The capital city of Croatia, Zagreb has a distinct flavor, emerging right from the pages of a fairytale. With a cloak of snow blanketing the entire land, Zagreb looks enchanting, straight out of a Christmas greeting card! The quaint cathedrals, impressive museums, magnificent neo-classical buildings, spacious squares and boulevards, lending a Baroque ambience, resemble stills from a period movie! The pulsating city of Zagreb stands center-stage against the backdrop of a world seeped in history.
Tourists concentrate on the city centre, which is divided into Upper town (Gornji Grad) and Lower Town (Donji Grad). The Upper town as the name signifies, rests high on a plateau and is home to the main Cathedral of Zagreb that overlooks the land. The Parliament building too is situated here.
The Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an important landmark of Zagreb. The twin spires look impressive, from a distance. Art objects and outfits are exhibited at the Cathedral Treasury.
The 17th century church-The Jesuit Church of St. Catherine has the interiors of which reflect Baroque art. Inlaid on walls and ceilings are paintings and frescoes by 18th century Italian artist Antonio Quadrio.
The Church of St. Mark, easily identified, because of the brightly colored tiled roof, bears the Croatian coats of arms. The Gothic doorway and the Romanesque windows, the niches containing statues of the twelve apostles, Jesus, Mary and Joseph and St. Mark, lend a divine ambience.
The Stone Gate is the only remaining gate out of the five entrances around Gradec. When a major fire destroyed all homes and other gates, this gate which had a painting of Jesus and Mary, was left untouched! Thousands throng here even today.
The 13th century Tower of Lotrscak was built to guard the Gradec at the South. Hung on this tower, was a bell which pealed every night before the gates closed. Today, a canon is fired every afternoon indicating the time! The view at the top is panoramic and tourists can fill their sacks with mementoes too.
In The Lower Town is the Botanical Garden, built by Prof. Autun Heinz. This sprawling garden spans 50,000 sq m, with an arboretum of trees, two ponds supporting aquatic plants, and an ornamental bridge. The garden contains about 10,000 different plant species from all over the world.
The largest park is Maksimir Park named after a Bishop Maksimilijan Vrhovac, designed in the English style. The two pavilions-the Bellevue and Echo Pavilion are done in the Swiss style! Man-made lakes, flower gardens, wooded areas and a zoo make it worth exploring. Just across is the Dinamo Football Stadium which hosts international matches.
Zagreb's Archeological Museum contains a collection, ranging from prehistoric, ancient, medieval, and Egyptian times and coins. The Egyptian mummy section draws crowds! The medieval section displays the ?Great Migrations of the Peoples?. The head of Plautilla too, is a crowd-puller.
Rare musical instruments, textiles, jewelry, ceramics, elaborate costumes belonging to different eras, and weapons are displayed at the Ethnographic Museum. Scarves bear gold embroidery and the laces are from Pag.
A trip to the Veliki Tabor Castle, simply makes time stand still. An outstanding castle, straight out of fairy-tale, it's fortified and perched atop a desolate hill. It mesmerizes you in winter when a cloak of snow envelopes the castle, adding a touch of romance. On full moon nights with the moonbeam casting a shadow of the pillars, the castle looks splendid! On the first floor, is a chapel, displaying the skull of Veronika of Desinic. A collection of yonder day vehicles transports you to a different era!
The 12th century Trakoscan Castle with landscaped gardens is a museum exhibiting furniture of the last royal family-the Draskovic family.
Your trip to Zagreb is incomplete without a visit to the Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters located at the Academy of Arts and Sciences. This 19th century building boasts of many paintings of Italian Renaissance.
A few kilometers away from Zagreb is the mountainous region of Samobor, a picturesque medieval town, with covered bridges, gurgling brook; red-tiled two storey houses. Somobor is enchanting and pleasant different from the magnificence of Zagreb.
