changes in yearly water level maximums. This was partly attributed to a detrimental effect due to the new dams and flood defence work conducted upriver in Slovenia.Bonacci Oskoruš 2011 14–15 In addition, due to river incision, the Jankomir weir was as of 2008 functional only at flows exceeding 2350 m3/s.Bonacci Ljubenkov 2008 1191 As of 2015, the canal has been opened nine times.Vujasinović 2015 34 Legacy The 1964 flood is remembered as the worst flood and one of worst natural disasters to strike Zagreb,Za poplavu iz 1964-te svi znate, ali ona nije jedina: Još je jedna godina bila kritična: Sjećate li se koja? Everybody knows about the 1964 flood, but it was not the only one: Another year was also critical, do you remember which one? https://www.zagreb.info/aktualno/zg/za-poplavu-iz-1964-te-svi-znate-ali-ona-nije-jedina-jos-je-jedna-godina-bila-kriticna-sjecate-li-se-koja/273076/# Zagreb.info 10 November 2021 hr 25 July 2020 but also as the last major flood, after which the city dealt with the danger posed by the Sava. Filmmaker Bogdan Žižić made his directorial debut with hr Poplava (The Flood), a 1964 short documentary film created out of television footage of the events.Umro je redatelj Bogdan Žižić Director Bogdan Žižić dies https://magazin.hrt.hr/kultura/umro-je-redatelj-bogdan-zizic-1652658 Croatian Radiotelevision 10 November 2021 hr 3 May 2021Majetić V. Prije 53 godine izlivena Sava odnijela je 17 života u Zagrebu 53 years ago Sava overflowed its banks and took 17 lives in Zagreb https://www.tportal.hr/vijesti/clanak/prije-53-godine-izlivena-sava-odnijela-je-17-zivota-u-zagrebu-20171026 Tportal.hr 10 November 2021 hr 26 October 2017 The flood and recovery became the defining event of Pero Pirker's mayoralty. Out of all Zagreb mayors, he is perceived as the most affected by the flooding of Sava, although mayors before him also suffered calamitous floods. The recovery of the city from the catastrophe made Pirker a highly popular mayor, and he continued his career at the national level, but fell into oblivion following the suppression of the Croatian Spring in 1971 and his death from cancer the next year. See also List of floods in Europe 1880 Zagreb earthquake 2020 Zagreb earthquake Notes References 25em Bibliography 30em Joint flood edition, 27 October 1964 Vjesnik/Večernji list http://media.vecernji-list.hr/pdf/premium4/27.10.1964-Poplava_Zagreb.pdf 10 November 2021 hr 1–2 Vjesnik/Večernji list, 27 October 1964 Joint flood edition, 28 October 1964 Vjesnik/Večernji list http://media.vecernji-list.hr/pdf/premium4/27.10.1964-Poplava_Zagreb.pdf 10 November 2021 hr 1–10 Vjesnik/Večernji list, 28 October 1964 Provedbeni plan obrane od poplava branjenog područja 14: središnji dio područja maloga sliva Zagrebačko Prisavlje na Sektoru C – Gornja Sava Flood defence implementation plan for Defence Area 14: the central part of the Zagrebačko Prisavlje small catchment area on Sector C – Upper Sava https://www.voda.hr/sites/default/files/clanak/bp_14_-_provedbeni_plan_obrane_od_poplava.pdf Hrvatske vode 10 November 2021 hr March 2014 Flood defence plan for Area C14, 2014 14 May 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210514050708/https://www.voda.hr/sites/default/files/clanak/bp_14_-_provedbeni_plan_obrane_od_poplava.pdf dead Bencetić Lidija Indicators of the housing stock in Zagreb from 1945 until the late 1960s Review of Croatian History 1 August 2020 XVI 1 77–91 10.22586/review.v16i1.11292 https://hrcak.srce.hr/index.php?show=clanak&id_clanak_jezik=351661 10 November 2021 Zagreb 225398656 en 1845-4380 free Bonacci Ognjen Ljubenkov Igor Changes in flow conveyance and implication for flood protection, Sava River, Zagreb Hydrological Processes 2008-04-15 22 8 1189–1196 10.1002/hyp.6688 2008HyPr...22.1189B 128715368 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230092441 Bonacci Ognjen Oskoruš Dijana Hidrološka analiza sigurnosti Zagreba od poplave vodama rijeke Save u novim uvjetima Hrvatske Vode 2011 19 75 13–24 https://www.voda.hr/sites/default/files/pdf_clanka/hv_75_2011_13-24_bonacci-oskrous.pdf 10 November 2021 Hydrological analysis of the City of Zagreb's safety from floods by the Sava waters under new conditions hr 16 November 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211116190643/https://www.voda.hr/sites/default/files/pdf_clanka/hv_75_2011_13-24_bonacci-oskrous.pdf dead Čapo Hrvoje Odnos zagrebačke gradske vlasti prema južnoj periferiji između dva svjetska rata Časopis za suvremenu povijest 31 March 2020 52 1 53–78 10.22586/csp.v52i1.9886 216300966 https://hrcak.srce.hr/index.php?show=clanak&id_clanak_jezik=343527 10 November 2021 City of Zagreb authorities' treatment of the southern outskirts during the Interbellum hr 0590-9597 free Goldstein Ivo Goldstein Slavko Ivo Goldstein Slavko Goldstein Povijest grada Zagreba 1: Od prethistorije do 1918. History of the City of Zagreb 1: From Prehistory to 1918 2012 Novi Liber Zagreb 9789533250205 hr Hutinec Goran Goldstein Ivo Ivo Goldstein Goldstein Slavko Slavko Goldstein Povijest grada Zagreba 2: 20. i 21. stoljeće History of the City of Zagreb 2: 20th and 21st Century 2013 Novi Liber Zagreb 9789533250212 hr Karbić Marija Škreblin Bruno Ostajmer Branko Rijeka Sava u povijesti. Zbornik radova znanstvenog skupa održanog u Slavonskom Brodu 18-19. listopada 2013. River Sava Through History. A Collection of Works of the 18–19 October 2013 Conference in Slavonski Brod 2015 Croatian Institute of History Slavonski Brod 978-953-6659-88-3 163–179 Grad na rijeci ili pored nje: srednjovjekovni Zagreb i rijeka Sava The Town On or Close to the River: Medieval Zagreb and the Sava River https://www.academia.edu/21798120 10 November 2021 hr Kolar-Dimitrijević Mira Socijalno-ekonomska politika gradske općine Zagreba s obzirom na položaj radničkog stanovništva od velike svjetske krize do početka drugoga svjetskog rata (1931–1939) Socioeconomic politics of the Zagreb city government with respect to the condition of the working class from the Great Depression to the beginning of World War II (1931–1939) Povijesni Prilozi 15 December 1983 2 2 171–244 https://hrcak.srce.hr/index.php?show=clanak&id_clanak_jezik=158406 10 November 2021 hr 0351-9767 Kolar-Dimitrijević Mira Socijalni slojevi i uvjeti života u južnom dijelu Zagreba u međuratnom razdoblju (1918.-1941.) Hrvatske Vode 2010 18 73 221–230 https://www.voda.hr/sites/default/files/pdf_clanka/hv_73_2010_221-230_kolardimitrijevic.pdf 10 November 2021 Social strata and living conditions in the southern part of Zagreb between the two world wars (1918–1941) hr July 2026 InternetArchiveBot Kuzmić Zdenko Poplava u Zagrebu 1964. godine 1964 Zagreb Flood 2013 Zagreb City Museum 978-953-6942-13-8 hr Marušić Josip Stručni prikaz: 55 godina od katastrofalne poplave Zagreba krajem listopada 1964. Expert review: 55 years since the catastrophic Zagreb flood of October 1964 Hrvatske Vode 2019 27 110 347–354 https://hrcak.srce.hr/index.php?show=clanak&id_clanak_jezik=338859 10 November 2021 hr 1330-1144 Richter Melita Sociological Analysis of Knežija, Kalinovica and Srednjaci Colonies Revija za sociologiju 31 December 1975 5 4 67–73 https://hrcak.srce.hr/index.php?show=clanak&id_clanak_jezik=230372 10 November 2021 hr 0350-154X Riđanović Josip Katastrofalna poplava Zagreba u listopadu 1964. Catastrophic Zagreb flood in October 1964 Hrvatski geografski glasnik 1964 26 1 294 https://hrcak.srce.hr/index.php?show=clanak&id_clanak_jezik=85287 10 November 2021 hr 1331-5854 Riđanović Josip Tusić Vesna Tropan Ljudevit Flood in the Zagreb–Karlovac–Sisak region, November 1990 Acta Geographica Croatica 1 September 1991 26 1 1–15 https://hrcak.srce.hr/index.php?show=clanak&id_clanak_jezik=141882 University of Zagreb hr 1330-0466 Roksandić Drago Branđolica Tomislav Lovrić Marko Sarić Nikolina Šimetin Šegvić Filip Filozofski fakultet u poplavi 1964. godine: sjećanja i dokumenti The Faculty of Philosophy in the 1964 Zagreb flood: recollections and documents Hrvatske Vode 2010 18 73 241–248 https://www.voda.hr/sites/default/files/pdf_clanka/hv_73_2010_241-248_roksandic-et-al.pdf 10 November 2021 hr 16 November 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211116190630/https://www.voda.hr/sites/default/files/pdf_clanka/hv_73_2010_241-248_roksandic-et-al.pdf dead Senjković Reana Omladinske radne akcije – dizajn ideologije Youth work actions – the design of an ideology 2017 Kulturno informativni centar Zagreb 978-953-57150-4-7 5–14 https://yuhistorija.com/serbian/doc/Omladinske%20radne%20akcije%20-%20dizajn%20ideologije%20-%20KATALOG.pdf 10 November 2021 hr Uvod Introduction Slukan Altić Mirela The history of the Sava river regulation at Zagreb and its consequences on the city's development Hrvatske Vode 2010 18 73 205–212 https://www.voda.hr/sites/default/files/pdf_clanka/hv_73_2010_205-212_slukanaltic.pdf 10 November 2021 hr 16 November 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211116190646/https://www.voda.hr/sites/default/files/pdf_clanka/hv_73_2010_205-212_slukanaltic.pdf dead Šterc Stjepan Zagreb flood defences by the Sava – Odra – Sava canal Hrvatski geografski glasnik 22 June 1979 41–42 1 97–115 https://hrcak.srce.hr/index.php?show=clanak&id_clanak_jezik=58806 10 November 2021 hr 1331-5854 Štulhofer Ariana Barišić Marenić Zrinka Uchytil Andrej Kupališta i drugi sportsko-rekreacijski sadržaji uz rijeku Savu u Zagrebu Hrvatske Vode 2010 18 73 231–240 https://www.voda.hr/sites/default/files/pdf_clanka/hv_73_2010_231-240_stulhofer-et-al.pdf 10 November 2021 Beaches and other sporting and recreational spots along the Sava in Zagreb hr 16 November 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211116190642/https://www.voda.hr/sites/default/files/pdf_clanka/hv_73_2010_231-240_stulhofer-et-al.pdf dead Trninić Dušan Bošnjak Tomislava Karakteristični protoci Save kod Zagreba Characteristic discharge of the Sava in Zagreb Hrvatske Vode 2009 17 69/70 257–268 https://www.voda.hr/sites/default/files/pdf_clanka/hv_69-70_2009_257-268_trninic-bosnjak.pdf 10 November 2021 hr 16 November 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211116190724/https://www.voda.hr/sites/default/files/pdf_clanka/hv_69-70_2009_257-268_trninic-bosnjak.pdf dead Vadlja Josip Poplava u Zagrebu 1964. Građevinar January 1965 XVII 1 26–31 https://archive.org/details/gradjevinar_sijecanj1965 10 November 2021 Zagreb hr Vujasinović Branko Podsjećanje na velike vode u prošlosti Hrvatske Vode 2015 23 91 29–34 https://www.voda.hr/sites/default/files/pdf_clanka/hv_91_2015_29_vujasinovic.pdf 10 November 2021 A look back at historical floods hr 26 August 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210826130321/https://www.voda.hr/sites/default/files/pdf_clanka/hv_91_2015_29_vujasinovic.pdf dead External links Map (bottom left) of extents of the flood with embankment breaches marked by arrows, 1965 article in the Građevinar engineering journal, via the Internet Archive Map of the extents of the flood, Zagrebačka panorama (1964), via Trešnjevka Mapping Croatia Weather Category:1960s in Zagreb Category:Natural disasters in Zagreb Category:Floods in Croatia Category:Floods in Slovenia Category:Weather events in Croatia Category:1960s floods in Europe Category:1960s floods Category:1964 natural disasters Zagreb flood Category:Natural disasters in Yugoslavia