Monuments to Modernism: An Audio Tour of the Zagreb Trade Fair

Overview

This self-guided audio tour explores the Zagreb Trade Dair’s history and significance, tracing its evolution from a symbol of Yugoslav ambition to the neglected open-air museum it is today in independent Croatia. You’ll see several Yugoslav pavilions where the country showcased its industrial achievements. You’ll also see the place where Louis Armstrong played a concert, Orson Welles shot a movie, and Croatia’s first president practiced tennis. At the USA pavilions, you’ll see where Yugoslavs saw the first American manned spacecraft and their country’s first American-style supermarket. At the pavilions of other Cold War giants like China and Czechoslovakia, you’ll discover how the fair was also an arena for great power rivalries. By the end of this architectural tour, you’ll have gained an insight into Yugoslavia’s unique politics and witnessed the treatment of its heritage in today’s Croatia.