Monument to Marija Jurić Zagorka in Tkalčićeva Street
The monument, created by sculptor Stjepan Gračan, was erected in 1991. It stands on Tkalčićeva Street, which used to be a stream, and faces Bloody Bridge.
History of the Spot
Where the Melinski canal met the Medveščak stream, at today’s number 23 Tkalčićeva Street, there was once the southernmost mill. The stream and canal were covered up in 1899, and the mill building was torn down. After World War II, the area was turned into a small square. The sundial on the Golli house facade was installed in 1955, and the Marija Jurić Zagorka monument came later, in 1991.
About the Writer, Zagorka
Marija Jurić (1873-1957), better known as Zagorka, was Croatia’s first female professional journalist and a widely read novelist. She’s most famous for her “The Witch of Grič” series. The first novel in the series, “The Secret of the Bloody Bridge,” was published in 1912. It was so popular that the publishers, without even asking her, announced a sequel at the end of the book.
Her monument faces south, towards where the Bloody Bridge used to be, and where the street of the same name is situated today.
She came from a noble family, but due to the period she lived in, she often wrote under various pseudonyms. First was the male pseudonym M. Jurica Zagorski, and then she used the name she’s known by today, Zagorka. She also used other names like Iglica and Petrica Kerempuh for humor and satire, and Neris, A Female Writer, Hrvatica Z., and so on.
She edited the newspaper “Obzor” for a while and launched and edited “Ženski list,” the first Croatian women’s magazine, and the magazine “Hrvatica.”
Bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer encouraged her to write novels. She wrote popular novels that mixed romance with elements of Croatian history. Some of her works have been dramatized and adapted for the screen. She was a fighter against social discrimination, Magyarization, and Germanization, and a champion of women’s rights.
At Dolac Market, at number 8, there is the Memorial Apartment of Marija Jurić Zagorka with her legacy.
About the Sculptor
Stjepan Gračan graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in 1968, where he studied sculpture under the renowned Croatian sculptor Antun Augustinčić. He was a co-founder and member of the Biafra art group (1970-1978). Besides the Marija Jurić Zagorka monument, he also created the “Kumica Barica” monument at Dolac Market.
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.
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