Zagreb
Zagreb is Croatia's capital and its largest city. Its demographic size and economic, scientific and
cultural significance make it the largest urban agglomeration connecting central Europe to southeast
Europe. Zagreb is Croatia's political and administrative centre and is home to the Croatian National
Parliament - the Sabor, the Croatian president and the Croatian government.
Passing through Zagreb are the shortest routes connecting Western Europe with the Near East and
Central Europe to the Adriatic coast. Zagreb is situated on the southwestern rim of the great
Pannonian basin and it also includes the area stretching from the Medvednica to the north, the
roundabout to the south, Podsused to the west and Sesvete to the east.
Croatia's longest river, the Sava, flows through Zagreb.
Zagreb has numerous cultural monuments and more than twenty museums, about fifty galleries and
exhibition areas, a dozen theatres, several concert-halls and more than twenty cinemas.
The Mimara Museum with its unique display of art pieces from all over the world is a good example.
Zagreb is home to cultural institutions, companies, organisations and societies, banks and agencies.
It has numerous sports venues; open-air and closed swimming pools; stadiums; famous parks -
Maksimir, Tuškanac, Zrinjevac and the Botanical Gardens; renowned areas for outings on the slopes
of Sljeme; luxurious hotels, restaurants and cafés. Zagreb is well-known for the Zagreb Fair, but also
for its numerous cultural and art events, notably the Music Biennale and the Folklore Retrospective,
which is the biggest such event in Europe. The history of Zagreb dates as far back as 1094 when the
Hungarian King Ladislaus founded a diocese. Alongside the bishop's see the canonical settlement
Kaptol developed north of the Cathedral, as did the fortified settlement Gradec on the neighbouring
hill. Today the latter is Zagreb's Upper Town and is one of the best preserved urban nuclei in Croatia.
Both settlements came under Tartar attack in 1242. As a sign of gratitude for offering him a safe haven
from the Tartar the Croatian and Hungarian king Bela IV bestowed Gradec with a Golden Bull, which
offered its citizens exemption from county rule and autonomy, as well as its own judicial system.
According to legend, Bela left Gradec a cannon, under the condition that it be fired every day so that it
did not rust. Since 1st January 1877 the cannon is fired from the Lotrščak Tower on Grič to mark
midday. The main square of the Upper Town is dominated by the Gothic church of St. Mark's.
It was built at the end of the 14th and the beginning of the 15th century and a late Baroque bell tower
was added later. Fighting ensued between the Zagreb diocese and the free sovereign Town of
Gradec for land and mills. Sometimes also for political reasons.
The term Zagreb was used for these two separate boroughs in the 16th century. Zagreb was then seen
as the political centre and the capital of Croatia and Slavonia. In 1850 the town was united under its
first mayor - Josip Kaufman. It was not until the 17th century and Nikola Frankopan that Zagreb was
chosen as the seat of the Croatian viceroys in 1621. At the invitation of the Croatian Sabor the Jesuits
came to Zagreb and built the first grammar school, the St. Catherine's Church and monastery.
In 1669 they founded an academy where philosophy, theology and law were taught. During the 17th
and 18th centuries Zagreb was badly devastated by fire and the plague. In 1776 the royal council
(government) moved from Varaždin to Zagreb and during the reign of Joseph II Zagreb became the
headquarters of the Varaždin and Karlovac general command. In the 19th century Zagreb was he
centre of the Croatian National Revival and saw the erection of important cultural and historic
institutions - The Music Institute (1827); Matica Ilirska (1839), Matica hrvatska since 1874; the National
Museum (1846); a grammar school (1854); the Croatian Academy of Science and the Arts (1866); the
Zagreb University (1874) and a theatre - later the Croatian National Theatre (1895).
The first railway line to connect Zagreb with Zidani most and Sisak was opened in 1862 and in 1863
Zagreb received a gasworks. The Zagreb waterworks was opened in 1878 and the first horse-drawn
tramcar was used in 1891. An electric power plant was erected in 1907 and development flourished
1880-1914 after the earthquake in Zagreb when the town received the characteristic layout it has
today. Among other things, this period saw the construction of the Ethnographic Museum (1903) and
the National and University Library (1913). 1921-1931 the population of Zagreb went up by 70 per cent
and it was the largest demographic boom in the history of Zagreb. In 1926 Zagreb had its first radio
station in the region and in 1947 saw the first Zagreb Fair. In 1961 Pleso airport was opened, in 1975
Hotel Intercontinental and in 1987 Zagreb hosted the Universiade.
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