February 10, 2022 - After more than one year of absence due to the earthquake, a beloved tradition in Zagreb marks its return this Monday as the Grič cannon will be fired again to announce noon in a resounding way.

According to tportal.hr, the Zagreb Holding announced today that the Grič cannon, one of the most famous Zagreb sights and important tourist attractions with a tradition of more than 140 years, will be fired again on February 14th, after a long period of silence.

The first time the cannon was fired to announce noon in the city of Zagreb was in 1877, as part of an initiative promoted by the writer, publicist, and city councilor, Đuro Deželić.

The cannon has been the pride and joy of the citizens of Zagreb for over a century, and according to legend, it even saved the city from an invasion by the Ottoman Empire. If you want to know more about the legend, click here.

It was originally located in the building of the Hydrometeorological Institute, and today it is located in the Lotrščak tower on Grič. It is a mountain cannon type Howitzer M116, caliber 76mm, and its range is 7929 meters, and the volume of the shot is 140 decibels.

The cannon stopped during the First World War and resumed its activity, not until 1928. Since then it has not stopped announcing noon in Zagreb, until almost two years ago during the earthquake that hit the Croatian capital in March 2020.

It took two months for the cannon to restart, and it has been firing at noon between May 11, 2020, and December 29 of that same year. It last fired just 20 minutes before the earthquake that affected the Sisak-Moslavina region, with the epicenter in Petrinja, and which was also strongly felt in Zagreb. The cannon, which will finally return to work on Monday, had been inactive since then.

If you are looking for the most complete information to enjoy Zagreb, be sure to check out Total Croatia, Zagreb in a Page guide HERE. Available in nine languages!

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December 17, 2021 - Organized by the Croatian Football Federation, the Croatian premiere of Untold Story, a documentary about Miroslav 'Ćiro' Blažević, was held at the Kaptol Boutique Cinema in Zagreb.

The film about the "coach of all coaches" and the celebrated Croatia coach, who won bronze with Croatia at the World Cup in France in 1998, was directed by Bosnian-Herzegovinian sports commentator Sabahudin Topalbećirević and former Croatia footballers Davor Šuker, Robert Jarni, Aljoša Asanović, Igor Štimac, and Goran Vlaović, but also Bosnian-Herzegovina national team players Edin Džeko and Miralem Pjanić and many others, reports HNS.

In the film, Ćiro spoke about his difficult childhood, recalling the days of growing up in Travnik during the Second World War, sad and tragic episodes in his life, but the better days of his playing and coaching career on football fields in Switzerland, Yugoslavia, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and China.

Slobodan Kadić

"Thanks to the Croatian Football Federation, which managed to gather us to watch this film in Croatia as well. At first, I didn't agree with Baha's idea, I thought there were a lot more important people than me to make films about, but at one point I realized I was getting to the end so I said to Baha: "Let's make that film before I go", ha, ha, ha… Thank you to my Vatreni, my sons, together we paved the way to affirm Croatian football and represented the homeland in every way. And one more thing… I always knew who was in charge, the audience was in charge, and journalists were the soul of the audience. Many times I had the opportunity to say to a journalist: “Are you crazy? What are you asking me?”, But instead I told them:“ You are smart! ”, Ha, ha, ha… I love you all and I say: Ćiro is not so easy,” said Miroslav Blažević after the screening. He also received gifts from the president of the Croatian Football Federation, Marijan Kustić, and Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić - a framed jersey with the number 72, symbolizing his number of games leading Croatia, and a replica of the silver medal from the World Cup in Russia dedicated to the 'coach of all coaches'.

Slobodan Kadić

"We are proud to have had the opportunity to organize the Croatian premiere of this beautiful documentary, I am still impressed by the emotions. When I saw Aljoša’s tears at the end of the film and I had a hard time, my thoughts went back to ’96 and ’98. If someone had told me then that I would be sitting here with Ćiro today as the president of the Croatian Football Federation, I would have told him that there was a greater chance that I would win the jackpot. After this film, there is no need to say anything, I can only thank you, Mr. Blažević, for everything you have done for Croatian football and sports in general. In that regard, I proposed to the Executive Board that at the recent Assembly, on December 22, we declare Mr. Blažević the honorary coach of the Croatian national football team," said Marijan Kustić.

Slobodan Kadić

"Thank you all for coming, thank you Baha for the film about the life of Miroslav Blažević, the man who did the most for my career and who helped me a lot to become what I am. However, I can win a gold medal in Qatar, God willing, but Ćiro remains the coach of all coaches. Boss, thank you on behalf of Croatian football for everything you gave it, thank you for everything you did for me in my coaching career, After all, you were one of the few who believed in us from day one and that is why our silver from Russia has a lot of your merits," said Zlatko Dalic.

Slobodan Kadić

"During the screening, I saw the tears of Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić, and tears were present during the Sarajevo premiere. Ćiro struggled for a long time when it comes to shooting this film, despite the fact that the two of us met while I was a boy, back in 1983. It was at Marakana when Dinamo beat Sarajevo 3:2, I was a Sarajevo fan and I threw everything from the stands, and then Ćiro put me on the field and said: “Mali, Sarajevo will win the second time, may you be alive and healthy." Ćiro is an absolute genius, I thank him from the bottom of my heart for finally agreeing to make this life story and open his soul, and in order to open someone's soul, you have to trust him," said Sabahudin Topalbećirević.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

One of the oldest shopping centres in Zagreb, Kaptol Centar, located very near the centre of the town on Tkalčićeva and Nova Ves streets, is about to be closed for renovation. Some of the stores will need to be closed down before the autumn, which is why they have decided to have sales at significant discounts, with up to 70 percent off.

The facility's owner, the Austrian Supernova Group which has recently taken over the centre, along with several others (as we've already reported), wants to refresh its appearance and announces that in the future it will be even more rich in terms of the content and what the centre will offer to its visitors.

Luka Filipović writes for tportal about the rumours that started spreading about the centre being permanently closed, not just renovated, but the sources from Supernova Group refuted that. The construction works in the centre are scheduled to start in September of this year, and the projected completion of the works is foreseen for late 2020. It will include only the work on the interior of the centre, without any interventions to the exterior and the facades of the building.

Kaptol Centre was opened to the public in February 2000, and it was one of the first major shopping centres in Zagreb - and remains to this day the closest one to the city centre.

Some of the stores and/or services present in the centre will not close down during the renovation (some will be closed just briefly or will have to change location within the centre), and those are: Kaptol Boutique Cinema, Et Cetera, kindergartens Maleni Talenti and Educarena, OrlandoFit Fitness Kaptol, Bilić Vision, Husar & Tomčić škola pjevanja (singing school), Opium Hair salon & Opium Pets, Bonkulović Delicatessen, Svijet Medija, Konzum and bars: Beer Bar, Khala restaurant & bar, Barbieri’s restaurant and the Jimmy Woo cafe bar.

The garage, a popular place to leave your car if you want to drive to the centre of the city, will remain open, as will any of the offices located in the centre.