April 21, 2018 – Another rare gem from the archives of Jugoslovenska Kinoteka takes us to Zagreb, 84 years ago
We’ve been making our way around 1934 Croatia in recent weeks, getting a rare glimpse into some prominent urban centres in history owing to Jugoslovenska Kinoteka, a national film archive founded in Serbia in 1949. The series ‘Under the Yugoslav Skies’ has so far presented a panorama of Split and some footage of Sušak, today a neighbourhood in the city of Rijeka.
Now that we’ve seen what some of our tourist hotspots on the coast used to look like 84 years ago, we’re heading to the Croatian capital to take a peek at its streets, squares and landmarks. Starting from the renowned Hotel Esplanada, the footage continues to show the Art Pavilion, moving on to Ilica street bustling with pedestrians and old trams swooshing by.
Then, a hop to the Upper Town with a panorama of the city centre from the Strossmayer promenade, followed by a quick trip to the cathedral – which probably wasn’t enveloped in scaffolding at the time. The video ends with a visit to the open market on the Jelačić square – in a time when the famous kumice, the local ladies selling the fresh produce, still used to don folk costumes as their everyday garb.
Watch the old Zagreb in the video below:
