Zagreb before it even existed – before 1094
The authors of the project ZAGREB BEFORE IT EVEN EXISTED – BEFORE 1094, Zoran Gregl, Nenad Jandrić, Željko Kovačić and Ozren Domiter, in cooperation with the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb and the Croatian Natural History Museum, are pleased to invite you to the unveiling of a copy of a Bronze Age hoard found in 1949 in Dežmanova Street.
Friday, 27 May 2022 at 15:00
Dežmanova Street, in front of number 6.
During the excavation of the foundations of the building at Dežmanova Street 6 in 1949, a hoard of objects from the Late Bronze Age, 12th century BC, was discovered.
The hoard was largely destroyed, but 8 bronze objects were preserved: a pin, a spear, four sickles, all fragmented, and two lumps of copper. The objects from the hoard are kept by the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb.
Coordination: Archaeological Museum in Zagreb
Casting: Art Foundry ALU d.o.o., Zdravko Ladiš
Stonework and monument production: Luka Ivandić
Project collaborators: Jacqueline Balen, Filip Franković, Slađana Latinović
The monument was installed with the support of the City Office for Reconstruction, Construction, Spatial Planning, Building, Utility Services and Transport, the City Office for Culture, Intercity and International Cooperation and Civil Society, and the Zagreb Tourist Board.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Archaeological research in the area of the City of Zagreb has clearly shown that Zagreb did not appear by chance, but that life in this area began long before the founding of the diocese in 1094.
Therefore, the authors of the project “ZAGREB BEFORE IT EVEN EXISTED – ZAGREB BEFORE 1094”, Zoran Gregl, Nenad Jandrić and Željko Kovačić, considered it necessary to present a broader picture of the origin and historical development of the city by placing characteristic monuments and markers from the oldest geological and archaeological periods, including prehistory, antiquity and the early Middle Ages.
After the death of Zoran Gregl in 2017, archaeologist Ozren Domiter joined the author team.
The aim of the project is to draw the attention not only of the professional and scientific community, but also of the wider public, to this lesser-known and less visible segment of our past.
Since 1990, 14 such projects have been completed, while the 15th project, the Bronze Age hoard from Dežmanova Street, is currently underway.
In ten cases, copies of monuments were placed at the discovery sites:
- Pontius in Kerestinec
- the Roman man in Petrinjska Street
- the mammoth in Frankopanska Street
- Jupiter in Banjavčićeva Street
- Aconia Salvia on Kaptol
- the top section of a Roman-period stele in Gornji Bukovac
- the whale skeleton in Podsused
- the early Christian lamp on Mirogojska Road
- the tombstone of Egnatuleius Florentinus in Ribnjak Park
- the milestone in Jelkovec
In four cases, the sites were marked only with a plaque or relief:
- the church in Stenjevec
- the intersection of Savska Road and Ulica grada Vukovara
- the coin of Emperor Diocletian on Ban Jelačić Square
- the coin of Emperor Hadrian on Nikola Šubić Zrinski Square
The way in which Zagreb citizens accepted this project is best shown by the fact that, after the Roman-period monument was installed in Kerestinec, the local square was renamed Roman Square.
After the mammoth monument was placed in the foyer of the Gavella Drama Theatre, the small stage of this popular theatre was named the Mammoth Stage.
The project’s appeal as a tourist attraction is also confirmed by the walking tour “Zagreb Before Everything”, which has been included in the special offer of sightseeing tours and guided tours of Zagreb.
It is worth emphasizing that Zagreb is the only European city where archaeological and paleontological sites are continuously marked year after year in such an original way, making the project a first-class tourist attraction.
In 1991, the project received first prize at the 26th Zagreb Salon of Architecture in the Proposal section.