History of Zagreb - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...

, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...

is a city with a rich history, dating from Roman times to the present day. The oldest settlement in the urban area of the city is Andautonia, a Roman settlement in the place of today's Ščitarjevo

Šcitarjevo

Šćitarjevo is a settlement officially in the Town of Velika Gorica, Croatia, located near the Zagreb bypass and the recently built Homeland Bridge. Its main tourist attraction and cultural site is Andautonia, an archeological site with remains of a Roman city.-External links:* website of the...

. The name "Zagreb" is mentioned for the first time in 1094 at the founding of the Zagreb diocese of Kaptol

Kaptol, Zagreb

Kaptol is a part of Zagreb, Croatia in the upper town and it is the seat of the Roman Catholic archbishop of Zagreb.-History:The existence of Kaptol, the settlement on the east slope, was confirmed in 1094 when King Ladislaus founded the Zagreb diocese. The bishop, his residence and the Cathedral...

, and Zagreb becomes a free royal town in 1242. In 1851 Zagreb had its first mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

, Janko Kamauf

Janko Kamauf

Janko Kamauf was the last city magistrate of Gradec and the first mayor of Zagreb, Croatia. He saw the unification of Gradec, Kaptol and several surrounding villages into Zagreb by ban Josip Jelačić in 1850 and remained the city mayor until 1857.- References :...

, and in 1945 it was made the capital of Croatia. According to the 2001 Croatian census Zagreb has 779,145 inhabitants and is the biggest city of Croatia by area and population. The origin of the city's name remains a mystery.

Old Zagreb

It is difficult to decide which period in the city's history is "Old Zagreb," as popular by Gjuro Szabo

Gjuro Szabo

Gjuro Szabo was a Croatian historian, art conserver and museologist. He published over 200 papers about Croatian national history, the history of art, art conservation, museology and toponomastics, such as Medieval cities of Croatia and Slavonia, Through the Croatian Hinterland and Old Zagreb...

, an admirer of the Zagreb

Zagreb

Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...

antiquities and a promoter of their conservation. Zagreb's

Zagreb

origins are ancient, and enveloped in the mists of legend in the absence manuscripts or sufficient archaeological finds from those times. It's much easier, therefore, to look at Zagreb's

Zagreb

history. In that case, Old Zagreb was two settlements situated on two neighboring hills: Gradec

Gradec, Zagreb

Gradec or Grič is a part of the Zagreb, Croatia, and together with Kaptol it is the mediaeval nucleus of the city. It's situated on the hill of Gornji Grad.- History :Gradec was given a royal charter by King Bela IV in 1242...

(also known as Gornji Grad) and Kaptol

Kaptol, Zagreb

, with the houses lying in the valley between them along the former Medveščak creek

Medvešcak (creek)

Medveščak is a creek in central Zagreb, Croatia. It flows from Kraljičin zdenac in Podsljeme down along the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain to the Manduševac Fountain, its mouth. The creek was covered in 1898 and today forms part of the Zagreb sewer system...

(today's Tkalčićeva Street

Tkalciceva Street

Tkalčićeva Street is a street in the Zagreb, Croatia city center. Extending from the vicinity of the central Ban Jelačić Square to its northern end at the Little Street , the street flows between the Gornji Grad in the west and Nova Ves in the east...

) and those at the beginning of Vlaška Street III beneath the bishopric (later archbishopric).

Although most buildings in this area do not originate from the Middle Ages

Middle Ages

The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

, but from the 18th century, they nevertheless display the continuity of medieval urban settlements. The existence of Kaptol

Kaptol, Zagreb

, the settlement on the east slope, was confirmed in 1094 when King Ladislaus founded the Zagreb bishopric. The bishop, his residence and the Cathedral had their seat in the southeast part of the Kaptol hill. VIaska Ves situated in the close vicinity of the Cathedral and under the bishop's jurisdiction was first mentioned in 1198. Kaptol Street ran from the south to the north across the Kaptol

Kaptol, Zagreb

terrace with canons' residences arranged in rows alongside. As the Latin word for a group or body of canons is "capitulum" (kaptol), it is clear how Kaptol

Kaptol, Zagreb

got its name. The canons also ruled this settlement.

The Cathedral was consecrated in 1217, but later in 1242 it was badly damaged by the Mongol raids. After 1263 it was restored and rebuilt. As a settlement, Kaptol

Kaptol, Zagreb

was an unsymmetrical rectangle, entered at its south end in Bakačeva Street, and exited at its north end near the present day Kaptol School. In the Middle Ages

Middle Ages

Kaptol

Kaptol, Zagreb

had no fortifications; it was merely enclosed with wooden fences or palisades, which were repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt. The defensive walls and towers around Kaptol

Kaptol, Zagreb

were built between 1469 and 1473. The Prislin Tower near the Kaptol School is one of the best-preserved from those times. In 1493 the Turks reached Sisak trying to capture it but were defeated there.

Therefore, fearing the Turkish invasion, the Bishop of Zagreb

Zagreb

had the fortifications built around the Cathedral

Zagreb cathedral

Zagreb Cathedral on Kaptol is the most famous building in Zagreb, and the tallest building in Croatia. It is dedicated to the Holy Virgin's Ascension and to St. Stephen and St. Ladislaus. The cathedral is typically Gothic, as is its sacristy, which is of great architectonic value...

and his residence. The defensive towers and walls built between 1512 and 1520 have been preserved until the present day, except those that directly faced the front of the Cathedral in Kaptol

Kaptol, Zagreb

Square. This section of the wall was pulled down in 1907. In the 13th century two Gothic

Gothic architecture

Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....

churches were built in Kaptol, St. Francis with the Franciscan monastery and St. Maria's, which underwent considerable reconstruction works in the 17th and the 18th centuries. In Opatovina small dwelling houses of former Kaptol

Kaptol, Zagreb

inhabitants can still be seen, but at Dolac a number of little and narrow streets were pulled down in 1926 when the market place started to be built. In 1334 the canons of Zagreb

Zagreb

established a colony of Kaptol

Kaptol, Zagreb

serfs in the vicinity of their residences, north of Kaptol

Kaptol, Zagreb

; that was the beginning of a new settlement called Nova Ves (the present day Nova Ves Street).

The other part of the Old Zagreb nucleus, Gradec

Gradec, Zagreb

on the Gornji Grad hill, was given a royal charter by King Bela IV in 1242. The royal charter, also called the Golden Bull

Golden Bull

A Golden Bull or chrysobull was a golden ornament representing a seal , attached to a decree issued by Byzantine Emperors and later by monarchs in Europe during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The term was originally coined for the golden seal itself but came to be applied to the entire decree...

, was a very important document by which Gradec

Gradec, Zagreb

was declared and proclaimed "a free royal city on Gradec

Gradec, Zagreb

, the hill of Zagreb

Zagreb

". This act made Gradec

Gradec, Zagreb

a feudal holding responsible directly to the king. The citizens were given rights of different kinds; among other things they were entitled to elect their own "City Judge" (the mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

) and to manage their own affairs. The citizens engaged themselves in building defensive walls and towers around their settlement, fearing a new Tatar invasion. They fulfilled their obligation between 1242 and 1261. It could be rightly assumed that by building its fortification walls in the middle of the 13th century, Gradec

Gradec, Zagreb

acquired its outward appearance that can be clearly seen in today's Gornji Grad.

Defensive walls enclosed the settlement in the shape of a triangle, its top located near the tower called Popov Toranj and its base at the south end (the Strossmayer Promenade), which could be explained by the shape of the hill. In some places, rectangular and semicircular towers fortified the defensive walls. There were four main gates leading to the city: the Mesnička Gate in the west, the new, later Opatička Gate in the north, Dverce in the south and the Stone Gate in the east. The Stone Gate is the only one preserved until the present day.

Undoubtedly, the focal point of the Gornji Grad is the square around St. Mark's Church

St. Mark's Church, Zagreb

Church of St. Mark is the parish church of old Zagreb.-Overview:The Romanesque window found in its south facade is the best evidence that the church must have been built as early as the 13th century as is also the semicircular groundplan of St...

that had been called St. Mark's Square for years. St. Mark's Church

St. Mark's Church, Zagreb

is the parish church of Old Zagreb. When guilds developed in Gradec

Gradec, Zagreb

in the 15th, and later in the 17th century, being the societies of craftsmen, their members including masters, journeymen, and apprentices, gathered regularly in St. Mark's Church

St. Mark's Church, Zagreb

. Outside, on the northwest wall of the church lies the oldest coat of arms of Zagreb

Zagreb

with the year 1499 engraved in it (the original is kept in the Zagreb City Museum

Zagreb City Museum

Zagreb City Museum or Museum of the City of Zagreb located in 20 Opatička Street, was established in 1907 by the Association of the Brethren of the Croatian Dragon . It is located in a restored monumental complex of the former Convent of the Poor Clares, of 1650...

).

As the corner of St. Mark's Square and the present day Čirilometodska Street, was a City Hall

City hall

In local government, a city hall, town hall or a municipal building or civic centre, is the chief administrative building of a city...

, the seat of the city administration in medieval times. The building has gone through a number of alteration and reconstruction phases, and today this Old City Hall

Old City Hall (Zagreb)

The Old City Hall is a complex of three adjacent buildings located in the Gradec neighbourhood in Zagreb, Croatia. The three buildings were joined in the late 19th century and since then, the complex has served as the place where all sessions of the city assembly are held.-History:The earliest...

still keeps its doors open for the meetings of the Zagreb

Zagreb

City Council. On the opposite side of the Square at the corner of Basaričekova Street lies St. Mark's parish office. The house has been standing there since the 16th century, although it underwent reconstruction in the 18th century and had an extension added in the 19th century. At the west end of St. Mark's Square, the mansion called Dvori, the former residence of the Civil Governor or Ban

Ban (title)

Ban was a title used in several states in central and south-eastern Europe between the 7th century and the 20th century.-Etymology:The word ban has entered the English language probably as a borrowing from South Slavic ban, meaning "lord, master; ruler". The Slavic word is probably borrowed from...

of Croatia

Croatia

Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...

, was built at the beginning of the 19th century and yet, it can be classed among the Zagreb

Zagreb

antiquities. The government of the Republic of Croatia

Croatia

meets in the Baroque

Baroque

The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...

mansion beside it. Since 1734, the Croatian Parliament has taken up the east side of St. Mark's Square.

Very little is known today of the outward appearance of medieval Vlaska StreetIII. The name of the settlement was Vlaska Ves, of Vicus Latinorum in Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

. In the old part of the present day VIaska Street, below the archbishop's residence and gardens, lies a row of houses built at the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century, and thus the line of their facades shows the course of the old road.

Medieval documents mention watermills and public baths along the Medveščak Stream, in the valley between Gradec

Gradec, Zagreb

and Kaptol

Kaptol, Zagreb

. Road construction in that area began in the 18th and the first half of the 19th century. The east bank of the stream was under the jurisdiction of Kaptol

Kaptol, Zagreb

, and the west bank under Gradec

Gradec, Zagreb

17th - 19th century

It is rather difficult to think of the new developments in terms of a distant past as we are inclined to classify everything remaining from those times as antiquities. The 17th century, however, introduced new buildings and new developments into Old Zagreb. Gradec

Gradec, Zagreb

and Kaptol

Kaptol, Zagreb

, the settlements on two hills fortified by defensive walls and towers, prospered.

The first half of the 17th century witnessed the arrival of three Roman Catholic orders in the Upper Town; they greatly contributed to the building activities and to the development of this settlement, triangular in shape. The first to settle here were the Jesuits in 1606, bringing Baroque

Baroque

to Zagreb

Zagreb

. They settled in the south east corner of the town. Here they built the first grammar school at 4; Catherine's Square, St. Catherine's Church and their monastery at 4, Jesuit Square. St. Catherine's

Catherine of Alexandria

Saint Catherine of Alexandria, also known as Saint Catherine of the Wheel and The Great Martyr Saint Catherine is, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, who was martyred in the early 4th century at the hands of the pagan emperor Maxentius...

Church, built between 1620 and 1632, was not only the earliest Baroque

Baroque

sacral building in Zagreb

Zagreb

but also represented the highest achievement in the style made popular by the Jesuits.

The building and decoration of the church interior were an incentive to native carpenters, sculptors, painters and gilders who were developing their own Baroque

Baroque

style. The Jesuit monastery (collegiate) although more modest than St. Catherine's Church, is undoubtedly an architectural monument of high merit (recently rebuilt for museum purposes).

The second order to arrive in Gradec was the Capuchins

Order of Friars Minor Capuchin

The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin is an Order of friars in the Catholic Church, among the chief offshoots of the Franciscans. The worldwide head of the Order, called the Minister General, is currently Father Mauro Jöhri.-Origins :...

(1618) who settled the area of the south west pail of the town. They restored the old St. Mary's Church, built a monastery nearby (in the present day Vraničani Street) and cultivated their garden on the present day site of the park and the playgrounds. Unfortunately, nothing has remained of the Capuchin

Order of Friars Minor Capuchin

buildings as they were all pulled down at the beginning of the 19th century. Nuns of the Clarissa order (about 1650) built up the third, north part of the town close to the Tower called Popov toranj. They built a convent and a nunnery, one wing of which flanked the fortification wall and the medieval tower of Popov toranj. Their church was demolished in the first half of the 19th century, and the convent building today houses the Zagreb

Zagreb

City Museum.

The most significant novelty in Kaptol

Kaptol, Zagreb

in the 17th century was the massive south belfry of the Cathedral

Zagreb cathedral

, which was built after the fire of 1645. Baroque style was introduced into the interiors of the Cathedral

Zagreb cathedral

, St. Mary's and St. Francis' Churches. Many new mansions and residences were also built in the Baroque

Baroque

style.

In addition to the new elements introduced into the old city nuclei, another new development of vital importance for the town planning of Zagreb

Zagreb

took place. The town authorities realized that relatively small squares around St. Mark's Church

St. Mark's Church, Zagreb

and in front of the Cathedral

Zagreb cathedral

were not suited for big fairs that had been held there, and to promote trade and manufacture, it was necessary to leave "the walls and ramparts" on the hills. Therefore, the year 1641 was a turning point and a step forward in the life of Zagreb

Zagreb

. The town authorities then, decided to expropriate the gardens lying in the plain below Gradec

Gradec, Zagreb

and Kaptol

Kaptol, Zagreb

and turn them into the site of the future market place. That was the beginning of the present day Ban Jelačić Square

Ban Jelacic Square

Ban Jelačić Square is the central square of the city of Zagreb, Croatia, named after ban Josip Jelačić. The official name is Trg bana Jelačića...

. The area was chosen for two reasons; first, it was very close to both Old Town nuclei and second, it held a spring rich in drinking water. The name of the spring was Manduševac and the spacious square got its first name after the spring. Later it became Harmica, then Ban Jelačić Square

Ban Jelacic Square

Ban Jelačić Square is the central square of the city of Zagreb, Croatia, named after ban Josip Jelačić. The official name is Trg bana Jelačića...

.

The new market place and the fair grounds also became a meeting-place of all "the business world" from Zagreb

Zagreb

and many other parts. It encouraged the authorities to develop the fringes of the city and to construct access roads. Thus, during the 18th century many houses were built on the north and east side of Manduševac and also at the point where Manduševac turned into Ilica Street (the inn). Gradually, the Long Street (Duga Ulica or the present day Radićeva Street), linking Manduševac and the Upper City, developed and eventually became the busiest shopping street in Zagreb

Zagreb

. The market place and the fair grounds of Manduševac attracted people from the southern area of the country and thus, the middle of the 18th century witnessed the beginnings of today's Petrinjska Street. Small dwellings houses sprang up at its north end, which was directly linked with the fair and market grounds.

The street had a fancy name, "Med grabami", (amidst the ditches), which was indicative of its appearance and surroundings. However, the function of the road located amidst the ditches was very important. It linked the new business centre of Old Zagreb with the settlements on the north banks of the Sava, and with the aid of a ferry or pontoon bridge, Zagreb

Zagreb

was also linked with the regions on the other side of the river. This was of great importance for the supply of food and other products to the Military Borderland (Petrinjska Street was named after Petrinja, the centre of this Military Borderland).

In the 17th century the city records more and more often mention peasants. These were the urban serfs of the nearby villages. In other words, "the free royal city on Gradec

Gradec, Zagreb

, the hill of Zagreb

Zagreb

," which had been a feudal holding since 1242, now had its own urban serfs. The settlements, Gračani, Dedići (near Šestine) and Črnomerec

Crnomerec

- References :...

were mentioned as early as the 13th and 14th centuries. At the beginning of the 17th century when the Turkish raids across the Sava were no longer a direct threat, the city authorities set up serfs' villages within the town boundaries, and they gradually grew and developed. During the century there were thirteen villages, some situated in the Sava valley and others on the slopes of Mount Medvednica

Medvednica

Medvednica is a mountain in central Croatia, just north of Zagreb and marking the southern border of the historic region of Zagorje. The highest peak, at 1,035 m, is Sljeme. Most of the area of Medvednica is a nature park , a type of preservation lesser than a national park...

. On the slopes, and down between them, lay the villages of Gračani, Gornje and Donje Prekrižje, Jelenovec, Vrhovci, Čukovici and Domjanići (in the vicinity of Sveti Duh), and in the plain near the river were Trnje

Trnje

Trnje is a district in the City of Zagreb, Croatia. According to the 2001 census, the district had 45,267 residents. It is located in the central part of the city, south of Donji grad across the railway , east of Trešnjevka , west of Pešćenica , and north of the river Sava...

, Ilijašići, Bankoviti and Govenka (non-existent today), Horvati and Črnomerec

Crnomerec

- References :...

. Across the Sava were the villages of Pobrežje and Otok. The largest of all the urban villages was Trnje

Trnje

, and its inhabitants frequently used the Med grabami Road that was their link with the town. All the villages were under the jurisdiction of the magistrate in the City Hall at St. Mark's Square, and their religious affiliation was to the parish of St. Mark's

St. Mark's Church, Zagreb

.

This large urban area stretching from the mountain ridges of Medvednica

Medvednica

down to the River Sava, was presented in a geographical map drawn by the surveyor Leopold Kneidinger in 1766, who succeeded in illustrating the situation on a larger scale in the mid-17th century. The original of Kneidinger's map is kept in the Zagreb

Zagreb

City Museum.

Modern Zagreb

Although much has been said and written on the subject of Old Zagreb and even on the development of the Donji Grad

Donji Grad

Donji grad is one of the 17 city districts of Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. It is located in the central part of the city and has 45,108 inhabitants . The official name of the district is rarely used, for it is dubbed centar by most of the Zagreb residents....

during the 19th century, research into building activities in Zagreb

Zagreb

at the turn of the century or even later has been inadequate and unsatisfactory.

The twentieth century began with the Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...

style, which during its short life, from 1899 until the World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, was present in the central part of the Donji Grad

Donji Grad

.

The most notable achievements of Zagreb

Zagreb

Art Nouveau

were the building of the Ethnographical Museum (at 14, Mažuranić Square), the former sanatorium building (Children's Clinic) in Klaićeva Street and the most conspicuous among them, the building of the National and University Library

National and University Library Zagreb

National and University Library in Zagreb is the national library of Croatia and central library of the University of Zagreb.The national library was founded in 1607. Its primary mission is the development of the national literary corpus...

on Marulić Square. The Modernist Movement, led by the architect Viktor Kovačić

Viktor Kovacic

Viktor Kovačić was a Croatian architect. His projects are marked with subtle purity of reduced elements of historicism, like in monumental Stock Exchange Palace in Zagreb, 1924...

, presented itself in the building of St. Blaž Church at the corner of Deželić Drive and Primorska Street on the eve of the World War I

World War I

.

At the turn of the century (1902), the city boundary was moved from Međašnji Square (today's Eugen Kvaternik Square

Eugen Kvaternik Square

Eugen Kvaternik Square is a square located on the border between Maksimir, Gornji Grad - Medveščak and Donji Grad city districts of Zagreb, Croatia. It marks the intersection of Vlaška Street, Dragutin Domjanić Street, Maksimirska Street, Vjekoslav Heinzel Avenue and Pavao Šubić Avenue...

) eastwards, and thus Stara Peščenica

Stara Pešcenica

Stara Peščenica is a neighborhood located in the northwestern corner of the Peščenica – Žitnjak administrative city district of Zagreb, Croatia. It is bordered by Zvonimirova Street and the J. F...

and Maksimir

Maksimir

Maksimir is one of the neighborhoods of Zagreb, Croatia. Maksimir stadium and Maksimir Park are located in it. It was named after the bishop Maksimilijan Vrhovac....

with their surroundings became part of the city area. Building activities were more intensive in the east part of the city, that is, in the wide-open spaces east of Palmotićeva

Junije Palmotic

Junije Palmotić, was a Croatian baroque writer, Ragusan patrician, and dramatist from the Republic of Ragusa...

Street. Zagrebacki Zbor, the forerunner of the Zagreb Fair, organised its shows and displays on the riding school premises in present day Martićeva Street, and the area of the Burza served as the fair grounds. The period between the two wars saw this area developing into a distinguished quarter of Zagreb

Zagreb

. Here were the buildings of the former Stock Exchange

Stock exchange

A stock exchange is an entity that provides services for stock brokers and traders to trade stocks, bonds, and other securities. Stock exchanges also provide facilities for issue and redemption of securities and other financial instruments, and capital events including the payment of income and...

in 1925-1926 (at 3 Burza Square), the most significant work of the architect Viktor Kovačić

Viktor Kovacic

Viktor Kovačić was a Croatian architect. His projects are marked with subtle purity of reduced elements of historicism, like in monumental Stock Exchange Palace in Zagreb, 1924...

, the round-shaped Exhibition Pavilion created by Ivan Meštrović

Ivan Meštrovic

Ivan Meštrović was a Croatian and Yugoslav sculptor and architect born in Vrpolje, Croatia...

(today's Croatian History Museum) and the Đuro Salaj Hall, which were all built at approximately the same time as the three nearby squares: Burza, Great Croats and Peter Krešimir IV Squares, in accordance with the zoning plan of the east part of Zagreb

Zagreb

In the 1930s a new style and concept, called functionalism, appeared in architecture and here the Zagreb

Zagreb

School of Architecture promoted it. Building activities were flourishing in those years, as Zagreb

Zagreb

was becoming an important industrial and business centre with approximately 280,000 inhabitants before the onset of the World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. The suburban settlements were rather neglected and most of them sprang up spontaneously along with the inflow of new population, which was evident in Trešnjevka

Trešnjevka

Trešnjevka is a large neighbourhood in the western part of the city of Zagreb, Croatia.It is administratively divided into two districts:* Trešnjevka - sjever...

and Trnje

Trnje

.

The first railway line to connect Zagreb with Zidani most and Sisak

Sisak

Sisak is a city in central Croatia. The city's population in 2011 was 33,049, with a total of 49,699 in the administrative region and it is also the administrative centre of the Sisak-Moslavina county...

was opened in 1862 and in 1863 Zagreb received a gasworks. The Zagreb waterworks was opened in 1878 and the first horse-drawn tramcar was used in 1891. The construction of the railway lines enabled the old suburbs to merge gradually into Donji Grad

Donji Grad

, characterized by a regular block pattern that prevails in Central European cities. This bustling core hosts many imposing buildings, monuments, and parks as well as a multitude of museums, theatres and cinemas. An electric power plant was erected in 1907 and development flourished 1880-1914 after the earthquake in Zagreb when the town received the characteristic layout it has today.

Working class quarters emerged between the railway and the Sava, whereas the construction of residential quarters on the hills of the southern slopes of Medvednica

Medvednica

was completed between the two World War

World war

A world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's most powerful and populous nations. World wars span multiple countries on multiple continents, with battles fought in multiple theaters....

s.

During the 1920s the population of Zagreb went up by 70 percent and it was the largest demographic boom in the history of Zagreb. In 1926 Zagreb had its first radio station in the region and in 1947 saw the first Zagreb Fair.

The area between the railway and the Sava saw much new construction after the Second World War. After the mid-1950s

1950s

The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...

, construction of new residential areas south of the Sava river began, resulting in Novi Zagreb

Novi Zagreb

Novi Zagreb is the part of the city of Zagreb located south of the Sava river, on the way from the Pleso airport to the city center...

(New Zagreb). The city also expanded westward and eastward, incorporating Dubrava

Dubrava, Zagreb

Dubrava is one of the largest parts of Zagreb, Croatia. It is located in the northeastern part of the city and divided by the Dubrava Avenue into two administrative areas:* Gornja Dubrava * Donja Dubrava...

, Sesvete

Sesvete

Sesvete is one of the districts of Zagreb, Croatia. It is located in the eastern part of the city and has 59,212 inhabitants .-Administrative division:...

, Podsused, Jarun

Jarun

Jarun is a neighborhood in the southwestern part of Zagreb, Croatia. It was named after Lake Jarun, formed by the Sava River, now located on the southern edge of the neighborhood.-Lake:...

, and Blato

Blato, Zagreb

Blato is a neighborhood located in the Novi Zagreb - zapad city district of Zagreb, Croatia. It is spread along the Karlovačka Road, south of Jadranska Avenue. The population is around 2,600....

among other settlements.

The cargo railway hub and the international airport Pleso

Pleso

Pleso is a settlement located to the southeast of the city of Zagreb. Nowadays, Pleso is the northernmost section of the city of Velika Gorica....

were built south of the Sava river. The largest industrial zone (Žitnjak) in the southeast represents an extension of the industrial zones on the eastern outskirts of the city, between the Sava and Prigorje region.

In 1987 Zagreb hosted the Summer Universiade

1987 Summer Universiade

The 1987 Summer Universiade, also known as the XIV Summer Universiade, took place in Zagreb, Croatia . It involved participants from 111 countries and over 6,000 individual sportspersons and members of teams.-Medal table:...

.

Urbanized lines of settlements connect Zagreb with the centres in its surroundings: Sesvete

Sesvete

Sesvete is one of the districts of Zagreb, Croatia. It is located in the eastern part of the city and has 59,212 inhabitants .-Administrative division:...

, Zaprešić

Zaprešic

Zaprešić is a city in Zagreb County in Croatia. Its population is 25.875 inhabitants for the city proper, and over 51,000 for its seven-municipality metropolitan area. Zaprešić is the third-largest, and most densely populated division of the county. It is located northwest of the Croatian capital...

, Samobor

Samobor

Samobor is a town in the Zagreb County, Croatia. It is part of the Zagreb metropolitan area.-Geography:Samobor is located west of Zagreb, between the eastern slopes of the Samoborsko gorje , in the Sava River valley.-Population:...

, Dugo Selo

Dugo Selo

-Geography:Dugo Selo is a 20 km drive from Zagreb city centre.The town covers an area of 51 km² and it consists of numerous settlements. The summit of the hill Martin Breg is situated in the northern part of the town. Most neighborhoods of Dugo Selo are located on the Martin Breg...

and Velika Gorica

Velika Gorica

Velika Gorica is the largest and most populous city in Zagreb County, Croatia. The city itself has a population of 31,341, while the municipality has a population of 63,511 inhabitants .Velika Gorica is the centre of the historical Turopolje region....

. Sesvete was the closest one to become a part of the agglomeration

Agglomeration

In the study of human settlements, an urban agglomeration is an extended city or town area comprising the built-up area of a central place and any suburbs linked by continuous urban area. In France, INSEE the French Statistical Institute, translate it as "Unité urbaine" which means continuous...

and is in fact already included in the City of Zagreb rather than Zagreb County

Zagreb County

Zagreb County is a county in central Croatia. It surrounds – but does not contain – the nation's capital Zagreb, which is a separate territorial unit. For that reason, it is often nicknamed "Zagreb ring"...

, which excludes the city. It is now part of the expanding urban area on the east side seizing up to Dugo Selo.

External links

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Old Zagreb

17th - 19th century

Modern Zagreb

See also

External links