Zagreb's Sava River gains a 700kg guardian: A Slavic god carved from an old bridge's foundation

A striking stone sculpture of Vodan, the Slavic god of water, has emerged on the southern bank of the Sava River in Zagreb, near the Green Railway Bridge. The artwork, weighing between 600 and 700 kilograms, is the creation of sculptor Robert Zdarilek, who found the 1.3-meter-long stone block as a remnant from the foundations of the old Zagreb railway bridge, built in the second half of the 19th century.

Instead of moving the stone to his studio, Zdarilek chose to carve the sculpture directly on location, using only a hammer and chisel. This meticulous process took three years, primarily during the summer months. He even constructed small steps to access the stone more easily. The location holds personal significance for Zdarilek, as he used to fish there with his father as a child, inspiring his desire to create something lasting by the Sava from the old bridge's material.

Completed in 2020, the sculpture is known as Vodan and is designed as "land art," meant to exist in harmony with its natural surroundings. The Sava River occasionally submerges the artwork when water levels rise, adding a dynamic element to its presence. This unusual guardian of the Sava is also a piece of Zagreb's history, with the stone itself once part of the old railway bridge's foundation, now serving a new purpose over a century later.

Zdarilek has expressed interest in creating more sculptures in the area, envisioning an open-air park along the Sava. The Vodan sculpture stands as a testament to artistic transformation, breathing new life into historical remnants and integrating them with the natural landscape and the city's cultural narrative.