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International (Neo-)Styles in the Age of Nationalism – Zagreb Architecture after 1918 Changing of Borders

The 1918 re-drawing of borders, the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the formation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes/Yugoslavia are still perceived in Croatia as events that reflected negatively on Zagreb’s development. The city’s position inevitably changed – it gradually lost the title of political capital – but, in the same time, formerly a city on the outskirts of Austria-Hungary, Zagreb now grew into the most important city in Yugoslavia in terms of economy, education and culture, which led to its accelerated urban development after 1918. By presenting characteristics of Zagreb’s post- 1918 architecture, this paper aims to underline its particularities in relation to other parts of the Yugoslav Kingdom and Central Europe, as well as to indicate a continuity between prewar and postwar architectural developments. When, in 1928, architect Alexander Freudenreich tried to recapitulate the history of Zagreb’s architecture in the 1920s, he claimed that, “We, southerners, love a bit of pathos and exterior forms, we love a bit of sentimentality and tradition!” Indeed, Zagreb’s architecture in said years was characterized by an accumulation of styles, which, together, could be termed Neo-Historicism, Second or Modern(ised) Historicism. Along with these traditional styles, several Croatian architects were also influenced by Art Deco, German Expressionism and Czech Cubism. Unlike in Belgrade, Ljubljana or Prague, architects in Zagreb showed little intention of creating a special national style in public or residential architecture. It might be assumed that such a construct could not win support of the royal administration because of rising conflicts between Serbian and Croatian political parties. Exception was church architecture and buildings that were built for the millennial celebration of the Croatian Kingdom (1925), which was, due to its propaganda potential, supported by the then Yugoslav King, Aleksandar Karađorđević.

Zagreb, Neo-Historicism, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, Art-deco, Expressionism, Architecture, Urban Development

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