Octagon – Palace of the First Croatian Savings Bank

The monumental building in the very centre of Zagreb was designed to form a spatial and stylistic whole with the neighbouring former Discount Bank building at Ilica 3, designed by the Vienna-based architects Fellner&Helmer. The same architects provided the conceptual basis in the invited competition for the construction of the Palace of the First Croatian Savings Bank. The detailed project was executed by Josip Vancaš, who introduced an innovative spatial solution with a passageway—the first commercial arcade in Zagreb’s architecture—incorporating new engineering approaches. The glazed dome above the central octagonal space became a symbol of the building, giving rise to its informal name—the Octagon. The building is richly decorated with allegorical figures symbolising prosperity, frugality, trade, and industry, created by sculptor Dragutin Morak, a teacher at the Crafts School, while the reliefs are the work of Vienna-based architect Reinhardt Völkl. The Crafts School also produced the lavish wrought-iron gates on both sides of the passage entrance. The original Neo-style façade ornamentation was simplified in 1925 according to the design of architect Lav Kalda. The combination of Art Nouveau and Neo- Renaissance/Neo-Baroque elements makes this building one of the most significant achievements of Croatian architecture at the turn of the 19th to the 20th century. The original bank interior with its vault and teller counters is currently being adapted into a gallery and museum space of the National Museum of Modern Art.