Things will change...

So, another year is behind us! And everybody seems to be thrilled that it has passed! I must say I'm really not a big fan of the whole New Year craze and personally don't get it. Somehow I see the New Year as a big deception that we put in front of us, thinking that the things will change with the changing of the years number - but it won't! Things will change when we start changing them! So, I wish you all a lot of new decisions and good changes! Cheers!

Winter days...

Sometimes winter days can be so special! No matter the cold and short days, snow can really make everything look so calm and misty. Maybe you can already guess - yes, this is a shot of the place where I live in the west part of the city. It wasn't the early morning but actually dusk and the light was magical!

State of mind...

I posted a photo recently showing the ''new'' building of the National and University Library, maybe you remember it. :) And today I had some work to do there and decided to show you one part of the interior - more precisely the entrance hall. At the time I was taking this photo I was so exhausted and confused that I feel like this motif corresponds with the overall feeling! OK,... I'll stop here... before I say something completely irrational and silly...

Dramatic moments!

There are some sculptures in Zagreb which have really long and rich history that makes them a certain city symbol. This is one of such sculptures - Anton Dominik Fernkorn's Saint George killing the dragon made in 1853. At first it was placed in the beautiful park Maksimir in 1867. and than moved to the Strossmayer square 1884. Now it is situated at the Marshal Tito square near the Croatian national theater. I'm really not sure that this last location is appropriate enough as it is somehow hidden behind the trees and bushes. I must drive your attention to the one more detail - I've made a post last summer about another Saint George killing the dragon sculpture at the Upper town which has a completely different vibe! Check it out!

Only crazy ducks and me...

Today I decided to take a walk by the lake Jarun ambitiously eager to take few photos of the lake surroundings on the cold winter sun. What I did not have in mind is that, not only was it really cold, but it was also quite windy and I almost froze to death! It serves me right! Still I got a chance to take this photo just for you to see how sunny it is in Zagreb (and will apparently be the whole next week!). Also, please notice how this crazy ducks don't mind the cold at all!

Flower decoration

I've already showed you this Kallina house in one of my earlier post and now I will use this opportunity to show you a detail of it- as it is sooo beautiful! With this kind of decoration you can only imagine how this house really stands out!
And now on a completely different subject - we had a few sunny days before Christmas and now it is snowing again. But it is really nothing in comparison to what is happening in the western and northern parts of Europe these days. And the weather forecast for the next week... sunny and sunny all the way! :)

Sretan Božić! Merry Christmas!

My dear readers,

I wish you all merry Christmas and all the best! 

X X X

Christmas is coming...

So, did you prepare everything for Christmas?! Well, this is your last chance! I must say I didn't bother too much this year. I bought some Christmas ornaments and presents already last week hoping to escape the last minute craze. This photo I took at the local shop (name not important!) and thought it was so cheerful to see all the colours and shapes of the Christmas bulbs!

Old and forgotten...

Some of you probably know what this presents, but maybe not so much what it actually is. Well, it presents Centauromachy - which is a battle between the Centaurs and Lapiths, the famous story from Greek mythology. I really love Greek mythology and all the stories because it presents such an intriguing world. But, this actually is the plaster cast of the original Greek metope from the Parthenon now placed in the British museum. This photo I took at the Zagreb Faculty of humanities and social sciences which holds  the most interesting and valuable collection of plaster casts made from the originals in London, Berlin and Greece.

Winter sun and long shadows

It's been sunny and unusually warm yesterday and today. As you can see, snow is almost all gone and it felt like spring is coming. But this is not for long because we are expecting more snow this weekend! And it surely would be nice to have a white Christmas!

At strike!

This banner says: ''Radio 101 is at strike!'' It is one of many companies and firms in Croatia that went into big debt and are having problems with paying workers for their work. So, the workers are in strike for several months now and nobody can really say for how much long! This economic crises produced too many sad stories! I took this photo in the Teslina street where the headquarters of legendary Zagreb Radio 101 are situated.

So much rich music history in one place...

I told you some details about The Croatian Music Institute ten days ago and I took a chance to go and see (and hear of course!) one concert presented by The Zagreb Music Academy. It was wonderful and I really had a great time! And all that excitement was free of charge! So, while waiting for the concert to start I took this photo showing part of the richly decorated interior! I really should come here more often!

Ilica - the Zagreb artery

This is a view from Zagreb main square to the Ilica street. Ilica is the longest street in Zagreb and was one of the most important  for years. It leads from the Zagreb main square to the west part of the city and quarter Vrapče. It is mentioned for the first time in historic documents in the year 1431. Through the years it was and still is main craftsmen and tradesmen street, with many shops and café bars.

Trees in winter

Yesterday evening we had another portion of heavy snowfall and the morning turned out to be really white! Children were happy, elders not so much. Still, some other parts of Croatia had even heavier snowfall and some problems in traffic occurred. But hey, what else can you expect in winter than snow and any problem that might come out of it?!
Here you can see another photo of lovely tree tops on Zrinjevac park and square.

I wish you all a nice weekend!

''Snow White'' building

I'm always so happy to see newly restored buildings and facades in my very much loved city Zagreb. This restored ''Snow White'' building I noticed at the Josip Juraj Strossmayer square the other day. I must say I was hoping it would be restored for years now. Finally it is perfectly finished for Christmas and somehow it does remind me of winter and Christmas time. It is one of the most beautiful examples of Neo-Romanic building in Zagreb.

Gavella - the rebels theater

This is the Theater Gavella, one of the most important theaters in Zagreb. It was established in 1953. after a group of artists decided to quit their work for the Croatian national theater and started to work in, what was than called, ''Small theater'' under the name of Zagrebačko dramsko kazalište (possible translation would be Zagreb theater of drama) .The leader of this ''rebellions'' was Branko Gavella, important Croatian theater director. The theater changed its name to the Theater Gavella in the year 1970. in the honor of this great man.

Frozen flowers

What else could this be but frozen plants - more precisely frozen Violas! They were all so sweet just a month ago, and now it is all covered with snow and frozen to it's bits. This reminds me of the posts I did in the Botanical garden during last spring and summer. I wonder how it all looks like now?! - if I'll be near one day I'll take a few photos for you!

What an artist!

I went to an art exhibition the other day to the Umjetnički paviljon (The Art Pavilion) that's located at the north side of the King Tomislav square. I went there to see the retrospective exhibition of one great and very important Croatian artist - Marijan Trepše. He was a painter (very talented in watercolours and graphic techniques) and one of the key figures of the 20. century art in Croatia. The art works displayed at this exhibition are really beautiful and interesting - it is such a shame that the exhibition itself wasn't designed better as a visitor can not gain much information about the artist or his work here. And this artist really deserves an exhibition that's going to be more than just a pictures on a wall.

Four elegant ladies!

What do you say about this four ladies? Don't they look so stylish and elegant? Ready for a New Year's Eve or some crazy Christmas diner. I took this photo in the center of Zagreb the other evening. I must say that this year more and more shops offer early discounts and sales and special offers because people are spending less money than ever. The true reason is that most of them just don't have the money and can't afford a lot of these things. And after all Christmas should be more about the family than the presents, don't you think?!

Angel looking from above

We had a really nice weekend in Zagreb and the weather was great! So, this time I have this beautiful detail from a building on the King Tomislav square. And it is such a nice promenade that goes from the Main train station to the Zagreb main square! Definitely a must see if you'll ever visit Zagreb!

Sunny winter day...

We are really having crazy weather these days. Yesterday, just few moments before I took this photo, it was snowing and the sun was shinning at the same time! It was really crazy watching snow fall on the sunny streets. I took this photo at beautiful Zagreb park Zrinjevac. Look at these trees, aren't they just gorgeous? And really very old!

I wish you all a nice weekend! Take care and rest a bit!

The sound of music I love!

This is not a specially eye catching photo but it shows a place very dear to me. It is The Croatian Music Institute - a place where I used to go quite often during my high school days (Gymnasium education) as we had a pretty ambitious music professor. I remember a lots of good and interesting classical music concerts! The Croatian Music Institute is the oldest music institution in Croatia. It was founded in Zagreb in 1827. as a music loving society - Societas filharmonica zagrebiensis - also known as Musikverein.

Fritule for you...

Although I am not a big fan of winter, there is one thing about the Christmas time I really like - it is all the delicacy you can buy on the Christmas fairs around the city. One of it is Fritule - a typical dessert from the Mediterranean part of Croatia. So, not really typical for Zagreb, but still something you should definitely try! I found great description and recipe on this blog - Sweet sensation.

One thing always worth fighting for!

This is one thing I would definitely recommend you to go and see if in Zagreb - Human Rights Film Festival (HRFF)! It is an annual Zagreb-based film festival and this year it is held from December 6.-11. in Kino Europa. There are always lots of good films to watch which are all dealing with highly important issues considering human rights. This year's theme in focus is Publicity - a well chosen theme if you ask me!

Clouds all around...

I'm going to be completely honest with you here - I've been ill for several days last week (nothing serious, just cold, but still very unpleasant!) and also incredibly busy as the end of the year approaches. So, I must say I didn't go anywhere and didn't do anything worth mentioning! As a result I am a bit short on photos to show you here and that makes me really sad! Never the less, I'll do my best to organize myself better in the future. As for a today's photo, it is the same view I showed you several times already and I have a feeling it will become a ''trade mark'' of this blog. The mountain Medvednica was all covered in clouds today and it even rained, but the temperature was quite high for this time of year - around 14°C (which is around 57°F).

Happy Name Day Nikola Tesla!

''I consider it to be my duty, as a son of my country, to help the city of Zagreb in any way with an advice or act - said in this building Nikola Tesla, May 24th, 1892. when he proposed to the city council a construction of the central power station of alternating current.''

This memorial was put next to the entrance of the city council in honor of this great men - Nikola Tesla - to whom owe so much! He was born in Smiljan village near the city of Gospić in Croatia. Later on in his life he lived and worked in USA with Tomas Edison. There are still lots of controversies considering all their inventions and the truth who exactly invented what. As today is Saint Nicholas Day I wish Nikola Tesla a happy Name Day!

So here it is...

Dear readers, I  have showed you yesterday a part of the city Christmas decoration and I couldn't resist not showing you at least one more photo. So here it is, one of the many Christmas trees that are decorated all across the town. This one is placed on the Zagreb main square. As you may remember from one of the recent posts, it is the one been decorated last Sunday.

I hope you had a nice weekend and are prepared for a new working weak!

The red bridge

After yesterday when I had a bit of a sharp post about the sufficiency of Zagreb public transport, I'll do a completely opposite thing today. I must say that Zagreb looks really beautiful in time of Christmas because it is always decorated in beautiful lights and decoration. Here you can see a part of it, which I took at the Krvavi most (i.e. Bloody bridge). Krvavi most is the name of this very short street in the city center that binds the Radićeva and Tkalčićeva street. Here used to pass the Medvešćak brook and at this exact place there used to be a wooden bridge. This brook was a border between two towns - Kaptol and Gradec - that used to have many fights at that spot. Because of these conflicts it got the name Bloody bridge. I find it all quite ironic with these red lights set here!

Waiting for the tram!

Waiting for the tram is a pretty usual thing in Zagreb - and I mean REALLY waiting! - for long! I must say that we don't have too good public transport service, although I suppose it could be much worse. Another thing in question here is the price of a ticket - it is one of the highest in Europe, especially considering our standard of living. And the cost of living in Zagreb is also very high - we had a more expensive square meter (in real estates) than it was in the center of Vienna. But this economic crises changed that - thank God! So, the city government instead of improving and stimulating the use of public transport, goes another step back by announcing new rising of ticket prices and cutting down the number of trams and buses in everyday traffic.

Marching king Tomislav

Ok, I admit it, this photo has nothing to do with the current weather in Zagreb. It's been rain-snow-sun all the time for few days now. Still I wanted to show you this photo that I took recently because it is a sort of an antipode of one of my first photos I made for this blog. It is the King and the magnolia tree which I took during warm spring days. This sculpture of King Tomislav (he was the first Croatian king who lived in X. century) was made by a famous Croatian sculptor Robert Frangeš-Mihanović between 1928. and 1938. He also made a beautiful carving of Holy Trinity at the entrance to the Zagreb Cathedral.

December Theme Day - Time

I fully understand that this is not a particularly nice photo but I strongly wished to show you one clock that probably not even Zagrepčani (i.e. people of Zagreb) are aware of - it is this clock at the top of the building that's on the corner of Ilica and Gundulićeva street. The clock is quite highly placed and rarely used by the passers by, but is very visible from the Gradec and under the Tower Lotrščak where the favorite view of the Zagreb is placed. As the today's theme is ''Time'' I immediately remembered this photo that I took some time ago. Although, I am not happy for making this partly a Heineken advertisement, I still must say that behind this advert, that stands here for many years now, lies a sad story of a popular Zagreb tavern called Corso. But I'll leave that story for some other time.

Click here to view thumbnails of all the participants in this theme day!

The Winter sun

Few days ago when we had a bit of sun here I took this photo by the Zagreb main train station (which you can see in the back). I really love this part of town with the beautiful parks and the promenade that's part of the so called Zagreb green horseshoe (I mentioned it some time ago). It is nice to enjoy the winter sunny days in Zagreb!

Tell me dear readers, how do the winter days look like in your hometown?

The Father of the Country

This is the monument of Ante Starčević placed near the Zagreb main train station next to the King Tomislav square and Hotel Esplanade. Actually it is placed by the City Library building on a square that carries his name. Ante Starčević is a very important person in Croatian history - he was a very famous Croatian politician and writer who lived through the 19. century and was always fighting for the Croatian people and their rights! He is also considered to be the Father of the Country.

Decorating the Christmas tree!

This past few days were really very cold! True winter temperatures and weather. Still, we had a chance to enjoy sun yesterday so I took a walk down the Zagreb center and saw this interesting moment - decorating the Christmas tree! Every year on Christmas a very tall Christmas tree is brought to Zagreb main square and decorated with the lights and other stuff. And it always looks  so amazing! It was fun watching these guys doing the decoration.

Visiting the Tošo Dabac Archive

Ooh... how I love finding this kind of details in Zagreb! The key is always going to new places and discovering new things. This time I got a chance to visit the Tošo Dabac Archive in Ilica street not far away from Zagreb main square. Tošo Dabac is one of the most important Croatian photographers ever! He lived through the 20. century and made a huge impact on Croatian art scene. This Archive in Ilica used to be his atelier, and after his death the apartment/atelier and may of his photos and 200 thousand negatives were donated to the Museum of contemporary art in Zagreb. This photo I took while going to the Archive where I noticed for the first time this really cool doors!

First snow!

I took this photo today on my way home. It was snowing whole day and it was quite cold. It is this winter's first Zagreb snow! And it really was expected because we have an old saying here - ''Sveta Kata snijeg na vrata!'' that roughly can be translated as ''Saint Kate (Catharine) brings snow to the doorsteps!''. An really it was Saint Catherine's day yesterday! So, I must say that our ancestors really knew what they were saying!

I wish you all a nice weekend! Take care!

Beautiful entrance

 

This is a beautiful entrance to the Zagreb Cathedral which was designed in 1902. The main motive in the centre is Holy Trinity carved by the Croatian sculptor Robert Frangeš Mihanović in Secession style. It is specially nice in the evening when the lights are up and the decoration really stands out!

Count from the back!

I told you some details about ban Josip Jelačić some time ago. This sculpture is placed on the Zagreb main square that carries his name. It was made by famous sculptor Dominik Fernkorn and was placed at this square in 1866. but at that time it was facing the north towards Hungary and today it is turned to look at the south. In 1947. the sculpture was removed because it was not appropriate according the Yugoslavian regime because it glorified Croatian history. During the Croatian separation from Yugoslavia in 1990. the sculpture was returned to the square.  I took this shot while passing through the Harmica passage.

Museum of Broken Relationships

There is one thing you can find in Zagreb that you probably can't find anywhere else in the world - it is the Museum of Broken Relationships. Well actually, it is not a real museum but an art project lead by two Croatians, art manager Olinka Vištica and artist Dražen Grubišić, who came to an idea of making a collection of the donations of object that represent different love stories and other emotional relationships that ended broken. There were many different reasons why people decided to give something away for this collection that become a big success and has traveled the world. More about it you can read on their website!

Zagreb Taxi

I suppose that every bigger city in the world has it's Taxi service, or at least some kind of it. As you can see Zagreb has it's Taxi service also, but the prices are almost ridiculously high! The reason is that only one provider has a legal right to Taxi service (to be more precise, it is a certain association of Taxi drivers) and they have a monopoly of some sort for this service. But recently there has been lots of debates on this subject in Zagreb because city assembly has decided to cancel this monopoly by letting other companies having also Taxi service in the city. Lots of citizens were very pleased for this decision because it mainly means that we will have much cheaper Taxi service in the future!

The Stairway of Kalasancij Schlosser

There are some things, little things about Zagreb I really love! One of them are city stairways all across the city center. As you could have already read on this blog, I told you how the city Zagreb was originally settled underneath the mountain Medvednica and on the two hills - Kaptol and Gradec. Because of the specific terrain it was important to construct along with the streets many stairways that helped people reach some higher places in the city. Here you can see one of those stairways called The Stairway of Kalasancij Schlosser - doctor Josip Kalasancij Schlosser-Klekovski was a well known doctor, botanist and mountaineer. So it is no wonder this particular stairway that leads to the one very important hospital on the quarter Šalata is named by doctor Schlosser.

Breakfast in the morning

Food on my blog - finally! I must say that there is nothing better then fresh tasteful bread or pastry on the table for breakfast in the morning. However, just till recently it was really hard to find a good bakery shop in the city center - and it was really hard to believe! But now I can name a few good bakery's - Mlinar, Klara, Pan-Pek and Dubravica. I myself prefer the first two mentioned here because they have the best croissants. But it would be unfair not to mention a perfect Polish bread from Pan-Pek.

Have a nice weekend everybody!

The Green House

I just had to take this photo and show it to you! It is a house on King Tomislav Square, part of so called Zagreb Green Horseshoe -  that is the name of an urban part of Zagreb (Lower town) that was specially designed in 19. century. I love the design and the colour of this house! It is really special and stands out!

In memory of Vukovar

You've been waiting for this post a bit longer because I was waiting for the night to take this photo. 

Today's date is a very important date for all the Croats - we remember the day that the Battle of Vukovar was lost during the Croatian War of Independence in 1991. Vukovar is a town on the eastern border of Croatia which was completely destroyed and where many people died. And it become a Croatian symbol for all the suffering and lost lives during the Croatian War of Independence. So, every year on this date people all across the country organize some kind of manifest to commemorate this sad event. This photo I took on the street that carries the name of Vukovar where people lighted hundreds of candles all along the sides.

The Hotel Esplanade

I took this photo yesterday afternoon while it was still nice weather. As you can see, people tried to catch few sun rays and enjoy warm weather. Sadly, today turned out to be rainy, cold and gray - but than again, we are in November already, no!? 

This building that you can partly see at the back is the historical Hotel Esplanade also know as The Regent Esplanade and it was and still is one of the most luxurious hotels in Zagreb. It was built in 1925. to provide accommodation for passengers of the famous Orient Express train that traveled between Paris and Istanbul. More photos and stories about it I will give you soon - but till then you can see a nice photo on Wiki.

Zagrepčanka

This building is one of the first sky scrapers in Zagreb. It was built in 1976. and was the tallest building in Zagreb at that time. For that reason the people of Zagreb started calling it Zagrepčanka (it is the name for Zagreb women) and it is still dear to many people today and it remained one of the symbols of Zagreb. This city doesn't have many tall buildings all in all, but I personally prefer it that way.

Gothic portal

This exquisite church portal is part of St. Marc church on Upper town. It was made around year 1400. in Gothic style by the famous Prague carver and sculptor family Parler that was living and working in Zagreb at that time. It is one of the most beautiful examples of Gothic sacral sculpture in Northern Croatia and definitely one of the best preserved. Here you can see Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ, St. Marc with lion and twelve apostles.

Wish you all a nice start of a working week!

Don't know what to say!

Who thinks that making a hole in a 19. century building is a good idea?

Medieval vs. Neoclassical

We've had several sunny and quite warm days. It seems like it is spring already! That was perfect opportunity to spend a nice day outside on a warm sun walking around and having coffee. This photo I took very close to the Stone gates and St. George statue at the entrance to the Upper town. I like the contrast of the facades - medieval walls vs. Neoclassical decoration!

I wish you all a nice weekend!

Crazy about books?!

One of the most interesting fairs in Zagreb (at least to me!) is the Interliber - the International Book and Teaching Appliances Fair. It is held every year in November and on a so-called Zagreb Fair which is a name that considers the company that organizes several large fairs in Zagreb and also the complex of buildings and pavilions which are used for that purpose. This year the Interliber will last till next Sunday and I strongly recommend it. It is a perfect opportunity to buy great books by reduced prices!