THE STORY OF GRANDFATHER NICHOLAS

While thinking how to describe the symbol of Etno Park Zagreb, with the desire to bring you closer to what it really represents foto us, I remembered the words of my grandfather Nicholas. As it was yesterday, it was not the first time that he started to talk about the history. Somehow he has always loved coming back to the old days, which left him a lot of pain, but also a proud heart. And the three of us would become all ears and without blinking absorbed his every word. But there was one story we were particularly impressed with. A few days after he arrived from the hospital, he refused resting in the peace and quiet, he was always saying that the most beautiful rest for him was hanging out with us, his family. My brother, sister and I sat on a wooden bench, and our grandmother, like a proper housewife, rushed to serve us juice and apple strudel, happy that we are all together again.

He started his story:

“Dear children, the time really flies, and you are no longer so small, so I want to tell how it all started. Who will if not me, surely not your grandmother.“ He didn’t mean anything by it, he just loved making jokes about everything, and especially our grandmother, who he immensely loved.

“When your grandmother and I got married, we didn’t have a lot. After the death of your great grandfather, me and my brothers were given some land for cultivation. Together with your grandmother, we worked hard

to feed our children, but sometimes even that just wasn’t enough. After a while, since I have always wanted that, I decided to build a small barn with my own hands. It was not particularly pretty, but it was built with the heart. In the beginning I filled the stable with calves and slowly business began to grow. Your dad grew up and I have to admit that he has always been an extremely hardworking young man, but in those years, as it happens, his dream wasn’t about livestock. Then one day, during a hot summer day, I guess from stress and fatigue that work brings, I just fainted. The doctors said I have to slow down a bit, at least for a few weeks. I knew that the work couldn’t stop no matter what, because wthin only a few days I could lose important customers.

That day arm in arm with your grandmother, your dad came to the hospital, begging me to finally start thinking about myself and my health. I knew I had to listen to them . When I came back from the hospital, I saw the scene I will never forget. That day stable looked better than ever , and I could hardly hide my tears. At that moment, your father proudly told me that he thinks this is also his calling, and he asked me to go with him next week to enroll him in school to become a butcher.

We both started crying with tears of pride and happiness rolling down our cheeks … and the rest is history. Years and years of hard work, effort and sacrifice of your father and mother, for you and your children have created this beautiful property, on land that once belonged to your great grandfather. It’s not just about beautiful houses, every detail on this property was selected with a lot of love. Remember, everything in life fades, except for the wonderful memories that remain forever. So take good care of the land of your ancestors and talk to your children about the history, teach them true values of life so that one day, they could also appreciate what their ancestors did. “