Hear the real stories of Zagreb

Once again, this year, the Zagreb Tourist Board is organizing an abundance of interesting events, based on stories from the city’s rich history under one name: “The Zagreb Time Machine”, which will take place on the city streets and squares until the end of September.

If you find yourself on the streets of Zagreb and an old, horse-drawn carriage rushes past you, or a woman in a baroque outfit brushes you and you notice some suspicious kidnappers, do not panic; it is a re-enactment of the events from the famous past of Zagreb, which is offered to tourists as part of the project named “The Zagreb Time Machine”.

As of mid-April until the end of September, visitors in Zagreb will have an opportunity to participate in an array of appealing tourist programs that will be ongoing in the city streets each Saturday. The very city streets and squares, which are main stages for the announced programs, provide an ideal natural setting for conveying the picturesque cultural customs of Zagreb that have, along with many interesting figures, marked Zagreb’s history.

In addition, Zrinjevac, the greenest park in the city centre, is the venue for Saturday Promenade Concerts, which have been attracting thousands of visitors for the past ten years. This project is designed to reinvigorate Zagreb’s most beautiful park, which, characteristically of the city, unites culture and history of the late 19th and the early 20th century. Concerts will be performed by various, known and lesser-known musicians from Croatia as well as abroad, who will perform classical music programs such as opera arias, waltzes, old Zagreb songs and evergreens, as well as popular music and jazz.
In other locations across the city, tourists will also have an opportunity to enjoy the rich folklore offer. The main city square, Tkalčićeva Street, and the area in front of the Cathedral will be stages on which members of numerous local cultural and artistic associations will be presenting their folklore tradition. Along with folk songs and dancing, they will offer spectators homemade cakes and fruit from their gardens. Every Saturday between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., in front of the tourist info centre, there will be performances of old Zagreb songs.

In the Upper Town, visitors will be entertained by the traditional street musicians, who once played popular city love songs under people’s windows for coins. This is an old tradition that is offered to contemporary tourists, and it is called Upper Town Music Vedutas because the melodic street music can be heard from the Upper Town as it disperses across the open view of the entire downtown.

Apart from musicians, the Upper Town is also a backdrop for interesting historic stories whose protagonists will be costumed characters representing those from Zagreb’s past. The goal of this project is to reinvigorate famous Zagreb figures, known and unknown, who were significant to Zagreb’s history and way of life.
Among them are Zagreb’s ladies, old postmen, newspaper sellers, the city photographer, traders, and known characters created by some of the most famous Croatian novelists. Dressed in period costume, the beautiful Manda will also greet tourists, whilst the story of Zagreb’s Romeo and Juliet will be interpreted through popular characters Dora Krupić and Pavao Gregorijanec.

Therefore, sightseeing in the Upper Town will be different than usual but, at the same time, it will be interesting and more attractive to tourists, while the compulsory photo sessions will serve to make the experience all the more memorable. However, this year will also feature some new characters: witches, executioners, knights, city guards, all of whose task will be to present tourists with the dark, medieval atmosphere of the Croatian capital. This is the latest project of the Zagreb Tourist Board, which will surely intrigue visitors and make Zagreb an even more interesting tourist destination.
All of the aforementioned is but a small part of the program; so, instead of simply reading about it, hurry to the city streets to experience its unique history. Where else but in Zagreb can you get jumped in a dark alley without any fear because of being immediately rescued by the city guards, or participate in the trial of an innocent woman accused of being a witch, witness a hanging or visit a fortune teller, learn how to make “poisons” and various “magical” potions?