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Zagreb Best List Of Things To Do

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Archaeological Museum

Address
Trg Nikole Šubica Zrinjskog, Lower Town

Phone
+385 1 48 73 101

Website
www.amz.hr

adult/concession HRK20/HRK10
10:00-17:00 Tue-Fri, 10:00-13:00 Sat & Sun

The Archaeological Museum displays artefacts from prehistoric to medieval times, including Egyptian mummies, with ambient sounds and light to provoke pondering. The coin collection is one of the most important in Europe, containing some 260,000 coins, medals, medallions and decorations. The courtyard has a collection of Roman monuments dating from the 5th to 4th century BC and functions as an open-air café in summer.

 

Art Pavilion

Address
Trg Kralja Tomislava 22, Lower Town

Phone
+385 1 48 41 070

Website
www.umjetnicki-paviljon.hr

adult/concession HRK20/HRK10
11:00-19:00 Mon-Sat & 10:00-13:00 Sun

The yellow Art Pavilion presents changing exhibitions of contemporary art. Constructed in 1897 in stunning Art Nouveau style, the pavilion is the only space in Zagreb that was specifically designed to host large exhibitions.

Arts & Crafts Museum

Address
Trg Maršala Tita 10, Lower Town

Phone
+385 1 48 82 111

adult/student HRK30/HRK15

The Arts & Crafts Museum was built between 1882 and 1892. The museum exhibits furniture, textiles, metal, ceramic and glass dating from the Middle Ages to contemporary times. You can see Gothic and baroque sculptures from northern Croatia as well as paintings, prints, bells, stoves, rings, clocks, bound books, toys, photos and industrial designs. The museum also contains an important library and there are frequent temporary exhibitions.

Botanical Garden

Address
Mihanoviceva, Lower Town

Website
http://hirc.botanic.hr

admission free
07:00-21:00 Apr-Oct

For a change from museums and galleries, relax in the lovely Botanical Garden, which were laid out in 1890. In addition to 10,000 species of plant, including 1800 tropical flora specimens, the landscaping has created restful corners and paths that seem a world away from bustling Zagreb.

Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Kaptol is dominated by the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, formerly known as St Stephen's, whose twin spires soar over the city. Built on the site of an earlier Romanesque cathedral, which had been destroyed by the Tartar invasion in 1242, construction of this cathedral began in the second half of the 13th century following the prototype of the church of St Urban in Troyes, France.

Although the cathedral's original Gothic structure has been transformed many times over, the sacristy still contains a cycle of frescoes that date from the second half of the 13th century.

As the furthest outpost of Christianity in the 15th century, the cathedral was surrounded by walls with towers, one of which is still visible on the eastern side. An earthquake in 1880 badly damaged the cathedral and reconstruction in a neogothic style began around the turn of the 20th century. Despite the scars inflicted on the structure, there is much to admire on the inside. Notice the triptych by Albrecht Dürer on the side altar; baroque marble altars, statues and pulpit; and the tomb of Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac by Ivan Meštrovic.

City Museum

Address
Opaticka 20, Kaptol

Phone
+385 1 48 51 364

Website
www.mdc.hr/mgz

adult/concession HRK20/HRK10
10:00-18:00 Tue-Fri, 10:00-13:00 Sat & Sun

Don't miss the City Museum in the 17th-century Convent of St Clair, which is built along the eastern wall of the town. Since 1907 the convent has housed a historical museum presenting the history of Zagreb in documents, artwork and crafts, plus interactive exhibits that fascinate kids. Most interesting is a scale model of old Gradec. Summaries of the exhibits are posted in English and German in each room and evocative music accompanies your visit.

 

Crkva Svetog Marka

Address
Markov trg, Upper Town

Phone
+385 1 48 51 611

11:00-16:00 & 17:30-19:00

One of Zagreb's most emblematic buildings is the colourful St Mark's Church, with its unique tiled roof constructed in 1880. The tiles on the left side depict the medieval coat of arms of Croatia, Dalmatia and Slavonia, while the emblem of Zagreb is on the right side.

 

Croatian Artists' Centre

Address
Trg Žrtava Fašizma, Lower Town

Phone
+385 1 46 11 818

admission free
11:00-19:00 Tue-Fri, 10:00-14:00 Sat & Sun

The Croatian Artists' Centre is one of the few architectural works by Ivan Meštrovic. The centre was built as an exhibition pavilion and then transformed into a mosque before finally becoming a showplace for contemporary Croatian artists. It may be slightly out of the way but the unusual architecture makes it worth the walk.

 

Croatian History Museum

Address
Matoševa 9, Gradec

Phone
+385 1 48 51 900
Website
www.hismus.hr

adult/concession HRK10/HRK5
10:00-17:00 Mon-Fri, 10:00-13:00 Sat & Sun

If you have time, stop in at the Croatian History Museum. It's located in a splendid baroque structure and displays an interesting collection of flags, stones, fine art, photos, documents and maps tracing Croatia's history.

 

Croatian Museum of Naïve Art

Address
Cirilometodska 3, Gradec

Phone
+385 1 48 51 911

Website
www.hmnu.org

adult/student HRK10/HRK5
10:00-18:00 Tue-Fri, 10:00-13:00 Sat

There are over 1000 works, mainly paintings and drawings, at the Croatian Museum of Naïve Art. The most important artists in Croatia's long tradition of naïve art, including Generalic, Mraz, Virius and Smaljic are represented here, as well as international artists working in the same style.

 

Croatian Natural History Museum

Address
Demetrova 1, Gradec

Phone
+385 1 48 51 700

adult/concession HRK15/HRK7
10:00-17:00 Tue-Fri, 10:00-13:00 Sat & Sun

Try to fit in a visit to the Croatian Natural History Museum, which houses a collection of prehistoric tools and bones excavated from the Krapina cave as well as exhibits showing the evolution of animal and plant life in Croatia. Temporary exhibits often focus on specific regions, such as the island of Mljet.

 

Dverce Mansion

Address
Jezuitski trg, Upper Town

The 18th-century Dverce Mansion was restored in the 19th century and is now used for official receptions. Before leaving the square, note the fountain with the statue Fisherman with Snake, which was created by Simeon Roksandic in 1908.

 

Ethnographic Museum

Address
Trg Mažuranicev 14, Lower Town

Phone
+385 1 48 26 220

Website
www.etnografski-muzej.hr

adult/concession HRK15/HRK10
10:00-18:00 Tue-Thu, 10:00-13:00 Fri-Sun

The Ethnographic Museum is worth a visit. Housed in a domed building dating from 1903, the museum contains some 70,000 items cataloguing the ethnographic heritage of Croatia. Only about 2750 exhibits are on display, including ceramics, jewellery, musical instruments, tools and weapons, as well as Croatian folk costumes, gold-embroidered scarves from Slavonia and lace from the island of Pag.

Thanks to donations from the Croatian explorers Mirko and Stevo Seljan, there are also exhibits from South America, the Congo, Ethiopia, China, Japan, New Guinea and Australia.

 

Galerija Klovicevi Dvori

Address
Jezuitski trg 4, Upper Town

Phone
+385 1 48 51 926

adult/student HRK40/HRK30
11:00-19:00 Tue-Sun

The Galerija Klovicevi Dvori is housed in a former Jesuit monastery and is the city's most prestigious space for exhibiting modern Croatian and international art, which is presented in a series of changing exhibitions. Some of the more noted exhibitions have included Picasso and The Hague School. By the way, if you're looking for an unusual, arty souvenir, try the gallery's gift shop.

 

Gallery of Modern Art

Address
Andrije Hebranga 1, Lower Town

Phone
+385 1 49 22 368

adult/concession HRK20/HRK10
10:00-18:00 Tue-Fri, 10:00-13:00 Sat

The Gallery of Modern Art has, after a long renovation, finally opened with a glorious display of Croatian artists of the last 200 years including such 19th- and 20th-century Croatian masters as Bukovac, Mihanovic and Racic. It's an excellent overview of the vibrant Croatian arts scene.

Jesuit Church of St Catherine

Address
Katarina trg, Upper Town

Phone
+385 1 48 51 959

07:00-12:00

The fine baroque Jesuit Church of St Catherine was built between 1620 and 1632. Although battered by fire and earthquake, the façade still gleams and the interior contains a fine altar dating from 1762. The interior stucco work dates from 1720 and there are 18th-century medallions depicting the life of St Catherine on the ceiling of the nave.

Kaptol Sq

The lovely medieval Upper Town centres on Kaptol Sq, with most buildings dating from the 17th century.

 

Lotršcak Tower

Address
Strossmayerovo šetalište, Upper Town

Phone
+385 1 48 51 926

admission HRK10
11:00-20:00 Tue-Sun

The Lotršcak Tower was built in the middle of the 13th century in order to protect the southern city gate. For the last hundred years a cannon has been fired every day at noon commemorating an event from Zagreb's history.

According to legend, a cannon was fired at noon one day at the Turks camped across the Sava River. On its way across the river, the cannonball happened to hit a rooster. The rooster was blown to bits and, the story goes, that's why the Turks became so demoralised they failed to attack the city. A less fanciful explanation is that the cannon shot allows churches to synchronise their clocks. The tower may be climbed for a sweeping 360-degree view of the city. Near the tower is a funicular railway, which was constructed in 1888, and connects the Lower and Upper Towns.

 

Maksimir Park

09:00-dusk

Maksimir Park is a peaceful wooded enclave covering 18 hectares; it is easily accessible by trams 4, 7, 11 and 12. Opened to the public in 1794, it was the first public promenade in southeastern Europe and is landscaped like an English garden-style park with alleys, lawns and artificial lakes. The most photographed structure in the park is the exquisite Bellevue Pavilion, which was constructed in 1843, but there is also the Echo Pavilion and a house built to resemble a rustic Swiss cottage.

Medvedgrad

admission free
07:00-22:00

The medieval fortress of Medvedgrad, on the southern side of Mt Medvednica just above Zagreb, is the most important medieval monument in Zagreb. Built from 1249 to 1254, it was erected to protect the city from Tartar invasions and is itself well protected by high rocks. The fortress was owned by a succession of aristocratic families but fell into ruin as a result of an earthquake and general neglect.

Restoration began in 1979, but was pursued with greater enthusiasm in 1993 and 1994 when the country was looking to honour monuments from its past. Today you can see the rebuilt thick walls and towers, a small chapel with frescoes and the Shrine of the Homeland, which pays homage to those who have died for a free Croatia. On a clear day, it also offers a beautiful view of Zagreb and surrounds.

 

Meštrovic Atelier

Address
Mletacka 8, Upper Town

Phone
+385 1 48 51 123

adult/concession HRK20/HRK10
10:00-18:00 Tue-Fri, 10:00-14:00 Sat & Sun

Highly interesting for its insights into Croatia's most recognised artist is Meštrovic Atelier. From 1922 to 1942, Meštrovic lived and worked in this 17th-century house, which now presents an excellent collection of some 100 sculptures, drawings, lithographs and furniture from the first four decades of his artistic life. The museum reflects the artist's preoccupations with philosophical and religious themes as well as nudes, portraits and self-portraits.

 

Mirogoj

06:00-22:00

A 10-minute ride north of the city centre on bus 106 from the cathedral takes you to Mirogoj at the base of Mt Medvednica - it's one of the most beautiful cemeteries in Europe. One wag commented that the people here are better housed in death than they ever were in life.

The cemetery was designed in 1876 by one of Croatia's finest architects Herman Bollé, who also created numerous buildings around Zagreb. In Mirogoj he built a majestic arcade topped by a string of cupolas, which looks like a fortress from the outside but is calm and graceful on the inside. The cemetery is lush and green and the paths are interspersed with sculpture and artfully designed tombs. Highlights include the graves of poet Petar Preradovic, the political leader Stjepan Radic, the bust of Vladimir Becic by Ivan Meštrovic and the sculpture by Mihanovic for the Mayer family. The newest addition is a Memorial Cross in honour of the fallen soldiers in Croatia's Homeland War.

 

Museum Mimara

Address
Roosveltov trg 5, Lower Town

Phone
+385 1 48 28 100

adult/concession HRK20/HRK15
10:00-17:00 Tue, Wed, Fri & Sat, 10:00-19:00 Thu, 10:00-14:00 Sun

Housed in a neo-Renaissance former school building (1883), the Museum Mimara displays a diverse collection showing the loving hand of Ante Topic Mimara, a private collector who donated over 3750 priceless objects to his native Zagreb, even though he spent much of his life in Salzburg, Austria.

The collection spans a wide range of periods and regions. There is an archaeological collection with 200 items from Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia, Greece, Rome and early-medieval Europe; exhibits of ancient Far Eastern artworks; a glass, textile and furniture collection that spans centuries; and 1000 European art objects.

In painting, Italian artists Raphael, Veronese, Caravaggio and Canaletto are represented. Dutch artists Rembrandt and Ruisdael are also present, and there are Flemish paintings from Bosch, Rubens and Van Dyck. Spanish painters Velazquez, Murillo and Goya; German and English painters; and French masters de la Tour, Boucher, Delacroix, Corot, Manet, Renoir and Degas are also in the collection.

 

Muzej Grada Zagreba

Address
Opaticka 20, Upper Town

Phone
+385 1 48 51 364

Website
www.mdc.hr

child 10.00, full 20.00
Tue-Fri 10:00-18:00, Sat & Sun 10:00-13:00

The City Museum is housed in the 17th-century Convent of St Clair along the eastern wall of the town. Since 1907 it has housed a historical museum presenting the history of Zagreb in documents, artwork and crafts plus interactive exhibits that fascinate kids. Most interesting is a scale model of Gradec. Summaries of the exhibits are posted in English.

Sabor

Address
Markov trg, Upper Town

The eastern side of Markov trg is taken up by the Croatian Sabor, built in 1910 on the site of baroque 17th- and 18th-century townhouses. The neoclassical style seems incongruous here but the secession of Croatia from the Austro-Hungarian Empire was proclaimed from its balcony in 1918 and it is still the centre of Croatian politics.

 

St Mark's Church

Address
Markov trg, Gradec

Phone
+385 1 48 51 611

11:00-16:00 & 17:30-19:00

One of Zagreb's most emblematic buildings is the colourful St Mark's Church, with its unique tiled roof constructed in 1880. The tiles on the left side depict the medieval coat of arms of Croatia, Dalmatia and Slavonia, while the emblem of Zagreb is on the right side. The 13th-century church was named for the annual St Mark's fair, which was held in Gradec at the time, and it retains a 13th-century Romanesque window on the southern side.

The Gothic portal composed of 15 figures in shallow niches was sculpted in the 14th century. The present bell tower replaces an earlier one that was destroyed by an earthquake in 1502. The interior contains sculptures by Meštrovic.

 

Stone Gate

Don't miss the Stone Gate - the eastern gate to medieval Gradec Town (Gornji Gradec), now a shrine. According to legend, a great fire in 1731 destroyed every part of the wooden gate except for the painting of the Virgin and Child by an unknown 17th-century artist. People believe that the painting possesses magical powers and come regularly to pray before it and leave flowers.

On the western façade of the Stone Gate you'll see a statue of Dora, the heroine of an 18th-century historical novel who lived with her father next to the Stone Gate.

 

Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters

Address
Zrinjevac 11, Lower Town

Phone
+385 1 48 95 115
Website
www.mdc.hr/strossmayer

adult/concession HRK10/HRK5
10:00-13:00 Tue-Sun & 17:00-19:00 Tue

The Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters is a fine art museum exhibiting the collection donated to the city by the illustrious Bishop Strossmayer in 1884. The original collection was extended by subsequent donations from private collectors.

Housed on the 2nd floor of the 19th-century neo-Renaissance Croatian Academy of Arts & Sciences, the museum includes Italian masters from the 14th to 18th centuries such as G Bellini, Veronese and Tiepolo; Dutch and Flemish painters such as J Brueghel the Younger; and French artists Proudhon and Carpeaux; as well as classic Croatian artists Medulic and Benkovic. The interior courtyard contains the Baška Slab (Bašcanska Ploca), a stone tablet from the island of Krk, which contains the oldest example of Glagolitic script, dating from 1102. Note the statue of Bishop Strossmayer by Ivan Meštrovic.

Technical Museum

Address
Savska 18, Lower Town

Phone
+385 1 48 44 050

admission HRK15
09:00-17:00 Tue-Fri, 09:00-13:00 Sat & Sun

Take your kids to the Technical Museum, which has a planetarium, steam-engine locomotives, scale models of satellites and space ships, and a replica of a mine within the building, as well as departments of agriculture, geology, energy and transport.

 

Trg Josip Jelacica

Zagreb's main orientation point and the spiritual if not the geographic heart of the city is Trg Josip Jelacica. Ban Jelacic was the 19th-century ban (viceroy or governor) who led Croatian troops into an unsuccessful battle with Hungary in the hope of winning more autonomy for his people. The statue of Jelacic in the centre stood in the square from 1866 until 1947, when Tito ordered its removal because it was too closely linked with Croatian nationalism.

One of the first acts of the new government in 1990 was to dig the statue out of storage and return it to the square. Most of the buildings date from the 19th century but note the reliefs by sculptor Ivan Meštrovic at No 4.

Zoo

This modest zoo recently came up with the novel idea of installing 'cages' for humans to educate the big-brained wonders about their impact on the environment.

adult/children under 8 HRK20/HRK10
09:00-20:00

Cheap Car Rental

 

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