Roofing in Croatia

Croatia's long Adriatic coast and islands developed a stone roofing tradition: houses roofed with thin limestone slabs and field shelters built entirely of dry stone. Inland, in the Pannonian north, building traditions are closer to those of central Europe. The country also holds one of Europe's most unusual roofs, the stone vault and dome of Šibenik Cathedral.

Climate and hazards

Coastal roofs face hot summers and strong winds such as the bura (bora) and jugo; shepherds on Dugi Otok built special stone shelters for these winds. Croatia is seismic. On 22 March 2020 a magnitude 5.3-5.5 earthquake struck Zagreb, damaging 26,197 buildings, of which 1,900 became unusable; part of the Croatian Parliament's roof collapsed and one spire of Zagreb Cathedral broke off. A further magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck near Petrinja in December 2020.

Roofing history

Roman Dalmatia had domed buildings: Diocletian's Palace at Split, built around AD 300, includes domes, mausoleums and vaulted cellars. The 6th-century Euphrasian Basilica at Poreč is one of the few surviving early Byzantine basilicas in western Europe. From the 11th century, Romanesque churches in the coastal cities were usually three-aisled stone basilicas with timber roofs; the Franciscan church in Pula (1285) has a timber rib-vaulted ceiling.

The Cathedral of St James in Šibenik (1431-1535) is built entirely of stone, from the wall footings through the vaults to the dome, using construction techniques UNESCO describes as unique; its architects included Juraj Dalmatinac (Georgius Mathei Dalmaticus) and Nikola Firentinac (Niccolò di Giovanni Fiorentino), and it was consecrated in 1555. Zagreb Cathedral received a Baroque roof in the 18th century, and its 19th-century neo-Gothic restoration added glazed roof tiles.

In the 20th century, Croatia was part of Yugoslavia, whose first seismic building code was drafted in 1964 after the Skopje earthquake.

Traditional and vernacular roofs

• Stone-slab roofs (kamene ploče): on Dugi Otok, early houses were of dry-laid stone with roofs of natural stone slabs that needed little shaping. In Bol, on Brač, houses were roofed with thin slabs quarried at a site called Petrore on the neighbouring island of Hvar and brought over by donkey and boat; the slabs were lighter than wall stone. Modern roof tiles ended their use there, and few examples survive, but interest in stone roofs is reviving.
• Bunje: small dry-stone shelters roofed with slabs, some round, used for shelter from rain.
• Kućeri: double-walled dry-stone shelters on hills, built with the entrance away from the wind.

Codes, standards and regulation

As an EU member, Croatia applies the Eurocodes.

Notable roofs

• Cathedral of St James, Šibenik (UNESCO): all-stone vaults and dome
• Diocletian's Palace, Split
• Zagreb Cathedral roof with glazed tiles
• Stone-slab houses of Bol and Dugi Otok

Local roofing terms

• kamene ploče - stone slabs
• bunja (pl. bunje) - dry-stone hut roofed with slabs
• kućer (pl. kućeri) - wind shelter of dry stone
• petrade - old Brač word for quarries
• konoba - cellar or ground-floor store under a house

Sources and gaps

Data on current roofing materials, national regulations and manufacturer information: published information is limited.