Zagreb is the capital city of the Republic
of Croatia. Zagreb is an old Central European
city. For centuries it has been a focal
point of culture and science, and now
of commerce and industry as well. It lies
at the intersection of important routes
between the Adriatic coast and Central
Europe. Zagreb is divided into three parts:
the thousand-year old Gornji grad (upper
town) which contains the Presidential
Palace, the historic church of St. Mark's,
the Croatian parliament, and museums and
galleries which are all set in cobbled
streets lit by gas lamps; the 19th century
Donji grad (lower town) with its shops,
restaurants, cafes, theatres, parks; and
the modern post-war (WWII) Novi Zagreb
(new Zagreb) which is full of high-rise
buildings and basically has nothing to
offer tourists.
Trg Bana Jelacica
(Ban Jelacic Square)
This large paved piazza has been Zagreb’s
main square since Donji Grad came into
being in the 19th century. Pedestrian-only
(with the exception of trams) it’s a lively
public meeting place rimmed by several
elegant pastel-colored Secessionist facades
and open-air cafes. The centerpiece is
a bronze statue of its namesake, Ban Jelacica
(named after the Croatian hero and viceroy
who defeated the Hungarians in an uprising
in 1848 - his monument is in the square)
upon a horse.
Katedrala (Cathedral)
From Trg Bana turn right and into the
first street on the left to see the twin
neo-Gothic spires of St. Stephen's Cathedral.
There has been a church on this site since
the 12 th century, but today’s neo-Gothic
façade with twin steeples was erected
after the 1880 earthquake. Inside, on
the north wall, note a 12th-centruy inscription
in Glagolithic script (a predecessor to
Cyrillic). The baroque Archbishops' Palace
is attached to the cathedral.
Markov Trg (St Mark’s
Square)
Explore the Upper Town which includes
Banski Dvori (the Presidential Palace)
with its colourful guards, Sabor (the
parliament), and St. Mark's Church (with
the works of Ivan Mestrovic, Croatia's
most famous sculptor) and note its beautifully
tiled roof. There are also several museums
and galleries nearby. See Lotrscak Kula
(tower) before returning to the hustle
and bustle of modern Zagreb either via
the pedestrian walkway or the hundred-year-old
uspinjaca (funicular railway).
Lower Town
In the lower town, you can do your shopping
in the main shopping street Ilica or visit
one of the more prominent museums or galleries,
like the Strossmayer Gallery, the Gallery
of Modern Art, the Ethnographic Museum
and the famous Mimara museum which, with
almost 4,000 priceless objects, is one
of the finest art galleries in Europe.
