SALON MARECIC
By Chuck Marecic
These eight photographs are selections from a series of photographs I took
on several recent excursions to Croatia, a country that straddles both
Continental and Mediterranean Europe. While some may be familiar with
Croatia within the context of the break up of Yugoslavia and the several
wars during the 1990s, most have had little exposure to Croatia outside of
the war report context. I am in the process of putting together a “Salon
Marecic” of personal photographic observations, in which I shall provide an
impressionistic portrait of "my Croatia.” I say my Croatia for two reasons.
The first is that I have spent roughly half of the past two years travelling
and exploring the country. I have had the opportunity to visit the middle
European northern areas— Zagreb, the Lika region, Varazhdin, Koprivnica, and
along Croatia’s border with Hungary, including the Drava River watershed. To
me, this part of Croatia has many similarities with its neighbors, namely
Hungary and Austria, to the north. In my cultural algebra, it has a central
European feel about it. I have also had the opportunity to travel to the
Dalmatian coast of Croatia, primarily to the historic cities of Split and
Dubrovnik as well as to less familiar places, such as the village of Tugare.
Generally speaking, this area definitely seems to have a lot more in common
(climate, for one) with Italy, its cross-Adriatic neighbor, and Greece. So,
my algebra comes up with a Mediterranean feel.
The second reason I say “my” Croatia is that my father’s parents migrated
from Croatia to the United States sometime around the end of the nineteenth
century. Although neither my parents nor grandparents ever traveled back to
Croatia even for a visit, and my first experience with the land of my
forbearers occurred only in 2003, I have always felt a familial if not
historic connection with Croatia. As a matter of fact, the photograph of the
storefront in Zagreb was the first evidence of a tangible Croatia connection
that I have accumulated since I first visited the country. Therefore, in
honor of my family’s Croatian roots the title of the collection: Salon
Marecic.
At this point, I would like to provide a few words about the photographs in
this collection. For general reference, I took all of these photos with a
Konica QM-100 digital camera. The file sizes are very small by today’s
standards, and, technically speaking, it is the equivalent of the original
operating system offered by Apple computers. When it first came out, it blew
the doors off the competition, but that was a long time ago. Now it is just
quaint. But in my case, available.
1 Salon Marechich
The first photo is the storefront of a perhaps distant relative of mine
in downtown Zagreb. As you can see, we are not in Maine anymore. Shoes sort
of float in the air, the language seems nearly incomprehensible, and stuff
is happening beneath the surface. Although it is titled Salon Marechich (I
will use English equivalent spellings for Croatian words), I have come to
think of this as my self-portrait.
2 Cannonballs
The second photo, titled Cannonballs, is from the interior of the
fort Lovrjenac that overlooks the walled city of Dubrovnik.
3 Tudjman’s Bunker in Zagreb
The third photo is of Tudjman’s Bunker in
Zagreb—at least that is what my friend Marina told me. Apparently, this was
one of the bomb shelters, located in the beautiful wooded Tushkanac area of
Zagreb, which the Croatian government used during its war with Serbia during
the early 1990s. At one point, someone tried to make it into a disco, but
they couldn’t get electricity to it or something like that. My friend is
quite the storyteller.
4 Split College of Music
The fourth photo is of the Split College of Music. I stayed right
around the corner, and every day I would hear the sound of a piano, flute,
or violin coming from these open windows.
5 Dubrovnik’s Big Onofrio Fountain
The fifth photo is of Dubrovnik’s
Big Onofrio Fountain built by Onofrio della Cava in 1438. The fountain was
once two stories tall but has been partially destroyed a couple of times
over the centuries. However, it remains standing and functioning today.
6 Restaurant in Old Dubrovnik.
The sixth photo is of a Restaurant in Old
Dubrovnik. Considering that the city was built in the Middle ages and the
architecture overwhelmingly reflects this, the aesthetic of this restaurant
is decidedly modern or even Japanese.
7 Woman with Umbrella Walking along the Wall around Dubrovnik in the Rain.
The seventh photo was also taken on top of the wall that surrounds the city
of Dubrovnik. On a clear day, you can see an incredible landscape and the
seascape for miles in every direction. But as you can see, the weather on
this day was less than perfect. I have titled this photo Woman with Umbrella
Walking along the Wall around Dubrovnik in the Rain.
8 Cafes on the Riva
The final photo is of Cafes on the Riva, the
waterfront in Split. Even though this photo was taken in November, note the
clear blue sky, the palm trees, and the endless row of outdoor cafes with
their colorful umbrellas. People of Maine, what are we thinking?
