Cultural sites
Ban Jelačić Square
This is the main city square of Zagreb. There is a statue of ban (viceroy) Josip Jelačić, turned southwards. Jelačić was a fighter for Croatia’s independence from Austria and Hungary during the Austro-Hungarian era, as well as fighter for the Croatian language. In the eastern part of the square, there is the Manduševac fountain. There is legend about the name of Zagreb: a girl named Manduša took some water from a well and shared it with thirsty soldiers who shouted “zagrabi”, which in Croatian means “to take water”. That’s where the name of Zagreb comes from.
Zagreb Cathedral
The Zagreb Cathedral started to be built in 1094 and was finished in 1217, but a big earthquake hit Zagreb in 1880, so it had to be built again. The rebuilding in the neo-gothic style by Herman Bollé finished in 1906, and, as you can see, it is still being restored in order to bring back its original beauty. This is a Roman Catholic cathedral and it is dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Dolac Market
Dolac is the biggest, best-known and most important marketplace in Zagreb. It was opened in 1930. There are two parts of marketplace Dolac – outside you can buy fruit and vegetables, and inside you can buy meat. It is usually very crowded on the weekends.
Croatian National Theatre
This neo-baroque building is a theatre, opera and ballet house. It can hold about 750 auditors. The theatre was established in 1895 and it was a project of Viennese architects Ferdinand Feller and Herman Helmer. The theatre was rebuilt in late 1960s. Many celebrated Croatian and international artists performed there, such as Ivan Zajc, Jakov Gotovac, Branko Gavella, Mia Čorak Slavenska, Franz Liszt, Richard Strauss, Vivien Leigh, Jose Carreras and many others.