Zagreb’s secret courtyards

In Zagreb, every courtyard has a story. This was the slogan of Dvorišta, the tourism board-backed pilot project that drew more than 30,000 visitors to the city’s medieval Upper Town last summer. For 10 consecutive evenings, four baroque palaces and historic townhouses opened their private courtyards and gardens to the public for music, food and community gatherings. The upcoming instalment of Dvorišta, slated for 17 to 26 July this year, promises to showcase an even richer repertoire, with classical and jazz concerts and access to more off-limits courtyards than the year before. Traced back to late-19th-century city planning, Zagreb’s courtyards were originally created as private, sometimes verdant spaces for use by the residents of the city blocks surrounding them. As time passed, however, many were forgotten. Buildings’ street-facing facades were beautified while out-of-sight veže (courtyards) became turned into parking lots and private workshop areas. But today, many of Zagreb’s courtyards are getting a new lease on life as local entrepreneurs start to see their potential.