Marco The main square in Zagreb is not just a place with monuments. Ban Jelačić square is the meeting point for people, white clock or horse statue. The white clock is located on the left and is the landmark for meeting friends.
When you have to meet someone in Zagreb 90% of the time the meeting point will be the white clock in the main square Ban Jelačić.
Square is dedicated to Ban Jelačić, the governator of Croatia (Ban) from March 23rd 1848 after the Hungarian revolution. I don’t want to speak about him now, there is another place in the same square. The white clock on the left side.
The white clock – THE meeting point
The square was built to host the open market, now in Dolac. The white clock was the clock of the market and everyone always met there. The market was moved to the close square with open and covered places. The clock remain the real meeting point. You can go at every hour during the day or the night. You always will meet someone who is waiting. When people meet, when friends hug each other, when lover kiss they spread energy.
Around the clock you see only happy people happy to meet someone who they care. Maybe somebody will not come, there will be another time to meet.
I like to go there, sit down around and watch what happen. Many stories. People are waiting for partners, new or old. They are feeling emotions and anxiety. You can recognize what they feel on the face. Waiting time is always very exciting. Here you can participate to the last minutes of waiting time. People spend time on phone or walking around. Somebody is looking for around the clock or just stand in one position.
When people meet can be just a cold hi (bok in Croatian), a warm hug or passionate kisses. On the exact moment of the meeting everyone release all the stress, maybe add more but for sure the feeling change.
This is real the center of the city, when people start or finish something. Tram station is not so far, in the same place you can find where people meet and where they say hi.
Emotional life is here, just watch around yourself.
Who built the clock?
I didn’t know who was the builder and I asked around, this is a website where you can find the history of the clock. Website is in Croatian, so I try to translate a bit.
[…]
The same public clocks, designed long time ago in Vienna, are in Velika Kladuša, Bihać and Brcko, but the producer Lebarović, from Zagreb, is not sure if his watches have survived the war and are still working properly.
[…]
The retired father, Zlatko Lebarović, is fifth of a generation of watches maker. His son Dalibor is continuing the same business of Lebarović family. The 1948 Daribor grandfather founded the Urarsk workshop in Maksimirska street.
[…]
The first clock that was set up at Ban Jelačić Square, Dalibor’s story, the current owner of the Lebarovići craftsmanship, was brought from Vienna by the 1920s by Mirko Novak.
Dalibor’s grandfather took over the first public day at Kvaternik Square in 1953, and took care of the watch on the main square in 1959 and held it until today.
[..]
Enjoy your friends in Zagreb!
