By: ALEX CREVAR

THE Croatian capital is in the midst of an identity crisis. Geographically, Croatia is indisputably part of the Balkan Peninsula, but call a chic Zagrebian Balkan and prepare to get an earful.

Markov square at Easter

While Zagreb’s vibe is indeed more Vienna than, say, Belgrade, it can also be deliciously rough-and-tumble. Zagreb is haggling with thick-fingered, green-market farmers and wee-hour clubbing with boisterous Slavs — both just beneath the mammoth spires of the city’s cathedral. It’s a leggy, high-heeled blonde visiting a bloody-aproned fishmonger. And it’s the construction of a new Museum of Contemporary Art — due to open by year’s end — and the avant-garde validation that the city hopes it will bring.

 Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac’s tomb in the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Friday 

3 p.m.
1) THE HISTORY LESSON

Get a taste of Zagreb’s 11th-century roots on the cobbled streets of the area known collectively as Upper Town, where the city began as two townships: Kaptol, with its largely clerical population, and Gradec, where artisans and merchants settled. United in 1850 after centuries of feuding, the districts still have distinct personalities fueled by their origins. Kaptol still holds the city’s visual calling card: the neo-Gothic Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Kaptol 31; 385-1-48-14-727), which originally dates from the 13th century, though it has gone through multiple reconstructions in the centuries since. Beneath tandem 344-foot steeples, a marble-heavy interior shelters an 800-year-old treasury and the tomb of the controversial 20th-century Croat Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac. In Gradec, a 10-minute walk west of the cathedral, the Zagreb City Museum (Opaticka 20; 385-1-48-51-361; www.mgz.hr) is a visitor’s window into the city’s political, architectural and artistic history. Most fascinating: the room-sized, miniature Lower Town street plan. Admission is 20 kuna, or about $3.85 at 5.23 kuna to the dollar; children 7 and under are free.

6 p.m.
2) CLASS DISMISSED

Once a stream that separated Gradec and Kaptol, pedestrian-only Tkalciceva Street is now jammed with cafes, boutiques and ateliers. Caffe Bar Cica (Tkalciceva 18; no phone), where recycled washing machines are repurposed as tables and funky world music thumps, is the venue for spotting fashionable Purgers (as Zagrebians call themselves) and tilting a glass of the local Velebitsko beer (17 kuna for a half-liter). Specialty rakija, Slavic schnapps, are also available in assorted flavors including honey, blueberry and walnut (12 kuna for a shot). Too early to imbibe? The Ivica i Marica restaurant and patisserie (Tkalciceva 70; 385-1-48-28-999; www.ivicaimarica.com), named after Croatia’s version of Hansel and Gretel, serves traditional pastries with a healthy twist — no white sugar or white flour. The apple strudel and dobra vila, a carrot cake flavored with ginger and cinnamon, are delectable (15 kuna each).

8 p.m.
3) A BITE AND BEBOP

Vinodol (Teslina 10; 385-1-48-11-427; www.vinodol-zg.hr), like many traditional restaurants here, pays homage to meat. Where this place, a mainstay since Tito-era Yugoslavia, differs is in presentation and technique. In the vaulted-brick dining room and in the ivy-clad courtyard, where a grill chef turns steaks and forearm-length kebabs, the service is impeccable. The lamb (80 kuna) and grilled trout (78 kuna) are sure-fire. Across the street, Bosko Petrovic, a septuagenarian vibraphone master and Croatian jazz patriarch, runs the B.P. Club (Teslina 7; 385-1-48-14-444; www.bpclub.hr). The cozy basement joint hosts four festivals a year, as well as nightly lineups. Acts begin at 9 p.m. (covers range from 30 to 50 kuna); reservations recommended.

Saturday 

10 a.m.
4) KITSCHY KAVA

“Spica” is the Saturday-morning ritual when trendy Purgers pack cafe patios near the central Jelacic Square. The result: a fashion smackdown with Yorkie-inhabited handbags, Croatian paparazzi, plenty of sideways glances, and, oh yeah, kava (coffee). Foreigners — that is, anyone wearing money belts and sneakers — have little chance in the impromptu competition. Best just to grab a wicker chair at Bulldog (Bogoviceva 6; 385-1-40-02-070; www.bulldog-zagreb.com), order a large macchiato (13 kuna), and enjoy the free show. After you get your fill, head to the Millennium sweet shop across the street (Bogoviceva 7; 385-1-48-10-850; www.slasticarnica-millennium.hr) for a decadent cone of schwarzwald — a mixture of cream, Cognac, chocolate and cherries (7 kuna) — and prove your figure is of no concern.

1 p.m.
5) AT, AND FROM, THE MARKET

At Dolac, Zagreb’s main fresh market (Sunday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.; to 3 p.m. on Saturdays), an army of red umbrellas shades stalls brimming with lavender, nuts, honey, flowers and cheeses, as well as plenty of local, seasonal fruits and vegetables. “What you call organic,” one vendor said, “we call food.” After you build up an appetite, head to lunch at Restaurant Kerempuh (Kaptol 3; 385-1-48-19-000; www.kerempuh.hr), which overlooks Dolac’s northwest corner. There’s a clutch of outdoor tables next to a chalkboard advertising daily specials, or you can watch the hubbub through big bay windows. Order a bottle of excellent grasevina, a domestic white wine (130 kuna), and Croatian fare concocted from market goodies, like the grilled sea bass served with Swiss chard and potatoes (75 kuna).

3 p.m.
6) HORSESHOE HUSTLE

Lower Town, which offers a more everyday vibe than its Upper Town sibling, has a 19th-century Hapsburgesque layout dominated by a “Green Horseshoe” of urban parks. Surrounding those oases, where kaleidoscopic tulips frame spring-to-autumn concerts, is a hodgepodge of grand architecture and cultural venues. The city’s main art venue is Mimara Museum (Rooseveltov Trg 5; 385-1-48-28-100), a neo-Renaissance palace open Tuesday through Sunday (admission is 40 kuna). Its 3,000-plus-piece collection runs the gamut from Persian tapestries to works by Renoir, Rubens and Degas.

8 p.m.
7) DALMATIAN FLAVOR

Zagreb is filled with immigrants from around Croatia, so the country’s diverse gastronomy is well represented. Didov san — “Grandfather’s dream” — (Mletacka 11; 385-1-48-51-154; www.konoba-didovsan.com) is a konoba, or Dalmatian-style tavern, serving specialties from the Neretva River delta. Though Grandpa has passed on, he’d be proud of his kinfolk, who dish up frog and eel stew (180 kuna) and sautéed lamb with veggies (150 kuna, order in advance) on red-checked tablecloths under rough-sawn ceiling beams and black-and-whites of donkeys toting grapes. Of interest to the particularly ravenous is the didova tava (80 kuna), a huge stew.

Midnight
MUSICAL MASS

Purgeraj (Park Ribnjak 1; 385-1-48-29-253; www.purgeraj.hr) is the best option for live music in the tangle of clubs beneath the cathedral’s bell towers. Secluded deep in leafy Ribnjak Park, the spot offers a spectrum of genres (funk, disco, punk, ska, blues, jazz and rockabilly) to an international and eclectic crowd. For fortification, try the set of a dozen liquor shots (90 kuna) offered in test tubes on the tiki-style terrace. Then step into the dance hall, decorated with rock-and-roll album covers, and groove until the wee hours. (Weekend covers are around 15 kuna.)

Sunday 

10 a.m.
9) YUGO-NOSTALGIC

The outdoor antique market on British Square (Britanski Trg) proves there’s value yet in Yugoslavia-era trinkets. Bring a couple of hundred kuna and haggle for portraits of Tito, filigree cigarette boxes, medals, coins and other old-school items. Treasures in hand, look for a sign that reads “Simply Luxury Coffee” and cross to Eli’s Caffe (Ilica 63; 385-91-52-79-990; www.eliscaffe.com). The owner (and three-time Croatian barista champion) Nik Orosi roasts his own beans and serves, saucers down, the town’s tastiest java (a signature cappuccino is 12 kuna).

1 p.m.
10) NATURE FOR NURTURE

Before heading out, get a little perspective at the Medvednica Nature Park (385-1-45-86-317; www.pp-medvednica.hr; take the No. 14 tram or the 8 to the 15): 56,000 acres of mountain trails towering above Zagreb, filled with deer and foxes, chestnuts and oaks. Sweat out last night’s debauchery with a medium-effort hike that leads you to Puntijarka hut (385-1-45-80-384), which houses a restaurant perched at the 3,200-foot mark. Reward yourself with rib-sticking bean-and-sausage stew (25 kuna) and a half-liter of domestic Karlovacko beer (12 kuna).

THE BASICS 

Continental Airlines offers flights from Newark to Zagreb, with one stopover. A recent Web search found early fall fares starting at $887. A 25-minute airport taxi to the center runs about 200 kuna (about $38 at 5.23 kuna to the dollar). Convenient and inexpensive, trams (8 kuna for a ticket good for 90 minutes) are the way to travel in town.

Opened in 1925 to accommodate Orient Express passengers, the Regent Esplanade (Mihanoviceva 1; 385-1-45-66-021; www.regenthotels.com), located next to Zagreb’s Art Nouveau train station, still sets the standard. The grand swirl of marble and crystal has hosted Queen Elizabeth II and Louis Armstrong and includes a splurge-worthy restaurant and chi-chi cocktail bar. Rates start at 140 euros (or $203, at 1.45 euros to the dollar) for a double.

The 258-room Hotel Dubrovnik (Gajeva 1; 385-1-48-63-555; www.hotel-dubrovnik.hr), which dates back to 1929, is a straightforward affair with sleek wooden furniture and fine service, but its location is the key: one of its two buildings overlooks the Saturday morning social scene, the other faces Jelacic Square. Doubles start at 165 euros.

While Zagreb’s vibe is indeed more Vienna than, say, Belgrade, it can also be deliciously rough-and-tumble. The pedestrian-only Tkalciceva Street is jammed with cafes, boutiques and ateliers.

A midday rainbow appears over rooftops adjacent to the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The neo-Gothic cathedral originally dates from the 13th century, though it has gone through multiple reconstructions in the centuries since.

Beneath the Cathedral’s tandem 344-foot steeples, a marble-heavy interior shelters an 800-year-old treasury and the tomb of the controversial 20th-century Croat Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac.

The outdoor antiques market on British Square proves there’s value yet in Yugoslavia-era trinkets. Bring a couple of hundred kuna and haggle for portraits of Tito, filigree cigarette boxes, medals, coins and other old-school items.

The sign outside Eli’s Caffe reads “Simply Luxury Coffee.” The owner (and three-time Croatian barista champion) Nik Orosi roasts his own beans and serves, saucers down, the town’s tastiest java.

The Ivica i Marica restaurant and patisserie, named after Croatia’s version of Hansel and Gretel, serves traditional pastries with a healthy twist — no white sugar or white flour.

Didov san — “Grandfather’s dream” — is a konoba, or Dalmatian-style tavern, serving specialties from the Neretva River delta.

The restaurant dishes up frog and eel stew and sautéed lamb with veggies on red-checked tablecloths under rough-sawn ceiling beams and black-and-whites of donkeys toting grapes.

At Dolac, Zagreb’s main outdoor market, an army of red umbrellas shades stalls brimming with lavender, nuts, honey, flowers and cheeses, as well as plenty of local, seasonal fruits and vegetables. Children sell berries at the market.

A vendor slices up watermelon at the Dolac market.

Vinodol, like many traditional restaurants in Zagreb, pays homage to meat. A grill chef turns steaks and forearm-length kebabs.

Zagreb‘s Lower Town has a 19th-century Hapsburgesque layout dominated by a “Green Horseshoe” of urban parks.

A Croatian couple spend an afternoon on a terrace overlooking the city.

Zagreb Reclaims Its Status As Must-See Old World City

By ROBERT CROSS, Chicago Tribune

ZAGREB, Croatia — One morning, shrieking whistles yanked me out of a deep sleep. They sounded like a thousand cops dealing with an apocalyptic traffic jam. The constant racket drove out all rational thought.

From my room’s window, I couldn’t see the source, but the whistling persisted as I showered and dressed and made my way downstairs to the lobby of the Hotel Palace, where, just outside, hundreds of young people marched north past Strossmayerov Square, led by bands of whistle-blowers.

“They are finished with school,” a porter explained. “They have no more classes. They look ahead now. It’s good they have something to look forward.”

Ah. Seniors on the cusp of graduation. Party time!

I walked upstream from the revelers and found still more students pouring from the main railroad station via an immense underground shopping mall. They eventually would join the crowds gathered at Ban Jelacic Plaza, the heart of downtown.

A huge equestrian statue of viceroy Josip Jelacic dominates the plaza. He was a 19th-century hero who tried, unsuccessfully, to wrest Croatian independence from ruling Hungary. Josip Broz Tito, the Yugoslav strongman, disliked that symbol of Croatian nationalism and had it removed. In 1990, when Eastern European communism collapsed, Croatians took the statue out of storage, reassembled it and returned it to its original site.

In preceding days, I had grown fond of Ban Jelacic Plaza, because it looks so wonderfully Old European, an expanse surrounded by shops and cafes, a pedestrian zone buffering the lower, more modern, city from the medieval enclaves on the bluff above. Bright red and blue trolleys clang past umbrellas emblazoned with brewery logos, inviting everyone to linger awhile.

But even the “modern” city holds on tight to structures with all the European architectural frills: ornate pediments, statuary, latticework, Renaissance and baroque touches, and Gothic buttresses.

Over the Cold War years and again during the conflicts of the 1990s, Zagreb had filtered through my imagination mostly as a black-and-white image of a troubled and fragmented Yugoslavia.

Now the capital of an independent Croatia shows off its colors and vibrancy. Maybe it always was thus, but it never came to mind as one of the must-see cities on the Continent.

The Day of the Whistles dawned with misty rain, the sort of drab beginning that can make an aged metropolis feel mysterious, even grim and threatening. But the students brightened everything. It was a fine time to find a cafe and watch the party rev up.

On other days – some rainy, some not – Zagreb felt welcoming and yet enigmatic, one of those places where the next corner likely holds something unexpected and – delightful. The metropolis blossomed in Technicolor, no matter the weather: yellow on the walls of some beaux-arts buildings, orange tile roofs, murals and frescoes.

A woman passing my hotel (built lavishly in 1891) exclaimed to a companion, “Look at this! The buildings are beautiful.”

As in most cities, the exuberance of youth enlivens the surroundings but can mar the decor. I came to the conclusion that a wall in Zagreb without graffiti was a wall built, or scrubbed, that morning. Graffiti has reached the level of a local art form (in some places), as well as an eyesore (in a lot of places).

Other examples of artistic expression tend to be hidden away. On the same block as my hotel, the Gallery of Modern Art appeared gray and deserted, its tiny portal sheltering some pedestrians from a sudden downpour.

I took a chance and found the door unlocked, and up some stairs discovered dazzling, vivid and wickedly humorous statuary and paintings, including a streetscape by Ivan Benkovic labeled “Chicago 1914″ and Edo Kovacevic’s “Tkalciceva Street,” painted in 1933.

Tkalciceva Street itself, I later found out, looks very much the same as it does on that canvas. Shops, bars, restaurants and all the other attractions that make the street a nighttime magnet and a boon to strollers have been carved into old, renovated buildings.

During the day, the area steps lively too. Dolac Market operates in a large outdoor space nearby, every day from early morning until well into the afternoon. Tkalciceva and its winding cobblestone pedestrian walkway flanks one side of the medieval upper town, and the Kapitol district is on the other side, marked by the two spires of the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

A short, uphill walk leads to St. Mark’s Church. Its brightly tiled roof is decorated with a medieval coat of arms and the city emblem, providing a touch of color in a square otherwise dominated by the neoclassical presidential palace, the Parliament building, city hall and strings of black BMWs awaiting the lunch hour.

I spent most of a day exploring that little sector and I could have spent a few days more.

At the City Museum, a 17th-century convent has been fitted out with an organized maze of displays. Children far too young for whistle blowing laughed and shouted through a comprehensive and fascinating series of galleries that took us with curatorial artistry from medieval Zagreb to the present. Seemingly nothing had been left out: We saw weapons, religious objects, costumes, historic paintings, photographs, manufactured goods and scale models of the city at various stages of its growth.

All through my visit to Croatia – from Dubrovnik on up the coast – I kept an eye out for the creations of sculptor Ivan Mestrovic. His impressive Native American equestrian statues that flank Chicago’s Congress Plaza have always been among my favorite landmarks. Toward the end of his life, he taught at Notre Dame, which exhibits samples of his work.

So seeking out Mestrovic’s atelier felt almost like a pilgrimage, because Zagreb would be my last stop on the Croatia tour. After so much anticipation, I nearly passed right by the studio, because a restoration crew had obscured the entrance area with scaffolding and tarp.

Art And Architecture

Across from the Hotel Palace, in one of the park-like plazas that ring Zagreb’s central district, I visited the Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters. It’s named for the 19th-century Bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer – a leader of the movement to unite the country and an avid art collector. The gallery sits two floors above the Croatian Academy of Arts and Sciences (founded by the bishop).

I found myself alone as I took in the gilt-framed Italian, Dutch, French and Croatian artists from centuries past. And again, the building itself was beautiful, a neo-Renaissance pastry with a tall Ivan Mestrovic statue of Strossmayer looming over the backyard.

The galleries were fine, but so many streets seemed to beckon. Some led to unattractive apartment blocks. Others took roundabout ways to lead me back to the main downtown plaza.

On one of those strolls, I came upon an unusual statue of poet August Senoa – a life-size and stylized figure in black granite, casually leaning against a matching kiosk. Marija Ujevic finished the work in 1986, my guidebook said, but the book had provided no directions to the spot. Aimless wandering has its rewards.

When it came to the city’s botanic garden, my destination was much more specific. I walked west from the magnificent Esplanade Hotel on a street filled with imposing government buildings and private apartments. On a sweltering day, those businesslike blocks cried out for green relief, and the gardens appeared at just the right moment.

Before plunging into the nearby museum complex and the bustle of city life, I could walk around flower beds and stands of trees, cross a broad lawn and pause on a graceful little bridge fit for a Monet lily pond.

I saw a few young men and women lounging on the grass, obviously with romance on their minds. At that point, clearly, they had come to the right place – not just the Botanical Garden but Zagreb as a whole.

For more information: Croatian National Tourist Office: 350 Fifth Ave., Suite 4003, New York, NY 10118; www.croatia.hr; Zagreb Tourist Board: www.zagreb-touristinfo.hr.

By Zdenko Kahlina 

I thought you would like to see few pictures of my home town Zagreb, at Christmas time. The main square, streets, shops… everything is decorated throughout the holiday season.

Zagreb saw decorations and lighting going up ahead of the Christmas and New Year’s festivities. An advent wreathe and a manger made of cubes were set up on the main Ban Jelacic Square alongside a Christmas tree. The tree that adorns Zagreb’s main square – a 18-metre spruce – is believed to be one of the most beautiful Christmas trees so far.

Advent in the Heart of the City is a traditional happening which leads up to Christmas.

In the very Zagreb city center, at Ban Jelačić Square, various musical events and performances bring the spirit of Advent and Christmas to the citizens of Zagreb and their guests.

Throughout the entire month of December, those who find themselves in the main square will be entertained by various cultural and artistic groups, children’s choirs, dance groups, concerts, arts and traditional crafts workshops, all under the watchful eye of Father Christmas.

Zagreb officially kicks off its festive season with the lighting of the first Advent candle at Manduševac Well. As this year’s program is indeed varied and rich, it is extremely difficult to single out any particular event, but you can be sure there will be a lot of concerts and entertainment for every age and interest.

By: Dumneazu

Its been a dreary and lingering winter in Budapest, which is up in the top reaches of the Carpathian basin, so when spring won’t come to us, we have to go to spring. That means down south, and that means Da Balkans. It was Aron’s 15th birthday this week, and so to celebrate we headed down south. Zagreb, capital city of Croatia, doesn’t care what the temperature is. If the calendar says it is spring, than the whole city can be found outside sitting in outdoor cafes or sitting in the hostel with pizza and Battlestar Galactica reruns on Dad’s laptop.

One drawback to visiting Zagreb has always been the lack of inexpensive lodgings. The old Communist era Youth Hotel is undergoing reconstruction, so we chose one of the newer Youth hostels, the Mali Mrak. The last year has seen a bunch of hostels opening, and the Mali Mrak offered a Spartan double room and a cozy living room. Since we were arriving after 11 pm, they even ordered a pizza, which was waiting for us on arrival. That’s the kind of service you expect at a five star hotel, not a hostel.

Ahhhh… Croatia!

Aron is always up for something new, so it was off top the Dolac Market for lunch. There is a row of cheap good food stands just below the market that offer burek, fried fish, squid, cevapi, and whatever a Croat could possibly want for lunch. Aron went with ribice, small sardines coated in corn meal and fried. He was not yet up to the Japanese method of eating them whole, bones and all, but did pretty well for a 15 year old. These babies were probably swimming in the Adriatic seven hours earlier and tasted fresh and clean. It helps that the Fish market is only 50 meters away.

One of Croatia’s big economic draws is tourism, especially to the Adriatic coast, and that means fish. Whole fish, however, are not cheap. The popular skarpina, or scorpion fish, below are 199 Kuna a kilo, whole. That is around USD $42 a pound. Double that if you are having them baked and served on a plate in a restaurant.

Next to the skarpina are brancin (sea bass) for 100 Kuna a kilo, and gilt headed bream for 129 KN a kilo. The sad truth is that the Adriatic is getting fished out, and demand far exceeds supply for finned fish. The majority are sold to hotels and pricier restaurants. Most Croats settle for smaller fish such as sardines, or squid or octopus, which go for about $10 a kilo.

Interestingly, Croatia has some of the best trout waters in Europe, especially in the mountainous zones near Bosnia. These farmed trout are from the Gacka river, one of Europe’s best wild trout waters. The Gacka is one of the many Croatian and Bosnian rivers that actually benefited from the war era in the 1990s. Since so many rivers were mined to prevent troop movements in the valleys, they were neither stocked nor fished for over a decade, and wild trout bred unimpeded. Today you can fly fish on the Gacka and other streams, but there are still a lot of areas which still need to be cleared of mines.

The Dolac Market is the main central marletplace for Zagreb’s downtown. The upper level is a farmer’s market, while below is a butcher and grocery market indoors. Just behind the market is the Zagreb Cathedral.

The big difference between Croatian markets and what you can get in Hungary or anywhere’s north of here is the preponderance of green vegetables. We simply cannot get greens in Hungary. Croats – particularly Dalmatians – eat a lot of Swiss chard (blitva) and rucola.

Croatian cuisine is deliciously schizophrenic. There is the Pannonian and Slavonian style of cooking, which is close to Hungarian and Central European cuisine with its use of lard, paprika, and beans. Then there is the Dalmatian diet, which is about as Mediterranean as it comes. Greens, fish, and olive oil. Croatian olive oil is some of the thickest and most distinctive I have tasted – these plastic bottles of oil come from small Dalmatian producers, and you can actually taste the salt sea flavor from olive groves located out on the Adriatic islands.

Another Dalmatian creation is prsut, ham dried in the dry air of the mountains above the Adriatic. Like its Italian namesake, prosciutto, it is slice in almost translucent slices and eaten as an appetizer.

Of course…. if you like something a bit more prosaic and down to earth, there are always sheep balls.

We left the sheep balls for others and had a field day with the burek. If you think of Greek spinach pie, then cross it with lasagna, remove the spinach, and serve it fresh and hot you have burek. We can now get burek in Budapest, but the Burek stand at the Dolac market is a busy place, and all the burek comes hot from the oven. You have a choice of cheese burek or meat (lamb) burek.

Burek is pretty much the same all over the Balkans – it is directly taken from Turkish culture and doesn’t need much improvement. Bulgarain banitsa, perhaps, is the one burek style that I never took a great liking to – usually dry and miserly, and while Turkish burek will always be the apex of Ottoman phyllo-pastrydom in my heart, the Croats do damn good job on it as well.

Aron agrees. He sat down to his plate of cheese burek and went into the kind of trance only a 15 year old can have on discovering something halfway between lasagna and pizza… crusty, noodle-y, meaty, cheesy, all at once. We had to order two servings. Best birthday cake ever.

 Posted by dumneazu

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