Zagreb, Croatia: Ban Josip Jelačić Monument

Foreign visitors are often at a disadvantage when it comes to monuments seen while traveling. There are some great stories connected to them, but it takes a little work to notice them. Exhibit A is this monument in the biggest square in Zagreb.

Ban Josip Jelačić was a leader of Croatia in the middle of the 19th century. He served as a military general and the leader of the government in the 1850s.  Jelačić is fondly remembered here for banning serfdom from the country and trying to make Croatia autonomous. He died in 1859, and it took about seven years to turn the idea of a major statue to honor him into reality.

Now comes the fun part. When the Communists took over in 1947, they had the statue put away into storage. But in 1990, on Jelačić's birthday, it returned to its old spot on the square. That must have been a great moment. 

By the way, the statue is a popular meeting place. People are told to gather "under the tail" - the horse's tail, that is. I'm happy to say our group did that during our visit.   

If you'd like a quick history lesson on this story, here's one: