Capital of an independent state
since 1991,
ZAGREB has served
as the cultural and political focus
of the nation since the Middle Ages.
The city grew out of two medieval
communities,
Kaptol , to the
east, and
Gradec , to the
west, each sited on a hill and
divided by a river long since dried
up but nowadays marked by a street
known as Tkalciceva. Kaptol (meaning
"Cathedral Chapter") was a
religious centre and the seat of an
archbishop; Gradec was ruled by a
group of Croatian nobles. The two
communities became bitter rivals,
and remained so until the sixteenth
century, when the threat of Turkish
invasion caused them to unite
against the common enemy; they took
the name Zagreb, which means,
literally, "behind the
hill". Zagreb grew rapidly in
the nineteenth century, and the
majority of its buildings are
relatively well-preserved, grand,
peach-coloured monuments to the
self-esteem of the Austro-Hungarian
Empire. Nowadays, with a population
topping one million, Zagreb is the
boisterous capital of a newly
self-confident nation. A handful of
good museums and a vibrant nightlife
ensure that a few days here will be
well spent.
The City
Modern Zagreb splits neatly into
three parts. Donji Grad or
"Lower Town", which
extends north from the train station
to the main square (Trg bana
Jelacica), is the bustling centre of
the modern city. Uphill from here,
to the...
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