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Croatian building's odd-even elevator system baffles internet users, then gets explained
๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ท Croatia /Technology

Croatian building's odd-even elevator system baffles internet users, then gets explained

From Veฤernji List · () Croatian

Translated from Croatian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • A Reddit post featuring two elevators in a Croatian residential building, labeled for odd and even floors, sparked international curiosity.
  • Users from Croatia and neighboring countries explained the system's practical reasons: redundancy, efficiency, and even wear, common in buildings from the socialist era.
  • This elevator setup was an ingenious solution for optimizing vertical transport before advanced computer systems, preventing unnecessary delays.

A curious photograph shared on Reddit of two elevators in a Croatian building, one labeled "ODD" and the other "EVEN," captivated international users. The image, posted in the "mildlyinteresting" subreddit, quickly garnered thousands of upvotes and comments, with many foreigners expressing confusion about the seemingly peculiar system.

How both can have doors on the same floor?

โ€” Confused userA user's question on Reddit expressing confusion about the elevator system.

Questions ranged from "How can both have doors on the same floor?" to "What if you live on an even floor and want to visit a friend on an odd one?" Some users joked about the "strange" setup. However, the mystery was soon unraveled by users from Croatia and neighboring countries.

They explained that this dual-elevator system, often found in older buildings constructed during the socialist period, served several practical purposes. Primarily, it offered redundancy: if one elevator broke down, residents could still access their floor via the other, avoiding the need to walk to the ground floor. This was a common feature in buildings with 15 or more stories across the Balkans.

What if you live on an even floor and want to visit a friend on an odd one? You have to go down to the ground floor and take the other elevator?

โ€” Confused userAnother question highlighting the perceived inconvenience of the odd/even elevator system.

Another key benefit was efficiency. By dividing the floors, the system reduced the number of potential stops per elevator trip, shortening travel times and alleviating congestion, especially in taller buildings. Additionally, it ensured more even usage of both elevators, extending their lifespan, unlike systems where one elevator serves lower floors and another serves higher ones.

This is very common here in the Balkans in buildings with 15 or more floors.

โ€” User from the BalkansA user explaining the prevalence of the system in their region.

Before the advent of sophisticated computer systems for elevator management, this was a simple yet brilliant method to optimize vertical transportation and prevent residents from calling both elevators simultaneously, thus avoiding unnecessary delays.

Completely normal and common thing for socialist buildings from Yugoslavia.

โ€” User from the BalkansAnother user confirming the system's origin and commonality in former Yugoslavian buildings.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Veฤernji List in Croatian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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