Guide Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital of Croatia. It is located in the northwestern part of the country, north of the river Sava. It is located on the foothills of Medvednica on 640 square kilometers. Zagreb has approximately 800,000 inhabitants. This beautiful, historic city is the seat of important state institutions, international companies and numerous universities. It is a seat of government, parliament and the Archbishopric. Zagreb is a very important transport and rail link between Central Europe and the Adriatic Sea, where travel every year hundreds of thousands of tourists.
Accommodation in Zagreb
In Zagreb, we can offer a varied range of accommodation. Based on your requirements, we can arrange accommodation in the form of beautiful and prestigious hotels, as well as apartments, boarding houses or hostels. From the well-known international hotel chains we can offer hotels Sheraton, Best Western, International. These hotels are located mainly in the city center, near the main train station or the Museum Mimara. A popular accommodation is also located at Ban Jelacic Square or the beautiful park Zrinjevac, located in the city center. The most favourite hotels are: Dubrovnik Hotel, Hotel Central or Hotel Jagerhorn. We can also offer accommodation in apartments, that are spread thickly throughout the city. For small groups or individual clients might be ideal studio apartments and for families with children we can offer family suites. Larger groups might be interested in more bedroom suites. Some of the apartments even offer the possibility to order a breakfast. For clients that are looking for smaller and cosy accommodation, we can offer a number of nice small hotels or guesthouses.
History of Zagreb
The history of Zagreb dates back to the Middle Ages, when its historic core originated on two hills - Gradec and Kaptol. Zagreb was firstly mentioned in 1094, when the Hungarian King Ladislaus built the diocese here. The neo-Gothic cathedral is still the main symbol of the city. From the 11th century Zagreb evolved culturally, economically, but also spiritually and became the center of this part of Europe. In the 13th century, Hungarian King Bela IV. arrived here to find shelter from the raids of the Tatars. The name Zagreb was given to the city in the 16th century. Until then, the city was divided into two parts - Gradec as political and Kaptol as a religious center. In 1850 the three districts - Gradec, Kaptol and the Lower Town (Donji Grad) were joint in one. In the 17th and 18th centuries Zagreb struck several fires. In the 19th and 20th century there were built large theaters, museums, exhibition halls and other cultural and scientific institutions in Zagreb. After the First World War and the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, there was held South Slavic Nations Assembly, where it was decided to create a new state, the Kingdom of SHS. Since 1991, Zagreb became once again the capital of Croatia.
How to get to Zagreb
17 km southeast of Zagreb there is located the Zagreb International Airport. The major airline that operates here is Croatia Airlines, which is a member of the Star Alliance and operates flights to destinations such as Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, London, Moscow, Madrid or Tel Aviv. Airport also cooperates with many other airlines, such as British Airways, Lufthansa, Czech Airlines, TAP Portugal and Aeroflot. The closest airports to Zagreb are in Rijeka, Graz, Klagenfurt and Trieste. Between the airport and Zagreb's city center runs regular bus service. The main bus route is from the airport station Zračna luka to the main bus station. Another option, how to get from the airport to the city, are taxis, or you can rent a car at the airport. In Zagreb, you can also find a train station (Glavni kolodvor), which is a major railway junction in conjunction with many major cities, for example Vienna, Budapest, Zurich, Munich, Salzburg and Belgrade. If you visit Zagreb for more days and you plan to use public transport, you can buy Zagreb Card, that among other things offers discounts to museums, restaurants and shops.
Sights and activities in Zagreb
Zagreb offers visitors many cultural activities. There are lots of beautiful places and sights that you should not miss when visiting the city. For example, there are twenty theaters, more than sixty museums, galleries and several multiplexes. On Roosveltova Square, you can find one of the most famous museums, Mimar, with an exhibition of more than 1,500 objects from the 20th century. Furthermore, you can visit Strossmayer Gallery, located on the square Zrinski. The local exhibition offers a collection of famous European painters. Other sights include the city Lotrščak Tower from the 13th century, then Bánský Court, now the seat of the Croatian Government, Stone Gate, Archbishop's Palace and Cathedral of the Assumption from the 12th century. Plant lovers can visit the local botanical garden with nearly 10 thousand species of plants. The City of Zagreb has also several beautiful parks, that are used mainly for rest, for example Maksimir Park and Ribnjak.
Sport in Zagreb
Zagreb is a home to three major premier league football clubs - Dinamo Zagreb, Lokomotiva Zagreb and NK Zagreb. The largest stadium “Maksimir” offers capacity of over 35,000 people. In 2008 there was completed Arena Zagreb, that has several tennis playgrounds, swimming pool, as well as the playground for basketball, volleyball, hockey and handball.
Famous personalities of Zagreb
The most important personalities of the city include writers Vladimir Nazor and Eugen Kumičića, politician Ivica Racan, or skiers Janica Kostelic, Ivica Kostelic, tennis player Ajla Tomljanović or footballer Mirko Kokotović.