St. George in Zagreb

Should you find yourself in Zagreb on April 23rd, St. George’s Day, it will be a perfect opportunity to join a free tour of the city, dedicated to this very date and the saint who is the subject of several statues and customs in the Croatian capital and its surroundings.

Whilst sightseeing around Zagreb, one will quickly notice that the statues dedicated to St. George (or Sveti Juraj as he is known in Croatian) appear as a recurrent theme… One of them is located by the Stone Gate, a portal between the downtown and the Upper Town. The statue was made by Austrian sculptors, A. Kompatscher and A. Winder, and placed in its current location in 1944. Another fascinating statue, titled “St. George Slaying the Dragon”, was made in 1853 by the Austrian sculptor Anton Dominik  Fernkorn, and placed at its current location, Marshal Tito Square, in 1867. That, however, is just part of the strong bond between Zagreb and St. George, a Christian martyr and one of the best venerated saints and harbingers of spring, who is the subject of many legends. Just several kilometres from Zagreb, the vivid celebrations of this holiday are now considered  as a candidate for inclusion on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage.

Free sightseeing tours of the city, dubbed “Pretty George is in Zagreb”, will take place on April 23rd, starting at 11 a. m. and 1 p.m. in Croatian and English respectively. Previous applications are expected online at info@secret-zagreb.com. The tours will begin at the statue of St. George by the Stone Gate.