Eduard Prister (Zagreb, 1854 – Gorizia, Italy, 1927) donated the Music Pavilion to the city of Zagreb in 1891. His father Emanuel established the Leather Factory, one of the oldest factories in Zagreb and was a shareholder in some other important industries in Zagreb (Paromlin, Hrvatska eskomptna banka, Plinara) as well as the First Croatian Savings Bank.
Both of them participated in projects for the public good: the father gave blueprints of the water supply to the City of Zagreb, which was opened in 1878. He bequeathed several thousand forints for scholarships to today Croatian Academy of Science and Arts, the Fire Department and the Israelite Community. His son, after the death of his first wife, founded the “Jelena Prister” women’s society, which helped poor Jewish children. As an art lover, he helped train the famous Croatian sculptor Ivan Rendić in Italy, who, as a sign of gratitude, built the Prister family tomb under the dome of the Mirogoj arcades.
- What do you think motivated Holzer and Prister to make these donations to Zagreb?
- What does this say about their relationship to the community to which they themselves belonged?