zagreb

Zagreb is the capital and largest city of Croatia. Zagreb is the cultural, scientific, economic, political and administrative center of the Republic of Croatia with the houses of Parliament, President and Government of the country. The city's population in 2001 was 779,145. (1 088 841 in the metro area). It is situated between the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountains and the northern bank of the Sava river at an elevation of 120m above sea level, located at 45°48'N 15°58'E.Its favourable geographic position in the southwestern part of the Pannonian Basin, which extends to the Alpine, Dinaric, Adriatic and Pannonic regions, provides an excellent connection for traffic between Central Europe and the Adriatic Sea.The transport connections, concentration of industry, scientific and research institutions and industrial tradition underlie its leading economic position in Croatia. Zagreb is the seat of the central government, administrative bodies and almost all government ministries. POPULATION-------------------------------------------------- -----------Zagreb is the largest city in Croatia and the only one whose metropolitan population exceeds one million people. There are 1,088,841 people in the Zagreb metropolitan area, including the smaller cities of Samobor, Velika Gorica and Zaprešic. The official population is 779,145 from 2001. According to the local police department, which bases its information on the number of the applicants who wish to register to vote in Zagreb, the city had a population of 973,667.The majority of its citizens are Croats with 91.94% (2001 census). The same census has a population of 40,066 residents belonging to ethnic minorities. Ethnic minorities and their composition is the following: 18,811 Serbs (2.41%), 6,204 Bosniaks (0.80%), 3,389 Albanians (0.43%), 3,225 Slovenians (0.41%), 1,946 Roma (0.25%), 1,131 Montenegrins (0.17%), 1,315 Macedonians (0.17%), and the rest belong to other minor ethnic communities. CLIMATE----------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------The climate of Zagreb is continental, with four separate seasons. Summers are hot and dry, and winters are cold. The average temperature in winter is 1°C (34°F) and the average temperature in summer is 20°C (68°F). The end of May, particularly, gets very warm, with temperatures rising above 30°C (86°F). Snowfall is common in the winter months, from December to March, and rain and fog are common in autumn (October to December). ORIGIN OF NAME-------------------------------------------------------- -------------------The modern name Zagreb likely comes from the Croatian word "zagrabiti", which cannot exactly be translated into English directly; its meaning could best be expressed by saying, "to take from something with a hand or with an object". There are several legends about the origins of the name of Zagreb. According to one legend, a lady was thirsty and she took water from a lake (now the fountain) Manduševac in Zagreb. While she was taking the water, other people shouted, "Zagreb Mando, zagreb!" which means, "Take it, Manda, take it!". Another legend says that a Croatian ban (viceroy) was moving with his army through a deserted region and the soldiers were struck by thirst. In his anger, the ban thrust his sabre into the ground, at which point water began to pour out, and he ordered the soldiers to scrape the soil, or zagreb in Croatian, in order to get to the water.The verb zagreb in the sense of digging is also believed to have something to do with the name of the city as the city lay behind a water-filled hole (graba). This theory is supported by some scientists.There is also an interesting theory that Zagreb may mean a place behind a hill ("za breg"), i.e. behind the Sava river's bank, and then the name just changed into Zagreb. This theory is supported by the fact that Sava had once flowed nearer to the centre of the city. At today's Ban Jelacic square in the very centre of Zagreb, pieces of what was once a wooden boat have been unearthed.Some scientists believe that the name Zagreb is not of Slavonic origin, just as the name Croat is believed not to be of that origin. However, if the name does derive from Slavonic origins, then possibly the most acceptable explanation is the city za grebom, i.e. "behind the tomb". The tomb could be the one in Držiceva Avenue or one of many other still undiscovered tombs near Gric or Kaptol. HISTORY----------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------- Early 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 neighbouring 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 1242. 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. According to legend, Bela left Gradec a cannon, under the condition that it be fired every day so that it did not rust. Since 1st January 1877 the cannon is fired from the Lotršcak Tower on Gric to mark midday.The main square of the Gornji Grad is dominated by the Gothic church of St. Mark's. It was built at the end of the 14th and the beginning of the 15th century and a late Baroque bell tower was added later.Fighting ensued between the Zagreb diocese and the free sovereign town of Gradec for land and mills. Sometimes also for political reasons. The term Zagreb was used for these two separate boroughs in the 16th century. Zagreb was then seen as the political centre and the capital of Croatia and Slavonia. In 1850 the town was united under its first mayor - Josip Kaufman.------------------------------------------- 17th and 18th century----------------------------------------------------- ------------------- It was not until the 17th century and Nikola Frankopan that Zagreb was chosen as the seat of the Croatian viceroys in 1621. At the invitation of the Croatian Parliament the Jesuits came to Zagreb and built the first grammar school, the St. Catherine's Church and monastery. In 1669 they founded an academy where philosophy, theology and law were taught.During the 17th and 18th centuries Zagreb was badly devastated by fire and the plague. In 1776 the royal council (government) moved from Varaždin to Zagreb and during the reign of Joseph II Zagreb became the headquarters of the Varaždin and Karlovac general command. ------------------------------------------------------------ ----------19th to early 20th century----------------------------------------------------- ------------- In the 19th century Zagreb was the centre 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 1891. The construction of the railway lines enabled the old suburbs to merge gradually into Donji Grad, characterized by a regular block pattern that prevails in Central European cities. This bustling core hosts many imposing buildings, monuments, and parks as well as a multitude of museums, theatres and cinemas. 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.Working class quarters emerged between the railway and the Sava, whereas the construction of residential quarters on the hills of the southern slopes of Medvednica was completed between the two World Wars.From 1921 - 1931 the population of Zagreb went up by 70 percent — the largest demographic boom in the history of Zagreb. In 1926 the first radio station in the region began broadcasting out of Zagreb, and in 1947 the Zagreb Fair was opened. ----------------Modern Zagreb------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------ 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 (New Zagreb). The city also expanded westward and eastward, incorporating Dubrava, Podsused, Jarun, Blato, and other settlements.The cargo railway hub and the international airport Pleso were built south of the Sava river. The largest industrial zone (Žitnjak) in the southeast represents an extension of the industrial zones on the eastern outskirts of the city, between the river Sava and Prigorje region.In 1987 Zagreb hosted the Universiade.Urbanized lines of settlements connect Zagreb with the centres in its surroundings: Sesvete, Zaprešic, Samobor, Dugo Selo and Velika Gorica. Sesvete is the closest one to become a part of the conurbation and is in fact already included in the City of Zagreb. ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ - ECONOMY----------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------Quality land, favourable transit location and total municipal infrastructure, qualified labour force, scientific, expert, educational, health, financial, banking and other institutions, tradition in performing various services, size and quality of economy present essential potentials in Zagreb developing strategy.Most important branches of industry are: production of electric machines and devices, chemical, pharmaceutical, textile, food and drink processing, tobacco production and processing. Zagreb is important international trade and business center, and transports crossroad of Central and East Europe.The city of Zagreb had a remarkable GDP per capita of 23,730 USD in 2004. (the EU average was 28,114 USD). However, average income and prices are still somewhat lower than in Western Europe.In 2005 the average unemployment rate in Zagreb was around 8%, half of the national average.Zagreb, being a relatively large city situated on the fastest route that connects Central with Southeastern Europe, has great potential for investment and development.