One of the oldest cathedrals in Croatia is the Zagreb Cathedral on Kaptol. The cathedral was built under the reign of king Ladislav in 1094. The church was built in gothic style. In 1880 the cathedral was destroyed for a large part by a strong earthquake. The church was immediately rebuilt and because of this we can say the church is relatively new. The inside of the church is especially characteristic. Multiple holy people lie buried in the cathedral. One of the most famous ones is Stepinac, he was a bishop and was declared holy. During the communist times in Croatia, the bishop had to do labour under force. The bishop is buried in the cathedral in a glass coffin. At the coffin pilgrims come to pray at his shrine.
The central station was built in 1890. It was an important station of the Orient Express. By looking at the station you get an idea of the old atmosphere when taking long train journeys. In 1974, just outside of the Central Station, a major train catastrophe occurred. A train derailed and 153 people lost their lives in the accident.
Zagreb knows a so called uptown and downtown. Uptown lies a little higher in altitude compared to downtown. Uptown you will see primarily a lot of buildings from the Middle Ages. Uptown and downtown are connected via the cable cart of Ilca. This is the smallest cable cart of Europe. An old wagon helps you to go up, because climbing by yourself is quite difficult. It is possible to climb up yourself using the stairs on the side. On the way up you can enjoy a beautiful view of downtown. Downtown is the new city and is a bit younger than uptown.
The Saint Mark's Square is the most important square in uptown Zagreb. The political power in Croatia is present on this square. Connected to the square is the town hall, court and the parliament of the government. When a new president is elected then he or she will be sworn in on the Saint Mark's square. On the square you will find a lot of police and the buildings are under high end CCTV security.
In the middle of the centre of uptown you will find Saint Mark's church. The building is striking and belongs to one of the oldest churches of the city. What is notable is that the roof of the church is coloured. On the roof you see the escutcheon of Zagreb. The church is probably built in the 14th century, only this is not a 100% sure. The church was once severely damaged by an earthquake. At the end of the 19th century the church was restored to its original state.
In the area of the Maria church you will find a joyful market every day. The Dolac market is organised by farmers of Zagreb's surrounding areas. They sell their fresh meat, vegetables and fruits here. A part of the market is indoor and another part is outside. The outside stalls are characterised by their red parasols. The market opens early and closes around 2pm.
Situated in the Maskimir Park is the Zagreb Zoo. It is one of the three zoos in Croatia. There are more than 275 different species of animals to be observed in the zoo. The zoo is participating in special programs to preserve endangered species. They have included a number of almost extinct species in their zoo. They try to avoid extinction through a European breeding program. Visitors have the possibility to adopt an animal in the zoo. The financial sum that you pay for this adoption is 100% for the preservation of this animal.
The Maskimir Park is a big city park in Zagreb. The Zagreb Zoo is situated inside this park. The park stretches for 3 square kilometres and is loved by the inhabitants of the city. They love to come here and take a walk through the park. The park is created in the 19th century and you can find English influences back in the design of the park. You can find a few small forests and a number of lakes in this park. As a decoration a few fake buildings have been placed in the park. This was done more often in the 19th century in urban parks.
In Zagreb you will find good places to do shopping. During the week the shops are open until 8 pm, but they are closed in the afternoons. On Saturdays the shops are open until 1 pm and on Sundays the shops are closed. The most famous shopping street of the city is Llica. There is also a street with designer stores in Frankpanska. In the city and its surroundings there are several shopping malls to be found. Famous malls are: Nama, Importanne Galleria and Kaptol Centar.
Inhabitants of the city also call this tower the "Thieves' Bell". This tower was a part of the defence wall. The gate of the wall always shut in the evening. This way the people of the city were protected against thieves. Every night a bell sounded to send the signal that the gate was going to close. Today you can climb the Kula Lotrscak and you will experience a beautiful view of the city. Make sure you are at the tower at noon. Everyday at noon a cannonball is fired. They do this to scare potential thieves. In the tower you find the Strossmayerovo Setaliste.
The building of the National Theatre is quite impressive to see. You can go here to view different shows. Especially the ballet and the opera are highly regarded. The national ballet and the national opera regularly perform here.
The museum Iluzija is the museum of optical illusions. Do not expect a big museum, but it does make for a fun excursion. The museum consists of different spaces in which your brain is being fooled. The museum is situated on Illica 72 in Zagreb. The museum is popular and is listed under the most fun things to do in Zagreb.
If you are visiting a museum in Zagreb then the archeological museum in Zagreb is recommended. A part of the museum is indoors and there is also an open air outdoor area. The excavations are from different periods of time and are partly found in Croatia. Another part of the collection comes from expeditions across the world. There are prehistoric items, but also items from the Middles Ages and the Roman Era.
