6.26.17
Upper and Lower Town
and The Museum of Broken Relationships
Zagreb:
- population approximately 800,000
- capital of Croatia intermittently since 1557
- divided in the Upper Town and the Lower Town
- Upper Town divided into the 2 districts of Gradec & Kaptol
This morning, at risk of bodily harm from bicycle lanes that are on the sidewalk instead of the street, we do a walking tour of Zagreb's modern Donji Grad (Lower Town), whose well-designed street grid was designed in the 19th century. Here are many of the city's civic and historic monuments, beautiful green squares, museums, galleries and the main railway station.
The Art Pavilion in King Tomislav Square.
We meet our local guide, Neven, at the central focus of modern Zagreb is Ban Jelacic Square, just below the hillside settlements of Gradec & Kaptol. This is Zagreb's commercial center since 1641. There is a festive air about the Square when we see it for the first time - as you can see from the bubbles decorating the statue of Ban Josip Jelacic, the symbol of Croatia's independence against Austria and Hungary. The statue was placed in the Square in 1866; has been intermittently removed in 1947 and replaced in 1990; has been rotated to face either northward against Austria and Hungary or southward toward Yugoslavia - depending upon whom it has issues with.
Ban Josip Jelacic
The Upper Town (Gornji Grad) is comprised of 2 medieval settlements, Gradec and Kaptol, developed from 11-14th centuries on neighboring hilltops divided by a brook. Later, they were fortified by ramparts and moats as they fought for centuries - hence the nearby street being named Krvavi Most (Bridge of Blood).
Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Mary
The back of the Cathedral.
A section of the Cathedral's renaissance wall.
Inside the Cathedral.
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| Virgin Mary with Angels fountain. |
We continue our tour of the Upper Town with a visit to the Dolac Market, a bustling collection of open-air stalls across from the cathedral near the 14th century Church of St. Mary.
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Petrica Kerempuh, a beloved character
from Croatian literature. |
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| St. George - after killing the dragon. |
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| Stone Gate - the only intact old town gate. |
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| St. Mark's Church. |
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| Love this icon. |
I enjoyed this gentleman's music so much that I purchased a CD from him.
We had a few hours of free time after Neven finished our tour so I hustled over to the Museum of Broken Relationships, whose concept revolves around failed relationships and their ruins. I spent almost 2 hours and read almost all the stories while there and enjoyed them so thoroughly that I wanted to share some of the shorter ones and some of the great quotations on the walls...
"Every passion, ultimately, has its spectator...(there is) no amorous oblation without a final theatre." Roland Barthe
"To live in this world you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and when the time comes to let it go." Mary Oliver
Some of the hilarious displays...
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Doggy chew toy.
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From Luxembourg - "His dog left more traces behind than he did."
From Croatia - "A gift from S.K. from 1987. She loved antiques - as long as things were old and didn't work. That is precisely the reason why we are not together anymore."
From San Francisco - "We tried. Not compatible."
From London - "I was due to get married on 6th August 2011, but discovered 6 months ago that my fiance was cheating on me. This is the cork from the champagne I used to celebrate my lucky escape."
The winner of course was a story too long to recount here, but to summarize...a woman met another woman and allowed her to move in with her. Right after said woman moved in, she met another woman whom she ran off with - leaving her furniture behind. Well, the woman whose house she moved into was so incensed that each night, she would take an axe and chop up one piece of this woman's furniture.
Eventually, the unfaithful woman returned, took one look at the piles of debris, loaded it into a truck, and apparently left without a word.
And finally, available for purchase at the front desk...giant erasers to rub away those bad memories!
Back to walking around the upper town before meeting up at 3 PM to travel by bus to the cemetery...
The "Fisherman" sculpture by Simeon Roksandic.
The tie store.
Croatian mercenaries supposedly invented the tie in the 17th century during the 30-year war with France. The ties served to tie the top of their jackets and provided a decorative effect - a look that King Louis XIII liked so much he made it a part of the uniform for royal functions. To honor the Croatian soldiers, he named this piece "la cravate" - the French name for necktie to this day.
I stopped for lunch at Burger - a restaurant that specialized in the local cuisine. Because I enjoyed our cobanac (paprika shepherd stew) so much in Karanac village, I wanted to try it again in Zagreb. They served enough mashed potatoes (instead of homemade noodles) - enough to feed an army, and their meats were enclosed in what appeared to be bell peppers - like stuffed peppers - in a slightly spicier paprika sauce. It was awesome!
Another very tasty beer on a very hot day - Staropramen -
served to me by a waiter in a Corona beer T-shirt (ha ha).
Most of the group met up at 3 PM for a bus trip to Mirogoj, Zagreb's main cemetery, located on a low hill just outside the city centre. It was built in the late 19th century by Hermann Bolle, features monumental arcades, domed gatehouses and pavilion chapels. The cemetery opened in 1876 and is the final resting place for many famous Croats such as President Marshal Tito and Dr. Franjo Tudman. It accommodates people of all religions - Catholic, Orthodox and Muslim.
Main entrance to Mirogoj.
President Marshal Tito's grave.
Dr. Franjo Tudman, former President.
