Zagreb, Capital of Croatia

 Zagreb, Croatia's capital, is home to 790,000 people, one-sixth of the country's population. The city began as two walled towns, Gradec and Kaptol, which merged in 1850 as the region began to thrive.

 

                                        The old world Hotel Esplanade features a beautiful bar.
 

Zagreb Archeological Museum. Like many public buildings, it is painted yellow. Some claim that this was because yellow was the favorite color of the wife of Josip Tito, leader of Yugoslavia. Others claim yellow was used because it was the cheapest paint.

                                                                       The Opera House

              The funicular, believed to be the shortest in the world, connects the Lower and Upper Towns.

                                     View from the Strossmayer Promenade at the top of the funicular. 

The Church of St. Mark. The coat of arms on the left depicts the three regions that comprise Croatia, and the one on the right is the seal of Zagreb. Note the old fashioned gaslight, one of 217 still in use throughout the city. It is the job of two city employees to light and extinguish each gaslight, every day.

A chapel inside the city's only surviving stone gate. The painting of Mary survived a fire in 1731 and the site today is typically crowded with the faithful.

Jelacic Square, with a statute of the national hero astride a horse. He fashioned a substantial degree of autonomy within the Hapsburg empire. Under Yugoslavia, he was considered a dangerous symbol and the statute was removed. Jelacic resumed his place of prominence when Croatia broke away from Yugoslavia in 1991.

                                                                      The lively market. 

The cathedral. Like many other buildings in Zagreb, it is closed for renovation due to extensive damage suffered during a major earthquake in 2020. 

                                             Beautiful fountain in a lower town park, Zrinjevac.