About Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital city of the Republic of Croatia and the largest city in the country with a population numbering 780,000. It is the cultural, transport, scientific, economic and administrative centre of Croatia.
The City of Zagreb is located in northeastern Croatia, at the foot of the Medvednica Mountain in the north and along the Sava River in the southern part of the city.
The climate is continental, but moderate, which can be attributed to the favourable position of Zagreb in relation to the Alps that protect the entire region of the Pannonian Basin from the stronger currents that come from the northwest.
The highest concentration of Croatian business activity is located in Zagreb and most of the major companies have their head offices in Zagreb.
Zagreb is connected to the most important traffic junctions via corridors and highways such as Corridor X – the pan-European corridor, the A3 Bregana - Zagreb – Lipovac highway that connects northern Europe and Turkey via the Balkans and Greece. The A1 highway connects Zagreb and the nearby region of Zagorje with Split and Dubrovnik in Dalmatia, and the A6 Zagreb - Rijeka and A4 Zagreb – Lipovac highways lead to Rijeka and Istria in the west and Hungary in the east of Croatia.
Zagreb Airport, the busiest Croatian airport, connects Croatia with almost all the larger European cities and thus represents the junction of the surrounding region.
The earliest records of Zagreb date back to 1094, the year of the establishment of the first diocese, located in the area known today as Kaptol.
There is a legend about the origin of the name of Zagreb that says that an old viceroy who was tired and thirsty asked a girl called Manda to fetch him some water from the well and said: "Manda, dear, scoop out some water." (scoop out – zagrabiti in Croatian).
Among the significant events in the history of Zagreb is the award of the Golden Bull given by the Croatian-Hungarian King Bela IV in 1242, whereby Zagreb became a free royal city. In 1557, Zagreb was mentioned as the Croatian capital for the first time. The establishment of the University of Zagreb began when the first grammar school and the Academy were founded in 1607. In 1850, the city districts of Kaptol, Gradec and Vlaška ves became parts of Zagreb.
Following a decision rendered by the Croatian Parliament, Zagreb became the capital city of the newly independent and sovereign Croatian state on 25 June 1991. The notable sites of Zagreb include Ban Josip Jelačić Square, the Upper Town, St Mark’s Square, Lotrščak Tower, the Zagreb Cathedral and Medvedgrad.
The notable sites of Zagreb include Ban Josip Jelačić Square, the Upper Town, St Mark’s Square, Lotrščak Tower, the Zagreb Cathedral and Medvedgrad.