DUBROVNIK - In Your Pocket

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getting around
Dubrovnik In Your Pocket
Side trip
Poor Zagreb. It’s a city of almost a million people – a
fourth of the nation– and the cultural, scientific, industrial
and governmental center of Croatia. Yet the slick travel
writing, the television spots awash in blue water and
golden sunlight usually focus on the coast.
But Zagreb is a treat to visit, possibly as a counterpoint
to a stay on the Croatian coast. That’s because when
thousands of tourists are wedged between Dalmatian
city walls or blanketing the beaches, Zagreb quietly goes
about its own business. And in winter, while the coast is
quiet except for the icy bura wind, Zagreb’s streets and
cafes are lively.
When Dubrovnik was a trading power and Split and
Zadar were Venetian ports, Zagreb was an outpost on
the Austro-Hungarian frontier. But 19th Century prosperity
brought monumental civic and cultural buildings
and modernization to its streets. As a result, Zagreb is
a pleasantly walkable city. You can see its Centar in a
few hours, but an extra day, or two, allows you to see
interesting museums and a show at the lovely National
Theatre or Lisinski Concert Hall. You can buy tickets for
plays, operas and ballets at the box office and website
of each venue.
Any visit to Zagreb has to begin at its main square, Trg
Bana Jelačića, named for the 19th Century Croatian governor
still honored for abolishing serfdom and promoting
Croatian autonomy. His equestrian statue faces south;
originally it aimed north, toward his Hungarian foes.
Nearby is Zagreb’s neo-Gothic cathedral, rebuilt by the
Austrian architect Hermann Bolle after an 1880 earthquake.
At Dolac, the city’s main market, you can buy
all kinds of fresh foods.
Zagreb used to be two towns, the religious center Kaptol,
with the cathedral, and commercial and civil Gradec.
The lovely pedestrian street Tkalčićeva and its trendy
shops, restaurants and cafes originally was the boundary
between them.
The Kamenita Gate, the medieval entrance to Gradec,
is a candlelit shrine. Votive plaques thanking Mary for
answered prayers line its walls. Gradec remains the seat
of Croatia’s government, but also has several restaurants
and cafes, galleries and museums. The City Museum tells
Zagreb’s story from primitive village to present day. Klovićevi
Dvori Gallery hosts art exhibitions of international
renown. A funicular railway descends to “Donji Grad,” the
lower city. Beware of the noon firing of the cannon from the
Lotrščak Tower. It has a way of surprising people.
Perhaps Zagreb’s loveliest square is Zrinjevac, named for
Nikola Šubić Zrinski, a 16th Century hero. On the square
is Zagreb’s Archaeology Museum, home to thousands
of artifacts. Zrinjevac is also a great place for art. The
Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters consists of pre-Renaissance
to 19th Century works from the collection of
Bishop Juraj Strossmayer; for more recent works, check
out the Modern Art Gallery. The Art Pavilion, originally
built for a Hungarian exposition, dismantled and rebuilt
between Zrinjevac and the main train station, produces
temporary art shows. But Zrinjevac is a pleasant place to
rest in its own right, under tall shade trees, with the rush
of a fountain and among bright flower gardens. Summer
concerts are held on Saturdays at the gazebo.
www.inyourpocket.com
getting around
Summer 2008
39