Grmoščica

Grmoščica or Grmošćica is a hill on Medvednica mountain in central Croatia, just north of Zagreb. Its highest peak is 239 m.^[1]

The form Grmoščica is Kajkavian, whereas the form Grmošćica is a correction according to the Croatian standard. It consists of a root inherited from Proto-Slavic grъmъ + -oš + -čica.^[2] A dialectal form Grmovčica is also encountered.^[3] Both spellings continue to be used.^[4]: 20 Certain historical forms attest to grmļski + -ica.^[5]: 622

In other dialects, the word grmoščica is used to refer to the mushroom Desarmillaria tabescens^[6]: 18 or Armillaria tabescens.^[7]: 19

Trees include Castanea sativa,^[8] Fagus sylvatica,^[8] Quercus petraea,^[8] Salix alba,^[9] S. purpurea,^[10] and others.

There is currently a Robinia pseudoacacia infestation, and foresters are trying to force the growth of native Q. petraea and F. sylvatica to combat it. The local C. sativa population is still badly affected by Cryphonectria parasitica.^[8]

The lichen species found on oak bark on the hill are Flavoparmelia caperata^[11]: 26 and Hypogymnia physodes.^[11][12]

Basidiomycetes include Amanita caesarea, Hygrophorus eburneus, Laeticutis cristata,^[13] Lycoperdon perlatum, Russula cyanoxantha.^[14]: 30

Insects include Subcoccinella vigintiquatuorpunctata^[15] and the invasive species Dryocosmus kuriphilus, the latter a risk for the spread of Cryphonectria parasitica.^{[16]: 500 [17]: 162}

An approximately 20 metres (66 ft) thick open profile of terrestrial non-carbonate loess can be observed in the former clay pit of Grmiščica. These Quaternary deposits were sampled in 2017 and determined to belong to the Bistra unit. They are not separated from the underlying Upper Pliocene strata, which are exposed on the northern flanks of Grmoščica. Fossils of fish and mammals have been found on the southeast flanks of the hill.^[18]

Tectonically, Grmoščica is transected northweast-to-southwest by a relatively lowered block.^[19]

Grmoščica is home to some of the most active landslides in Zagreb.^[20] A large area of the forest on Grmoščica is under private ownership, which has resulted in forest loss, which has led to landslide formation.^[21] The main landslide, the Grmoščica Landslide, spans an area of 2 hectares (4.9 acres), with a depth of 5–9 metres (16–30 ft). The first, partial^[22] stage of landslide remediation was completed at the end of 2007,^[23] in response to some recent wet mass movement.^[24] Some have had to leave their homes because of the landslide even after remediation.^[25][26] The landslide is still active as of 2025.^[27][28]

Kustošijanka is a cave with two entrances and 44 m of passageway on the north slope of a valley on the east side of Grmoščica. It is located on the fault line dividing Grmoščica in half from northeast to southwest. Its entrance is at an elevation of 155 m. The caver Darko Višek learned of its existence in conversation with local resident Vlado Krapljan, who was among the visitors who left many names and dates inscribed on the walls of the cave in their childhood. It formed in Upper Pontian layers of marlstone, duststone, and sandstone: "Rhomboidea layers", deposited in brackish conditions.^[29] Thanks to being on a landslide-prone part of the hill,^[30] the entrance became covered at some point after 1993 and could only be passed following digging in 2010.^[31]

An inactive 15.85 ha clay pit remains in situ on the southeast side of the hill.^[32] It was exploited by Ciglana Zagreb d.o.o., the largest brick factory in the Republic of Croatia at one point. Because it was encompassed by Zagreb, further digging became impossible, leading to its abandonment.^[33]

The Forest Park Grmoščica is 76.9 hectares (190 acres) in area, of which 63.6 hectares (157 acres) is forested, of which 46.81 hectares (115.7 acres) is state owned. The average wood stock is 274.6 cubic metres (9,700 ft³) per hectare, and average current annual increment 7.6 cubic metres (270 ft³) per hectare.^[8]

A reforestation project ran concurrent with its designation as a forest park in the 1960s.^[34] The forest park was also to serve as a windbreak for the landslide.^[35]: 104 It is planned to renew the Populus population in two cuts, to bring in 15,000 Q. petraea seedlings per hectare and to reforest cleared areas with Picea abies, Pinus species an others.^[8]

The park is one of the few places in Zagreb where dogs are allowed without a leash.^[36]

Grmoščica is an important UHI refuge alongside Maksimir and Tuškanac, exhibiting a significantly decreased temperature relative to surrounding areas.^[37]

The arrangement of the Forest Park Grmoščica for recreation has been described as "neglected" by authorities.^{[38][39]: 23} This began to change following the inclusion of the addition of recreational infrastructure to the park plan.^[40] A series of new downhill bicycle routes were added in 2021,^[41] although the majority of routes had been constructed on private initiative.^[42]

One of the earliest and more successful branches of the Croatian Pin Bowling Federation, Grmoščica, founded in 1938,^[43] meets on the hill.^{[44]: 7 [45]: 251} Within Yugoslavia, they won the male national cup 9 times.^[46]

Grmoščica sometimes hosts Mountain biking races, including the Grma mini DH competition in April 2011 won by Berislav Topol,^[47] the Downhill Grma competition in May 2015,^[48][49] an Enduro race in 2021 won by Frano Liović^[50] and an XCO competition in March 2022.^[51]

The view from the top of Grmoščica has been described as "the most beautiful view of Zagreb".^[52]

The oldest surviving mention of the hill is in a 1217 document^[53]: 152 under the name Gremla.^[54] At the time, it belonged to the Kaptol cathedral chapter,^[55] bordering Gradec across the Kustošak. It was next mentioned as "Girymla" in a 1221 land grant of King Andrew II of Hungary,^[56]: 200 and as "Geremla" in the 1334 Kaptol statute.^[57]: 43 The hill itself was known in those days as "Muddy hill" (Latin: Mons limosus), because of its clay. Nearby was the Panteluč hill, which remains unidentified. According to Dobronić, it cannot have been Pantovčak.^[58]

On 21 February 2018, a dead male body was found in the forest near the Zeleni vrh street.^[59][60]

The Roman road known in medieval times as Magna strata, in use at least as late as the 14th century, ran along its southern foot, somewhat north of Ilica.^[55]: 186 Grmoščica also gave its name to several streets in Zagreb, including (as of the 1950s) Grmoščica I, Grmoščica V and Grmoščica ogranak II and III.^[61]: 8

Ecclesiastically, Grmoščica belongs to the Gajnice parish, founded 4 April 1971 when it was split from Stenjevec.^[62]

In SFRY times, an outing site at the address Grmoščica 44 was operated by the now-defunct Hospitality Enterprise "Černomerec" (Serbo-Croatian: Ugostiteljsko poduzeće "Černomerec"), which also ran the "Mokrice" restaurant on Ilica 241 and the inns "Borčec" (Ilica 229) and "Banja Luka" (Ilica 285).^[63] There was also a feather factory on Grmoščica.^[64]

A singing society in Zagreb bears the name "Grmoščica".^[65]: 156 Its badge features a golden harp over a Croatian tricolour.^[66]

The most recent bibliographies dedicated to Grmoščica were published in Mravunac 2015^[67] and Radić 2020.^[68] Other bibliographies exist devoted to specific aspects of Grmoščica, such as its history.^[69]