We spent two months in Croatia, with about half of that time in the Zagreb area and surrounding towns. Luka guided us on a walking tour of the old part of the capital city on our first morning there. We liked some of the locations so much that we returned several times to those spots. His tour is aptly named “Fall in Love with Zagreb.”

Ban Jelacic Square – The main square, just across the street from our apartment, today serves as a meeting and gathering place for locals. In the evenings street entertainers often spread throughout the large area to display their skills and earn a little bit of money. The large, majestic statue standing in the middle of the square honors Josip Jelacic, former governor and expert military strategist in the 1800s. During the Yugoslavian period the statue was dismantled and stored in a cellar. But, the massive artwork returned to the square when Croatia became independent in 1991.

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Nikola Zrinski Square – Luka explained the history of several features in this beautiful park, which forms the northeast portion of a U-shaped park zone. The city’s first fountain, built in 1893 and nicknamed The Mushroom, is one of three water features surrounded by colorful and very well-maintained flowerbeds. We were intrigued by the Meteorological Post, complete with instruments from the 1890s to display weather, calendar, and time information. The vintage piece is hand-wound each Monday.

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Funicular Railway – Even though our time with Luka was mostly a walking tour, we did get to ride up the hill in the 1888 blue funicular car.  The steep journey on the world’s shortest cable railway took just 64 seconds and we were accompanied by a few local residents who regularly depend on the funicular to reach the upper part of the city. 

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Lotrscak Tower – Right beside the top of the funicular rail line stands the Lotrscak Tower, built in the middle of the 13th century to protect the south city gate. We arrived at the tower just in time to experience (see, hear, and feel) the noon firing of the tower cannon, housed on the fourth floor. This daily occurrence allegedly commemorates when the cannon fired at noon towards a group of Turks camped across the Sava River in the mid-15th century. The cannonball  hit a rooster and the Turkish soldiers were reportedly so demoralized by the blown-to-bits bird that they decided not to attack the city.  Fortunately, no cannonballs flew through the air during our visit!

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Croatian Inventors Murals – We walked along the tree-shaded Strossmayer Promenade to reach a small sunken park surrounded by large murals depicting some of Croatia’s most famous inventors. 

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Greek Catholic Co-cathedral of Saints Cyril and Methodius – A fire destroyed the original pre-17th century church and seminary structures. The current building, erected in 1886, was closed to visitors so we were not able to see the extensive collection of paintings or the three large bells in the belfry.

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Saint Mark’s Church – Zagreb’s most recognizable building was the next stop on our walking tour. The colorful tiled roof of St Mark’s Church displays the coasts of arms for Zagreb on the right and Croatia on the left. The March 2020 earthquake damaged  the structure so the church can only be viewed from the exterior. Luka pointed out the 14th century Gothic portal, comprised of 15 figures. The church sits in the middle of Saint Mark’s Square, surrounded by government offices, including the Croatian Parliament. 

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Saint George the Dragon slayer – Just a short walk from Saint Mark’s Church is one of three statues in Zagreb commemorating the battle between Saint George and the Dragon.  This sculpture is unique for several reasons: 1) the fight is over and the dragon is dead 2) the statue was created by Austrian artists and 3) the saint is cast in bronze and the dragon is sculpted from red breccia stone.

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Gric Tunnel – Built as an air raid shelter in World War II, this pedestrian tunnel is a well-used shortcut between the east and west sides of historical Zagreb since it opened to the public in 2016. The center portion of the 350 meter-long tunnel is also used for concerts because of its great acoustics. 

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Dolac Market – Every day of the week since the 1930s local farmers, fishermen, and craftsmen sell their fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, cheese, honey, cheese, and gifts in the open market space featuring bright red parasols. After our tour with Luka we returned several times to purchase tasty produce. 

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Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – With spires extending 108 meters tall and visible from most of the city, the new-Gothic style cathedral is Croatia’s largest sacral building. The building, originally constructed 800 years ago, has undergone extensive repairs and renovations, especially after the severe 1880 earthquake. Like several other buildings on our tour, we were not able to go inside this beautiful, ornate cathedral because of additional damage from the March 2020 earthquake. Hopefully we can go inside on our next visit to Croatia. 

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