Welcome back to another one of my episodes, this one we will cover the 1000 kuna banknote. It will take us to Croatia's capital Zagreb in the north of the country and we will learn about two important men from Croatia's past. A thousand Kuna converted is about 150 Euros or 160 US dollars which is a nice amount for Zagreb and will afford you a nice weekend on the town. The 200 Kuna from last time will take you easily from Osijek to Zagreb, by bus or even by train.

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Check out why Croatian money is named after an animal.
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I also wrote some posts about cultural heritage in the Balkans if you are interested in tattoos you should check it out. Or if like sculptures see my post on The Bowman and The Spearman in Chicago.

The thousand Kuna brings us to Zagreb Croatia's capital and the largest city in the country. Almost 1/4 of the entire population lives in the capital about one million people. Zagreb is also the major magnet for jobs, buissnies, culture, industry and in the last few years a huge tourist attraction. Although Zagreb was proclaimed The most boring city in Europe by the German magazine Der Spiegel online in 2017. But opinions differ and you all know the anecdote about buttholes and opinions.

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This what a thousand Kuna lokks like. Source

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On the obverse of the banknote, you will see the likeness of Ante Starčević also know as the Father of the Homeland who lived from 1823. till 1896. and was a Croatian politician and writer. When you turn the note around to the reverse you will see an image of a statue with a man on his horse in the foreground, in the background, you notice a church with two bell towers. The statue is the first ruler king Tomislav around who lived around 925. AD. The church you see is actually the Zagreb cathedral dedicated to the Assumption of Mary and to Saint Stephen and Saint Ladislaus.

The city of Zagreb

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The capital and the biggest Croatian city, which has its roots in the medieval era. The city center is divided into two historic areas Gradec and Kaptol which make the historical old town of Zagreb. It is also the industrial, educational, administrative center of the country. The city is organized into 17 districts covering an area of 641 aq kilometers or 247 sq miles and is well connected with public transportation by tram or bus. Zagreb has the characteristic layout and vibe of a central European city mostly due to large city planning from the 19 century by the Austro-Hungarian empire.

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About Ante Starčević

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Ante Starčević (Starchevich) was born in a small village Veliki Žitnik near the town of Gospić in the area known as Lika. He was a famous Croatian politician, writer, author, translator and fighter for Croatian rights under the rule of the Austrian-Hungarian empire. He is known in the country as the Fater of the Homeland. At a young age, he was schooled in Gospić by his uncle, a priest and well-known writer and linguist. From there he continued high school in Zagreb and went off to Budapest to study theology an become a priest. During his education, he became fluent in latin, greek, german, hungarian and italian and graduated with a Ph.D. in theology and philosophy but decided to go back to his homeland and fight for Croatian independence. Back in Croatia he applied for several teaching positions at universities in Zagreb and Belgrad but was turned down. He ended up working in a lawyers office in Zagreb for several years, from where in 1861. he moved to Rijeka started to work in government. The same year he was elected as a member of the Croatian parliment but was suspended the next year and imprisoned for a month as an enemy of the regime due to his ideology and fight for the independence from Austra. During that time and his first amendment as a member of parliament he together with Eugen Kvaternik formed a political party known as Stranaka Prava or Party of Rights. The ideology of his political party was the right of the Croatian people for an independent state and separation from the Austro-Hungarian tyranny. The political party exists today and has watered down into many fractions during the 90s and 2000s. These fractions today are far from the initial ideology taught by the founding fathers and today are mainly oriented right.

During the years Starčević was in and out of prision for his ideas and practices but was over and over elected MP by the people. He was not just a strong opponent of the Austrian monarch but also blamed the Catholic church for holding back the progress of political and national interest. As he was studying to be a priest himself he was viewed as a traitor by the clergy. But as I see it he fought for a secular state which was in the best interest of the people. Even today this is a well-polemicized topic in the country.

Ante Starčević was 73 years old when he died 1869. in Zagreb. The funeral was attended by almost 30 000 people. His legacy the ideology of an independent state continued after his death and was carried on by many politicians and public figures. he also wrote numerous books on various topics from history to linguistics. Today many streets, parks and public areas are named in his honor throughout the country.

King Tomislav and the Zagreb cathedral

Croatia's earliest history is fairly unknown I am talking about the early medieval period and the forming of the first Croatian state. This time period is known as the dark ages and is not well documented nor is it well researched by historians and archaeologists alike. The focus in today's age lies on relatively recent events from history which are seen as defining and are largely misinterpreted and twisted. And yes I am talking about WWII and the war during the 90s. The people of my country know very little of their earliest history and miss read the facts almost always. And as a nation, if you do not know the answer to the question where you came from? you really can not define your self and claim your heritage.

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Ok, well then enough pessimism, King Tomislav or the statue of him can be seen today not just on the one thousand Kuna note but also when you visit Zagreb by train. The statue stands close to Zrinjevac park in central Zagreb, on a square named after king Tomislav, right in front of you when you leave the main train station. The statue was made by Robert Frangeš Mihanović during the 1920s and 30s.

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Coronation of king Tomislav by Oton Iveković, 1905. Source

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But there is very little we know about Tomislav, the few things we know about him are these. He comes from the noble family Trpimirović and was the rulers or count of Primorska Hrvatska or Duchy of Croatia. During 925. legend says he was crowned as king of Croatia and unified coastal and continental Croatia. During his rule, he defeated the Hungarian tribes and repealed even Bulgarian king Simeon as he conquered large areas in the Balkans. These battles major victory of that time the Hungarian horsemen were feard allover Europe and the Bulgarian kingdom was one of the largest and most aggressive armies of that time.

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The last monument on the one thousand kuna bill is the Zagreb cathedral dedicated to Saint Ladislaus and Saint Stephen and the Assumption of Mary. Ladislaus was the king of Hungary and Croatia and during the end of the 11th century. He was the founder of the Zagreb diocese in 1094. and probably is responsible for building the first cathedral which is not preserved and the looks of the first cathedral is unknown to us. The cathedral has a few building and renovation phases. The second building phase is known to us as the pre-Tatar cathedral and the looks of that building are known from the official Kaptol stamp dated to 1297. I was build before the Tatar tribes pillaged Europe during the 13th century and on there conquest came through Croatia and Zagreb was burned to the ground. After that, the cathedral was rebuilt over the years which took a long time and was the design was changed over the ages.

The Cathedrals final rebuilt was after the Great earthquake of 1880. when the building was once again destroyed this time by a natural disaster. It was redesigned by Austrian architects Fredrich von Schmidt and Hermann Bolle. When you visit Zagreb you should visit the cathedral as it is the most beautiful neogothic buildings in Croatia and the burila place of many famous bishops. The massive building is placed in the old town known as Kaptol and was for centuries the center of Croatia's public and political life.

This concludes part 4 of exploring Croatia. If you have any questions or comments let me know below in the reply section. Stay tuned for part 5 which will take us Varaždin the old capital.