TB or not TB, that was the question

There was a young lad, Milivoj Dežman, who fancied the girl who lived up the street, Ljerka Šram and had dreams of marriage and so on. She agreed to wait for him to finish his medical studies in Graz, whilst she embarked on a theatrical career.
Alas, on his return he discovered that she was now Mrs, and well on her way to stardom on stage. So he did what anybody would do: he started writing plays for her to perform.
As one might expect from theatrical types at the turn of the century, Ljerka's hubbie fell into debt and did a runner leaving her behind. So she moved in with Milivoj.
But a popular and attractive actress cannot be left to enjoy life without drama, and sure enough she soon caught tuberculosis. Poor Milivoj was not to be with his sweetheart for long after all and he spent his time pressurising the authorities to build a sanatorium for TB patients.
Thus it came to pass that Brestovac Sanatorium was built on the mountain overlooking Zagreb, Mt Medvednica, where the clean, cool air could ease the suffering of people whom the medical profession were unable to help. It opened in May 1909 just in time to lodge Ljerka before her death, in her lover's arms so it is said, in November 1913, aged 39.
Naturally the story doesn't end there: a good actress doesn't die on stage (which she very nearly did having to abandon her last performance after a violent coughing fit,) and her blood soaked spectre was soon seen roaming the grounds, detering visitors for other patients unfortunately. Even better, she started recruiting other night walkers; forming a proper little army of ghosts rambling around the grounds. And real, dead soldiers who had been buried in the hospital catacombs after WWII joined them as well.
Nowadays nobody goes there at night and paintballers use it during the day.Läs mer