The childhood home of Luka Modrić set to be restored
- by croatiaweek
- in News
Last year, three tourists from China travelled halfway across the world to visit Luka Modrić’s childhood home.
Expecting to find a museum, they were instead met with a derelict ruin at the foot of the Velebit mountain, located along the deserted Majstorska Road.
The story quickly gained attention on social media, and recently, as HRT reports, plans to restore the house have begun to take shape.
There are few sports fans around the globe who don’t recognise the name Luka Modrić, so it comes as no surprise that many tourists visiting the Zadar region frequently inquire about him.
“Two key topics always come up: the Croatian War of Independence and sport. Since Luka Modrić’s childhood intertwines both, his story is always of great interest to our visitors,” says Vlatka Pehar, a cultural heritage interpreter.
The region where the globally renowned footballer grew up is now largely abandoned and unjustly overlooked.
A Landmark in Zaton Obrovački
Luka Modrić’s childhood home is the most significant cultural landmark in Zaton Obrovački.
The property is a former road maintenance house owned by the Croatian state.
Luka’s grandfather, also named Luka, lived there with his family. He worked on maintaining the road that connected Dalmatia with Lika.
The childhood home of Luka Modrić (Photo credit: APneunzehn74/CC0/Public domain)
Tragically, in December 1991, he was killed by Serbian forces near the house, and his family became refugees. Today, few passers-by venture along the Majstorska Road.
A Destination for Tourists
Despite its remote location, tourists deliberately visit the area during the summer months.
“They come and ask me about Luka Modrić. They often chat, and I tell them, ‘Luka’s house is two kilometres away,’” shares a resident of the Modrići hamlet.
Luka Modrić (Photo credit: Светлана Бекетова/ soccer.ru/CC BY-SA 3.0)
Plans for an Interpretation Centre
Recently, an idea was proposed to restore the house, whose images have circulated widely, and transform it into an interpretation centre.
“It could showcase a variety of themes, ranging from traditional ways of life to stories about significant individuals from this region,” explains Marina Dujmović Vuković, director of the ZADRA NOVA Agency.
This would highlight the rugged yet beautiful region beneath the Velebit mountain. Given its ties to the childhood of Croatia’s most famous footballer, the hamlet of Skutinovac has the potential to become a new tourist hotspot.
