Catering to tourists for 200 years, Samobor is a picture-postcard retreat west of Zagreb only 30 minutes away. Popular at weekends, when visitors hike in the surrounding hills before a rewarding helping of the town’s famous custard slice, Samobor has much more to offer the curious visitor. Host of one of Croatia’s biggest Mardi Gras carnivals after Rijeka, this cultural hub has galleries, museums and culinary traditions to discover, while its Advent celebrations run until January 8.
Samobor Advent
A quaint, traditional town all year round, Samobor particularly suits the moment with a dusting of snow and atmospherically romantic long evenings. This winter, Samobor’s traditional Advent celebrations are bigger and better than ever, with lights, stalls and attractions set up between the main squares of Trg kralja Tomislava and Trg Matice Hrvatske. A public skating rink (admission €2) is also open until January 8, with skate rental also available.
Samobor Carnival
Soon approaching its bicentenary, the Samobor Carnival is one of the most imaginative in Croatia. Running for over the week before Ash Wednesday, this year’s Samoborski fašnik is being organised from February 10 to 21, Shrove Tuesday. This is when the biggest celebrations take place, with a stage set up in town for live music and an awards ceremony for the best costumes. Against a backdrop of a spectacular fireworks display, an effigy of Prince Fašnik is burned on a bonfire. While many cities in the region stage similar events, with roots going back to pagan times, Samobor’s leans on social criticism and satire. Masks and costumes might mock the political figures of the day, a tradition that dates as far back as 1860. The first Samobor Carnival that we know of occurred in 1827, as there is a record of the town hall being rented for a masked ball.
Samobor glass
As well as its cakes and cultural heritage, Samobor is also known for its crystal glass. The Tuk family began creating finely cut crystal at their own factory in 1839, and its exquisite glassware has been popular for weddings and other glamorous social events ever since. The most delicate examples are kept in the local Samobor Museum. You can visit the Kristal Tuk factory to see items being made or purchase a glass, bowl or ornament from the on-site shop or from one of several local outlets in town, such as Kristal Samobor at Langova 63.
Samobor kremšnite
Roughly translated custard slice, the Samobor kremšnite is the reason many beat a path from Zagreb to one of the town’s dainty pastry shops. And yet the original Samobor kremšnite came from Zagreb a century ago, when master confectioner Đuro Lukačić returned to his home town of Samobor after a Habsburg education in cake-making. Joining his brother Marko at the local family shop, Đuro Lukačić perfected the Samobor kremšnite, today a concoction of light puff pastry, plentiful eggs and a touch of vanilla. On Sundays, you’ll queues outside the U Prolazu pastry shop and tables full at the Livadić café, both on Trg kralja Tomislava and both famed purveyors of this revered delight.
Nenad Jalšovac exhibition
At one of Samobor’s most active galleries, Galerija Prica, on the main square of Trg Matice Hrvatske, the current exhibition Nacrtano na lokaciji (‘Drawn on Location’) features the charcoal drawings of Nenad Jalšovac. Inspired by the city streets and landscapes around him, this Zagreb-based artist works as the Impressionists once did, recapturing an exact scene by using his own slight abstraction. With their shading and black-and-white tones, his drawings are ambiguous, taken from direct observation, later transferred to a larger format without losing the atmosphere remembered from the location. Drawn on Location runs until January 22 at the Galerija Prica, Trg Matice Hrvatske 6 (Tue-Thur 9am-2pm, Fri 1pm-7pm, Sat-Sun 10am-5pm, closed Jan 1-2).