Cracking Zagreb - Zagreb For You
Transcription
Cracking Zagreb - Zagreb For You
LIMITED EDITION FREE COPY INSTAGRAM* Three music-filled days by the lake No. 03 JUNE 2015. Z Ten years running and by now it's an institution. INmusic Festival is even more than that, always in the top rungs of Europe's music festivals. Everyone who's anyone in the music world has headlined here, from Iggy Pop, Nick Cave and Morrissey to Moby, Prodigy and The Black Keys. During the first few days of summer, 50 thousand fans of good sound take over the Island of Youth on Jarun Lake. This year, the fest runs from June 22 through 24 and showcases an illustrious lineup that includes Placebo, Rudimental, Franz Ferdinand, La Roux ... Plus there's an archipelago of islands with stages, there are beaches, there are camps, and of course heaps of fun. More at inmusicfestival.com. See you at Jarun! on Facebook Swing by Sljeme Nature lovers who are into hiking, jogging and mountain biking, Zagreb will keep you happy. Medvednica nature park is right at your doorstep, a gorgeous city backdrop. The top of Medvednica, known as Sljeme (1033m), is a good goal to reach if you want to keep fit while in town. Use the TV tower as your signpost. Built in 1973, the 169-meter tower is located at the very top and visible from whatever side you approach the mountain. The 6.9km climb up lasts around three hours, or less if you’re in good shape. Medvednica has several mountain huts where you can taste traditional Zagreb dishes. Talkabout Croatia ZAGREB IS TRENDING according to ANJA MUTIĆ Writes for New York Magazine, BBC Travel and The Washington Post. Follow her at @everthenomad Cracking Zagreb 169 meters F Zagreb cathedral 108 m Altitude above sea level 1031 m WORD Kaj (Ka-y) What, Was, Quoi, Qué, Cosa, Oque 12.30pm, a gloomy late-spring day in Zagreb. Two Japanese tourists stand on a street corner just east of Jelačić Square, looking dazed and hopelessly lost as they stare at a map page of Lonely Planet Croatia. “Can I help you?” I approach. “Yes, please!” They look relieved, happy that help materialized. I point them in the direction of Karijola, the pizza joint they were after. riends later asked me: “Did you tell them you wrote the book they had in their hands?” “No, I didn’t. I wanted to be a guidebook fairy. I appeared out of nowhere and with my magic wand showed them the way,” I joked. I’ve worked on four editions of Lonely Planet Croatia, the last of which just came out two months ago. That would make me an expert, an insider. I share my Zagreb secrets with a global readership of guidebook readers, in hope they will love my hometown as I do. ut then, there are secrets, and there are ---- sshhhh: Secrets. I may be a guidebook fairy on a gloomy late-spring day but I don’t share “my” Zagreb with anyone. Zagreb is a small capital but not an easy city to crack. And cracking it is just part of the game, and a reason why I like to keep those secrets. If you discover them all by yourself, without a guidebook (fairy), the city will feel so much more special. And you’ll be hooked. In competition with Bordeaux, Lisbon, Athens, Valletta, Riga, Ljubljana, Innsbruck, Milan, Brussels *2014 Zagreb was the sixth best destination in Europe No Uber but taxis are everywhere Zagreb has no Uber yet but taxis are plentiful and affordable. Wave or whistle it down, call, email... anything goes. The oldest, biggest and most reliable is Radio Taxi Zagreb. The least expensive and easiest to spot is Cammeo, with black & yellow cars. Eko Taxi has only hybrid cars, and baby car seats on request. #taxi #trending TEARING DOWN OF THE GRAFFITI WALL on Branimirova street is the symbolic end of an era. Some people think it’s a culturecide against an iconic monument of Zagreb’s urban culture; others are happy that the horrible wall finally disappeared from the city center. Perhaps the graffiti artist Lunar was right when he said that the best days of the wall were already over. #graffiti B Tip Discover the “other Zagreb” by booking a tour with Secret Zagreb Walks (www.tours.secret-zagreb. com) or Funky Zagreb (www.funky-zagreb.com). Don't waste paper. Use it or . . . . zagreb-touristinfo.hr American Express Travel, which placed Zagreb ninth on their latest list of trendy cities, behind Dubai and Richmond. On the global list, Zagreb and Poland’s Krakow are the only cities in Europe, if we don’t count Iceland’s Reykjavik at the very top of the list. ZAGREB HAS 4200 PLACES WHERE YOU CAN DRINK COFFEE and recent studies have shown that each one of us goes to one of these places for coffee at least once a week. As a matter of fact, we drink five kilos of coffee per capita. #coffeebreak Keep in touch! Download your free copy and share: zagreb4you.com Project 30° Zagreb was more commonly known outside Croatia by its Austrian German exonym Agram INmusic festival/Julien Duval * what*where*when* STREET FESTIVAL Watch out, Zagreb will go crazy again – in the best of ways – from June 3 through June 10 this year. That’s when Cest is d’Best, Croatia’s most famous street festival comes to town. Expect heaps of street happenings all over the center, by musicians, singers, dancers, performers and visual artists. Don’t miss the race of garbagemen, the baby marathon, the big chess tournament & more. See @cestisdbest.com. All the world’s a Stross this summer ANCIENT FAIR IN ANDAUTONIA The leafy setting of Stross, paired with its cool vibe, makes this alfresco hangout really unique Fancy a walk around an ancient Roman fair? Head to the Andautonia Archaeological Park in the village of Ščitarjevo, 12km from Zagreb, where you’ll find remains of an ancient city dating back to the Roman Empire. Open on weekends from noon to 6pm through October, it showcases programs featuring fashion, pets and board games. DANCE WEEK FESTIVAL Zagreb boogies on at the region’s largest contemporary dance event, on from May 29 through June 20. Now in its 32nd year, Dance Week Festival takes place at the Zagreb Dance Center (Ilica 10) and a couple of other locations around town. Tickets are on sale at the Zagreb Dance Center daily from 1pm till 8pm, or book online at @danceweekfestival.com. Come summer, the romantic Strossmayer promenade, lovingly known to locals as Stross, becomes one big openair stage. This year’s season of Summer on Stross kicked off on May 29 and lasts through September 2. There will be music every day, ranging from jazz and swing to blues to rock. There will also be art, featuring free workshops and body painting. There will be offbeat events such a mongrel beauty pageant; the most beautiful doggie will win the Strosser title and a delicious meter-long sausage. There will be other shows, such as puppet theater, numerous prize contests and lots more. It all happens in the historic Upper Town, below Lotrščak Tower, on a promenade covered with leafy trunks of ancient chestnut trees – a great spot to beat the summer heat. To get here, walk up one of the downtown streets or take the funicular. Once you’re up on Stross, grab a drink at one of the many makeshift bars and mingle with Zagreb’s creatives. If you find yourself in Zagreb on June 30, join in the big party celebrating the new year – well, half of it. ljetonastrosu.com NEW Live it up at the locals' living room on the main square A bistro, a restaurant, a bar or a club? All together rolled into one, they’ll say if you ask the team who restored the iconic Gradska Kavana (City Cafe) on the northeastern side of the Jelačić Square. It’s been in the same spot for as long as anyone can remember but in mid-May it reopened under a new name, Johann Franck. The revived landmark quickly became the locals’ living room. The ground floor now features a cafe with a stage for concerts, social events and literary evenings, The cheapest coffee on the Square -- just 9KN! -- in while the first a spot that's cool both day and night “I wanted a place where Zagreb locals can come to relax and just have a good time,“ Tomo Ricov, program manager at Johann Franck floor houses a bar with a large smoking room and deep leather armchairs. At the top, Šnicl bistro showcases the best vista of Zagreb’s main square and top-notch food by our very own columnist and Croatia’s leading chef Mate Janković. Mate cooks up miracles in the open-plan kitchen; book ahead. ohann’s Franck’s mastermind of fun who heads up the programming is Tomo Ricov, known as co-owner of Pepermint club and organizer of top events in town. One of the upcoming happenings to look out for is Fashion Week Zagreb on June 8 and 9. J Watch cartoons & picnic in a park D id you know that Croatia is famous for cartoons? Founded in 1972, Animafest Zagreb is the second oldest film festival in the world entirely dedicated to animation. Winners of the Animafest Grand Prix get a direct qualification for the Oscars and for Cartoon d’Or, the major European animation award. This year’s program (@animafest.hr) brings more than 300 films to the big screen. It also has a special section dedicated to animation in video games. Don’t be confused if you run into Mad Hatter somewhere in the city! The festival’s theme this year is “Alice in Wonderland.” The fest will also feature a retrospective of the iconic French author Michel Ocelot. Animafest will head out of the cinema to the Zrinjevac city park on June 12 so prepare your blankets and picnic baskets and book your seats for Animafest Open-Air. Professor Baltazar The adventures of this unusual scientist created by Zlatko Grgić count among the most successful projects of the Zagreb School of Animated Films. Animafest Surrogate Dušan Vukotić’s 1961 movie is the first non-American animated film that received an Academy Award, although it was made on the modest premises of Zagreb Film in Vlaška street. Mandlek The festival’s mascot is always changing. This year it was interpreted by the young author Petra Zlonoga. June 9 - 14 Cinema Europa, Cinema Tuškanac, Cineplexx Centar Kaptol I CANNOT SURVIVE CROATIA WITHOUT… walking. I love walking around Zagreb. Compared to my hometown where most everything is a parking lot, there is a lot to see. History isn’t CODY MCCLAIN something in a book here, it’s in the streets. BROWN AN AMERICAN HERE IS… HISTORY ISN’T given a sort of special SOMETHING IN treatment. I feel people listen to A BOOK HERE, like me, just because I’m IT'S IN THE American. A Croatian can say something STREETS wise or true, and no one will listen. But when I talk… it’s like shhhhhh everybody, an American is speaking about Croatia. Listen. CROATIAN PUNICA TO ME… is the savior of the nation. Mother-in-laws and grandmas keep us fed and well-behaved. They are the country’s moral compass. PROPUH (DRAFT) IS… so stupid. There is no scientific basis for how indoor moving air can inflame my brain. EVEN THOUGH CROATS DRINK COFFEE FOR TWO HOURS… they still get stuff done. A lot is actually done over coffee, and it’s how people spend their free time. Which is much better than watching reality TV or whatever we do in America. Zagreb’s most up-and-coming street, Martićeva A ten-minute amble east of the Jelačić Square, Martićeva is on the move. Back in the 1980s it was a drab street lined with storefronts selling auto parts but starting a few years ago, its western stretch became the place to be. The buzz starts with the pavement tables on Trg Hrvatskih Velikana, the square with the fountain. Moving on, you’ll come to Mojo on the left, a smoky basement bar with artwork-plastered brick walls, a wide range of flavored rakija and live music nightly. Down the street to your right, look out for the new Croatian Design Superstore, the one-stop-shop for the cream of Croatian design. Further down to the left, Divas is a former boutique turned boho coffeehouse with rustic accents and mismatched chairs. Walk down and to the right of a leafy park there’s Booksa, a book club-café, cultural hub and the first spot to have opened on Martićeva. There’s more but we’ll let you explore. Not a fairytale, it's a real-deal lakeside castle N Want to skip town for a fling in a lakeside castle surrounded by thick woods? Sounds like a fairytale but it’s a real from Zagreb place, just 80km north of Zagreb. The castle of Trakošćan lies less than 90 minutes on the A2 highway. It showcases the best of the Middle Ages in a museum that spans more than 1000 square meters. Take a ride in one of the row boats or play the two-centuries-old piano. Check out the virtual tour on @trakoscan.hr. 90 min Admission for adults 30KN, the wee ones, 15KN For free Screen on the Green festival of music films will be held in several city parks, including Maksimir, Jarun and Franjo Tuđman Square. Spend a summer evening watching Croatian and world music flicks under starry skies, and catch musical performances before screenings. @screen.com.hr Yoga Free OM yoga classes are held outdoors on Sundays from 9am to 10am on Bundek Lake throughout the summer. No need to book a spot, just show up with your mat. #yoga Ride an old tram Guests of the TechnIcal Museum can hop on an original 1924 tram and catch a whiff of olden times. The tram departs every Sunday at 9.30am from the tram stop on Dražen Petrović Square. Promenade concerts The spirit of the past comes alive on the streets of Zagreb every weekend until September. Enjoy waltzes, polkas and chansons at Zrinjevac on Saturdays between 11am and 1pm, and on Sundays between 10.30am and 12.30pm at the viewpoint in Maksimir Park. #timemachine MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART Admission to the Museum is free every first Wednesday of the month. Exhibit openings are free, too. Basketball god Across from the Technical Museum, next to the railroad that splits the city in half, on the square with the glass tower, you’ll spot a statue of a man with a basketball. They called him vunderkind and Mozart (that’s why the corner cafe is called Amadeus). Dražen Petrović, the biggest star of European basketball, was born a winner but his tragic death in 1993 stopped his conquest of America. In just three seasons, from 1984 to 1987, he scored Cibona the title of European champion twice. He went to the NBA via Real Madrid. Dražen’s last achievement was the silver he scored playing against the Dream Team with Jordan, Bird and Magic at the Olympics in 1992. He is in every single Basketball Hall of Fame. The Dražen Petrović Museum is in the Cibona Tower. For more, including opening hours, see @drazenpetrovic.net QuiZG 1. How many times did Croa- tia’s ski champions Janica and Ivica Kostelić win Snow Queen, the World Cup alpine ski race on Sljeme mountaintop? a) 3 b) 0 c) 1 2. The longest street in Zagreb is? a) Radnička b) Branimirova c) Ilica 3. In which year did Slavoljub Penkala, the famous inventor of pencils from Zagreb, construct the first Croatian aircraft? a) 1904 b) 1910 c) 1913 ANSWERS 1. b None. Ivica came second three times, Janica came third once; 2. a Radnička road with 6502 meters. Ilica was the longest for a century with 5660 meters; 3. a 1910. It still flies. MONOVIEW SOCIALIZING! IT’S REALLY A WAY OF LIFE HERE ALEX CREVAR Travel writer from the United States. His work has appeared in The New York Times, National Geographic Traveler and Outside magazine @AlexCrevar Finding my rhythm B efore a city can become yours, you have to find a rhythm. Over the years, I’ve fallen into several routines in Zagreb. I’ve been a member of the same gym for years. And, of course, I’ve frequented certain drinking holes with enough regularity that bartenders know my poison without having to order. owever, the Croatian capital didn’t become my city until I started hiking the trails on Medvednica Mountain just north of town. To this day, when I am anywhere else in the world, I can close my eyes and think of Zagreb and the hike to the Puntijarka mountain hut is what I imagine. But the real beauty is just how easy it is to hike in Zagreb. perfect day starts early. In my downtown apartment, I stuff my backpack with an extra shirt, a rain jacket, and water. I put on my hiking boots. Then I take two trams (for a total of 20 minutes) to the head of the Puntijarka trail. Now I am alone. Nothing in front of me but woods and mountain. I adjust my trekking sticks and walk up— sometimes straight up—for an hour. Sweat rolls down my face and soaks my shirt. Birds chirp from beech trees. At the top, the mountain hut is like a secret clubhouse … if your clubhouse served coffee and strudel. Here, high above my city, I sit and meditate, barechested in the morning sun. H A Tip: From the Draškovićeva tram stop, take the 14 or the 8 to the end of the 15, which is a five-minute walk to the head of the trail. Coolture OK, YOU’VE HAD FUN CLUBBING, you've checked out the bookstores, theaters and cinemas but you still want more culture? INMUSIC FESTIVAL The tenth edition will be held from June 22 to June 24 at Jarun. This year's lineup includes Placebo, FFS (Franz Ferdinand & Sparks), Paolo Nutini, La Roux, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Of Monsters and Men, Metal, Death Cab For Cutie... @inmusicfestival.com FANTASTIC ZAGREB The Festival of Fantastic Film will be held from June 26 to July 4 in several locations in and around town, including the spectacular Medvedgrad fortress from the 13th century. The right place for fans of science fiction, horror, thriller and experimental film. @fantastic-zagreb.com AUGUSTE RODIN EXHIBITION "Rodin in Meštrović's Zagreb" is the exhibition currently on at the Art Pavilion on Zrinjevac. It showcases around 70 works by the famous French sculptor, including his masterpiece Meditation or The Inner Voice! #art SLASH LIVE Saul Hudson, aka Slash, one of the top ten players of electric guitar according to Time magazine and the engine of the legendary Guns N' Roses is coming to Šalata with The Conspirators on June 26. Ticket price: 190KN. #concert OLDTIMER RALLY ZAGREB The 30th Oldtimer Rally will be held on June 6 and June 7. On the first day, vehicles will be on display until noon in front of the Technical Museum and on the second day, in front of the Croatian National Theater. Then they hit the streets. #oldtimer Ban Jelačić Square LAKESIDE FUN TIMES AT JARUN Zagreb is at its most beautiful in the summer, especially at Jarun, the ‘sea of Zagreb.’ Lined with beaches, the two connected swimming lakes, the Big Lake and the Little Lake, have six small islands – Island of the University Games, Trešnjevka Island, Island of Croatian Youth, Wildlife Island, Rowers’ Island and the Island of Love. There’s also a rowing track, and a 6km paved road that circles the lake. Jarun is Zagrebians’ favorite spot for all forms of recreation, from swimming and jogging to roller skating and cycling. The lake is also lined with bars, restaurants and clubs. So if you haven’t left for the Adriatic yet, stick around for some lakeside fun. INmusic Festival is the largest open-air music festival in Croatia. On from June 22 to June 24, this year it celebrates its 10th anniversary InMusic Festival Nudist beach Don’t miss the alternative transport system inside the museum, the 32-meter-long Double Slide, an installation by Belgian artist Carsten Höller Hippodrome River Sa va Bundek Bundek Lake Is a popular children’s playground with swimming beaches and a summer stage Museum of Contemporary Art (MSU) showcases a collection of art works by leading contemporary artists from Croatia and the world. Right now, you can catch an exhibit on the design and architecture of Bauhaus Sanjin Kaštelan The city’s funkiest food fair that was born in an attic TIPS& TRICKS ZAGREB TAXI HELP +385 1 1777 112 EXCHANGE RATES, (BUY RATE, JUNE 1, 2015) € 1 7,60; $ 1 6,92; JPY 100 5,59 CAN I DRINK WATER FROM THE PUMPS? The old iron pumps, popularly called 'Iron Franceki' remain an image of childhood for many elderly citizens of Zagreb. Today the Pimp My Pump art group paint them over with symbols of popular culture. And, yes, the water is good for drinking. THE NEATEST PUBLIC TOILET IN ZAGREB I MATE JANKOVIĆ Chef, columnist, TV star and Anthony Bourdain's host whenever he's here. You can find Mate at Gradska Kavana Sound of summer W hy would someone choose to spend time in Zagreb when visiting Croatia? I often asked myself that question. When thinking about a vacation, you usually picture a nice beach, a cool drink in hand as you sit in the shade counting waves and watching the horizon. You pray for a little summer breeze to cool you down while you sip your ice-cold beer and think about jumping into the sea. Sounds like my ideal summer afternoon, which is why I never understood why someone would spend a single day of their vacation in a hot city while those relaxing afternoons are happening somewhere else. Well, that was until I spent my first summer in Zagreb. will never forget that summer in the city. It was not too hot, just about right to sit on one of many terraces enjoying espresso and reading newspapers. Or just plain people-watching through the dark lens of your sunglasses. Going out for a drink in the evening and seeing the city full of positive energy blew me away. It had such a laid-back atmosphere, with people enjoying their drinks while their conversations and laughter created a buzz that I instantly fell in love with. The city was burning, in a great way. That’s when I fell in love with summer in Zagreb. k, I still love my beach, cold beer, summer breeze afternoons but do I love that buzz the city has. Sit on the terrace of one of the bars in center, have a glass of white wine and listen to the sound of summer in Zagreb. You will love it. I know I do. I O t all started in an attic. A really funky attic, with finger-lickin’ foods. A love project of two Jelenas – Jelena Iva Nikolić and Jelena Mikin – Mali Plac na Tavanu (Little Market in the Attic) was born back in 2012, when they decided to create a sustainable platform for presenting local organic food. So each Saturday the Jelenas invited small producers from Zagreb’s surroundings and beyond to come and sell their edible wares in the attic of Sinkovićeva 8, a ten-minute walk up from the cathedral. Soon enough, the market became a movement. From a pet project instigated by the pair of Jelenas it The public loo on the British Square is free to use, and it's very neat. You will find it just behind the newspaper stand. turned into a place where kindred spirits meet, taste yummy treats at the source, learn about wholesome food and take goodies home. “Our wish is to personally connect producers and people who want to know about where their food comes from, and to make this a fun and creative event,” says Jelena Mikin. The market became so popular that it now travels around town, changing locales, which always remain offbeat: from an abandoned military hospital and a courtyard café to a warehouse club and a contemporary art gallery. Find out where to catch them next at www.mali-plac. org/eventi/. + Don’t miss: • Hemp honey by Mother Earth Sacred Plants • Lemon curd (with lemons from Vis island) by Okusi Hrvatsku/Taste Croatia • Roasted soy (non-GMO, grown in Slavonia) by OPG Didaković • Home-brewed Kajfakat ale by Ajncug & Zblajh • Handmade pasta with cocoa and carob by Moja Pasta • Water kefir, a probiotic by Tibicos 4 am THERE ARE NO TABOOS AT THE NEW TABOO Located at the entrance to the Importanne parking garage, this hot new club spreads over three floors. In tandem with Gjuro 2 (another Zagreb club), Taboo hosts parties on Fridays (18+) and Saturdays (21+) that go till 6am. The most stubborn of clubbers and those who like to boogie after buying groceries for Sunday lunch can party on at the afterhours that goes till noon. #clubbing SMALL TAILOR REPAIRS If you need small tailor repairs, pick one of two tailors (Mega-Cif or Cik Cak) in Prilaz Sestara Baković, the small passageway that connects Masarykova and Varšavska streets. LOOKING FOR VINYL? Vinyl records are rare these days but Zagreb has a few spots that sell them. Old records and second-hand CDs and DVDs are available at Dobri Zvuk (Preradovićeva 24), Vinyl bar (Bogovićeva 3) and on Sunday morning at the antique fair on the British Square. A little further from the center you’ll find Freebird (Tratinska 50), Roxy (Savska 34), Magic Records (Horvaćanska 166) and Karma Music Shop (Podgorska 3). CHOW DOWN AT 5 AM The best way to wrap up your night out is with greasy ćevapćići, served with onion. For the best, head to Dolac. WINE TIP If you like white wine, try graševina, the most common Croatian white grape variety or Istrian malvazija. If red is your thing, go for plavac mali, especially great from the Dingač and Postup wine regions. RENT YOUR OWN TWO WHEELS Bikes can be rented at 13 locations around the city, half of which are in the center. Just look out for a Nextbike station or check out nextbike.hr. The first half an hour is free; one hour costs 8KN; five hours (and up to 24 hours) goes for 79KN. WEEKEND LULL Most offices and shops close on Saturday afternoon. Shopping malls on the outskirts of town remain open. For info, tourists can always come to the Tourist Information Centers. MORE INFO APPS Meet in Zagreb Zagreb Zagreb be There Places