Zagreb

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Zagreb (pronounced [ˈzâËgrÉ›b]) is the capital and the largest city of Croatia. Zagreb is the cultural, scientific, cinematic, economic and governmental center of the Republic of Croatia. According to the city government, the population of Zagreb in 2006 was 784,900^[3] (approx. 1.2 million in the metropolitan area).^[4] It is situated between the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain and both northern and southern bank of the Sava river at an elevation of approximately 122 m (400 ft) above sea level.

Its favorable geographic position in the southwestern part of the Pannonian Basin, which extends to the Alpine, Dinaric, Adriatic and Pannonic regions, provides an excellent connection for traffic between Central Europe and the Adriatic Sea.

The transport connections, concentration of industry, scientific and research institutions and industrial tradition underlie its leading economic position in Croatia. Zagreb is the seat of the central government, administrative bodies and almost all government ministries.

[edit] Demographics

See also: Demographics of Zagreb

Zagreb is the largest city in Croatia, and is the only Croatian city whose metropolitan population exceeds one million people. Most people live in the city proper. The official 2001 census counted 779,145 residents, although by 2006 that number had grown to 784,900, according to the city government estimates.^[3] According to the 2001 census, there are 1,088,841 people in the Zagreb metropolitan area, which includes the smaller cities of Samobor, Velika Gorica and Zaprešić. However, non-city-sanctioned 2007 estimates place this number around 1.2 million.^[4] The majority of its citizens are Croats making up 91.94% of the city's population (2001 census). The same census records 40,066 residents belonging to ethnic minorities. Such ethnic minorities comprise: 18,811 Serbs (2.41%), 6,204 Bosniaks (0.80%), 4,030 Muslims by nationality (0.52%), 3,389 Albanians (0.43%), 3,225 Slovenes (0.41%), 1,946 Roma (0.25%), 1,131 Montenegrins (0.17%), 1,315 Macedonians (0.17%), together with other smaller minor ethnic communities.^[5]

[edit] Climate

The climate of Zagreb is continental, with four separate seasons. Summers are hot and dry, and winters are cold. The average temperature in winter is 1 Â°C (34 Â°F) and the average temperature in summer is 20 Â°C (68 Â°F). Particularly, the end of May gets very warm with temperatures rising above 30 Â°C (86 Â°F). Snowfall is common in the winter months, from December to March, and rain and fog are common in fall (October to December).^[6] Highest recorded temeprature ever was 41 Â°C (106 Â°F) in July 2007 and August 1983, and lowest was −27 Â°C (−16.6 Â°F) in January 1985.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Origin of name

See also: Names of European cities in different languages

According to a mainstream legend, the name Zagreb comes from the common Slavic word "zagrabiti" (English: to scoop). According to this legend, a city ruler was thirsty and ordered a girl named Manda to take water from Lake Manduševac (nowadays a fountain), using the sentence: "Zagrabi, Mando!" which means, "Scoop it, Manda!"^[7] Another legend says that a Croatian ban was moving with his army through a deserted region and the soldiers were struck by thirst. In his anger, the ban thrust his saber into the ground, at which point water began to pour out, and he ordered the soldiers to scrape the soil (Croatian: zagrebati zemlju) in order to get to the water.^{[citation needed]}

The verb zagrebati in the sense of digging is also believed to have something to do with the name of the city as the city lay behind a water-filled hole (graba). This theory is supported by some scientists.^[who?]

There is also an interesting theory that Zagreb may mean a place behind a hill ("za bregom"), i.e. behind the Sava river's bank, and then the name just changed into Zagreb. This theory is supported by the fact that Sava had once flowed nearer to the center of the city. At today's Ban JelaÄić square in the very center of Zagreb, pieces of what was once a wooden boat have been unearthed.^{[citation needed]}

Yet another interesting theory is that the Italian name for Zagreb, "Zagabria" is actually the true origin of the city's name. According to this interpretation Venetian dialectal name for the Saint Gabriel would be "Za'" (from modern Italian San) Gabria (Gabriele), and it was allegedly recorded in that form for the first time when a Venetian nobleman's daughter married a Hungarian nobleman's son and went to live close to an abbey of Saint Gabriel in the area of today's Zagreb (unconfirmed).

Some scientists believe that the name Zagreb is not of Slavic origin, just as the name Croat (Croatian: Hrvat) is believed not to be of that origin.^{[citation needed]} However, if the name does derive from a Slavic language, then possibly the most acceptable explanation is the city za grebom, i.e. "behind the tomb". The tomb could be the one in Marin Držić Avenue or one of many other still undiscovered tombs near GriÄ or Kaptol.^{[citation needed]}

The Austrian name for Zagreb was Agram. This name has fallen out of regular use in Austria since the fall of Austro-Hungarian empire. While Hungary still uses Zágráb, Germany and Switzerland stick to Zagreb.

[edit] History

Main article: History of Zagreb

See also: History of Croatia

Zagreb is a city with a rich history, with Roman settlements such as Andautonia existing as early as 1st century AD.^[8] The first recorded appearance of the name Zagreb is dated in 1094, at which time the city exists as two different city cores: smaller, eastern Kaptol, inhabited mainly by clergy and housing the Zagreb Cathedral, and larger, western Gradec, inhabited by other people, mainly farmers and merchants. Gradec and Zagreb were united in 1851 by ban Josip JelaÄić, who was credited by naming the main city square, Ban JelaÄić Square in his honor. During the era of former Yugoslavia, Zagreb was the main economical center of the country, and also its second-largest city, tailing Belgrade. After the dissolution of Yugoslavia, Zagreb continued to cherish, becoming one of the most important and developed cities in Southeastern Europe.

[edit] Early Zagreb

The history of Zagreb dates as far back as 1094 when the Hungarian King Ladislaus founded a diocese. Alongside the bishop's see the canonical settlement Kaptol developed north of the Cathedral, as did the fortified settlement Gradec on the neighboring hill. Today the latter is Zagreb's Upper Town (Gornji Grad) and is one of the best preserved urban nuclei in Croatia. Both settlements came under Tatar attack in 1242. As a sign of gratitude for offering him a safe haven from the Tatar the Croatian and Hungarian King Bela IV bestowed Gradec with a Golden Bull, which offered its citizens exemption from county rule and autonomy, as well as its own judicial system. According to legend, Bela left Gradec a cannon, under the condition that it be fired every day so that it did not rust. Since 1 January 1877 the cannon is fired from the LotrÅ¡Äak Tower on GriÄ to mark midday.

The main square of the Gornji Grad is dominated by the Gothic church of St. Mark. It was built at the end of the 14th and the beginning of the 15th century and a late Baroque bell tower was added later.

Fighting ensued between the Zagreb diocese and the free sovereign town of Gradec for land and mills, sometimes also for political reasons. The term Zagreb was used for these two separate boroughs in the 16th century. Zagreb was then seen as the political center and the capital of Croatia and Slavoniamayor - Janko Kamauf.^[9]. In 1850 the town was united under its first

[edit] 17th and 18th century

It was not until the 17th century and Nikola Frankopan that Zagreb was chosen as the seat of the Croatian viceroys in 1621. At the invitation of the Croatian Parliament the Jesuits came to Zagreb and built the first grammar school, the St. Catherine's Church and monastery. In 1669 they founded an academy where philosophy, theology and law were taught.

During the 17th and 18th centuries Zagreb was badly devastated by fire and the plague. In 1776 the royal council (government) moved from Varaždin to Zagreb and during the reign of Joseph II Zagreb became the headquarters of the Varaždin and Karlovac general command.^[10]

[edit] 19th to early 20th century

In the 19th century Zagreb was the center of the Croatian National Revival and saw the erection of important cultural and historic institutions.

The first railway line to connect Zagreb with Zidani Most and Sisak was opened in 1862 and in 1863 Zagreb received a gasworks. The Zagreb waterworks was opened in 1878 and the first horse-drawn tramcar was used in 1891. The construction of the railway lines enabled the old suburbs to merge gradually into Donji Grad, characterized by a regular block pattern that prevails in Central European cities. This bustling core hosts many imposing buildings, monuments, and parks as well as a multitude of museums, theaters and cinemas. An electric power plant was erected in 1907 and development flourished 1880–1914 after the earthquake in Zagreb when the town received the characteristic layout it has today.

The first half of the 20th century saw a large expansion of Zagreb. Before the World War I, the city expanded and neighborhoods like Stara PeÅ¡Äenica in the east and ÄŒrnomerec in the west were created. After the war, working-class quarters emerged between the railway and the Sava, whereas the construction of residential quarters on the hills of the southern slopes of Medvednica was completed between the two World Wars.

In the 1920s the population of Zagreb went up by 70 percent — the largest demographic boom in the history of Zagreb. In 1926 the first radio station in the region began broadcasting out of Zagreb, and in 1947 the Zagreb Fair was opened.^[11]

[edit] Modern Zagreb

The area between the railway and the Sava river witnessed a new construction boom after World War II. After the mid-1950s, construction of new residential areas south of the Sava river began, resulting in Novi Zagreb (New Zagreb). The city also expanded westward and eastward, incorporating Dubrava, Podsused, Jarun, Blato, and other settlements.

The cargo railway hub and the international airport Pleso were built south of the Sava river. The largest industrial zone (Žitnjak) in the southeast represents an extension of the industrial zones on the eastern outskirts of the city, between the river Sava and Prigorje region.

In 1987 Zagreb hosted the Universiade.^[12]

In 1991, it became the capital of the country following secession from Second Yugoslavia. During the 1991-1995 Croatian War of Independence, it was a scene of some sporadic fighting surrounding its JNA army barracks, but escaped major damage. In May 1995, it was targeted by Serb rocket artillery in the Zagreb rocket attack that killed seven civilians.

Urbanized lines of settlements connect Zagreb with their centers in its surroundings: Sesvete, Zaprešić, Samobor, Dugo Selo and Velika Gorica. Sesvete is the closest one to become a part of the agglomeration and is in fact already included in the City of Zagreb.

[edit] Area and population development

[edit] Economy

Most important branches of industry are: production of electric machines and devices, chemical, pharmaceutical, textile, food and drink processing. Zagreb is international trade and business center, and the transport crossroad of Central and East Europe.^[14]

The city of Zagreb has the highest nominal gross domestic product per capita in Croatia ($ 19,132 in 2005, compared to the Croatian average of $ 10,431).^[15] In 2004, the GDP in purchasing power parity was $ 28,261 (€ 19,067).^[16]

As of July 2008, the average monthly net salary in Zagreb was 6,228 kuna, about $1,356 (Croatian average is 5,234 kuna, about $1,140).^[17] In 2006 the average unemployment rate in Zagreb was around 8.6%.^[1]

34% of companies in Croatia have headquarters in Zagreb, and 38.4% of Croatian workforce works in Zagreb, including almost all banks, utility and public transport companies.

Companies in Zagreb create 52% of total turnover and 60% of total profit of Croatia in 2006 as well as 37% of Croatian export.^[18]

[edit] Cityscape

The most important historical high-rise constructions are Neboder on Ban JelaÄić Square, Cibona Tower (1987) and ZagrepÄanka (1976) on Savska Street, Mamutica in Travno (Novi Zagreb - istok district, built in 1974) and Zagreb TV Tower on Sljeme (built in 1973).

There have been many recent constructions in Zagreb, such as the Almeria Tower, Eurotower, HOTO Tower and Zagrebtower. Several new skyscrapers, such as Center Črnomerec, Sky Office Tower and the Tower 123 are planned for construction in 2008, along with proposed business districts in Kajzerica and Buzin, both in Novi Zagreb. There has recently been an announcement of high-rise development along the Jadranska Avenue, near Blato and Lanište, where the Zagreb Arena is being built.^[19]

Due to a long-standing restriction that forbade construction of 10-story or higher buildings most of Zagreb's skyscrapers date from 70s and 80s and new apartment buildings on the outskirts of the city are usually 4-8 floors tall. Exceptions to the restriction have been made in recent years, such as permitting the construction of skyscrapers in Lanište or Kajzerica.^[20]

[edit] Metropolitan administration

According to the Constitution, the city of Zagreb, as the capital of Croatia, has special status. As such, Zagreb performs self-governing public affairs of both city and county. The city administration bodies are the city assembly as the representative body and mayor and the city government as the executive body. The members of the city assembly are elected at direct elections. They elect the mayor and members of the city government by majority vote. The city government has 11 members elected on mayor’s proposal by the city assembly by majority vote. The mayor is the head of city government and has two deputies. The city administrative bodies are composed of 12 city offices, 3 city bureaus and 3 city services. They are responsible to the mayor and the city government. Local government is organized in 17 city districts represented by City District Councils. Residents of districts elect members of councils.^[21]

[edit] City districts

The city districts (Croatian: gradska Äetvrt) are:^[22]

[edit] City government

See also: List of mayors of Zagreb

The current mayor of Zagreb is Milan Bandić (SDP).

As of the the 2005 mayoral elections, the city assembly is composed of 51 representatives, presided by Tatjana Holjevac (independent representative) and coming from the following political parties:^[23]

[edit] Transport

[edit] Highways

Further information: Highways in Croatia

Zagreb is the hub of five major Croatian highways. Until a few years ago all Croatian highways either started or ended in Zagreb.

The highway A6 was upgraded in October 2008 and leads from Zagreb to Rijeka, crossing 146.5 kilometers (91.0 mi) and forming a part of the Pan-European corridor Vb. The upgraded coincided with the Mura Bridge opening on A4 and the completion of the Hungarian M7, which marked the opening of the first freeway corridor between Rijeka and Budapest.^[24] The A1 starts at LuÄko interchange and concurs with the A6 up to the Bosiljevo interchange, connecting Zagreb and Split (As of October 2008^[update]Vrgorac). Further extension of A1 up to Dubrovnik is in construction. Both highways are tolled.^[25]

Highway A3 (formerly named Bratstvo i jedinstvo) was the showpiece of Croatia in the SFRY. It is the oldest Croatian highway. A3 forms a part of the Pan-European Corridor X. The highway starts at the Bregana border crossing, bypasses Zagreb forming the southern arch of the Zagreb bypass and ends at Lipovac near the Bajakovo border crossing. It continues in Southeast Europe in the direction of Near East. This highway is tolled except for the stretch between Bobovica and Ivanja Reka interchanges.^[25]

Highway A2 is a part of the Corridor Xa.^[26] It connects Zagreb and the frequently congested Macelj border crossing, forming a continuous highway-level link between Zagreb and Western Europe except for the Slovenian part, which is still just a primary route.^[25][27] Forming a part of the Corridor Vb, highway A4 starts in Zagreb forming the northeastern wing of the Zagreb bypass and leads to Hungary until the GoriÄan broder crossing. It is the least used highway around Zagreb.

The railway and the highway A3 along the Sava river that extend to Slavonia (towards Slavonski Brod, Vinkovci, Osijek and Vukovar) are some of the busiest traffic corridors in the country.^[28][25] The railway running along the Sutla river and the A2 highway (Zagreb-Macelj) running through Zagorje, as well as traffic connections with the Pannonian region and Hungary (the Zagorje railroad, the roads and railway to Varaždin - Čakovec and Koprivnica) are linked with truck routes.^[29] The southern railway connection to Split operates on a high-speed tilting trains line via the Lika region (renovated in 2004 to allow for a five-hour journey); a faster line along the Una river valley is currently in use only up to the border between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.^[29][30]

[edit] Roads

The city has an avenue network with several main arteries up to ten lanes wide and Zagreb bypass, a congested four-lane highway encircling most of the city. There is much congestion in the city center during the rush hour and a daytime parking problem. Finding a parking space is supposed to be made somewhat easier by the construction of new underground multi-story parking lots (Importanne Center, Importanne Gallery, Lang Square, TuÅ¡kanac, Kvaternik Square, Klaić Street, etc.). The busiest roads are the main east-west artery, former Highway "Brotherhood and Unity", consisting of Ljubljanska Avenue, ZagrebaÄka Avenue and Slavonska Avenue; and the Vukovarska Avenue, the closest bypass of the city center. The avenues were supposed to alleviate traffic problem, but most of them are today gridlocked at rush hour and others, like Branimirova Avenue are gridlocked during the whole day.

[edit] Bridges

As of 2007, Zagreb has seven road traffic bridges across the river Sava. In downstream order, these are:

There are also two rail traffic bridges across Sava, one near Sava bridge and one near MiÄevec, as well as two bridges that are part of Zagreb bypass, one near ZapreÅ¡ić (west), and the other near Ivanja Reka (east).

Two additional bridges across the river Sava are proposed: Jarun Bridge and Bundek Bridge.

[edit] Public transportation

Main article: ZET

Public transportation in the city is organized in two layers: the inner parts of the city are mostly covered by trams and the outer suburbs are linked with buses. The public transportation company, ZET (ZagrebaÄki elektriÄni tramvaj, Zagreb Electric Tram), operating trams, all inner bus lines, and the most of the suburban lines, is subsidized by the city council.

The funicular (uspinjaÄa) in the historic part of the city is a tourist attraction. Taxis are readily available with the prices somewhat higher than in other cities of the region.

As of 1992, the state rail operator HŽ (Hrvatske željeznice, Croatian Railways) has been developing a network of suburban trains in metropolitan Zagreb area.

[edit] Tram network

Zagreb has an extensive tram network with 15 day and 4 night lines covering much of the inner- and middle-suburbs of the city. The first tram line was opened on September 5, 1891 and trams have been serving as a vital component of Zagreb mass transit ever since. Trams usually travel at speeds of 25-50 km/h (15-31 mph), but slow considerably during rush hour. The network is unique as it operates mostly at the curb.

An ambitious program is currently underway to replace old trams with the new and modern ones built mostly in Zagreb by companies KonÄar elektroindustrija and, to a lesser extent, by TŽV Gredelj. Dubbed "TMK 2200", 70 trams have been delivered in 2005–2007 period, and delivery of additional 70 trams is contracted and already started.^[32]

[edit] Suburban rail network

See also: Croatian Railways and SamoborÄek

In 2005, suburban rail services were increased to a 15-minute frequency serving the middle and outer suburbs of Zagreb, primarily in the east-west direction and to the southern districts. This has enhanced commuting opportunity.^{[citation needed]}

A new link to the nearby town of Samobor has been announced and is due to start construction in 2009. This link will be standard-gauge and tie in with normal Croatian Railways operations (the previous narrow-gauge line to Samobor was closed in the 1970s).^[33]