The proposal by local residents to build a complex in honour of the Alka Knights was supported by the first Croatian president, Franjo Tudjman. The incumbent government has approved the 40 million kuna project and will provide 50% of the funding, while the rest will be provided by the Split County, the City of Split and the Alka Knights Society.
Numerous residents of Sinj who attended the corner-stone laying ceremony were addressed by the leader of the Sinj Alkars, Stipe Jukic, and Mayor Nikola Tomasevic.
The ceremony was also attended by parliamentary officials, government ministers, representatives of the clergy, and the leaders of Dalmatian cities and counties.
The Alka Society was established in tribute to the people of the Sinj region, who defeated invading Ottoman Turks in battle in August 1715. In memory of that event, every August the Society organises a jousting tournament in which "alkars", lance-wielding horsemen dressed in traditional costume, match their skills as they target a metal ring ("alka") suspended over a race track.