Inside, the building is very elegant. It is decorated in a sort of 18th century manner, in which Victorian staircases and chandeliers are present. Also, busts of Croat historical figures are aligned in the hall leading to the ceremonial chamber. In this chamber, paintings of the speakers of parliament are hung, and more prominently, one can see a grandiose painting of the Republic of Croatia's first President, Franjo Tudjman, presenting the constitution of independent Croatia.
We then entered the visitors gallery to see where parliamentary sessions take place. It looks quite nice, and our guide told us about the windows. Behind the main podium is a wall, where now there are windows. Prior to the 1990's, those windows did not exist, and thus concrete took their place. In Croatian minds, this represented the repression they felt during the years of communist Yugoslavia. When the independent Republic of Croatia came to be, windows were installed to represent a newborn freedom and transparency that had previously not existed. She also explained that Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina were extended voting rights, as they were given dual citizenship. Thus they could elect their own representatives in Bosnia-Herzegovina and in Croatia.
Although I learned a good amount about Parliament, I was disappointing not to speak to any Members of Parliament (MP's). However, I do understand that we visited in August, and most likely MP's are probably vacationing in the Dalmatian Coast.
After this visit, we went to downtown near Nikola Tesla Street (who is Serbian), to visit a Serbian business community organization named Privrednik, which was founded in 1897. Privrednik means entrepreneurship in Serbian. It is a business community of the Serb minority in Croatia that seeks to connect Serb business elite to young students. More than anything it seeks to improve and advance the education of youth in rural areas. Historically it gave apprenticeships to youth in rural areas, and trained them business basics. However, following WWII and the communist Yugoslavia that developed, this organization was shut down, despite many Privrednik youth who bravely fought on the side of the Partisans. Nevertheless, after the breakup of Yugoslavia, Privrednik reestablished itself. It's leaders continue to guide themselves by the successful legacy of their predecessors. However, they continue to face obstacles such as the Croatian government's insistence in not restitution their property lost during Tito's Yugoslavia. This organization is extremely important. In a country that is attempting to modernize and innovate and diversify its economy, there exists a need for a new generation of capitalists to take the lead. Organizations such as Privrednik do such things, and hopefully, under good guidance, they can make a difference in the development of Croatia and the Balkans.
These visits and meetings were our last. However, we still had some work to do. On Friday, we all presented our group discussions on EU integration. Basically, our group of 23 was divided into groups of 3 or 4 to present on academic articles relating to the EU's relationship with the countries of the region. The discussion session was extremely successful, as all groups comprehened the information in their articles and presented it in a very logical manner. And, the question and answer periods were quite stimulating as well. I ended the discussion period (and the Dialogue too) with a lively discussion about EU accession with Professor Livanis. It was very nice end to an extremely academically interesting field study.
After the discussion, I went downtown to explore the city. My impressions of Zagreb are that it is a very "European" city in that it has parts that resemble Vienna and Madrid. The architecture of the city is a remnant of Austro-Hungarian contol, as it is very classical and ornate, like buildings in Vienna. The main square, Ban Josip Jelačić Square, is located in the heart of the city. It is a very beautiful square that reminds me a little of la Puerta del Sol in Madrid.
There are other extremely beautiful sites, such as the Zagreb Cathedral and the Serbian Orthodox Church. Unfortunately though, the cathedral is undergoing construction at the moment.
St. Marks Square is also quite nice, and is the location of one of the main churches and government. Each day the Dolac Market takes a lively role downtown, as hundreds of people flock to buy fruits and vegetables.
The city is also connected by an impressive web of tram lines, which function very efficiently and are very modern. Ultimately, Zagreb is a very modern, clean, and beautiful city. Although it doesn't have the liveliness that Belgrade may have (I am in Zagreb in August though...), the city is quite charming.
Conclusively, the trip was fascinating. The Dialogue proved to be an exceptional experience. I do not know the next time when I will be able to meet such important, and thought provoking figures, and travel to this region. I truly cherished my time here. Although I am exhausted from the last 31 days, I have to say that I am very glad to have experienced every second of it.
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