Policijska uprava je blizu našeg stana.

Literally, it means police administration or police directorate.

In everyday translation, depending on context, it may also be understood as:

• the police department
• the police headquarters
• the police administration building/office

So this sentence is talking about a police institution or its building being near the apartment.

Because policijska is an adjective that must agree with the noun uprava.

• uprava is a feminine singular noun
• so the adjective must also be feminine singular
• that gives policijska uprava

Compare:

• policijski auto = police car (auto is masculine)
• policijska uprava = police administration (uprava is feminine)
• policijsko vozilo = police vehicle (vozilo is neuter)

This is basic adjective-noun agreement in Croatian.

Je is the 3rd person singular present tense of biti = to be.

So:

• je = is

The structure is:

• Policijska uprava = subject
• je = is
• blizu našeg stana = near our apartment

So the sentence literally works like:

• Police administration is near our apartment

Croatian normally uses je here, just like English uses is.

No, here blizu functions as a word meaning near / close to and it is followed by a noun phrase in the genitive.

So:

• blizu našeg stana = near our apartment

This is different from the adjective blizak / bliska / blisko, which usually means close in a more personal, emotional, or figurative sense, or sometimes similar.

So for physical location, blizu + genitive is the normal choice.

Because blizu requires the genitive case.

The basic form is:

• naš stan = our apartment

But after blizu, it changes to genitive:

• našeg stana = of our apartment / near our apartment

So:

• blizu + genitive

This is something you simply need to learn with the word blizu.

They are both in the genitive singular.

Base forms:

• naš = our
• stan = apartment

Genitive singular forms:

• našeg
• stana

Why those endings?

• stan is a masculine inanimate noun
• naš agrees with stan, so it also changes to masculine genitive singular

So:

• nominative: naš stan
• genitive: našeg stana

This is a very common pattern in Croatian.

Yes. Croatian word order is more flexible than English word order.

The neutral version is:

• Policijska uprava je blizu našeg stana.

But you could also say:

• Blizu našeg stana je policijska uprava.

Both are grammatical. The difference is mainly emphasis:

• Policijska uprava je blizu našeg stana. = neutral, starting with the subject
• Blizu našeg stana je policijska uprava. = puts more focus on the location

English is usually less flexible here.

Because Croatian does not have articles like English a and the.

So:

• stan can mean an apartment or the apartment
• policijska uprava can mean a police administration or the police administration

The exact meaning is understood from context.

In this sentence, našeg stana already means our apartment, so no article is needed.

Usually, yes. Stan most often means:

• apartment
• flat

It refers to a dwelling unit, especially in a building.

It does not usually mean room. For room, Croatian usually uses:

• soba = room

So:

• stan = apartment/flat
• soba = room

Yes, it is natural and correct.

A native speaker would understand it immediately. The only small nuance is that policijska uprava sounds a bit official or institutional, so in some situations people might choose a simpler expression such as a local word for a police station if that is what they specifically mean.

But grammatically and stylistically, this sentence is perfectly fine.