Reljef Seljaci Zagreb – Hidden in plain sight

Ban Josip Jelačić Square is Zagreb’s main square and meeting point, the living heart of the city, and as such, a lot of things has already been written about it. However, what I really like whenever I happen to find myself there is to look up onto the beautiful Seljaci relief which decorates the facade of one of its most notable buildings.

On the northern end of the Square, at number 4 ("the Popović house"), high on the facade, there is a big sculpture called “Peasants” (Seljaci), a work by Croatia’s most renowned sculptor, Ivan Meštrović. As is evident by its name, it shows a group of peasants, dressed in white cloth. It is 5 meters long and it is famous for not having a blueprint for its creation. This fact made the restoration in 2010 all the more challenging, but it was worth it.

This masterpiece is often overshadowed by the sculpture of Ban Josip Jelačić, which dominates the Square, but it has been looking over the citizens of Zagreb for a long time, over 1 century. It's a quiet memento of how important this square has been for generations of Zagrebers and travelers.