Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
KAPTOL
Dolac market at Dolac bb (open Mon-Fri 6am-2pm; Sat 6am-3pm; Sun
6am-noon) is a lively open-air enterprise north of Jela c i 5 , where colorful Croatian
products create a vibrant mosaic every day, especially on Friday and Saturday. Opened
in 1930, it is Zagreb's most popular open-air market and some say one of the best in
Europe. Fruits, vegetables, plants, and textiles are on the upper level, while meat,
cheese, olives, herbs, and more are in the covered area below. Fish and cheese are in
separate spaces to avoid olfactory over stimulation.
Tkal c i 5 eva Ulica . To the left of Dolac as you face the stairs leading to it, a
cobblestone street winds up a steep incline into the belly of the upper city. It is lined
with boutiques, bars, restaurants, galleries in rehabbed 19th-century mansions inter-
spersed with renovation projects. Tkal c i 5 eva is also home to Zagreb's cafe society, and
every evening the tables along this thoroughfare are full.
The Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary , at Kaptol 31 ( & 01/
481-47-27; free admission) is topped by 105m (345-ft.) twin spires that seem perpet-
ually covered with scaffolding. Work began on the exterior in 1990 and is ongoing,
but it can't spoil the grace and beauty of the Herman Bollé masterpiece, which has
become a symbol of Zagreb. Inside, the cathedral glows following a refurbishment that
was completed in 1988. Note the 18th-century marble pulpit and the sarcophagus of
the controversial Blessed Alojzije Stepinac behind the main altar. A Me s trovi 5 relief
showing Stepanic kneeling before Christ marks the Croatian icon's grave.
GRADEC
Gradec is the second arm of central Zagreb's civic triumvirate. Less commercial than
Kaptol, Gradec is packed with interesting museums and monuments.
Kamenita Vrata is a steep walk up a long flight of stairs to Radi 5 eva from
Tkal c i 5 eva and a few minutes more up a cobblestone path. Kamenita Vrata was one
of four entrances to the walled city of Gradec. Today it is the only gate that survived
a devastating 1731 fire. Just inside is a small, dark area that houses the Chapel of
God's Mother where a painting of the Virgin and Child is installed in an
alcove behind a baroque grid. According to legend, the painting is the only thing that
survived the fire and it is revered as a miraculous sign. There are a few pews in the dark
chapel where people come to pray.
Ivan Mestrovi5 (1883-1962)
Some say Ivan Mestrovi5 is Croatia's greatest sculptor of religious art since
the Renaissance. Mestrovi5 was born in 1883 to a peasant family in Vrpolje
and spent most of his childhood in Otavice, a tiny, impoverished village in
the rocky, mountainous interior of Dalmatia. In the early 1920s, Mestrovi5
settled in Zagreb, where he transformed a 17th-century house (Mestrovi5
Atelier) into his home and studio. After World War II, he immigrated to
New York, where he became a professor of sculpture at Syracuse University.
In 1955 he moved to a similar position at the University of Notre Dame in
South Bend, Indiana, where he lived until his death in 1962. Throughout his
career, Mestrovi5 was a prolific artist. His works are on display in museums,
public places (including Chicago's Grant Park), and at Notre Dame.
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