Art & culture

When I first visited Zagreb with my mom years ago, she took me to a place whose mentioning would probably make most locals laugh. Yet to me it was fascinating – we didn’t have anything like that in my hometown. Not that there was a need for one, but still…

I’m talking about the funicular that’s a link between the Lower town and the Upper town. To be exact, it connects the Ilica street to the Strossmayer promenade. No matter how insignificant or useless it may seem – come on, people, walking is healthy! – its 66 metres of length make it the shortest funicular in the world. Now there’s a record to be proud of .

The funicular was built in 1890, after the idea of a contractor who noticed that quite a few people use exactly that little street as their way from Ilica to the Upper town. It’s in operation even today, being something that both locals and tourists list among the things this city is known for.

Now, taking a (really) short funicular trip probably won’t be your most exciting experience in Zagreb, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to give it a try. It will cost you next to nothing and take 64 seconds of your time, and afterwards you can think of it as taking part in a little piece of Zagreb’s history.

The core of student life in Zagreb is the Student Centre, popularly known as SC (pronounce it as S-Tzay, otherwise people won’t get what you’re talking about). I’ll be honest – the main reason people go there is to eat, as it’s the biggest student restaurant in the city. But don’t give up on SC so quickly – there’s a bunch of structures besides the cafeteria where you can have fun, and you don’t have to be a local to do so.

First of all, there’s Teatar &TD, an experimental student theatre that gives quite attractive shows. Not your thing? Go see a movie or a photography exhibition – you can find your way through the complex using the legend on the big map hanging above the entrance.

My favourite part of everything this place has to offer are the concerts. The SC has brought a number of great bands to Zagreb, such as The Young Knives, Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band, Handsome Furs, Animal Collective… nothing mainstream, but fantastic music.

The slogan of the SC is the one mentioned in the title – the culture of change, and that’s exactly what they do. Through good movies, alternative music scene and various amazing cultural festivals, they’ll do their best to open up your mind and show you there’s more to this society than you can see in the newspaper and on TV.

When you’re visiting a foreign city, especially if it’s the capital, it would be a shame not to go and see its greatest galleries and museums. I know it’s a pretty conventional tip, but as I’m an art historian in the making, it’s the first thing that comes to my mind.

One of my favorite places of that kind in Zagreb is the Modern gallery – the best place to go if you’re into modern art. It’s situated in the city centre, halfway between the Central train station and the Jelačić square.

The collection, composed of some 700 pieces, covers a period of two hundred years of Croatian art, from 1800 to 2000. You’ll find a number of great Croatian artist from Vlaho Bukovac to Edo Murtić. The names may not mean much to you, but if you’re an art lover you will surely have a positive reaction when you see the paintings and sculptures. Don’t be intimidated by the ‘modern’ part – even if you’re not into avantgarde and abstract art you’ll find something you will like, as the collection consists of works created during several art movements.

The part on the first floor mostly covers the 19th century and is a bit more traditional and classic. It’s on the second floor where the colors and lines go wild.

If you have an hour or two to spare when sightseeing in Zagreb, please take my advice and go give our great national art some love.

This is a gallery you’ll probably find in any guidebook to Zagreb, but I love it so much, I couldn’t resist to include it in this insiders’ guide. It’s called Klovićevi dvori – a palace of Klović; the gallery was named after Julije Klović who was a Renaissance illuminator and painter born in Croatia. It’s situated in an 18th century building in the Upper town.

The gallery is known for its impressive exhibitions of European art, including Croatian. To name a few: a collection of expressionist masterpieces; a great retrospective of Chagall; Van Gogh, Mondrian and other well-known Dutch artists; Dora Maar and Picasso…

It just might just be the case that you’ll be lucky and get the chance to see another amazing exhibition at the time you find yourself in Zagreb. So don’t hesitate – take a walk to the Upper town and drop by the Klović gallery.

Current exhibitions:

Picasso: Masterpieces from the Picasso Museum, 23/03 – 07/07

After the invasion of big corporations into the cinema industry Croatian old cinemas followed the route of I believe many old cinemas, at least in European tradition, that have reinvented themselves as specialized in certain “alternative” genres. One such story is the famous Kino Europa (check the Kino Europa article) in Zagreb.

Another one, not as famous but nonetheless equally interesting, is the creation of Dokukino Croatia – a cinema with only 37 seats. Ah, but beware dear film-lover, these seats are not your ordinary movie seats, rather comfortable sofas from which you can enjoy the best of the best documentaries.

Yes, Dokukino, as its name tells us specializes in documentary films and doesn’t screen any other genre, making it unique in itself. The cinema was reopened in 2009 by the initiative of Restart association and Croatia film company. Its purpose is to become the focal point of documentary-lovers’ gatherings, which is why the cinema organizes not only movie projections (both recent production and archive footage) but also talks with directors and various film workshops.

And yes, it does encompass a café in itself, where you can chill and talk movies. And documentaries.