Zagreb: A Cultural History

by Celia Hawkesworth

Overview

For most of its history, Zagreb was a small town to which big things happened. It has been ruled by Hungary and the Habsburg Monarchy, threatened by the Ottomans, and absorbed into Yugoslavia. Today it is the capital city of the newly independent Croatia.
In Zagreb: A Cultural History, Celia Hawkesworth guides us through a modern city that reflects all the important trends in Central European culture, architecture, and fashion. We visit the city's center, a beautiful "green horseshoe," graced with trees and public gardens, and lined with imposing buildings. Hawkesworth explores this central core and the atmospheric old town on a rise above it, finding a mix of old and modern buildings, a rich cultural tradition, and a vibrant outdoor café life. She describes the many statues in the streets and squares, commemorating those who have contributed to the city's unique inner life. She also examines the legacy of outside invasion, fire, earthquakes, and political strife, pointing to the street names that reflect Zagreb's turbulent past. Zagreb illuminates the artistic side of the city, discussing the sculpture of Ivan Mestrovic, the unique collections of paintings in the Strossmayer and Modern Galleries, and the novels and plays of Miroslav Krleza.
A perfect book for armchair travelers, Zagreb takes us on a captivating tour of one of Eastern Europe's leading cities.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195327991
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	12/26/2007
Series:	Cityscapes
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	8.13(w) x 5.45(h) x 0.79(d)

About the Author

Celia Hawkesworth taught Serbian and Croatian language and literature at the University of London for many years. She now works as a freelance writer and translator. Her long involvement with the language and culture of the region began with her first visit to Zagreb in 1955.

Table of Contents

Foreword   Sonia Wild Bicanic     xi
Acknowledgements     xv
Introduction: Between the Hills and the River     xvii
First Impressions     xvii
Origins of the City     xx
Reliquiae Reliquiarum and the "Thousand-Year Dream of Statehood"     xxii
A Much-Sung About City     xxv
Cannon Balls, Church Bells and a Bloody Bridge: The City's Beginnings     1
Gradec: Lotrscak Tower     1
St. Mark's Church and Square     5
The Jesuit Monastery     11
The Convent of the Poor Clares, now the Museum of the City of Zagreb     13
Baroque Palaces     14
Pavao Ritter Vitezovic     15
Kamenita Vrata, the Stone Gate     17
Medvescak: The Border between Gradec and Kaptol     18
Bad Neighbours: Conflict between Gradec and Kaptol     19
Kaptol     20
The Cathedral     25
Coffee, Cake and Waltzing to Nationhood: The Nineteenth Century     29
The Lower Town and Jelacic Square     29
The Growth of the Lower Town     30
The Influence of Vienna on Zagreb Cultural Life in the Nineteenth Century     35
National Revival     37
Theatre in thePeriod of National Revival     41
The Illyrian Movement     44
The Role of Dancing in the Spread of Illyrian Ideas     50
1848 and Ban Josip Jelacic     54
Consolidation of the Intellectual Middle Class: The Role of Ivan Mazuranic, Bishop Strossmayer and August Senoa     56
Ivan Mazuranic     59
Bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer     63
August Senoa     66
Graves, Wine and Poets: Modernization and the First Yugoslavia     71
Political and Social Context 1903-1918     71
Architecture and the Visual Arts: Painting and Sculpture     74
Ivan Mestrovic     76
Architecture: Hermann Bolle and the "Historical Style"     81
Viktor Kovacic and "Secessionism"     82
Mirogoj and Cafe Life     84
Mirogoj Cemetery     87
Bohemian Life     90
Antun Gustav Matos     93
Augustin Tin Ujevic     97
Marija Juric Zagorka     99
The First World War, the Croatian God Mars and Miroslav Krleza     102
Political Background 1918-1939: The First Yugoslavia     107
Music and Dancing as the Shadows Gather: Social Conditions, Film, Music and Theatre 1918-39     110
Early Film      112
Music     113
Theatre     116
Cabaret     118
The Jewish Community in Zagreb     122
From War to War, Ends, Beginnings and the Second Yugoslavia, 1945-2000     127
The Saga of King Tomislav's Arrival at Zagreb Station     127
Zagreb in the Second World War     131
The Expanding City     136
Brotherhood, Unity and a Bright Future for All     138
Fostering Folklore     141
Medunarodna Smotra Folklore: the International Folklore Festival     143
Naive Art     145
Brotherhood and Unity in the School Curriculum     145
Vesna Parun     148
Towards New Horizons: Ranko Marinkovic, Antun Soljan, Slobodan Novak     150
Ranko Marinkovic     151
Antun Soljan     153
Slobodan Novak     155
The Edifice Begins to Crack: Language Agreements and Disagreements     156
The "Praxis" Group of Philosophers     159
The "Croatian Spring"     160
The Politics of Cinema     161
The Zagreb School of Animated Film     164
Theatreland     166
The Visual Arts     168
The Modern Gallery      170
Experimentation     171
The Museum of Contemporary Art (Muzej suvremene umjetnosti)     171
Gliptoteka     173
The Museum of Arts and Crafts (Muzej za umjetnost i obrt)     174
The Mimara Museum     175
The Klovic Palace Gallery (Galerija Klovicevi dvori)     176
A Temple and a Palace of Music: The Croatian Music Institute     177
The Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall     179
The Zagreb Musical Biennale     179
Popular Music: The "New Wave"     180
Physical Changes     181
New Perspectives: A Hint of Feminism and New Women's Voices: Irena Vrkljan, Slavenka Drakulic, Dubravka Ugresic     183
Slavenka Drakulic     184
Dubravka Ugresic: Early Works     186
Sport: Football as a Prelude to War     187
Into the New Millennium: The Independent Republic of Croatia     191
Independence     191
Domovinski Rat (The Homeland War)     192
The Mobilization of Folk Culture     194
"Turbo-Folk"     198
Distortions and Provocations of the Tudjman Years: Renaming of Streets     201
Tudjman and Football     203
Dissenting Voices: Radio 101     204
The "Zagreb Witches"      204
Dubravka Ugresic     206
Language: The New Purism     207
The Arts: New Trends-Literature     210
FAK     212
Modern Film     213
Contemporary Theatre     214
Visual Arts     215
Music and Festivals     216
Zagreb's Expansion     216
The New National and University Library     219
The New Museum of Contemporary Art     220
Jarun and Bundek     221
Contemporary Cafe Culture: Pedestrian Precincts, Tkalciceva, Jelacic Square     222
Final Reflections in the Garden of the Archaeological Museum     223
Further Reading     227
Index of Literary & Historical Names     229
Index of Places & Landmarks     233