Ban’s Court – seat of the Government of Croatia
The term ‘Banski dvori’ (Ban’s Court) is often associated with the Government of the Republic of Croatia, and the policies it enacts. However, the Sermage-Kulmer Palace, today known as Banski dvori, was built during the Napoleonic Wars, when the border with France was on the Sava river.
Today, Banski dvori (Ban’s Court in English) is a complex of two four-winged city palaces (Sermage-Kulmer and Rauch) built in the early 19th and the second half of the 18th century, located at St. Mark’s Square numbers 1 and 2.
This complex of two four-winged palaces, built in Baroque Classicism, has been a metonym for Croatian executive power for more than two hundred years, like the Matignon Palace in France or 10 Downing Street in the United Kingdom.
After the collapse of the Zrinski-Frankopan Conspiracy in 1671, the old Zrinski house on St. Mark’s Square was seized and sold. After several owners, it came into the possession of the Kulmer family. The old Zrinski house was badly damaged in a fire, and in 1801, Baron Ivan Kulmer began building a representative palace, expanding into neighboring buildings. The unfinished Sermage-Kulmer Palace was bought in 1808 by Ignac Gyulay for 75,000 forints and adapted for the needs of the Ban’s Council. The adaptation was entrusted to Zagreb builder Ivan Either. Elements of Classicism, which at that time began to penetrate into Croatia, are clearly visible on the windows on the first floor.
In 1837, the Rauch Palace, the north wing of today’s Banski dvori (Ban’s Court), was also purchased. The late Baroque one-story building with a representative entrance (portal) probably got its present appearance after the fire in 1766.
Since 1808, Ban’s Court has served the needs of the state administration. The Archive of the Kingdom was located on the ground floor, and the entire first floor was a living space for the Ban. Until 1918, the palace was the home of Croatian Bans, from which it got its name. Later it housed the royal archives, the Ban’s Table, the Land Court and the Parliament Chamber.
During his banate (1848–1859), famous Ban Josip Jelačić lived and died in Ban’s Court.
During his mandate, on September 10, 1850, a telegraph wire was brought into the building, connecting Zagreb to the telegraph network with Vienna. From this building, the ban’s deputy Mirko Lentulaj sent the first Croatian telegram (“the telegraph is in order”) on September 28, 1850, sent to Jelačić, who was on an official trip to Vienna.
It was in this building, while the Parliament was located there, that Ivan Kukuljević Sakcinski gave the first representative speech in Croatian on May 2, 1843, after centuries (“Who can forbid an entire nation to speak its natural language…”), and fiery speeches were also given by Bans Jelačić and Mažuranić.
Kings Franz I, Franz Joseph I, Crown Prince Rudolf with Princess Stephanie, and Alexander I of Yugoslavia with the Queen stayed in the chambers of Ban’s Court.
After the democratic elections in 1990, Ban’s Court became the seat of the Office of the President of the Republic. It was rocketed by a Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA) aircraft on October 7, 1991, heavily damaging the entire southern complex of the building, killing one person.
The Office of the President of the Republic soon moved to Pantovčak, and the Government of the Republic of Croatia moved into Ban’s Court.
Location
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is situated on the slopes of Medvednica mountain, in the Carpathian Basin, and on the banks of the Sava river. Zagreb has a rich and diverse history, culture, and architecture that reflect its long and turbulent past.
ExploreBaroque
One of the most remarkable periods in Croatian art history is the Baroque, which lasted from the 17th to the late 18th century. During this time, Croatia was reunited with the parts of its territory that were occupied by the Venetian Republic and the Ottoman Empire, after centuries of fragmentation and division. This reunification not only brought political stability and economic prosperity but also stimulated a cultural revival and a flourishing of art in every segment.
ExploreClassicism
The term Classicism refers to two distinct periods in the evolution of European fine art: an earlier period spanning the 16th to 17th centuries, and a later period (also called Neoclassicism) from 1760 to 1830. In the Austrian lands (which included Croatia at the time), it emerged in the early 19th century.
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