If you’re just trying to find a place to get away from Zagreb that is close and will help you relax, Etno park Zagreb located in Mala Mlaka is the place for you.
Sunčana Barušić writes for Jutarnji list about the resort, located to the south of the Croatian capital, 11 kilometres from the centre of the city and just 7 kilometres from the Franjo Tuđman airport, in the centre of the Mala Mlaka village.
A wooden house right at the entrance to the park will be the first thing to catch your eye; it’s a traditional “Turopolje čardak” (čardak is a word of a Turkish origin, which would probably best be translated to English as a “lodge”), which has been moved to the Etno Park piece by piece from the nearby Turopolje village of Mraclin. Now the lodge is called “The Collection of Memories”, and it’s furnished with antiques originating in various historical periods and that showcase the different styles of days past. Right next to the lodge is a summer house with the view of Zagreb and the Medvednica mountain that seems like it belongs on a postcard.
In addition to the view, the peace and quiet, the large kid’s playground and the overview of the tradition of Turopolje region, the food is another important reason why you should consider visiting. The food served at the Etno Park Zagreb is, of course, just another aspect of the tradition and the history of the region. It’s the traditional continental Croatian cuisine, which has borrowed a lot from various influences, including Hungarian, Middle-European, Turkish and even Arabic cuisine. Getting all the recipes together and deciding what are the ones that the customers of today would be most happy with was not a small feat, but the staff at Etno Park Zagreb has done a great job.
They use as many locally produced stuff as possible, so your štrukli will have home-made cheese from a local farm and flour from a local mill. And, since we’ve mentioned štrukli, you really need to try them here to understand how different the štrukli of Turopolje are from the štrukli in Zagorje. Also, you shouldn’t even consider saying “no” to chicken soup here, or the apple pie made using a grandma’s old recipe.
