Dragan Boltar

Croatian architect and urban planner Dragan Boltar graduated from the Technical Faculty in Zagreb in 1936 and subsequently worked there as a freelance architect. During World War II, he was head of the technical department of the city of Šibenik. In 1946 he began teaching at the Faculty of Architecture in Zagreb. He realized projects for the airport, and for the university campus of Zagreb. Boltar also designed a series of architectural and urban units and was particularly recognized for his research and projects in the field of urban planning.

The design for the Great (Olympic) Stadium of Beograd dates back to 1947, when the team of Boltar, Franjo Neidhardt and Vladimir Turina was awarded the first prize of a tender. The stadium was to be built in the Beograd district of Banjica to accommodate 80,000 spectators. The design was characterized by two semicircular opposite shells and tried to reconcile the theoretical and technical requirements. However, the project did not go beyond the planning phase.