On November 24th we took a walking tour through the streets of Zagreb. We needed to solve fun location-based riddles and clues to find our way around Zagreb's sights while learning about cultural-historical sights of the Upper Town and Downtown with a focus on the people behind street names.

Following our clues and riddles, prepared by teacher Mirna, we visited the most important cultural and historical sights: Ban Jelačić Square, Manduševac Fountain, Zagreb Cathedral, Dolac Market, Bloody Bridge, Stone Gate, St. Mark's Church, Lotrščak Tower, Funicular, Preradović Square, Croatian National Theatre, Mažuranić Square and Marulić Square. Under the guidance of the History teacher Ms. Indira Brajčić and the Geography teacher Ms. Matea Jarić the students in question prepared an interesting site-specific lecture in order to teach other students about people behind Zagreb’s street names.

Our cultural-historical tour started at the Ban Jelačić Square – the centre of the city and the most popular meeting point of our residents. The second clue led us to the Manduševac Fountain, which held the legend on how the city got its name. According to one of the legends, one day a young knight returned from the battle and asked a girl named Manda to scoop him some water from the water spring saying: “Zagrabi, Mando” (Eng. Scoop it, Manda). And that is how the fountain came to be named Manduševac, and the city Zagreb. Our next stop was the Zagreb Cathedral, where we stopped to admire the cathedral’s impressive neo-gothic architecture. We were wondering why it was almost impossible to see the Zagreb Cathedral without some kind of scaffolding. The cathedral’s towers are about 105-meter high, and since they have been built from soft limestone, there is a constant need to renovate and restore them.

Overlooking the main square, and in the shadow of the Cathedral is Zagreb’s most precious resource: the Dolac Market, called the belly of the Zagreb city. Here we could always feel the vibe of the town and experience local flavours. The popular 'kumice' or farmers’ wives, without whom Zagreb’s markets would not be the same, contribute to Dolac’s popularity. Passing through Dolac, the central market, we arrived to the Statue of Marija Jurić Zagorka in Tkalčićeva Street and Bloody Bridge. Marija Jurić Zagorka, the first Croatian journalist wrote a famous novel 'Secret of the Bloody Bridge' which contributed to the spread of legend and recognition of the place. The Stone Gate, once the main entrance to the medieval town, was our next stop at the top of the Radićeva Street. We reached the heart of the Upper Town and one of the most important squares in Zagreb – St. Mark’s Square. Not only that is important now, when it is surrounded with the House of Parliament and the Government of Croatia, it was important also in the history of Zagreb when all the important decisions were declared there. In the central part of the square there was a pillar of shame where people were tied and punished by court orders. On the same spot, Matija Gubec, the leader of peasant rebellion, was punished for the rebellion he started. The square is also known for Zagreb's iconic building - Church of St. Mark that is easily recognizable by its vibrant and colourful tile roof bearing the coats of arms of the medieval Kingdom of Croatia, Dalmatia & Slavonia, and the City of Zagreb.

We moved to one of the Zagreb’s most recognizable landmarks - the Lotrščak Tower that was built in the 13th century to guard the southern gate of the Gradec town wall. It is well known for its famous Grič canon that daily with a bang announced noon to the citizens of Zagreb and their guests. At the Strossmayer Promenade and Vranyczanyeva poljana we had a break while enjoying the most beautiful panoramic view of the Croatian capital city.

Our next clues led us to the Downtown – Preradović Square, colloquially known as 'Flower Square', Croatian National Theatre and the sculpture Well of Life, Mažuranić Square and Marulić Square. We learnt that Petar Preradović was a famous poet and military general; that it took only sixteen months to build the Croatian National Theatre; that Ivan Mažuranić had coined words that have become commonplace in standard Croatian such as words for ice-cream, bank accountancy, rhinoceros, sculptor and many more; that Marko Marulić was credited with the first known use of the word psychology. We ended our tour with an ice cream treat.

The tour was a perfect mix of exploring, learning and relaxing, we searched for clues and answered the riddles while enjoying the perfect sunny weather which made this day even more enjoyable.

MYP Journalist Group