We visited Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, and had a walking tour of
Zagreb’s Upper and Lower Town districts.
Railway Station
King Tomislav stands in front of the railway station with some trams passing by. Reminded us of Melbourne.
King Tomislav
Tomislav, or as he should have been called, ‘Tommy the Great, ‘ was Croatia’s first king and quite a hero. He became Duke of Croatia around 910—then crowned king in 925, reigning until 928 (a quick stint, quality over quantity, right!). During Tommy’s reign, Croatia decided it was a great idea to team up with the Byzantine Empire to take on Bulgaria. Things got serious when they ended up in the Battle of the Bosnian Highlands in 926, where they really showed Bulgaria who’s boss. Meanwhile, in the north, Croatia had a bit of a ‘friendly rivalry’ with Hungary. But through the tussles, Croatia managed to hold onto its territory and even expand a bit, thanks to the collapse of Lower Pannonia—proof that sometimes, all you need is a little chaos to claim extra land!
The Cathedral
The cathedral is the celebrity of Zagreb, always drawing a crowd with everyone snapping photos! Dedicated to the Assumption of Mary, it’s basically a holy shout-out honouring king-saints Stephen and Ladislaus, who were really popular back in the day.
The cathedral is typical Gothic—think of it as the medieval architecture equivalent of a prima donna. Its sacristy is like that fancy room nobody visits but everyone pretends to care about because, well, it has ‘great architectural value.’
With its towering spires reaching a lofty 108.4 meters, it sticks its head above the city—no one is hidden from it’s scrutiny. However, after the 2020 Zagreb earthquake caused one of its spires to sag, it’s currently under construction. So, while the other spire is standing tall and proud, one is in ‘the spire reparation ward’—hopefully enjoying some well-deserved downtime!
So, there’s this statue of Madonna chilling on her throne with Baby Jesus and two angels. It’s dedicated to the Assumption of Mary and also to King Stephen and King Ladislaus, who I assume are there for moral support – because who doesn’t need a couple of old kings around when you’re trying to save the world? This epic gathering started happening on September 26, 2013!
