The village and the city

According to the testimony of the distinguished politician and publicist of Karlovac Imbro Tkalac, among the rich grain merchants there were also village men, moreover serfs! Imbro’s grandfather Štefan Mihajlović was also born a serf; but purchasing a house in Karlovac, he acquired his freedom, that is, the right to a citizenship. However, he was suspicious of the urban way of dressing and never accepted it. Today, two centuries later we look back at the decision of this very successful citizen of Karlovac to wear a national costume, and we could say what was crucial was his sense of tradition and identity.