In April, the students, teachers and Comenius assistant from our school participated in workshops based on the theme: ,,Šegrt Hlapić u Muzeju grada Zagreba“ or in other words: ''Novice Hlapić in Zagreb's City Museum''. This event was orgaized  in celebration of the 100th year aniversery of the most popular Croatian children's novel of all times ''The Strange Adventures of Novice (Aprentice) Hlapić''.  Children from  a variety of schools and day-care centers made guilded chests, official seals and other artifacts based on the authentic displays hosted at the Museum which are a few hundred years old. These items are now on display at our shcool for a few weeks. Our school created a replica of the tailor's chest.

   














 

Anyone who sees this display can clearly see co-operation at work, from the small items and chests to the larger ones.
Besides this, you can learn something about both the guilded chests of Gradec, and the most well sold Croatian children's novel.


The history of Gradec's guilded chests:

In the city of Gradec, there once lived many German tradesmen, many of whom where shoemakers. These shoemakers wanted to form a union of tradesmen as was the tradition in Germany.
One of the first unions in Gradec was the shoemakers'  union, which King Matija Korvin approved in 1466. At that time it already had its own rules and regulations.
The German tradesmen had an altar in St. Mark's Church. Here they also had their own flag, official seal, rules and regulations which were all kept in a special chest.
At the enterance to the workshops, stood symbols of their trade: shoemaker's shoes, tailor's scissor and many others because most people were illiterate at the time.

Who Worked in the Workshops?

Master-craftsman – he was the man who knew the trade very well and had many years experience
Helper – a young man who helped the master-craftsman and who had finished learning about the trade
Apprentice – a student who worked in the workshop and was still learning about the trade
Novice – a boy who worked in the workshop and usually did the cleaning up

Some of the Trade Unions in Gradec:

The union of steel workers and blacksmiths
The union of shoemakers
The union of fur-makers, leather workers and saddle-makers
The union of goldsmiths
The union of butchers

Some Rules and Regulations Concerning the Union of Goldsmiths:

Apprenticeship lasted from 4 to 6 years. The master-craftsman was responsible for feeding and taking care of his novice or helper  and was not allowed to abandon him. Once the novice had finished his training, he became an apprentice. The master-craftsman then gave him a uniform, a certificate of compleation and a letter of recomendation so that the young man could find work with another master-craftsman  within the country or in another country.
Once an apprentice had spent two years with a master-craftsman, he could then become a master-craftsman himself.
In order to become a master-craftsman the apprentice had to ''make a golden ring with a good stone of great value and with cuts and flowers beautify  it all around''.

Some Rules and Regulations Concerning the Union of Shoemakers:

Every year, master-craftsman  choose a person to be the chief union-leader.
An apprentice could only become a master-craftsman   if all the other master-craftsmen  thought that they were capable of the trade.
The new master-craftsman   had to pay three florena as union fees and pay for lunch for all the other master-craftsmen  in the area.
A shoemaker who was not a part of the union, could not work in the town.  Tradesmen who broke this regulation could loose all their goods and raw materials as well.
Goods and raw materials were often taken  from tradesmen who were not part of a union. Half of the seized goods went to pay the judge while the other half was used for the union's alter.

Some Rules and Regulations Concerning all of the Unions:

Master-craftsmen were obligated to attend all union meetings. If a master-craftsman missed a meeting without good reason, he had to pay a fine:
for the first offence: one measure of wax (a candle) for St. Mark's Church,
for the second offence: two measures of wax,
for the third offence:  expulsion from the union and the payment of a very large fine due to his defiant behaviour.
For the public or secret stealing of customers from other tradesmen, he had to pay four measures of wax.
The chief union-leader was responsible for the inspections of workshops. If he found that any tradesman sold below quality goods, he was forced to pay a fine.
If an apprentice insults or shames his master and leaves the workshop without first asking for permission, the chief union-leader would inform all other master tradesmen in the area so that he would be unable to get a job.
If an apprentice insults or shames the chief union-leader , but his master allows him to continue working for him, then the master tradesman  had to appologize to the union-leader and pay one measure of wax.

The children's novel

The children's novel  ''The Strange Adventures of Novice (Aprentice) Hlapić'' was published by the Croatian Pedagogy Literature Club, 1913 in Zagreb.
It is one of the most popular Croatian children's novel of all times. Because of a huge demand for this book, it has been translated into over fourty different languages: Bohemian, Slovenian, Slovakian, English, German, Danish, Sweedish, Ukranian, Russian, Hindian, Bengalian, Perzian, Vietnameese, Chineese, Japaneese, Koriean and many other languages.

Literature:   Kampuš, I. i Karaman, I.: Tisućljetni Zagreb. Školska knjiga. Zagreb.