Last week I spoke about the medieval Upper Town of Zagreb, Croatia, so this week we will explore Zagreb's Lower Town known for more of the "culture" and natural green space of the city. This part of town is now considered the center of business, shopping, art, museums and spacious parks. The majority of this part of the city was set up during the Habsburg rule so there is strong evidence of Austro-Hungarian influence. The elegant and magnificent Austro-Hungarian buildings dress the majority of this part of the city - although there are some architectural surprises along the way too.
Zagreb is a city with 50 museums and 20 theaters, which may not seem out of the ordinary but Zagreb only has one million inhabitants. So, 50 museums and 20 theaters now seem much more impressive in my opinion. As you might've already guessed, the majority of these are in Lower Town including the National Theater. To the south in Lower Town, there are also the beautiful parks and the Botanical Gardens (don't worry, we'll get to those).
There are obviously too many museums to list so I will highlight just a few. Some are notable even for the beauty of the buildings like the Croatian School Museum, which surprisingly resembled the National Croatian Theater. Some of the buildings in Lower Town are not even museums but are incredibly interesting to look at with their meticulous detail and beautiful designs. All are a sharp contrast to what you see in Upper Town. It's interesting to me how two parts of one city can look so different.
Mimara is the largest museum in Zagreb set up when a wealthy Croatian businessman and art collector, Ant Topić Mimara, donated his vast collection of almost 4,00 pieces to his homeland and the Croatian people. The works displayed are in chronological order from prehistoric to modern day from all parts of the world. Some highlights include original paintings from Rembrandt, Ruben, Renoir, and Raphael. It also houses sculptures, crafts, and much more. As with many museums in Europe, it is closed on Mondays so plan accordingly if this is a must-see for you. The museum is housed in an enormously beautiful Neo-Renaissance building built in 1895. The outside of the building is a work of art in itself if you ask me, and complements its interior artifacts wonderfully.
The Ethnographic Museum is said to be the most important museum of its kind in Croatia. Only a small percentage (2, 800 piece) of the museum's entire collection (80,000 pieces) is on display but they focus on Croatian culture through jewelry, musical instruments, furnishings, tools, and traditional/ceremonial dress. You will learn more about true Croatian culture walking through this museum than anything else!
The Museum of Arts & Crafts (don't let the name fool you) should not be overlooked either. I found this most interesting and was my personal favorite. It was established in 1880 and its displays feature Croatia's cultural history and its place within other European countries. There are three floors beginning with the 1st floor (14th century), then moving to the 2nd floor (19th-20th century) and working up through the 21st century on the 3rd floor. The 3rd floor also features clocks from all time periods and, in fact, is one of the most extensive time piece collections in Europe. The museum has a friendly restaurant downstairs with more varied menu options than traditional museum cafes. We greatly enjoyed a late lunch there, which was perfect after walking through this gorgeous museum.
Now the Croatian National Theater isn't technically a museum but, in my eyes, it certainly could be in that category - the building was gorgeous and the history of it is museum-worthy. It is a symbol (if not THE symbol) of Zagreb. It was built in the late 19th century and personally opened by the grand Habsburg himself, Emperor Franz-Joseph I, as a blend of Baroque and Rococo style. This beautifully vibrant, yellow building stands at the beginning of the "green" horseshoe" and is stunning to see in person (especially with the surrounding scenery).
One of the things that struck me about Lower Town were the numerous parks and open green spaces. Today Zagreb has 30 parks with cover a total area of about 400,000 square meters. The tall chestnut trees are quite noticeable due to the size - many are over 150 years old and are actually protected by the Croatian government due to their size. A prime example of this important green space is a complex series of parks in the center of Zagreb Lower Town, called the Green Horseshoe. This unique park unites seven squares on three sides in the form of the letter "U" and with its green space frame the urban blocks of the Lower Town.
The most notable of the parks within this "horseshoe" is The Botanical Gardens (told you we'd talk about it), which is an English style garden designed in 1890. The garden is 540,000 square feet and contains over 6,000 plant species. Its wonderful paths link artificial ponds, rock gardens, and glass houses nestled between all the flowers and trees. No wonder it is a popular place just to take a leisurely stroll. I loved walking around the parks in Lower Town watching how all the travelers and locals alike were enjoying their time in the fresh air.
There are electric trams that allow you to easily get from place to place throughout Zagreb, but we found ourselves walking most of the time. In general, it's my favorite we to get to know any city I'm exploring. But having the option for easy transportation is always nice too.
We finished off our day with a traditional Croatian evening. We did something similar in Slovenia (and we really enjoyed that) so I was extremely excited to be able to have a similar experience in Zagreb. The festivities took place at the Restoran Pod Mirnim Krovom (Under the Peaceful Roof Restaurant). We were greeted outside by a group of young and enthusiastic entertainers called the Hearts of Zagreb wearing traditional fold costumes and playing instruments - I just knew we were in for lots of fun! The evening started with a nice wine tasting and Croatian appetizers - my favorite was a delicious dish called Zagorski Strukli (a dough baked with savory filling). During dinner, we watched the entertainers dance, sing, and play traditional instruments and after dinner we were invited to dance and play native games (similar to the Slovenian games we played before). Our experience in Croatia was taken to another level by becoming truly involved in the culture.
This day in Zagreb, Croatia provided us with a mix of both new and old Croatian culture and we enjoyed both to say the least! The next day we headed to see another part of traditional Croatia, stepping bak in time to see how people actually lived int he villages way back when. I will see you all next week though to tell you more about that.
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