Special blue tram: Dinamo and ZET, 115 years of two Zagreb symbols
Together in blue
The soundtrack of the popular Dinamo song "The streets are blue all the way to Maksimir" symbolically and effectively supports the joint birthday celebration of two Zagreb symbols. Dinamo and ZET have completed 115 years of existence, 11 and a half decades of love and pride... GNK Dinamo will celebrate its 115th birthday on Sunday, April 26th, and ZET fits perfectly into this story, having already stepped into its 115th year at the end of last year since the electric tram was introduced in Zagreb. These details alone were enough for two Zagreb symbols to unite in a joint celebration.
Dinamo's "Nema predaje" Foundation and the club itself, in cooperation with ZET, presented a specially decorated Zagreb tram on Saturday at the small turning point in front of the entrance to Maksimir Park, which is visually themed around Dinamo's birthday.
In conceptual and operational terms, the initiative was brought to life on behalf of the club by Supervisory Board member and "Nema predaje" Foundation manager Saša Pavličić-Bekić, and Dinamo's marketing director Vanja Bartolec, while ZET was represented by Board Chairman Marko Bogdanović.
– I don't know how to express how happy I am that Dinamo and ZET are working together because there are so many connections between these Zagreb symbols. A huge thank you to everyone at ZET for expressing their willingness to help us celebrate our birthday, for jointly marking 115 years of Dinamo, but also 115 years since the introduction of the electric tram in Zagreb. Besides this initiative, we also organized ZET's brass band, which delighted citizens with their performance on Ban Jelačić Square and then along Gajeva Street all the way to Cvjetni Square. This was followed by socializing with fans at Španski in an event called "Dinamovo" – highlighted Pavličić-Bekić.
ZET Board Chairman Marko Bogdanović also delivered an emotional speech:
– Allow me to express my exceptional satisfaction at being here. The coincidence between these two Zagreb institutions is incredible. Here, Dinamo is celebrating its 115th birthday, and we have already completed 115 years since the electric tram was introduced in Zagreb. There are several other connections that fascinate me... We're also connected by the yellow color – the club used it in various ways during the Građanski era and later in recent history, while Zagreb trams were yellow until 1923 and only then adopted the blue color. ZET was also connected to the club in footballing terms during both the Građanski era and later. In the early days after the war, Dinamo used ZET's pitch, for example, and played their third post-war match in borrowed ZET jerseys. In any case, I thank Dinamo and the "Nema predaje" Foundation for this invitation. It all started at the beginning of the year when Pavličić-Bekić contacted me, and we all began developing the idea to jointly celebrate 115 years. Of course, there's also the praiseworthy donation from the Foundation intended for a child with special needs whose parents are long-time ZET employees. I would like to take this opportunity to wish Dinamo luck in Sunday's match, and also wish all the best for future activities, many more beautiful and successful years for both Dinamo and ZET. Just in the spirit of the slogan on the tram itself – "driving through Zagreb's history and future together" – added Bogdanović.
