Noon Boom at Lotrscak Tower, Zagreb

I had planned our daily itinerary to ensure we arrived at the Lotrscak Tower so we could experience the daily firing of Zagreb’s famous Gric cannon.

Dating back to the 13th century the tower was built to guard the southern gate of the Gradec town wall. In the 19th century a fourth floor was added to the tower and the Gric cannon was placed on top. Since January 1877, the cannon is fired from the tower at midday, to give the sign for exact noon for the bell-ringers of the city’s churches. It has only ever paused twice - once after the First World War and again recently after the 2020 earthquake.

One of the legends surrounding the cannon is that a shot from the cannon went right over the river and into the camp of the enemy at that time. It landed smack bang on the leader’s dinner and he was so freaked out by the accuracy of the shot that he was too scared to invade. So the cannon saved Zagreb.

Even though we were prepared for the bang we still jumped as it was very loud. Once the cannon has been fired the man who fires it waves out the tower window afterwards. What a hard job.

After the firing of the cannon it was lovely to hear the church bells ringing across the city.Read more