A man cloaked in black and a 19th century journalist reveal the medieval history of a town in Zagreb that experimented with democracy, fought Turks and invading Mongols, survived a fire, carried out witch hunts and suppressed peasant revolts
A flyer, surreptitiously wedged between the cupboard doors in my hotel room at Zagreb, promises to take me back in time. A quick read reveals more cryptic clues: ‘Psst. Can you keep a secret? Show up on Saturday at 9 pm, at the crossing of Ilica and Mesnička Street, where a man in a black cloak will whisper to you the secrets of Grič.’ I’m not surprised. Anything is possible in the Croatian capital of Zagreb, which straddles old and new Europe, and epitomises a Balkan culture that appeals to jaded tourists.
The promised time travel experience is a nocturnal, theatrical tour of Grič (pronounced gri-ch), the medieval heart of Zagreb. In the 13th century, during the dreaded Mongol invasion of Europe, King Béla IV of Hungary and Croatia issued a charter, or the Golden Bull of 1242, declaring Grič to be a ‘free royal city’. This early experiment in self-governance, a rarity for its time, allowed the town to come into its own. Citizens elected magistrates and leaders, and built fortifications against future Mongol raids. Today, remnants of the medieval towers and walls that encircle the town stand witness to the tumultuous era. And the ‘Secrets of Grič’ tour draws on its medieval past, with a healthy dose of witches and lore.
I arrive at the assigned spot that night to find myself one of 25 people who couldn’t resist the flyer’s lure. At 9 pm on the dot, a man shrouded in black meets us at the intersection of two charming cobbled stoned streets. “Follow me,” he says, leading us to a nearby narrow stairwell. (Note to readers: I do not follow strange men clad in black into unlit stairwells, but an internet search and a chat with my hotel’s front desk staff assured me that ‘Secrets of Grič’ is a reputed and well-known tour run by the Zagreb Tourist Board and an event management company, Katapult Promotion.)
In what I’ve come to identify as Zagrebian quirkiness, the tour appropriates the famous journalist to become Grič’s spokesperson. Clad in a taffeta gown and a lace embroidered hat, the actress playing Zagorka stands atop the Capuchin Stairs. Behind her is the imposing Lotrščak Tower, a fortified white stone edifice mounted by a bell, which overlooks the south side of the city. “In Grič, the tower was used to spot advancing armies. During the Middle Ages, much of Eastern Europe lay ravaged by Mongol invasions, followed by the Turkish [Ottoman] invasions of the 15th century. The Turks had captured large chunks of northwest Croatia, but despite reaching the banks of the [nearby] Sava River, they never managed to stake claim on Grič,” says Zagorka.
This history lesson meanders into folklore. I’m told that when the Turks “with malice in their hearts” were camping across the Sava River, the cannon atop Lotrščak malfunctioned. It blew away a cooked rooster on a platter, which happened to be a Pasha’s lunch. Fearing the quality of marksmen in the town, the Turks immediately retreated.
(This story appears in the Jan-Feb 2015 issue of ForbesLife India. To visit our Archives, click here.)