Zagreb Tourism showcases the spirit of the town of Dolac

ZAGREB, Croatia – On Friday, June 10, starting at 10:00 am, the Zagreb Tourist Board, in cooperation with the City Office for Agriculture, officially launched the project “Countrywomen from Dolac.”

In honor of these countrywomen who are part of the heritage and spirit of old Zagreb, and so that they are not only remembered in the form of a statue, starting Friday, June 10, and continuing until Saturday, October 29, countrywomen dressed in Prigorje costumes will return to the market to remind us all of the thousands of women who have fed the inhabitants of Zagreb through the centuries.

Up until relatively recently, Harmica, the old town market, once stood on what is today Ban Jelačić Square. The hustle and bustle of daily life, the lack of space, and the adaptation of the square into a representative city center led to the market being relocated. The new location for the market was put forward by the renowned Zagreb architect, Viktor Kovačić, who suggested it be relocated to an area between the Church of St. Mary and Kaptol, to the old town quarter of Dolac, which lay within the old town walls. The small houses in this part of the town were pulled down as were the old town walls, and the new market was officially opened in 1930. At the time, Dolac Market was one of the largest and most attractive markets in this part of Europe.

Today, at the top of the left-hand stairs leading up to Dolac Market, one can see the statue of a woman – a countrywoman with a woven basket on her head – which serves as a permanent tribute to the thousands of women who came to Zagreb on a daily basis with baskets full of produce from their gardens, orchards, and vegetable patches – fresh fruit, vegetables, and flowers.

By launching this project, “Countrywomen from Dolac,” which will take place every Friday and Saturday from 8:00 am-1:00 pm, from June to October, the Zagreb Tourist Board aims at reintroducing and preserving old Zagreb customs, which are an integral part of the spirit of this town, as well as presenting old traditions and how people sold and bought produce and socialized.