Discover Zagreb’s Upper Town: History, Markets & Mirogoj Cemetery

Often overlooked in favor of the country’s scenic Adriatic coast, Croatia’s capital and largest city offers fascinating history and rich cuisine to those who explore its medieval Upper Town as well as its leafy surrounding areas. It’s easy to get lost in the Old-World charm of the historic center while you wander, but here are a few points of interest to guide you while you walk around.

Gradec

Gradec forms one half of the original medieval core of the city, on the western slope of the Gornji grad hill. In the 13th century, the town was granted a royal charter that accorded it a significant amount of autonomy within the Kingdom of Hungary, which ruled Croatia at the time, allowing its citizens to elect their own mayor and generally run their town as they saw fit.

The citizens quickly set about erecting a defensive wall to protect their free city; the Stone Gate is one of the original entrances to the fortified city, also doubling as a Catholic shrine to Mary owing to a painting of the Virgin inside the gate that miraculously survived the Great Fire of 1731.

Inside the walls, the city thrived for centuries, as evidenced by the grand buildings you see here today. Don’t miss the lovely Baroque Saint Catherine’s Church or the iconic Saint Mark’s Church, with its mesmerizing roof tiles displaying the coats of arms of the former kingdom and the city. The square around the latter church is also home to the presidential palace, the parliament, and the constitutional court, making it the epicenter of the modern nation itself.

Kaptol

On the eastern slope of the hill, Kaptol was dedicated to the Catholic clergy, home to the impressive Zagreb Cathedral as well as the elegant manor houses where members of the archdiocese lived. In contrast to the narrow streets of Gradec, Kaptol is defined by its wide, open spaces, allowing for more room to appreciate the grandeur of its buildings.

One of the most important open spaces today is the Dolac Market, a huge outdoor farmers’ market in operation since the 1930s purveying all manner of fresh products brought in from the countryside—fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, fish, and an impressive array of cut flowers, too. Another great area to explore is Tkalčićeva Street, a historic street that is always alive with bars and restaurants.

Mirogoj Cemetery

One of Zagreb’s main attractions outside the historic center is the monumental Mirogoj Cemetery, built in the 1870s on a large plot of land in a lush area in the north of the city. The cemetery is the final resting place for many of the most important figures in Croatia’s history, from politicians and military leaders to artists and scientists to Hall of Fame basketball players.

The cemetery’s construction reflects the grandeur of those buried there, with a large, elegant entrance of columns and cupolas and a huge church in its center. A stroll through the peaceful cemetery reads as a history of this complex, newly formed nation, which only achieved its independence in 1995 after four years of bloody war against its Yugoslav neighbors.

Looking for more places to explore? Visit our Croatia page here.