Zagreb

I had hears that Zagreb wasn't much more than a"big city", but I was pleasantly surprised.

Downtown Zagreb

Ban Jelacic wanted Croatia to remain independent from Austrian rule.

As I was walking around town, by total chance I happened upon the changing of the guard ceremony.  Apparently, the entire ceremony lasts about 3 hours as they traverse all of the tourist spots around town.  Here is what the tourist board has to say about it:

In the 17th century, during the Thirty Years’ War, the Croatian Light Cavalry, renowned for its exceptional heroism, joined the ranks of the French Army. The military skill and original appearance of the Croatian soldiers was affirmed in 1664 with the founding of the Croatian regiment the Royal Cravates within the French Army. You can see for yourself what the Changing of the Guards of the courageous Croatian soldiers looks like during a two-hour ceremony which begins with an attractive “Preparation of the Guard and Arms Inspection”. The entire unit takes part in the ceremony, following which the guards are stationed at their posts, all attractive tourist locations, from St Mark’s Square, via Ban Jelacic Square to the statue of Our Lady at Kaptol. March through Zagreb accompanied by the armourer, trumpeter, drummer, standard-bearer and commander, and get to know Zagreb’s famous sights in a completely new way. 

The Guard passes through the Stone Gate in silence.

The guard rounds the corner by the statue of St. George.

The Stone Gate (Kamenita vrata) is the only remaining gate out of four that once connected Lower town to a part of Upper town known as Gradec. In 1242, the Croatian king Bela IV gave Gradec a status of a free royal city, which automatically made the Stone gate one of the most important passages in Zagreb. Yet, the historical aspect of this place isn’t as important as the spiritual one: today, the Stone gate serves as a chapel where people take a moment to light a candle and say their prayers. The main point of the chapel is the painting of Mary with baby Jesus, which miraculously survived a fire in 1731, and is now placed behind a beautiful large iron grille.

The entrance to the Stone Gate as seen from the other side.

The Tower of Lotrscak is a fortification tower that was built in the 13th century to protect Gradec's southern town wall. Once upon a time, the tower included bells that rung at night when all gates were supposed to be closed. Once the gates were closed, people who were left outside would have to remain there until the next day. In the 19th century, additions were made to the tower in the form of a fourth floor and a canon, which is even today fired every noon to mark midday

My next stop was to be The Museum of Broken Relationships.  According to the museum's website: 

The Museum of Broken Relationships grew from a traveling exhibition revolving around the concept of failed relationships and their ruins. Unlike ‘destructive’ self-help instructions for recovery from failed loves, the Museum offers a chance to overcome an emotional collapse through creation: by contributing to the Museum's collection.

Whatever the motivation for donating personal belongings – be it sheer exhibitionism, therapeutic relief, or simple curiosity – people embraced the idea of exhibiting their love legacy as a sort of a ritual, a solemn ceremony.  Our societies oblige us with our marriages, funerals, and even graduation farewells, but deny us any formal recognition of the demise of a relationship, despite its strong emotional effect.  In the words of Roland Barthes in A Lover's Discourse: "Every passion, ultimately, has its spectator... (there is) no amorous oblation without a final theater."

Conceptualized in Croatia by Olinka Vištica and Dražen Grubišić, the Museum has since toured internationally, amassing an amazing collection. Although often colored by personal experience, local culture and history, the exhibits presented here form universal patterns offering us to discover them and feel the comfort they can bring. Hopefully they can also inspire our personal search for deeper insights and strengthen our belief in something more meaningful than random suffering.

This display touched me the most.

After leaving the museum, I spent the rest of the afternoon just wandering around town until it was time for my flight back to Naples.

A policeman walking past the 13th century St Mark's Church.  The church's roof depicts the coat of arms of Croatia, Dalmatia, Savonia and Zagreb.

Formerly known as St. Stephen's Cathedral, The Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary into Heaven and to Saints Stephen and Ladislaus. The typically Gothic cathedral is known as Katedrala Marijina Uznesenja in Croatian but English speaking tourists often refer to it as the Zagreb Cathedral. Its twin spires, which can be seen from many parts of the city, make it the most visited attraction in Zagreb. The location has always been occupied by a Cathedral from ancient times. The first Cathedral was destroyed during the Tartar attack in the 13th century and the present cathedral was built during the latter part of the 13th century. But what we see today does not represent the original construction, as many renovations have altered the look of the building. The main reason behind the renovation was the immense damage done by the 1880 earthquake, completely destroying the dome and the bell tower. But the restoration has retained the medieval design.

This clocked stopped during the 1880 earthquake.

My time in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina has come to an end and I really enjoyed it. Time for me to head to the airport and back to Naples.