Other, Zagreb

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With only one reconstruction during the sixties of the 20th c., that preserved all the basic parameters of the project and the purpose of the interior space, the same theatre building has served as a representative home to the Croatian theatre art for more than a hundred years, in which the three artistic ensembles, drama, opera and ballet, work simultaneously and without interruption.

From the very beginning, the repertoire of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb was very rich and various including the world classics, national tradition and contemporary works. Even though it was basically founded as a national cultural centre, the Croatian National Theatre has never stayed closed within itself, but it readily accepted and created diverse cultural links, opening its space to all theatrical cultures and giving guest performances all around the world, from America, throughout Europe, to the Far East. In its soon to be 150 years of history, the Croatian National Theatre has given a pleiad of the greatest artists and writers, actors and directors, set and costume designers, world famous opera and ballet principals, conductors and choreographers.

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On May 29, 1953 a group of young actors and directors, mostly ''rebels'' from the Croatian National Theatre, led by dr. Branko Gavella as their ''primus inter pares'', took over the building of the Malo kazalište in Frankopanska 10 street and founded Zagreb Drama Theatre.

Due to the space being renovated the first performance was a guest performance in Subotica. Theatre finally opened its doors to the viewers on October 30, 1954 with the performance of the play ''Golgota'' by Miroslav Krleža, directed by Branko Gavella.

City drama theatre!!

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Well.... if you are in Croatia... and u didn't try the different wines, beers and ofcourse my favourite.... rakijas... u didn't experience anything.....
my favorite place used to be the brewery diagonally opposite to Zagrepčanka, on the Savska and Vukovarska intersection..... and hey ...do try gimisht beer there.......
Its a big place..... where u can even find guys in traditional Croatian clothing(if you are a lil' lucky).....

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Approximately half way between Zagreb and the coast there's one of the main attractions of Croatia - Plitvice National Park. A visit here is a must and can be easily done on a day trip from Zagreb.

You can take the bus or get yourself a rental car to go there. We had a car and it took us little over 2 hours to reach the car park of the National Park. We spent something like 5 hours in the park, walking around the less visited Upper Lakes and enjoyed every minute in this wilderness of lakes, forests, waterfalls and dead trees. It was one of the best places I have ever been to. It still sends shivers down my spine when I think of the frog concert that welcomed us in the park.

We left the park at around 7 pm to go to our booked accommodation nearby. However, this would have been early enough to return to Zagreb on the same day. So if you get the chance to visit Zagreb but don't have enough time to visit the beautiful Croatian coast - make sure to go to Plitvice.

ANIC HOLDING at Ban Jelacic square

An easy to find 'menjachnica' - change bureau where you can exchange some money. By the spring of 2007 the rate was 1 euro=7,3 kuna. Some restaurants accept euro and even announce the prices of the meals both in euro and kuna, but I would definitely reccomend the local currency.

To the East of the city centre you can see a building which also functions as a roundabout. It can be seen on Trg Zrtava Fasizma. Ive been informed that it originally served as a art centre before being turned into a mosque during WWII. Today it is a museum again.

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Although Croatia is a bit small on the international scene these days, Zagreb was once seen as a cosmopolitan urban centre of the Hapsburg Empire. There is a wealth of neo-Classical and 19th Century architecture in this city (although, for some weird reason its often in a yellow shade) particularly south of Ilica. One of my favourite things to do was to simply walk around the city and take pictures of the façades and sculptures on the buildings. Some of them are in obvious decay (even better for interesting pictures). Start at Trg Marsala Tito and make your way south before you head east toward the train station and the Hotel Esplanade.

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Its pretty amazing to consider that, in the centre of Zagreb, right by the main shopping and nightlife areas, there is a small and old Serbian Orthodox Church open to the public. Its obviously not amazing that there would be Serbian Orthodox parishoners in Croatia (after all, Krajina and Eastern Slavonia were under Serb and not central government control). Rather, it is a testament to the stride Croatia has taken in normalizing the situation of some of its minority groups since the end of the war and the gradual approach of Croatia to EU membership. When I went to visit the church much of the structure was under repair and the icons weren't visible (why, I'm not certain). Three or four elderly worshippers were hearing mass, so there are services here and at least one Orthodox priest in the capital. Perhaps renovations of the structure have finished and there is more to see now, but visiting the church is more for its symbolic importance than any sort of artistic or architectural reason. The stained glass windows were reportedly smashed by vandals in 1997, but at least the church was spared the fate of the Metropolitan's house, which was dynamited in 1992.