Gornji Kosinj school closes after 200 years as reservoir looms

School in Gornji Kosinj to close after two centuries of operation

Pupils of the Anž Frankopan Primary School (OŠ Anž Frankopan) will continue their studies in Rudinka after the next academic year, as the area is set to be submerged by the Kosinj Hydroelectric Power System reservoir.

Newsroom16 July 2026 at 17:241 min read

The school building in Gornji Kosinj is soon to be left without pupils (illustration) · Ilustracija: AI

The Anž Frankopan Primary School in Gornji Kosinj has only one more academic year remaining, after which teaching will permanently move to Rudinka, according to Lika Club. The reason is the Kosinj Hydroelectric Power System, a HEP project that will see the Gornji Kosinj area covered by a future reservoir.

The Ličko-Senj County Assembly passed two linked decisions at its last session, paving the way for the transfer of school properties to the county. The first step was taken by the School Board, which on 15 June decided to donate the properties to the county free of charge, and the assembly gave its consent and accepted the donation.

The donation includes the main school building, the schoolyard and sports field in Gornji Kosinj, as well as the facilities of the branch schools in Krš and Mlakva, where teaching is no longer held. The total estimated value of the properties is 580,195.63 euros.

Following the signing of the donation agreement and the registration of ownership in the land registry, the county becomes the owner of all the aforementioned properties. This creates the precondition for the continuation of the expropriation procedure within the HEP project, although the decisions formally refer to a donation.

For pupils and staff, this means they will complete one more academic year in Gornji Kosinj before permanently relocating to Rudinka. The move marks the end of a two-century tradition of schooling in Gornji Kosinj.