Where to? Why not Zagreb?
Written: Sep 12 '00 (Updated Aug 18 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Very charming for a short while
Cons: Everything closes at 11pm and people tend to be a little bit too nationalist
The Bottom Line: If you're in this part of central Europe, check out Zagreb. However, staying Zagreb for much longer than a few days can make lose it's charm.
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| wgrubbs's Full Review: Zagreb |
Being in this city who cries to the world that it is a metropolitan has had a great impact on my mind, especially when it comes to decipfering reality from fiction.
A major "up" would be that if you visit this town for only a short period of time, and you're visiting on a sunny day, you are in luck. And even more lucky if you take a train into this capital town (because you see the center of the town without having to drive through the outskirts which are scarred by 45 years of communism).
When you get out at the train station (that was shown in two James Bond films, by the way) and walk toward the main entrance, you already get a glimpse at what seems to be a remarkable town.. urrr.. sorry, metropolitan. I always seem to get these definitions mixed up here.
The town boasts an official population of 1 million, however, only about 40,000 are actually in the central area. Zagreb spreads over a very far area.
So.. where was I..
You walk out of the central station and the first meaning of Zagreb and Croatia is projected onto you with the statue of King Tomislav, the first king of Croatia from the 9th century.
Do yourself a favor and keep your sights in front of you. Looking too far to either side will remind you that you are in a post communist ..urrr... sorry.. "socialist" country (as people here like to call it. There IS a difference, you know?).
Ok.. looking straight, you keep walking past that glorious king on his marble block. You then approach a large yellow building in the middle of a garden next. That is a "cultural" museum. Don't get your hopes up of going in. I have only seen it open several times.
Oh, by the way, don't expect any of the museums to have English translations in them either. (It's Croatia! Everyone should speak this language)
OK.. so now you're walking past the always closed, but beautiful museum. You walk across the street and you are faced with what I believe to be a musical institute that seems just as hidden as much as it's not used.
Past this institute, you notice another statue, unfortunately hidden also amongst the trees, hiding it from open view. This is the statue of Archbishop Strossmayer, one of the leaders of the Yugoslav (or South Slav) ideology from the turn of this century. He was a well known intellect and even established the University of Zagreb.
After paying your dues to Strossmayer, you continue on with your journey. The next thing you may see is the American flag waving from the American Embassy just yards away from you. As you continue walking, you will see countless statues of the heads of many men, no women, who had something significantly to do with Croatia.
A pavillion is also there and large sycamore trees that are over 100 years old.
Keep to the left side and you will eventually come to the central square, where you will see Mr. Ban Jelacic with is sword facing south. The sword once faced toward Hungary (because he was a commander of a Croatian army who suppressed Hungarian uprisings against the Hapsburgs around the mid-19th century), but now, for political and diplomatic reasons, it faces south. Nationalists don't mind it that Serbia is in that direction, and you'll find plenty of those in this country. When you look at this guy, just think that two years after he defeated the Hungarians in a battle fought for Austrians, the Hapsburgs handed Croatia over to Hungary when they form Austro-Hungarian Empire. How is that for a stab in the back?! For years, Croats were forced not to speak Croatian in public, but Hungarian.
Well that was it! You're welcome to go to the upper town and stroll around. You will see many old homes and the like.
At noon every day a cannon is fired (to scare off pigeons and to remind people of the defeat of the Ottomans), but don't worry, it's not loaded.
Mirogoj, the city cemetery, is also a must see. You can catch a bus from in front of the Cathedral (that has been engulfed in scaffolding for over 12 years for renovation). This cemetery is very large. What makes it most interesting is the wide variety of tombstones and the wide variety of people and religions buried here. From Serbian Orthodox, Muslim, Roman Catholic, Jewish (Jewish graves are even next to Catholic ones) and many famous Croats can also be found here.
I wouldn't recommend Zagreb for a length of stay longer than a few days. There are other places in Croatia worth the extra money, especially the coastal area.
I've had several friends come and visit Zagreb. As long as it was under that time period, they were perfectly satisfied. Zagreb is definitely a town to be taken in a small dose.
Oh.. don't forget that all cafes and pubs (except a few discos away from the centre) close at 11 p.m. Isn't that a little early for a so-called "metropolitan"?
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
wgrubbs
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Member: Wesley Grubbs
Location: Wisconsin
Reviews written: 9
Trusted by: 2 members
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