Zagreb 1910.–1913.

Zagreb 1910–1913 is a short historical and urban monograph written by Vjekoslav Klaić (1849–1928), a prominent Croatian historian. The work presents an overview of the state and development of Zagreb in the last years before the outbreak of World War I.

Klaić provides a systematic view of the city during that period: demographic growth, urban changes, construction of new neighborhoods, public buildings, transport infrastructure, cultural and educational life, economy and political circumstances. He particularly focuses on the transformation of Zagreb from a provincial town into a modern European metropolis, which was in full swing at the beginning of the 20th century.

Unlike Klaić's great historical syntheses, this booklet is more of a contemporary chronicle and a description of the state of the city in a specific period. The author uses his long-standing knowledge of Zagreb (he lived there for decades) as well as data from official reports, statistics and personal observations. The style is clear, concise and typical of Klaić – scholarly, yet accessible to a wider audience.

The book was written just before the war (the manuscript was completed around 1913) and published in 1918 in new political circumstances (after the disintegration of Austria-Hungary). It represents a valuable historical cross-section of Zagreb at the height of the Austro-Hungarian period, at a time when the city was undergoing significant modernization (electrification, sewage, tram, new squares, theaters, schools, etc.).

Today, this edition is a bibliographical rarity, especially in its first edition. It is often used as a source for studying the urban development of Zagreb, the history of everyday life and the transformation of the city at the end of the Austro-Hungarian period. Together with Klaić's earlier works on Zagreb (e.g. on the Statute of the City of Zagreb), it forms an important part of his contribution to Zagreb's local historiography.