Zagreb’s details delight the eye.
© Joyce McGreevy

Lingering in Croatia’s Capital

Do your neighbors include dragons, Romantic poets, and the ghost of Nikolas Tesla?  If so, you must be in Zagreb—one of Europe’s most underrated travel destinations.

Croatia’s capital is one of the best trips you can take without dreaming. A place where you exit a museum on a three-story slide, check the time by the noon cannon, and stroll through a traditional market that featured in a Jackie Chan movie.

Zagreb is not your average city.

Not average for Europe, or even Croatia. In a country the size of West Virginia, yet adorned by fantastical islands, parks, and villages, Zagreb is a singular sensation—a zany, zingy experience that specializes in zest for life.

Often rebuilt and renovated during its 800 years, iconic St. Mark’s Church outlasted
fire, earthquake, war, and 18th century plans for demolition.
© Joyce McGreevy

Zigzagging to Zagreb

Many travelers bypass Croatia’s capital for Dubrovnik or Split. For others, it’s a layover. But you’ve opted to linger.  Never mind that you’ve been told you could easily do Zagreb in a day.

Superficially, that’s true, given Zagreb’s compact scale. No sooner do you set out from your elegant but affordable apartment than an avenue as broad and welcoming as a hug guides you into the heart of Ban Jelačić, the city’s central square. No GPS required.

Iconic blue trams glide by. The red umbrellas of the Dolac Market blossom like poppies. You are encircled by an architectural timeline of Zagreb’s tumultuous history:  its medieval emergence, its flowering under the Austro-Hungarian empire, the decadent charms of Art Nouveau.

“The Belly of Zagreb,” Dolac Market has been feeding locals and visitors since 1926.
© paulprescott72/ iStock

History at a Glance

The panorama from a nearby skyscraper fills in many gaps. You see Communist functionalism and the shimmer of new hotels, contrasts separated in time by the breakup of Yugoslavia, five years of bitter conflict with Serbia, and Croatia’s optimistic entry into the European Union.

Returning to street level, you still have time to wander the cobblestone streets of Gornji Grad (Upper Town) before first nightfall.

Yes, you could see Zagreb in a day—the same way you could see “all” of New York from Times Square or the Empire State Building.

But for one of the best trips, take your time. Because as Zagreb becomes more familiar, it also becomes more fascinating.

Oh, I see:  The longer you explore Zagreb, the more there is to discover.

Hidden in plain sight, Zagreb’s 11-acre Botanic Garden is a downtown paradise.
© Joyce McGreevy

Here Comes the Sun

See that big bronze orb on Bogovićeva Street? Many tourists take selfies beside it, or alas, scratch their names on it. This is Ivan Kozaric’s 1971 sculpture, “The Grounded Sun.”

Fewer know that 30 years later, Davor Preis quietly placed nine models of planets around Zagreb to complete the solar system. He even stayed true to scale. “Earth,” for example, is ¾ of an inch in size and 4.78 miles away from Kozaric’s sun.

It’s always sunny on Bogovićeva street.
© Joyce McGreevy

Against All Odds

Likewise, photographers flock to Zagreb Cathedral. Some even step inside. If they lingered, they might learn something surprising.

Zagreb Cathedral has a surprising connection to “Sin City.”
© Joyce McGreevy

High above centuries of artwork hang three massive chandeliers. Donated by Croatian American Stefan Stankić, those lights once illuminated the Gold Coast Casino in Las Vegas.

The story goes that when parishioners expressed concern about mixing the glitzy with the godly, a senior clergyman suggested they install the lights “temporarily.” Years later, that story is a testament to the miracle of a safe bet.

What happened in Zagreb stayed in Zagreb . . .
© Joyce McGreevy

Croatia’s Workplace Creatives

Zagreb invented many emblems of office life, including the necktie. In the 17th century, Croatian soldiers serving in France sported elegant red scarves. Fashion-conscious Parisians dubbed the accessory cravate, a corruption of Croate.

Zagreb made its mark in other ways, too.  The mechanical pencil and fountain pen are named for their Croatian inventor, Eduard Penkala.

From officer’s cravat to office staple: Honor Guards
of the Cravat Regiment started a trend.
© The Zagreb Tourist Board/ Marko Vrdoljak

Croatian Coffee Culture

Don’t look to Zagrebians for workplace efficiency in coffee culture. Croatians pity us Americans as we rush along toting our outsized paper cups, or isolate ourselves in public behind the barriers of our laptops.

In Zagreb, coffee is about social connection and savoring time.  Allow 2-3 hours per cup and Never sip alone are the unspoken rules.

On Saturdays coffee culture is elevated to a social ritual known as Špica. You dress fashionably to do your errands, then meet your friends and hold court, choosing from hundreds of cafés. Some streets, like Tkalčićeva, are almost entirely comprised of cafés, each one a buzzing hive of conversation.

Tkalčićeva, like many streets in Zagreb, is lined with cafés.
© csfotoimages/ iStock

Statuary Citizens

Watching over these proceedings are the statuary citizens of Zagreb, so numerous they’ve got their own walking tours. Dragons, lions, and gargoyles abound, enough stone animals to rival the city’s zoo.

There’s even a tribute to a stray dog.  Adopted by a construction crew in 1897, “Pluto” died defending the site from thieves. Workers were so grief-stricken they commissioned a memorial. Hidden in a private courtyard for over a century, the plaque was moved to a central location in 2013.

Architect Josip Vancaš’ memorial to a stray dog is beloved in Zagreb,
where pets are welcome in many establishments.
© Joyce McGreevy

Then there’s Nikola Tesla. Born during a Croatian electrical storm, the “Inventor of the Electrical Age” brought alternating current to the world. Tesla also conceptualized—in 1901—what eventually became the smartphone.

Tesla’s spirit lives on as a secular patron saint of Zagreb’s intellectualism. You encounter his likeness throughout the city.

“Meeting you has been a burning desire of mine ,” wrote Tesla to artist Ivan Meštrović
in 1924. Croatia’s greatest scientist & most celebrated sculptor became friends for life.
© Sergio Delle Vedove/ iStock

Every bookstore has a Tesla section. (Oh yes, in a city of free wifi, bookstores remain popular.) There’s also a technology museum named for Tesla.

Zagreb in Miniature

Speaking of museums, compact Zagreb boasts 37 of them. Mycology fans cluster in the Mushroom Museum. Kids walk upside down at the Museum of Illusions. There’s even something for the lovelorn, the Museum of Broken Relationships. Launched in Zagreb, it has added an outpost in Los Angeles.

The honor of most lovable  museum goes to the Backo Mini Express, tucked away on Gundulićeva Street. Painstakingly created by model train enthusiasts, it is best seen after you explore the city. That way you’ll experience a sudden thrill of recognition—the modelers have re-created Zagreb locations in miniature.

Backo Mini Express is the biggest model railway in southeast Europe.
© Joyce McGreevy

Never  Long Enough

Yet even in miniature, Zagreb defies the mind’s ability to take it all in. Yes, you could “do” Zagreb in a day, but a lifetime would never be enough.

August Šenoa, lover of all things Zagrebian, knew this all too well. Shortly before the Romantic poet and novelist passed away, he declared, “But I have so much more to write!” Leaving Zagreb on a Saturday morning as locals gather in cafés, you understand how Šenoa felt.

Because Zagreb—one of Europe’s most underrated travel destinations—is not your average city.

Portrayed standing nonchalantly on the street where he was born,
August Šenoa is credited with inspiring Croatians’ love of reading.
© Joyce McGreevy

Ride the slide at Zagreb’s Museum of Contemporary Art, here. 

Relive Jackie Chan’s 1987 “tour” of Zagreb, here. 

See Zagreb’s Backo Mini Express, here. 

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