Lower Town Zagreb Attractions, Donji Grad
Explore the Lenuci Horseshoe Attractions in Lower Town Zagreb With 7 Squares and Botanical Gardens
The Lenuci Horseshoe or the Green Horseshoe is a stunning architectural feat and one of the best Zagreb attractions. It is a U-Shaped system of seven squares with parks and a botanical garden in downtown Zagreb
It gets its name from Milan Lenuci, a Croatian urban planner who was charged with developing the plan of Zagreb, Croatia a in the second half of the 19th century. In his plan, he added green space that included parks and gardens. The construction of the Lenuci Horseshoe coincided with the rebuilding of Lower Town Zagreb after the devastating earthquake in 1880 and the project was completed in 1889. The two ends of the horseshoe are connected by the beautiful botanical gardens, home to over 10,000 plants, lily pads with ducks and park benches where you can rest and enjoy the glory of nature
The map below lists the Zagreb tourist attractions in orange with an outline of the Lenuci horseshoe and the walking route is outlined in blue (A-I) starting and ending at the main square, Ban Josip Jelačića. Follow A-I for the walking route to lead you to the attractions in red. Details of the attractions are in guide below, download the PDF or INTERACTIVE map
Click HERE to access the interacting walking map and click HERE to access the PDF Map
Trg bana Jelačića, Main Square
The main city square is an the Austro-Hungarian stlyled square in Lower Town Zagreb. It is the true center of the city. The statue of the Croation hero Josip Jelacic on a horse was placed on the square in the middle of the 19th century. Official called Trg bana Jelačića, the square is particularly beautiful with Christmas trees and lights over the holiday season. Upper town (Old Town) Zagreb walking tour is available HERE
Croatia Republic Square
This is one of the largest squares in Zagreb, it is often referred to as the “most beautiful in the capital”. The square is famous for the stunning building of the Croatian National Theater that dominates the square. You will find Zagreb University to the squares north and Museum of Art and Crafts to its west. Two sculptures by Ivan Mestrovic “The Well of Life and The History of the Croats” are also located on the square. Formerly this square was known as the Square of Marshal Tito.
Mažuranić Brothers Square, Trg Braće Mažuranić
Named after Ivan Mazuramic, a Croatian poet, linguist, lawyer and politician, Mazuramic (as the locals call it) houses: the gymnastic society, the Academy of dramatic arts and the Ethnographic Museum to the west of the square. The museum houses objects of cultural significance such as costumes, musical instruments and furniture. The gymnastics society gained notoriety as the training site of famous gymnasts of Croatia and the former Yugoslavia
Marko Marulić Square
Diego Delso, delso.photo, License CC-BY-SA
Named after the Croatian National Poet Marko Marulić, this square in Lower Town Zagreb is dominated by a 1913 building once the Royal University Library and Royal State Archives.. Today it is the Croatian State Archives, employing over 160 people and storing 23 500 meters of archive writings, from 10th century to the present day.
King Tomislav Square
The King Tomislav Square is named after King Tomislav, who was attributed with uniting the Croats of Dalmatia and Palmonia into the single Kingdom of Croatia. It is a neat, well kept public space, lined with trees, dotted with flower beds and bordered by the imposing yellow facade of the Grand Art Pavilion. The Pavilion was built originally as the Croation Pavilion for the Budapest Millennial Exhibition of 1896. After the exhibition it was disassembled and transported to Zagreb Lower Town by train where it was reassembled in its current location. During the summer it is full of people soaking up the sun, lying on the grass, reading a book or enjoying a picnic. Don’t miss this popular attraction!
Diego Delso, delso.photo, License CC-BY-SA
Park Josipa Jurja Strossmayera
The square is named after Josip Juraj Strossmayer, an unusual combination of a Roman Catholic Bishop and a politician. He was also a benefactor, born in Osijek in 1815. Josip donated his collection of over 4,000 items. Some of these 4,000 items are displayed in this building. Dominating the square is the Croatian Academy of Arts and Science whose founder was Strossmayer. Josip statue can be found at the southern end of the park, between King Tomislav square and Park Zrinjevac. It is easy to miss because it is surrounded by trees; once you find it, you will be in the dead center of the park. The Croatian Academy of Arts and Science is a fine art museum showcasing beautiful items of Zagreb’s past and present. The showpiece building is a 19th century neo-renaissance building and well worth a visit
Nikola Šubić Zrinski Square also known as Zrinjevac
Neoneo13 / Wikicommons
Situated in the heart of Lower Town Zagreb, originally a cattle market, this square is the greenest of part of lower town. This square with its unusual mushroom shaped fountain and music pavilion is the venue for open air concerts and other outdoor events
Starčević Square
This square was named after Ante Starcevica, an early 19th century politician. It was opened by John Paul II in 1994 when he visited Croatia. It has the first Croatian underground mall called Importanne Centar, the mall extends over 31,000 square meters
Botanical Gardens
This lovely botanical garden is small but breathtaking . Zagreb Botanical Garden is the oldest university botanical garden in Croatia and was opened to the public in 1891. It is home to over 10,000 plant species from around the world and is protected as a monument to park architecture. Stroll around the winding pathways and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere as well as the beauty of nature’s fauna and flora
Hotel Esplanade
The Hotel Esplanade was built in very short time in 1925. It was designed and built to accommodate VIP passengers on the Orient Express and dignitaries from foreign countries. The hotel has became and still is a major center for society and political events.
Airport Transfers:
- Zadar Airport Transfer – Public Transport route and information from the airport to Zadar
- Split Airport Transfer – Public transport information from Split airport to main bust station in downtown Split
- Zagreb Airport Transfer – Directions to take public transportation from Zagreb Airport to downtown Zagreb
- Book in advance a Shared Airport Transport to and from Dubrovnik Airport to Dubrovnik Town
Croatia Travel Destinations and Guides
- Dubrovnik
- Dubrovnik Game of Thrones and Old Town Self Guided Tour – Follow the Map and Guide to visit the film locations for Game of Thrones, beaches and churches. The self guided tour will take you a full day if you also visit the beaches. Use the map and attractions guide to visit the attractions of Old Town Dubrovnik and the locations of the Games of Thrones Scenes. The map has picture of the sites and how they looked for the film scenes. The walking tour will take you ½ a day. If you visit Lokrum island and spend time at the beach/monastery/fort on the island, this will take you another ½ day to full day. Lokrum Island is the location of the City of Qarth in GoT and is a 10 min water taxi ride from the Dubrovnik Port
- Dubrovnik Day Trips. Spend a day at each of the villages of Ston and Cavtat a short distance from Dubrovnik. Cavtat is a charming village that was invaded by the Slavs. The inhabitants fled and were the original settlers of Dubrovnik. Visit the historical beaches and spend time on the beach or hike the Ronald Brown Pathway. Ston is a small village on a hill surrounded by a 7 km wall that is second in size to the Great Wall of China. It is famous for its defensive walls, its salt “mines” and its oyster bays. The oysters from Ston are well renowned
- Zagreb
- Upper Town, Old Town Zagreb – 15 must see attractions of Old Town Zagreb. Walk the attractions of Upper Town Zagreb, the self-guided walking tour will take you to the various attractions in ½ a day. You may want to explore some of these attractions in greater depth such as the Museum of Broken Relationships or climb the Lotrščak Tower. In that case the self guided tour will take more than half a day
- Zagreb Lower Town, Lenuci Horseshoe – Visit the 7 Squares and Botanical gardens in the shape of a horseshoe, including the under ground 31,000 sq meter shopping mall. A ½ day tour of the U-shaped system of 7 parks and Zagreb botanical gardens. The Lenuci horseshoe in Lower Town Zagreb is a short walking distance from Zagreb’s main Ban Jelačić Square and facing the main train station Glavni Kolodvor. The Square include pavilions, theater, museums, state archives and an underground mall amongst its many historical buildings dotted throughout the horseshoe
- Walking tour Zagreb Lower town and Grič Tunnels – A 2 hour tour of the tunnels under Zagreb old town; they were built as shelter during the war and are now used by the locals to cross Old Town or to go between upper town and lower town. Not only are they a short cut, they are cool in the summer and a welcome relief from the searing sun. Explore the old world war tunnels and visit the sights of lower town
- Unique and Fun things to do in Zagreb – Explore activities and places to visit such as Jarun Lake, the Antiques Fair or discover current events in Zagreb
- Split
- Old Town Split and Marjan Hill – Explore the Old Town Square, then head over to Marjan Hill. This self guided tour can take a whole day as the walking portion of the tour will guide you to attractions in the Old Town and then on to Marjan Hill. This part of the tour will take ½ a day. The tour will end at the beach where you can spend the rest of the day, take the local bus back or walk along the promenade back to Old Town
- Split, Salona ancient Roman Ruins – On the outskirts of Split, don’t miss the roman ruins of Salona, the birthplace of Emperor Diocletian. Step outside of the Old Town of Split and visit the nearby city of Solin (which is the ancient city of Salona, Diocletian’s birthplace). Then continue onto the town of Trogir. This self guided tour has instructions for local buses to take you on a route for a full day trip from Split to Salona (stop in Salona, then continue onto Trojir. Then catch the local bus back to Split
- Trogir, UNESCO World Heritage Site – This attraction is often overlooked. It is a charming, authentic village, a heritage city where the Old Town is on an Island. It is an easy bus ride from Split to Trogir, with a stopover in Salona (Solin)
- Split, Diocletian’s Palace – Not to be missed, the10 must see attractions in the palace to stop and take pictures. The Palace tour is a ½ day self-guided tour through the palace that will end at the market which you can explore
- Zadar
- Zadar Western Half – The old town is located on an island; explore the attractions on the westerns side of the island in this ½ day self guided walking tour. Attractions include popular attractions such as the Sea Organ, Greetings to the Sun and the Roman Forum / Ruins
- Zadar Eastern Half – Take a ½ day to visit the churches, parks and other attractions on the eastern side of Zadar Island. Visit the fish markets and green markets for fresh food and explore the cobblestone alleyways for a touch of ambiance and potential souvenir shopping
- Zadar islands – The Zadar Archipelago has around a 100 islands off its coast, many of them uninhabited. Visit all or any of the 9 popular islands in this map and use the attractions guide to the islands. You can rent a boat rent a boat with or without a captain, get a water taxi, take the ferry/ to visit the islands and swim in the Adriatic or anchor at hidden beach/cove
- Island Visit
- Croatia Islands – Rent or hire a boat to visit the 9 popular islands off the mainland. Visit 1 or 2 or all 9 islands for a fabulous day out to sea
- Hvar Island
- Hvar old town attractions and Španjola fortress (Fortica) – Use the self guided tour map and attractions to visit the popular sites in Hvar Old Town. The tour will take ½ a day to the major attractions in Hvar Town, including climbing to the Spanjola fortress that has been protecting Hvar for hundreds of years. However it could be longer if you want to spend time visiting the museums or spending an afternoon enjoying the magnificent views from the Fortress
- Hvar Island driving tour – Take the local bus, rent a car / scooter for the day to visit the numerous attractions on the island. This can take two days as there is a lot to see and do. It includes: wine tasting, visiting a cave monastery high on the hills, quaint fishing villages, popular beaches, hidden coves and harbours A great tour that will take you across the island
- Hvar Islands and Lavendar Fields Tour – You can rent a boat (with or without a captain) and visit the islands off Hvar Island. The Pakleni Islands are an archipelago of 20 islands off the coat of Hvar. They are known for beautiful beaches, charming village towns and secluded coves. You can take the bus to visit the abandoned villages of Velo Grabjle and Malo Grabjle,. It is a short bus ride or scooter/car trip from Hvar Town. Explore the fields of lavender and Olive Grove farms
- Getting around Croatia – Information on Croatian buses and ferries
