DE S T INAT IONS


WOR D S JA NE F OS T E R


C


MAIN PICTURE: Jelacic square FROM TOP: Dolac market; St Mark’s Church; Zagreb funicular and Lotrscak tower


bus ine s s tr a v el ler .c om


roatia might be better known for its coastline, but if you are visiting its capital on business you’ll find much to discover, too. Nestled in the north-west of the country, Zagreb’s historic centre has a Central European ambience thanks to its architecture and café culture, the result of centuries under Austro-Hungarian rule.


Te city centre is made up of two parts – the medieval


Gornji Grad (Upper Town) and 19th-century Donji Grad (Lower Town), which meet at Trg Bana Jelacica, the main square. While Gornji Grad is made up of cobbled alleys that are mostly pedestrian-only, Donji Grad is flat and laid out on a grid, with a constant flow of cars and trams. As a whole, the area is compact and can easily be explored on foot – here are some highlights to take in.


TRG BANA JELACICA Zagrebian city life centres on the main square, laid down in the 19th century and named aſter Count Ban Jelacic, an army general who abolished serfdom, and is honoured here by a gallant bronze equine statue. Vienna Secession and art deco buildings surround the square, many with old-fashioned cafés at ground level, making it the city’s favourite meeting point. Immediately north of the square, Dolac market (dubbed


the “Belly of Zagreb”) has been in operation daily since the 1930s. On the piazza, stalls are piled high with colourful fruit and veg – in autumn, expect pumpkins, mandarins, lemons, dried figs and walnuts. Below, market halls vend meat such as red kulen (salami seasoned with paprika) and kobasica (sausages) from Slavonia, while an adjoining fish market vends fresh seafood, delivered direct from the Adriatic coast at dawn each morning.


GORNJI GRAD Te Upper Town is the heart of “Old Zagreb” – the first bishopric was established here in 1094, while the adjoining neighbourhood of Gradec was proclaimed a free royal city in 1242. Built into a hillside, with cobbled streets running north-south, traversed by wooden stairways running east- west, you’ll see more tourists than locals in Gornji Grad. Visible from Dolac market, the twin spires of the


cathedral rise above terracotta rooſtops. Its neo-Gothic façade conceals a spacious interior with tall, slender columns. Tere’s been a church here since the 13th century – check out the northern wall, which bears an inscription of the Ten Commandments written in Glagolitic, a medieval script that predates Cyrillic and remains unique to Croatia.


67


→ NOV EMB E R 2 0 19


IASCIC/DRAGONCELLO/URBAZON/KLUG-PHOTO/ISTOCK


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156  |  Page 157  |  Page 158  |  Page 159  |  Page 160