VANA The oldest settlement in the urban area of Zagreb was a Roman town of Andautonia, now Š č itarjevo, which dates back to the 1st century AD. The first recorded appearance of the name Zagreb is dated to 1094, at which time the city existed as two different city cores: the smaller, eastern Kaptol, inhabited mainly by clergy and housing Zagreb Cathedral, and the larger, western Gradec, inhabited mainly by farmers and merchants. Gradec and Zagreb were united in 1851 by ban Josip Jelačić, who was credited for this, with the naming the main city square, Ban Jelačić Square in his honour.
VANA The diocese of Zagreb was founded in 1093. On November 11, 1852, it was elevated to the status of an archdiocese. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zagreb is the central archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Croatia, centered in the capital city Zagreb. It is the metropolitan see of Croatia, and the present archbishop is Josip Bozanić.
CARIĆ The name Medvednica is mentioned for the first time in 1242 in the Golden Bull by Bela IV under the name Medwenicha, by which Zagreb was granted an estate in the mountain. Today this mountain is a nature park (since 1981).
CARIĆ The medieval noble town at the top of the southern slope of Medvednica is the most important example of medieval civil architecture in Zagreb. The fortress on Medvednica had great strategic significance. It could be easily defended during times of war, and it was situated near the west border of the Hungarian-Croatian state . Zagreb’s Bishop Filip built the Medvedgrad fortress in the 13th century, after King Bela IV granted him a deed authorising its construction.
10 VANA In the first picture you can see St. Mark's church built in the 14th century in gothic style. Then there is the Croatian National Theatre. It was built by the architects F. Felner and H. Helmer in 1895 in neobaroque style. You can also see the Catedral which is the biggest gothic building in the northern Croatia (1275). The last picture presents Mirogoj Cemetery which is considered to be one of the most beautiful cemetery parks in Europe (1876-1929). Architect Hermann Bollé designed the main building.
11 VANA Here you can see examples of modern architecture: Zagrepčanka, which was the highest skyscraper in Zagreb and Croatia 1976-2006, National and University Library and Arena Zagreb which was built for 2009 European Handball Championship.
BRATANIĆ Zagreb is the capital of Croatia and largest by the number of citizens. It’s in the northwest of the country along the Sava River. The highest elevation is 1035m (that’s Sljeme on Medvednica).
BORNA You can see this logo on all trams and buses in Zagreb. What do you think ZET means? It stands for Zagrebački električni tramvaj (Zagreb Electric Tram).
BORNA Zagreb is one of the rare cities in this area that has tram traffic. You can find trams also in Prague and Osijek (HR). It all started out in 1891, when horsecars have served as public transit (1891-1911) In 1910 first electric trams came into service. Today Zagreb is among the largest tram systems in the world.
HARAMINČIĆ Sport is very popular in Zagreb which can be seen in the vast number of sports clubs, different sports and many sport venues. The most popular sports are football, basketball and hockey, and you can see logos of the most popular clubs: FC Dinamo Zagreb, BC Cibona, and Medveščak, an ice hockey club. However, you can find many professional athletes in sports like skating, swimming, skiing, wrestling, rowing, table tennis and so on. In the picture you can see Janica and Ivica Kostelić who have won 9 Olympic medals so far and thus popularised skiing in Croatia.
HARAMINČIĆ Zagreb today hosts many international sports events and it all started in 1987 when the XIV Summer Universiade took place in Zagreb. Zagreb also hosts tennis tournaments like Zagreb Indoors and Zagreb Open. Every year you can see the greatest world athletics stars at Hanžeković Memorial (this year Usain Bolt competed) and I need to mention the fact that FC Dinamo Zagreb this year won its participation in 2011 UEFA Championsleague.
BENCETIĆ In 2009 we hosted World Men’s Handball Championship where we lost to France in the final. There’s something for lovers of ski sports: Snow Queen Trophy which is said to be the largest and the most visited race in the Alpine skiing World Cup. The race was originally called the "Golden Bear", but later the name was changed in honor of Janica Kostelić (best Croatian skier ever).
BENCETIĆ
20 FRAN While in Zagreb, don’t miss trying Štrukli, a famous dessert, or paltry with mlinci (a kind of pasta). If you have some free time, buy something at Dolac market, visit the Museum of Broken Relationships or Technical Museum, light a candle at Stone Gate, visit the Zoo …
21 FRAN Take a ride to the Upper Town in the Funicular, throw a coing in the Manduševac Fountain, visit Medvednica and Medvedgrad, Mimara Museum, Botanical Garden, have a coffee on Tkalčićeva Street, go shopping on Ilica…
