Perhaps you did not know…

Zagreb’s streets and squares keep many secrets - historic and contemporary, visible and invisible… Some of them can be discovered by just sitting in a café or on a park bench; for the others, one has to consult specialist tourist guides. Let’s discover them together!

Among Zagreb’s numerous attractions, archaeologists and other history aficionados are fascinated by the fact that a genuine Egyptian mummy can be seen at the Archaeological Museum. The mummy, Nesi-hensu, the wife of Paher-hensu, “the divine tailor”, was originally wrapped in linen bandages completely covered with Etruscan writing. This is the famous Linen Book of Zagreb, the longest preserved manuscript in that language. Zagreb also has its mammoth, which was discovered in the early 20th century, right in the city centre – on Frankopanska Street. The hip bone of a six-metre tall woolly mammoth that had inhabited the planet 15,000 years ago was discovered here during the construction of Helios Cinema. Mammoth remains are in a precious short supply these days, so to honour that one rare find, the stage of the Chamber Theatre Gavella, located on the onetime site of the mammoth discovery, was named the Mamut (Mammoth) Stage. 

Revealing Zagreb’s more peculiar facets is the fact that it boasts a chapel dedicated to the thief St. Dismas. According to the Bible, he was one of the thieves crucified alongside Jesus. Onetime citizens of Zagreb believed that it was not a coincidence that the location of the chapel was the epicentre of the devastating earthquake in 1880.

Some of Zagreb’s secrets are tied directly to its hospitality. For example, the coat-of-arms of Zagreb features an open door – a symbol of welcome, protection and shelter offered to travellers. Moreover, Zagreb was one of the stops en route of the famous Orient Express, which operated between Paris and Istanbul. In 1925, the Esplanade Hotel was built for its passengers and it quickly became the hub of Zagreb’s social life. Over the years it has served as the accommodation of choice for many discerning guests and the world’s greats. 

All of the above is hardly enough information about Zagreb’s attractions which, for that matter, are best discovered on the spot and in person.