Welcome to Zagreb, the capital and largest city of Croatia, set along the Sava River on the southern slopes of Medvednica mountain, near the border with Slovenia. The name Zagreb first appears in the records in 1134, referring to the founding of the settlement at Kaptol in 1094, and in 1242 the town became a free royal city. Today Zagreb is the heart of Croatia's government, economy and transport, the place where Central Europe, the Mediterranean and Southeast Europe meet. Its old upper town and cathedral hill look down over a lively centre. Let us start at the cathedral.
Zagreb Cathedral
Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsIts twin spires, about 108 metres high, are visible from most of the city: this is Zagreb Cathedral, the tallest religious building in Croatia. The first cathedral, in Romanesque style, was completed in 1217, but the Tatar invasion of 1242 badly damaged it. It was rebuilt over the centuries in Gothic style. Then the earthquake of 1880 destroyed large parts of it, and the architect Hermann Bollé restored it into the Neo-Gothic building you see. It is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary and to the king-saints Stephen and Ladislaus.
St. Mark's Church
Photo: Jorge Franganillo · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsIn St Mark's Square in the Upper Town stands the Church of St Mark, one of the oldest buildings in Zagreb. Its origins go back to the 13th century; a Romanesque window in the south façade is the best evidence. In the second half of the 14th century it was rebuilt as a late Gothic church. But what catches every eye is its roof: colourful tiles form the coats of arms of Croatia, Dalmatia and Slavonia, and the emblem of the city of Zagreb. Inside, massive round columns hold up heavy stone vaults.
Ban Jelačić Square
Photo: Roberta F. · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsHere you are in Ban Jelačić Square, the central square of Zagreb, named after Ban Josip Jelačić and known to locals as Jelačić plac. It lies just below the old cores of Gradec and Kaptol, right south of the Dolac Market, and is the heart of the downtown pedestrian zone. Trams glide through, and people meet here from all over the city. Look for the Manduševac fountain, which stands on the site of an old well that once supplied water to the city's residents.
Lotrščak Tower
Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsClimb up to the Lotrščak Tower, built in the 13th century to guard the southern gate of the Gradec town walls. Its name comes from the Latin for thieves' bell, after a bell hung here in 1646 to signal the closing of the town gates. Those walls were built after King Béla the Fourth granted Gradec the status of a free royal city in 1242. Stay until midday, because from the tower's fourth floor the Grič cannon is fired every day at precisely noon.
Mirogoj Cemetery
Photo: Fred Romero from Paris, France · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsStep through the gates of Mirogoj, a cemetery park and one of Zagreb's most remarkable landmarks. It was laid out on land once owned by the linguist Ljudevit Gaj, and it opened on 6 November 1876, with the main building designed by Hermann Bollé. Its long arcades and cupolas took decades to finish, completed only in 1929. Unlike the older church-owned cemeteries, Mirogoj belonged to the city and welcomed people of all faiths, and of none. Many famous Croats rest beneath its arcades.
Plitvice Lakes National Park
Photo: Zysko serhii · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsIn the mountainous karst of central Croatia, near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, lies Plitvice Lakes National Park, one of the oldest and largest national parks in the country. Founded in 1949, it covers almost 300 square kilometres. In 1979 it joined the UNESCO World Heritage list for its picturesque chain of tufa lakes, caves and waterfalls, flowing one into the next, a landscape of water at every turn.
Lomakuume
