Zagreb is an important tourist
centre, not only in terms of
passengers travelling from Western
and Central Europe to the Adriatic
Sea, but also as a travel
destination itself. Since the end of
the Croatian War of Independence, it
attracts around half a million
visitors annually, mainly from
Austria, Germany and Italy. However,
the city has greater potential as
many tourists that visit Croatia
skip Zagreb in order to visit the
beaches along the Croatian Adriatic
coast and old historic Renaissance
cities such as Dubrovnik, Split, and
Zadar.
Zagreb celebrated its 900th birthday
in 1994 not only as a city with
numerous cultural and historical
monuments, museums and galleries,
but also as a vibrant destination
with a variety of modern shops,
quality restaurants and
sports/recreational facilities. It
is a major centre of congress
tourism, hosting a number of
business events and trade fairs that
are amongst those of the longest
tradition in Europe. Being an
important junction point, Zagreb has
road, air, railway and bus
connections with other European
metropolises and all bigger cities
and tourist resorts in Croatia.
The historical part of the city to
the north of Ban Jelačić Square is
comprised of the Upper Town and
Kaptol, a medieval urban complex of
churches, palaces, museums,
galleries and government buildings
that are exceptionally popular with
tourists on sightseeing tours. The
old town's streets and squares can
be reached on foot, starting from
Jelačić Square, the central part and
the heart of Zagreb, or by a
funicular on nearby Tomićeva Street.
The city offers rich cultural and
artistic enjoyment. There are about
20 permanent or seasonal theatres
and stages. The Croatian National
Theatre, built in 1895, is the most
impressive building among them. The
most renowned concert hall is named
"Vatroslav Lisinski", after the
composer of the first Croatian
opera. It was built in 1973 and is
visited by 760,000 people each year.
The great hall has 1847 seats over
2,360 mē, while the smaller one can
seat 304 people on 360 mē.
Zagreb hosts many domestic and
international events. Animafest, the
World Festival of Animated Films,
takes place every even-numbered
year, and the Music Bienniale, the
international festival of
avant-garde music, every
odd-numbered year. The Festival of
the Zagreb Philharmonic and the
famous flowers exhibition Floraart
(end of May or beginning of June),
the Old-timer Rally, the Week of
Contemporary Dance, as well as
Eurokaz, the international festival
of contemporary theatre (in June)
represent annual events. In the
summer, theatre performances and
concerts, mostly in the Upper Town,
are organized either indoors or
outdoors. The stage on Opatovina
hosts the Zagreb Histrionic Summer.
Zagreb is also the host of
Zagrebfest, the oldest Croatian
pop-music festival, as well as of
several traditional international
sports events and tournaments. The
Day of the City of Zagreb on the
(16th of November) is celebrated
every year with special festivities,
especially on the Jarun lake near
the southwestern part of the city.
Entertainment can be found in many
discotheques, night clubs, and
casinos.
On Mount Sljeme there is also the
169 m TV Tower with a restaurant
planned for the 75 m high pod.
A peculiar feature of Zagreb is the
Nine Views installation, which is a
model of the Solar system spread out
across the city. |
