Kaptol, Zagreb

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Franciscan order have long history in Croatia, they established first monastery and the church as early as in the 13th century at the monastery which was abandoned by the Benedictins. According to some legends even St. Francis himself have visited Zagreb.
The first original church was build in the Gothic style but it was completely demolished in the big eartquake 1880. The church was reconstructed under the plan of Hermann Bolle in a Neo-Gothic style, as it is today.

This massive neogothic church lies in the Kaptol area and its Zagreb's cathedral.

The reason behind the style of the building is that it was rebuilt in this style in the XIX century after a destructive earthquake.

The cathedral site is centuries older than the present building. A cathedral has been built and destoyed by wars and invasions throughout the centuries.

Gornji Grad - Upper Town

Here we are at Gornji Grad, the Upper Town. The area in the picture is Kaptol with its pretty Central European baroque, typical from countries that were under Austrian-Hungarian rule.
This is what distinguishes Croatia from neigbour Serbia. Despite the ethnic and linguistic similarities, Croatia, a Catholic country, has a lot of baroque, while Serbia, an Ortodox country, has those mushroom-like Ortodox churches typical from the Balkans.
Both types of architecture are beautiful for me.
Another difference is in the alphabet: Catholic Croatia uses the Latin alphabet while Ortodox Serbia uses the Cyrilic (they also use the Latin one for practical reasons).

If you walk farther from this square, you’ll go inside the Upper Town. There are plenty of esplanades throughout the Upper Town where the slim Zagrebians come to chat and drink in the evenings.

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This beautiful fountain is one of Kaptol's landmarks. The fountain is surrounded by four angels and the water comes out of faces. It is very popular to have your picture taken with the fountain. It was made in 1873 by the Viennese sculptor Antun Fernkorn.

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Tkalciceva ulica, which lies in between Kaptol and the Upper Town, is one of the oldest street in Zagreb. Actually, it belongs to the Upper Town although great majority of the citizens considere it as a line which used to devided two ancient rivals, Kaptol and Gornji grad, before their unification in the city of Zagreb.
Tkalca is coloquial name for this pitoresque and very charming street which is one of the most popular pedestrian and nightlife areas of the town. Each and every house, of this relatively short street, is turned into the cafe-bar, restaurant, art-gallery or gift-shop. We use to say here, the days are very short here and the nights even shorter.

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Inside the walls of the Kaptol (the admission is allowed only on request) there is the Teological Faculty where many students from Croatia and abroad learn the teological sciences. In the central position you can see the chapel, which is not allowed for the public visitors, and the monument to the Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac-

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In 800 the Church of the Holy Cross of Nin (near town of Zadar) is inscribed with the Latin "Here the weak man is brought to light", and it is the first written sign that Croats have accepted the catholicism. In the 11th century Croatia is both officially and irreversibly Catholic with the reign of King Petar Krešimir (1058-1074).
The Zagreb Bishopric was founded in 1094, in a charter issued by King Ladislas I. Eversince that time Kaptol is the centre of the Croatian church and here on this picture you can see the seat of the Bishopry, which is situated right behind the cathedral.

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Zagreb was mentioned first time in writing in 1094, in a charter issued by King Ladislas I by which he founded the Zagreb Bishopric. The charter testifies to the existance of a much older settlement in these parts, so it may well be assumed that the city's history goes back more than a thousand years. Kaptol is dominated by the Cathedral of the Assumption of Virgin Mary and St. Stephen. Here we can see parts of the rampart with which the old Kaptol was fortified.
There was a church there in King Ladislas' time, as well as a Romanesque cathedral which was badly damaged during the invasion of the Tartars.
Kaptol is the odliest part of Zagreb.