The Lotrščak Tower

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Issuing the Golden Bull of 1242, Bela IV, the king of Hungary and Croatia, returned the favor to the town of Gradec for providing hospitality and shelter while escaping from the Tatars. By this Bull, the town was proclaimed a royal free city, but at the same time, the Bull obligated the citizens to fortify their town with walls and towers. The construction of the fortification lasted twenty years and it was finally finished in 1266. It was then when the Lotrščak Tower was built to guard the southern gate of the town - a former small gate Dverce - which was demolished in 1812, during the reconstruction of the southern promenade, today called the Strossmayer Promenade.

The name of the tower is derived from the name for the bell, campana latrunculorum – thieves’ bell, which rang in the evening to signal the closing of the town gates. The way the tower looked in the Middle Ages isn’t well known to us. According to some old drawings, it seemed to have had only two floors with two windows on each floor and a four-sided roof. The entrance to the ground floor was on the north side and the outside stairs led to the first floor.

At the end of the 16th century the threat of the Ottoman attacks finally subsided and the tower lost its original defensive purpose.

Over the centuries, the new users and new purposes changed its appearance. The most significant changes date back to 1857. The restoration of medieval buildings during Romanticism resulted in addition of two more floors and a wooden fire lookout tower on the roof.

The communication between the floors, originally nonexistent, was solved in an interesting way: on the north side a winding staircase was added, half of it being inside the building, and the other half being outside. The tower is made of irregular stones, and the thickness of the walls is 195 cm. A wide groin vault on the ground floor is still preserved. The fourth floor was made of bricks, and the walls are significantly thinner.

An interesting fact in the history of the Lotrščak Tower is that when the town had no money for the repairs and maintenance, they would lease it to the citizens making the maintenance their obligation, and in case of enemy attacks, they would be required to give it back to the city for defense.

Celebrities about Zagreb

The Fratellis (Jon)

The Fratellis (Jon)

Thanks to everybody who came to see us at the INmusic Festival! We're delighted by the city and hope to see you again.

Source: INmusic festival

Courtney Thorne Smith

Courtney Thorne Smith

Thank you for one of the best hotel experience ever. The rooms were extraordinary, the staff was great, and every moment was beautiful. And Zagreb... magical! All the best!

Source: Esplanade Zagreb Hotel

Pixies

Pixies

Big thanks on behalf of the PIXIES for another wonderful day in Zagreb! This is a great festival and a wonderful audience (less rain next time, please!). See you.

Source: INmusic festival

Melanie Fiona

Melanie Fiona

I am sorry that I have not had the opportunity to stay longer and see a little more, but the Jarun Lake and clubs impressed me, has all the elements of good entertainment.

Source: Hotel Antunović Zagreb

Jesse Eisenberg

Jesse Eisenberg

Jesse Eisenberg (actor) spent the autumn in Zagreb in 2007: Zagreb is an incredible town. I enjoyed sightseeing the old parts of the town, and at night I went to clubs. I was thrilled that it was near Austria and Italy, so I visited Venice, Milan, Ljubljana, Graz, Split... over the weekends.

Source: www.vjesnik.com

Baka DJ, Ruth Flowers

Baka DJ, Ruth Flowers

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Source: Hotel Antunović Zagreb

Foals

Foals

We're excited about our first concert in Croatia and delighted that we had the opportunity to walk around the wonderful city of Zagreb.

Source: INmusic festival

Chris Urbanowicz

Chris Urbanowicz

I remember our performance at INmusic festival. We can hardly wait to see our fans again. I expect it to be very exciting.

Source: www.tportal.hr

Flogging Molly

Flogging Molly

We're enjoying this Tuesday in Zagreb. We're heading onto the main stage of the INmusic Festival soon.

Source: INmusic festival

David Byrne

David Byrne

If we leave out the hills in one part of the town, Zagreb is a perfect town for cycling. vid Byrne (Talking Heads) on releasing his book Cycling Diaries

Source: www.mvinfo.hr