|
Zagreb History |
||
|
Zagreb has a rich and interesting past written down as well as legendary. In ancient times there was a settlement here called Andautonia (near today’s Šćitarjevo) which was ruined during the arrival of the Slavs in the beginning of the 7th century. The earliest written sources tell us about the first two settlements of greater importance: Kaptol (capitulum, lat. – a group of canons) and Gradec (Upper Town). The two settlements are also known by the name Old Zagreb. It’s Cathedral, built in 1217, was badly damaged during the Mongol raids. As the Turkish presence in the Balkans during the Middle Ages became greater, protective walls and towers had to be built there. Some of those walls and towers are still there (e.g. the Prislin Tower of Kaptol, and Popov Toranj of Gradec). The most famous part of Zagreb’s Upper Town is the St. Mark’s Square around St. Mark’s Church. The St. Mark’s Square also is of importance today: the Croatian Parliament and the government of the Republic of Croatia are situated there. In the course of the centuries and as the economy was growing stronger the old buildings were pulled down in order to erect palaces, schools, churches, theatres etc. In the 17th and 18th centuries many of the Europe’s powerful and wealthy families began moving to Zagreb thus bringing the modern western influence along. This was the period of the arrival of the Catholic orders to the city. One of them were the Jesuits, who brought the Baroque to Zagreb. The predecessor of the Zagreb’s most famous square, that of Ban Jelačić was constructed in 1641, as there had been a need for greater market places. The original name of it was Manduševac (the name of the nearby spring). Later it was changed to Harmica and finally to Ban Jelačić Square. There was a need to connect Manduševac and the Upper City which led to development of many streets: the Ilica, the Long Street (present day Radićeva Street) and Petrinjska Street, to name the most important ones. Thirty years after Kaptol and Gradec were unified into one united city of Zagreb by way of which its progress was increased, a devastating earthquake hit the city. Many of the buildings were destroyed, bringing about the need for new ones; the renewal and modernization of the city started. Many representative buildings were erected, parks and fountains constructed, public transport and utilities organized. The Art Noveau style (the National and University Building, the Ethnographical Museum, and the Children’s Clinic) and the Modernist movement of the architect Viktor Kovačić (St. Blaž Church) were brought to Zagreb by the beginning of the First World War. New residential areas such as Novi Zagreb (New Zagreb), Podsused, Jarun, Blato, Sesvete, Dubrava, and others emerged. The urban area is expanding ever more, so the process of agglomeration is beginning to affect the following settlements connected to Zagreb: Zaprešić, Dugo Selo, Samobor, Sesvete and Velika Gorica.
|
|
