engleski

Hidden Historical Cemetery in One Zagreb Neighbourhood

Cemeteries are both sacred and emotional spaces, through which we can view the hopes and fears of people who created them and were buried there. Interactions with death, dead bodies and burial produce a mixture of emotions, fear being the most common among them. In our study we investigate perceptions and emotions associated with the abandoned historical cemeteries in Zagreb. On the territory of modern Zagreb, there are several cemeteries from the medieval and early modern period. All of them were closed in the 19th century and converted to public spaces (parks, squares, hospitals). St George’s Cemetery is the only one with visual reminders of its original purpose: a few tombstones and graves remaining in today’s park. It is, therefore, a place with multiple identities in the urban neighbourhood. Some of them are based on mysteries and legends connected to death and the occult. Local narratives (stories, legends, memories, emotional attachment and different identifications) about historical cemeteries will be collected and analysed. The research also includes interviews focusing on residents from the community of Zagreb’s Upper Town, near the abandoned St George’s Cemetery. Residents’ answers provide insights into their observations, perceptions and emotions relating to the hidden cemetery in their immediate surroundings.

cemeteries, Zagreb, St George’s Cemetery, legends, memories

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