Basic facts about Zagreb

Zagreb is the capital of Croatia, and the largest city by population in Croatia. Historically, Zagreb has grown from two villages on the surrounding hills, Gradec and Kaptol, which form the core of today's Zagreb.
Zagreb is today, the administrative, economic, cultural, transport and scientific center of Croatia.
Zagreb is located in the continental central Croatia, on the southern slopes of the mountain Medvednica and on the banks of the Sava river, located at an altitude of 122 meters.
Climate in Zagreb is moderate continental. Summers are hot and dry with average temperatures of 20 ° C, while winters are cold with average temperatures of 1 ° C.

History about 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 1242nd 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.

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

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 the 1891.

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 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 (Hrvatski for New Zagreb), originally called "South of Zagreb (Zagreb Southern). [16] The city also expanded Westward and eastward , incorporating Dubrava, Podsused, Jarun, Blato, and other settlements.

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 Zagreb two rocket attacks that killed seven civilians.