Bloody Bridge

From Bridge to Street

The name comes from an old bridge that used to cross the Medveščak stream. That stream’s long gone, it’s been covered up, so the bridge became obsolete. But the name stuck, and it’s quite a story behind it.

A Bloody History

Tkalčićeva Street used to be that stream, Medveščak, with all its green trees and mills, built by folks from Kaptol and Gradec, the two settlements that eventually grew into Zagreb. The bridge itself became infamous because of the constant fights between the residents of those two settlements.

Centuries of Conflict

The name “Bloody Bridge” first popped up in historical records in 1667, after a particularly nasty battle. But these conflicts had been going on since the 14th century, lasting all the way until the 18th century, when they finally made peace.

A Vital Link

The people of Kaptol and Gradec built that bridge as a crucial route from the Upper Town walls, near the Stone Gate, to the Kaptol gates, which were near today’s Skalinska Street. It connected the city with the Kaptol part of Zagreb.

A Modern Transformation

As industry grew, so did pollution, forcing the city to build a sewage system, cover the stream, and tear down the bridge in 1899.

A Literary Legacy

And if you’re into Croatian literature, you might have heard of Marija Jurić Zagorka. She wrote a novel about the bridge called “The Secret of the Bloody Bridge”. It was the first novel in her “Witch of Grič” series, published in 1912. It was so popular, the publishers even announced a sequel without telling her!

Fun Facts

• This street is also home to the City Library dedicated to Marija Jurić Zagorka, and her statue is located nearby on Tkalčićeva Street.
• At Bloody Bridge Street number 2, on New Year’s Day 1887, the first Zagreb telephone exchange was built.