Lotrščak Tower
Along with the Stone Gate and Pop’s Tower, it is considered to be the best-preserved building of the city’s defense system.
Lotrščak Tower is one of the symbols of Zagreb. It is located on Gradec, next to the former small city gate Dverce on Strossmayer’s promenade.
Since the medieval city of Gradec provided him with refuge during his escape from the Mongols, Bela IV, the Croatian-Hungarian king, thanked the city by issuing the Golden Bull (1242), declaring it a free royal city. This obliged Gradec to build defensive walls and towers. It took 20 years to complete these fortifications, in 1266. At that time, the Lotrščak tower was built. Its main function was to guard the southern entrance to the city, the small gate Dverce. These were removed in 1812 during the construction of Zagreb’s southern promenade or Strossmayer’s promenade as we know it today.
Along with the Stone Gate and the Pop’s Tower, it is considered to be the best-preserved object of the city’s defense system. Lotrščak was first called the Dverce Tower. But since 1646, when the robber’s bell was placed in it, it began to be called Lotrščak. The robber’s bell, in Latin campana latrunculorum, was miswording on the language of the old Zagreb in “zvono lotrijaša”. That’s how the tower got its name.
The bell rang in the evening before the closing of the Dverce city gates, and whoever remained outside the walls was in danger of being robbed.
The tower is a Romanesque fortification object with its quadrangular floor plan, wall structure, and proportions. After its defensive function, the tower has been adapted to various needs. It got its present appearance in the 19th century after the reconstruction by the architect Kuno Waidmann.
The tower is 19 meters high, the roof five, and the dome six, a total of 30 meters. At the top, there is a dome with a lookout point.
The tower is home to the Grič cannon, and since 1 January 1877, the cannon has been firing to mark midday. The cannon was to give the sign for exact noon for the bell-ringers of the city’s churches.
Today, the Lotrščak Tower is part of the public institution Klovićevi Dvori Gallery. There is an ART & GIFT SHOP on the ground floor of the tower, which sells souvenirs, books, and unique jewelry. The first and second floors are used for exhibitions, and the top of the tower offers the most beautiful view of Zagreb to its visitors.
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.
ExploreRomanesque
In the 11th century, monumental cities were built along the entire Dalmatian coast. Houses were constructed from stone. On the ground floor there were shops or taverns (natively – konoba), seen today in cities such as Poreč, Rab, Zadar, Trogir, and Split. In those cities the most important buildings were churches. They were commonly stone-built basilicas with three naves, three apses, columns, arches, arcades and wooden roofs, and were erected near the monasteries of Benedictine monks who came out of Italy. St. Peter in Supetarska Draga on the island of Rab (11th century) is the best-preserved church of that type in Croatia. On the same island is the Cathedral of Rab (12th century) has a high-Romanesque bell tower, the largest in Dalmatia. It is specific with its openings, which multiply with each level of floor (Latin: mono-fore, bi-fore, tri-fore, quadro-fore). This is typical for Romanesque architecture, but also architecturally innovative, as each floor is slightly lighter than the one below.
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