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City of Zagreb

He who described Zagreb as the ideal town of the 19th century had no intention of passing over Zagreb’s intriguing past, nor all the good things that happened to Zagreb, or that which began to adorn it following that century. He simply wished to remind us of the qualities that made the city stand apart in its impressive individuality, and of the qualities to which it owes the attraction of a good part of its present-day vistas.

For needless to say, Zagreb did exist before the 19th century. Its beginnings can be discerned in two small medieval towns: secular Gradec, populated by tradesmen and artisans, and the bishop’s town of Kaptol. Today, people walking through the city’s streets know them as the urban entities of the Upper Town – where familiar sites are the Lotršcak Tower, St. Mark’s church, and the Croatian Sabor (parliament) building, and Kaptol, dominated by Zagreb’s neo-Gothic Cathedral which, in the 13th century, was the easternmost edifi ce of its kind in Europe.

In the 19th century, in the area beneath them, new town - or Downtown - was built according to a quite specifi c plan. In other words, at a time when people were attempting to unravel the tangled knot that traffic, industry and the inevitably linked pollution of residential areas thereby created. Contrary to such experiences, Zagreb managed to achieve a well balanced ratio of architectural entities and green areas. Residential blocks and the street grid are framed by a string of parks, making up two so-called “green horse-shoes”, quite unique in the world. Additionally, integrated into that green, horse-shoe landscape are the Croatian National Theatre, the Art Pavilion, the Croatian Academy of Arts and Sciences, the University Library and other buildings of social and architectural signifi cance. And to crown them all from the hilly elevation above the city is Mirogoj, the city cemetery, with its Renaissance-style arcade surmounted by bronze cupolas, and a wealth of greenery to match any English park.

In the 20th century the city expanded, crossing the River Sava and a new Zagreb grew there. But despite that, or perhaps specifi cally because of it, the city continued to breath with the full lungs of an urban centre. And it continues to do so today. Numerous theatres, museums, galleries, concert halls, exhibition premises, sports and recreational grounds, restaurants, wine boutiques and beer halls – they all offer almost countless reasons to visit them. Possibly with the intention of learning more about the rich historical, artistic, ethnographic or gastronomic heritage of Croatia. Possibly simply to see and to be seen. Or possibly merely aiming to have a good time... When you are in the right place, at the right time, any reason can be the right one.

croatia-small-hotels.com 2008