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ZAGREB
 Zagreb is the
capital as well as the main industrial and cultural center of Croatia. Major
roads link it to Europe, the Middle East and ports on the Adriatic
Sea.
There are traces of civilization
in this area which date back 3,000 years. Like
elsewhere in the region, Croatian territory changed hands between Greek, Celtic, Roman,
and Slavic civilizations. Zagreb
itself was known to have been a Roman settlement.
Current-day Zagreb was
actually made up from two cities on neighboring hills -- Kaptol and Gradec. Kaptol was a religious center and Gradec (now
known as Grie) was a center for artisans and trade. When
Kaptol became a Roman Catholic diocese in 1094, this was the first time the city was
referred to as "Zagreb."
In 1242, Gradec became a free
royal borough and continued its development as a center for trade. The medieval period in Zagreb has left it
with its impressive Goraji Grad (Upper
Town)
and fortification walls.
In 1557, Zagreb was first
mentioned as a metropolis and it naturally became the capital of Croatia, although many
other regions and towns in Croatia developed under the influence of the Hapsburg Empire in
Austria-Hungary while Dalmatia was under the influence of the Italian
city-state of Venice and Ragusa (now Dubrovnik) was an independent city-state and later
under French influence. Although Turks moved into neighboring Serbia
and Bosnia, Zagreb
never fell under the Ottoman Empire. As a result
of holding the Turkish invasion back at the "Military Border," however, many
Serbs ultimately settled in Croatian territories in the Krajina region.
Zagreb continued to develop as an
intellectual center with the establishment of Croatia's
first university in 1669 and its first Austrian-inspired
Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1866. Just a year
later, Zagreb was named the capital of Croatia
and Slavonia (the eastern region which would later
become a battlefield between Croats and Serbs). By this time, the city consisted not
only of historic Gradec and Kaptol, but several other neighboring municipalities as well.
Because of its predominantly Catholic religion and historical influences from Italy
and Austria, Croatia
has traditionally considered itself more closely aligned to Western
Europe than to Slavic Europe to the
East or the Islamic world to the South. This is reflected in its architecture which
draws greatly on Austrian and Italian influences.
Although Croatian nationalistic
sentiments were evident in the late 1800s, the focus then was on gaining independence from
Hapsburg dominance by unifying the South Slavic lands.
When the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires disintegrated following the end of
World War I, this unification became a reality. In
1918, Croatia joined the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (which would be renamed Yugoslavia in
1929). Although Yugoslavia's capital was the Serbian capital Belgrade, Zagreb remained the
capital of the Croatian republic.
However, many Croatian
intellectuals and politicians saw that this Union of South Slavs was
being dominated by Serbia and the new Yugoslav capital Belgrade. Out
of this arouse a movement for decentralizing the system and giving more regional autonomy
to Croatia. While this did result in some gains for Croatia, there was
still a growing movement for increased decentralization of the system. This
coincided with growing nationalistic movements throughout Europe.
When the Nazis and Fascists from Italy and Hungary invaded Yugoslavia in 1941, Croatia became a puppet state under the leadership of Ante Pavelic and what
was known as the Ustashe movement. The bloody conflict between the Ustashe, the
equally nationalistic Serbian Cetniks, and the communist Partisans (not aligned by
nationality, but, in the minds of some Croats, still dominated by Serbs) left deep wounds
that continue to this day.
The Partisans triumphed under
the leadership of Marshal Tito who recreated Yugoslavia as a
unique Socialist state distinct from the Soviet sphere of influence. Although Tito
himself was a Croat and Zagreb remained the capital of the Republic of Croatia, power
continued to be centralized in Belgrade and some Croats felt that the state was still being dominated by
Serbs. Continued movements towards decentralization and reviving the cultural
heritage of Croatia were purged by Tito.
Following Tito’s death in
1980 and the fall of communism in Eastern
Europe in 1989, the power-sharing
arrangement between the Yugoslav republics proved to be short-lived. There was
growing dissatisfaction in Slovenia and Croatia, both of which looked more towards Western Europe than Serbia. Both
republics seceded from Yugoslavia in 1991 and war soon followed. Zagreb took on a new
role as a national capital defending itself against Yugoslavia.
While the bloodiest of the war
took place elsewhere in Croatia where there were larger Serbian populations, Zagreb was not
immune. The newly formed Croatian Army and the Yugoslav Army forces regularly
traded shells within city limits. Citizens learned to survive with the constant
sounds of air raid sirens calling them to take shelter underground. Land access
routes between the capital, the coast, and eastern Croatia were cut off
and the economy deteriorated as a result.
While the bloodiest bulk of the war took place
elsewhere in Croatia, Zagreb was not immune. The
Croatian Army and the Yugoslav Army forces regularly traded shells within city limits. Moreover, land access routes between the capital,
the coastal region, and eastern Croatia were cut off and the economy suffered as a result. By 1992, Yugoslavia had given
up on Croatia and turned its attention to Bosnia-Herzegovina which had, by then,
also seceded.
By the time the war in Croatia ended in
1995, Zagreb was less touched on the surface than cities in eastern Croatia or
neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina. However, there were many other changes. Many
Serbs who lived in the city left the capital while refugees from decimated Croatian cities
such as Vukovar moved in. Many other Zagreb natives left
the country altogether, choosing for economic or political reasons to emigrate to western
Europe, North America, or Australia. Still this town which started out with only a few thousand
people has grown to a population around 1 million. In spite of the war it has
survived and the economic hardships which continue, Zagreb's cafes and
street life brim with the same energy as any in central Europe.
Personal
Accounts
"Branka"
and "Zoran" were Serbs who had lived in Zagreb
and ultimately decided to leave for Belgrade. Having lived through the bombing of
two cities, they soon discovered that they were outsiders in both capitals.
Project director Leon Gerskovic
is originally from Zagreb. Yet his return trip made him sick -- quite
literally. Find out more by reading journals
from him and his cameraman, Rob.
Do you have a Zagreb Story? Share it Here.
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