The Zagreb's Main City Square as You've Never Known It Before
If you ever find yourself in Zagreb, Ban Jelacic main city square will be your most important point of orientation while visiting all the interesting places in the city. But, have you ever wondered what the story is behind the name? I've been living in Zagreb for a while now and I've just heard the story from my friends who have been living here their whole lives. I’m quite fascinated by it, so let me fascinate you as well!
The Zagreb’s main city square changed its name several times in its history. At first, the square was named Harmica, as the word itself means tax in Hungarian. The main city square wasn’t a square at the time, but a mere local food market at the bottom of today’s Upper Town. Interesting, right? Wait till you read this! It was named after tax because people who were trying to get to the food market to sell their goods had to pay 30% of their income to get the right to sell their products there. The first records of building houses in Harmica date back to 17th century. After the construction of the first houses in Harmica and when the danger of Turkish invasion stopped, the city started to spread to the area of today’s Lower Town. With that, Harmica became a gathering place as it was located between the Upper Town and Lower Town. Over time, it took its current appearance as the main city square.
Another interesting fact is that Harmica exists today, but just as a passage which leads to Dolac – a local food market. See something familiar here? Yes, the food market is still in use today, just a few meters from its original place. Dolac is a really interesting food market and I highly recommend you to visit it, as it provides fresh local food from happy saleswomen popularly called ‘Kumice’.
Image Credit: Tajana Pran
Ban Jelacic Square got its current name after famous Croatian historical figure – Count Josip Jelacic. He was one of the most important Croatian politicians in the 19th century and in the history of Croatia in general. To get you understand his greatness, he is a kind of a national hero as he has managed to do a great number of good deeds in his lifetime. His statue was placed in Harmica in 1886 and the main city square got its name after him. The statue stayed in this place for 80 years. Due to political implications, while Croatia was a part of Yugoslavia, the statue was removed and kept in secret. During that time, the main city square got its third name – Trg republike (the Square of the Republic). After the fall of Yugoslavia, the statue has found its way back to the main city square and it regained its current name after Count Josip Jelacic.
Do you want to know a fun fact about the statue of Count Jelacic? Well, according to old records, the death of famous historical figures was always known just by the look on the statue itself. How? The statues represented those people while riding a horse. If the horse had its one leg raised, the person died of wounds in the battlefield. If the horse had its both legs raised, the person died in combat. Lastly, if the horse had all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes. In the case of Count Jelacic, whose horse has one leg raised, one would presume that he died of wounds. Wrong! He actually died from syphilis and his statue is known as an exception to the ‘horse rule’.
Image Credit: Tajana Pran
Ban Jelacic main city square today
Today, the square is a place for gatherings, sipping coffee in numerous coffee shops and shopping stores. It is surrounded by glorious buildings which give you that wonderful feeling of history. On the square, you’ll find charming little rounded fountain called Mandusevac. During the time the square carried the name Harmica, it was merely a well that was a source of fresh water for Zagrebians.
Also, Ban Jelacic Square is the most common meeting place for Zagrebians, so don’t be surprised if someone tells you to meet him or her under the clock. The clock is located near the Ban Jelacic statue, so you won’t miss it. Take a look at the area surrounding it and you’ll see numerous Zagrebians impatiently waiting for their friends to finally meet them there. I shouldn’t forget to mention that the square is well connected with the rest of the city by famous blue trams. You can get pretty much everywhere if your trip starts at the square! The area surrounding the square is also really interesting, there are many little streets with coffee shops and restaurants where you can relax.
Now that you know the history of Ban Jelacic Square, you’ll automatically look at it with a new set of eyes. Take a walk through it and experience the heartbeat of Zagreb in all its glory. Slowly sip your coffee at local coffee shops and wander the streets surrounding the square to get that awesome feeling – a feeling of Zagreb!
Header Image Credit: Tajana Pran
Author: Tajana Pran