Last Zagreb Photos

The old part of Zagreb is well endowed with churches, most catholic that have been around since the 10th century.  According to one guide, the only Synagogue that existed in town had been destroyed during World War II.

Although you can see the spires of churches only one mosque and a couple of orthodox churches exist alongside the churches.

The spires you see in the photo to the left belong to the “Cathedral” which has been around since 1000 AD.  Currently, there are renovations taking place on the right spire which is encased in a covering that looks as if it is finished.  A fact about this unique church is that one spire is 2 meters taller than the other.

 Inside the church are all sorts of statues, and there things associated with churches that have been around for a very long time.  The cathedral was huge.  According to a plaque outside of the church, this building was neglected when the country was a part of Yugoslavia.

Now that Croatia is independent, it is spending
money to repair the spires and make the church better.  This place is open every day for tourists and those who want a quiet place to pray.

Just outside the cathedral, hanging on the wall is a clock. Normally, people do not move clocks and put them in a place of honor but this clock records the time of a major earthquake from 1880.

The earthquake was of sufficient power to destroy half of the town at the time it happened.  It was originally on a building but was moved to this courtyard next to the cathedral.  

According to the guide, the person hired to rebuild the half of Zagreb affected by the earthquake, ended up redoing the other half too so he could complete his vision of the town.

There is also information on the rebuilding of the spires, one you can see to the right side of the photo.  According to the display, the spires had become warn down and not as sharp as they’d once been, so the government decided to rebuild the spires.

To the right, you see St Marks Square with St Marks church in the middle.  The buildings on
either side are government buildings, one houses
the parliament. This church endured some damage when it was bombed back in the 1990 war.  As you can see, the church has been rebuilt since then,

The church is only open for certain events and is no longer used for regular worship.  The area in front is used for parking and there is a street going through where I was standing to take the photo so you have to be careful.

   The next three pictures are of Croatian
inventors who created things that changed the work such as the zeppelin, or the pen, or ac
electricity and electric motors.

This area has beautifully drawn pictures on dense walls. This area is on the route we took during our food tour of the area.

The area has a funicular which is a cable car and is known as the shortest ride in the world as it takes people up the hill in a short time.

 In this picture you see the inventor of the fountain pen memorialized in this drawing.  This area is like a park with a small unkept garden but what made it unique in my opinion are the “locks of love”.  Here in the United States, it refers to hair that is cut and donated to groups who turn the hair into wigs for people suffering from cancer.  In Croatia, it refers to actual locks attached to certain fences. Once attached, the key is thrown over the side into someone’s backyard.

In the area is also a museum of relationships. This museum looks at relationships between lovers, between parents and children, between any two people who have a relationship.

One of the most important drawings is of Nicola Tesla who did so much for the world with his work in electricity.  I gather there is a friendly argument over whether he is Serb or Croatian because his birthplace has been in both countries depending on who has control of the area.

So of course Nicola Tesla is featured as one of the important men.  I saw a school named after him.  Now for all the modern electricity flowing throughout Zagreb, there are about 150 gas lamps sprinkled throughout the down time.  There are people who go out every night and day to light and extinguish all the gas lights.  We just missed seeing them lit.

Let me know what you think, I would love to hear from you.  Have a great day.