Relaxing

Not many people know that the Jarun lake was enlisted in Zagreb’s topographic map already back in 1728. Back then it was just a small armlet of the river Sava which became a swamp after the big flood in 1964 and the building of the Sava bank since the stones from the area were used to build the bank, which brought about to deepening of the waters in that area.

For a couple of decades it was forgotten and abandoned, however, since Zagreb was chosen as the host of “Universiade” in 1987 it was decided that the Jarun area would be perfect for building a sports center. It had been a huge project under which a lake of 70 hectares was arranged to hold sailing, rowing and kayak clubs, an athletic lane courts for other sports (plus a sports center Mladost, in the vicinity of the lake).

Ever since, Jarun has been a place of relaxation and in the last couple of years there has been more effort in upgrading already existing facilities. The Jarun beaches have deserved the blue flag marking them clean and safe for swimming. But Jarun has turned into a nightlife spot as well with various bars and clubs emerging on the lake shores. Clubs such as Aquarius that holds a cult status and many newer ones emerged making the lake a favorite place to visit.

The Museum of Street Art, like any other street art exhibition space, doesn’t have a permanent space or opening times for its exhibitions. Therefore, its current whereabouts could easily transform when you decide to visit Zagreb. Moreover, it represents the continuous dialogue between the artists, citizens and city’s authorities.

In 2010, the Museum of Street Art initiative was taken under the supervision of internationally renowned Croatian artists and concluded one of its efforts by repainting the old graffiti-covered Branimirova street wall.

The idea of this project is to revitalize city’s everyday appearance and remodel the traditional sightseeing paths which usually end in front of the Museum of Modern Art. The whole project itself consists of continuous sporadic sub-projects. The first one, like I mentioned, was to repaint the Branimirova wall, which was successfully done. Lately, two similar projects took place at Novi Zagreb, thanks to which the neglected Siget and Dugave area, along with its walls and facades, transformed into the new must-see street art hotspot. 

As far as I can tell, all the projects have been received with praise – the locals are overjoyed with the changes in their everyday surroundings and eagerly await new street art actions, as well as seeing how Zagreb transforms into more lively space of imaginative intersocial dialogue.

Mirogoj cemetery is not only Zagreb’s central cemetery, it is also one of the most beautiful cemetery parks in Europe. It is built on the land of the famous linguist and central person of the Croatian national reformation or the Illyrian Movement, Ljudevit Gaj. Renowned architect Herman Bollé designed the main building, leaving Zagreb with one more beautiful landmark. The arcades, cupolas and the church at the entryway are must-see sights. Also, some of the monuments throughout the cemetery are true masterpieces of art.

Walking along the paths of Mirogoj is a very relaxing thing to do, especially if you are there on a warm, sunny day. All you can hear is the sound of birds’ chirrup and gentle breeze among the densely planted trees. Thereby it’s easy to forget the clutter of the everyday world. If you happen to visit Mirogoj during All Saints’ Day you’ll witness extraordinary lighting of the candles lit in memory of the dead.

It is easy to notice equally distributed graves of all religious groups, as well as get a hint of Croatian history by encountering the Monument to Fallen Croatian Soldiers in World War One, the Monument to the Yugoslav National Hero, Memorial Cross to Croatian Home Guard Soldiers, Monument to the Victims of Bleiburg and the Way of the Cross, German military cemetery and „Wall of Pain” (monument to Croatian victims of the Croatian War of Independence). Mirogoj is also called a Croatian Pantheon due to many famous people buried in its grounds.

One of my favorite places in Zagreb is definitely Booksa. Booksa is a book club, but you don’t have to be a member to enjoy everything this place offers (only, if you come there more than once, it’s advisable to sign up for their membership card). The catchy name comes from a slang – in Croatian “buksa” means prison. So, if you are “prisoner” of your love for literature you will feel like home here.

The atmosphere is very “homely” indeed – ordering drinks is a sort of self-service thing and after you sit back and relax on one of the cozy sofas you can feel free to take a look at various newspapers and literature magazines, even in foreign languages. This tobacco-free place delights all your senses because, once you enter, you are immediately surrounded by pictures or photos from local artists, good music and, of course, books.

You can run into a live concert, book presentation, some literature festival or one of many literature workshops held for its members. However, Booksa isn’t a standard bar – they serve alcohol only when mentioned manifestations are being held. “Soft” drinks, like coffee or tea are always attainable.

Booksa also offers lots of brochures and information about Zagreb cultural happenings. In that way, this book club is a perfect starting point for exploring the city.

It has been known that Zagreb has a Sun. Actually, a Grounded Sun, sculpture made by Ivan Kožarić in 1971. It changed a few locations over the years but it has been situated in Bogovićeva street since 1994.

The Grounded Sun has been a source of inspiration for many artists. Among them is a designer Davor Preis, who made an installation called Nine Views in 2004 – he placed nine models of planets (Pluto was still considered a planet at the time) all over Zagreb, which, along with the Kožarić’s Sun form a model of the Solar System. The planets’ sizes and distances from the Grounded Sun are in the same scale as the Grounded Sun itself.

The installation gained little publicity and most of the citizens of Zagreb aren’t even aware that they daily pass right besides Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, which are placed within the city’s center.

The locations of the planets are easy to ignore, especially the outer ones, which are hard to find without putting an effort. Zagreb Physics students were the first to organize a planet search-party, after which they revealed all their locations to the public.

If you’re interested to see those planets, have fun and REALLY get to know Zagreb, here are the planets’ locations:

Mercury – Margaretska 3; Venus – Trg bana Jelačića 3; Earth – Varšavska 9; Mars – Tkalčićeva 21; Jupiter – Voćarska 71; Saturn – Račićeva 1; Uranus – Siget 9; Neptune – Kozari put; Pluto – Aleja Bologne (underpass)