It's central Europe's capital of cool, with its quirky charm, dazzling culture and interesting history. By Gustasp and Jeroo Irani
The lux Esplanade Zagreb hotel was known at one time for its scintillating balls when dissatisfied wives and their secret lovers danced the night away in its vast ballroom, hung with pendulous chandeliers. The hotel had a somewhat racy reputation; the first striptease in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, took place in its luxurious precincts while Josephine Baker, the queen of Parisian cabarets was a regular performer. But its crème de la crème guest list, lavish interiors and magnificent Art Deco contours earned it the accolade of being the most luxurious hotel in Central Europe.
The Esplanade was built in 1925 for wealthy passengers of the Orient Express en route from Paris to Istanbul, and has played host to the movers and shakers of the world. When we stayed at The Esplanade recently, it had lost none of its gloss and sheen. For, in 2004, it emerged in its new avatar, a polished version of its former self, brimming with tales from its storied past.
The hotel is an icon of Zagreb, a small embraceable city which oozes shy charm and is said to be one of the safest capitals in the world. The city exudes an air of sheer innocence probably because it has been off the average tourist's and terrorist's radar for the longest time.
Terracotta-roofed pink buildings, baroque churches, a blazing-with-colour fruit and vegetable market dating back to 1930, numerous museums, theatres, parks and gardens make Zagreb an eminently liveable city. It is slowly wresting the title of being Central Europe's capital of cool, with its panoply of funky cafes and cutting edge clubs with live bands that throb into the wee hours.
We started our exploration of the city at the mid-13th century Lotrscak Tower where legend, facts and history come together in a heady cocktail. From the tower, a cannon has been fired at noon every day for the past 100 years to celebrate a battle that never happened! There are multiple explanations and twists in the tale about why Zagreb continues to cling to this idiosyncratic tradition.
The story that a café owner related to us over coffee and a Kremsnita, a local vanilla and custard cream dessert, was that the cannon was fired for the first time at the invading Turks who were camped on a bank of the Sava River on the outskirts of Zagreb. As the cannon ball whooshed through the air, it landed on the Pasha's platter of chicken! He was terrified. Another story related with a smirk and a guffaw is that as the cannon ball curved and thundered over the city to hit its mark, it smashed into the Pasha's rooster who died in the line of duty! The Turks turned tail and decided not to attack the city of sharp shooters!
We climbed to the top of the tower to get a bird's eye-view of the city which flared at our feet like a medieval painting. Zagreb is essentially an amalgamation of two medieval hilltop settlements, secular Gradec or Upper Town and church-controlled Kaptol. Today the two sections of the city are connected by a funicular.
If you want to do justice to Zagreb, spend at least 4 nights, unravelling its quirky charm… The main square Ban Jelacic is its pulsing heart with the statue of the national hero Jocic Jelacic on a rearing horse as the centrepiece. This is the spot from where the blue trams trundle away to the more distant parts of the city, the drab Novi Zagreb or pretty Lake Jarun or Maksimir Park, the neo-classical Mirogoj cemetery. ..
We took the steps that led up to Upper Town with its gas lamps and narrow cobblestone streets to stop by the Museum of Naive Art, the funky Museum of Broken Relationships set up by a couple whose own relationship had hit the rocks and Mestrovic's Atelier dedicated to Ivan Mestrovic, Croatia's most famous sculptor and artist.
It was Easter and as we stepped into Zagreb's magnificent neo-Gothic cathedral for Mass, the soaring voices of the choir seemed to penetrate every cell in our body riding above the resonant strains of the organ. It was like stepping into a spa for the soul. Yes, only in Zagreb!
Fact File
Turkish Airlines and a few others have convenient connections from India with Zagreb. This is a walkable city that has a spectrum of accommodation.
For more information, visit: www.world2rism.com and http://www.infozagreb.hr
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Zagreb")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}