Zagreb, Oh, Zagreb

Croatia seems to be among the top European countries to visit.  Australians, fellow Europeans, and busloads of Asian folk come here.  Many USA tourists are here now too.  Why?  It is gorgeous . . . and Stan and I haven’t even set eyes on the coastline which is said to be some of the most spectacular in the world. 

Croatian people are warm and friendly and thankfully, most speak perfect English.  We are reminded now and then, that Croatia has everything: alpine mountains for hiking and skiing and the ocean with over 1100 miles of spectacular coastline and beaches.  Plus, its 1246 islands add another 2500 miles of coastline.  Croatia has rivers, waterfalls, beautiful cities, and even deserts and swamps.  All this with a landmass of just under 29,000 square miles, about the size of South Carolina.  The weather is mild this time of year, but all four seasons are played out here.  I do not intend this to be a travel brochure or promotion; this is simply a genuinely nice place to be. 

Like most Slavic Eastern European countries, Croatia has been around the block. It is a very young country. Like Slovenia, Croatia has always been under foreign rule . . . Rome, Venice, Hungary, the Turks, Austria. Leap to the 20^th Century. Before the end of World War I, Croatia declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire but just two months later in December 1918, the Croats joined other states to become the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes – which ultimately became Yugoslavia. During World War II, Yugoslavia was conquered by the Germans. After WW II, a communist regime was in place in Croatia. In 1991, Croatians voted to leave communist Yugoslavia and become independent. It was not that easy. Ethnic Serbs living in Croatia, supported by Serbia, opposed the secession and wanted Serb-claimed lands to be in a common state with Serbia. Meanwhile, Serbia wanted a new Serb state that would include Croatia. The Yugoslav army initiated a war with Croatia, the Croatian War of Independence, that did not end until 1995. Over 20,000 people were killed and there were refugees on both sides. Croatia was admitted to NATO in 2009.

Although most of the battles took place in other parts of the country, when we walk the streets of Zagreb, it is hard to imagine that a 3-year war took place in this beautiful country just 28 years ago.  Guns, bombs, rockets, broken buildings, and broken people. 

I write short explanations attempting to simplify a very complex history that when spelled out in detail is far too long and meaningless to contemporary folk.  But I hope not to diminish the cost of lives and devastation. 

Zagreb is the capital of Croatia.  It is in the northern part of the country and lies on the southern side of the Medvednica mountain near the border with Slovenia.  At its beginning, there were two settlements here, each on a hill not far from each other.  On one hill is Lower Town once called Kaptol, and most associated with the Roman Catholic church.  The other hill is Upper Town which represents secular Gradec or government.   Back in those days, the Church and King sometimes worked together; sometimes they did not.  The two communities in this case did not; there were constant bloody conflicts.   Today there is a street called “Bloody Bridge.”  Although it is a street today, there once was a bridge with the same name over a creek on which the battles between the two hills often made the creek run red.   

Today the factions on the two hills are as one, Zagreb.  The Cathedral is in Lower Town and the Parliament and President’s Office are just 100 stair-steps up in Gornji Grad, Upper Town. Under the hill is a network of tunnels, Gric Tunnel, built in 1943 as bomb shelters for civilians. There was a lot of controversy in its construction. Some felt that its cost did not justify the end. Still, it was built. At the end of the War, the tunnels went into disrepair. Some say it was used by the Yugoslavian Secret Police. Some say it has walled-off secret passages to the Croatian Parliament and to secret bunkers. It was used as a bomb shelter again during the Croatian War of Independence. Afterward, it went into disrepair again and became a popular place for homeless and drug users. In 1993, it was revived with the first-ever rave in Croatia hosted by a popular TV music show. DJs from all over Europe performed before a crowd of 3000. Today the tunnels are clean and well-kept. They serve as pedestrian walkways, short-cuts from one side of the Upper Hill to the other and it is also used for cultural events and as a tourist attraction.  

When we approached the town center on our first day here, we saw two enormously tall buildings wrapped in scaffolding.  We thought, oh they must be building twin tower buildings.  We were wrong.  The two are twin towers of the Zagreb Cathedral that were badly damaged in the two 2020 earthquakes that happened that year.  One was 5.5 on the Richter Scale. The other, 30 miles away, was 6.4. While the rest of the world was going through the Pandemic, Croatia was as well, but they also endured two earthquakes and a snowstorm to boot.  The steeple holding a golden cross on one tower fell off and was destroyed during one of the quakes. The steeple on the other tower was damaged but thankfully its golden cross cross was not.  The structure was removed in the restoration project and the remaining cross stands, gleaming in gold, behind a fence among construction paraphernalia waiting to be repositioned up high.   The church and virtually every historical building in Zagreb were severely damaged during those quakes.  Today, the skyline is dotted with cranes and scaffolding covers almost every important building in the city.  Re-construction will last for years. Some buildings may never be repaired or restored. 

We talked with several people who say they are in their 30s and have never seen the cathedral without scaffolding. The cathedral which opened in 1906 featured the two tall towers visible from all parts of the city. Unfortunately, they were adorned with carvings and decorations made of inferior-quality sandstone. Over the years, the sandstone carvings and sculptures were melted away by rain and required constant repair.   Finally, while today’s restoration project will take years, a more water-resistant materials are being used to restore the spires grandeur.

Even with scaffolding and cranes, this is a very, very beautiful city. When designing the city of Zagreb, city planners laid out a unique plan for parks and museums. Just south of the old town is a series of city blocks that form a “U.” Named after its designer, the “U” is Called Lenuci’s Green Horseshoe or Lunici Horseshoe. In it are the city’s most prestigious museums, green space, the train station, and the city’s botanical gardens. The most spectacular building is the Zagreb Art Pavillion, the city’s oldest and most grand. Although temporarily closed now due to damage incurred in the earthquake, the museum has no permanent exhibition but instead hosts temporary exhibitions of the world’s most famous artists. The magnificently designed building stands before a spacious beautiful green lawn. We picnicked there at the foot of the King Tomislav statue. For visitors who arrive in Zagreb by train, this glorious sight is the first thing they will see. 

Zagreb has 28 museums that’s the most per capita in the world. A good number of them are smaller very unique museums, like the Museum of Hangovers, the Mushroom Museum, the Chocolate Museum, and the Zagreb 80s Museum. The most visited museum of Zagreb is the poignant Museum of Broken Relationships. It presents personal stories and articles that seem to sum up a relationship. In it are post-in notes about ended love affairs, puppy love, and full-page stories about the loss of a child or parent.

No story is complete without a discussion about Croatian culture and its food. Every important street around the center of town is lined with restaurants. Service begins in the morning as people gather at tables under pretty umbrellas for 2-our coffee breaks with friends. Lunch begins long after twelve and tables remain full well into the evening with diners and those just enjoying drinks with friends. Everyone smokes very skinny cigarettes . . . old people, young people, professionals, sophisticated women, everyone. Stan and always seek out a place out of the way of smoke. It sort of ruins a lovely setting.

The food here is delicious and varied. I tell people here, “You and all your neighbors are cousins, just as we people in the USA are cousins. We are all mixed up and somewhere far back in our family trees, we are all likely related.” The same is true here. Having been ruled by Romans, Greeks, Turks, Venetians, Austrians, and Hungarians, and having their regions put together and taken apart several times, people here and in neighboring countries share many cultural characteristics. And the food here has the best flavors from all these countries. When looking for authentic Croatian food, we tried Cevapcici. It was delicious but it is Turkish. We tried Chufta but it is Bosnian with Turkish roots. I had a dish of Oxtail Pappardelle. The waiter told me it was Croatian but it had a resounding Italian flair. It was delicious. Breads, pastries, pizza by the slice, and gelato and ice cream are sold on every corner. One does not have to look far for something wonderful to eat. We’ve yet to try some of the stews said to be Croatian nor their famous cheese pastries served savory or sweet but we plan to before we leave this part of Croatia.

Cody is coming tomorrow! We are so excited. After giving her a quick walking tour of Zagreb on her only full day here, we will travel to Plitvice Lakes National Park for two days of hiking and exploring. It is Croatia’s oldest, largest, and most spectacular park. After the park visit, Cody will go on her way visiting the rest of Croatia on her own. Traveling at a faster pace, she will see in the next week all we hope to see in Croatia in the next month. 

Go to full screen, turn up volume then, wait for it . . . The Noontime cannon