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Clock stopped at 11:05 in Vjesnik hallway, seven years before fire engulfed building
๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ท Croatia /Culture & Society

Clock stopped at 11:05 in Vjesnik hallway, seven years before fire engulfed building

From Veฤernji List · () Croatian

Translated from Croatian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • A former tour guide noticed a striking coincidence seven years ago in the Vjesnik building's hallway: a wall clock stopped at 11:05, the same time a fire later engulfed the skyscraper.
  • The Vjesnik building, once a recognizable symbol of Zagreb, is now slated for demolition, raising questions about its future and the space it occupied.
  • The building's deterioration was evident even during a 2017 tour, with dusty hallways and a lack of care noted, though it didn't feel entirely abandoned.

Zagreb is set to lose a landmark with the demolition of the Vjesnik skyscraper, a building that once served as a recognizable symbol of the city. Vanja Radovanoviฤ‡, president of the Mapiranje kvarta association, recalled a peculiar detail from a 2017 tour of the building: a wall clock in a hallway permanently stopped at 11:05. This was the exact time a fire broke out seven years later, consuming the skyscraper.

When I saw that, I really widened my eyes.

โ€” Vanja Radovanoviฤ‡describing his reaction to seeing a clock stopped at the same time a fire later engulfed the Vjesnik building.

Radovanoviฤ‡ described the Vjesnik building as more than just an anonymous skyscraper; he called it a "great mirror of the city" due to its distinctive glass facade that reflected Zagreb from nearly every angle. During his tour with a group seven years ago, he observed that the building clearly lacked proper maintenance. "It was visible that the building suffered from a lack of care," he stated, noting dusty and untidy hallways, though he didn't feel like he was in a completely abandoned space.

Zagreb lost one of its symbols with the demolition of Vjesnik. Those glasses and reflections made it recognizable from almost every part of the city. It was enough to look towards it and you immediately knew it was Vjesnik. It wasn't some anonymous skyscraper, but a great mirror of the city.

โ€” Vanja Radovanoviฤ‡reflecting on the Vjesnik building's significance to Zagreb.

The demolition of the Vjesnik tower reopens discussions about its significance to Zagreb and what should occupy the space in the future. Radovanoviฤ‡'s observation of the stopped clock, captured in a photograph, now seems eerily prescient, highlighting a strange synchronicity with the building's eventual destruction.

It was visible that the building suffered from a lack of care.

โ€” Vanja Radovanoviฤ‡describing the condition of the Vjesnik building during a 2017 tour.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Veฤernji List in Croatian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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