Zrinjevac Park celebrates its 140th birthday

Although it is 140 years old, and it is a reflection of Croatian history, Zagreb’s Zrinjevac Park is also young thanks to the people who relax there, enjoying the beautiful flowers and rows of trees. Living a contemporary life, they travel back in time.

Zagreb’s Zrinjevac Park, named after Croatian Ban Nikola Šubić Zrinski, is celebrating its 140th birthday this year. The park was constructed in June 1873 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the victory at Siget, and the anniversary of the death of the Croatian hero Nikola Šubić Zrinski. It is located in the place of the former livestock fair. The park features 220 trees imported from Trieste in 1872 and 1873. Gas lights were introduced in 1877, and benches were included in the park three years later, in 1880. 

In 1984, a meteorological pillar was built on the northern end of the park. Zagreb’s citizens and tourists still use it, perhaps more than ever before, to check the temperature and humidity. Seven years later, in 1991, a beautiful gazebo was built in the centre of the park. Since the late 19th century it has been a venue for summer promenade concerts, which still take place today, evoking times past, while winters, particularly December, are reserved for music programmes dedicated to Advent and the festive season. The beauty of Zrinjevac, the first in an array of seven parks which form Lenuci’s Horseshoe, is complemented by fountains, the first of which was built in 1893.

The very southern end of the park features the busts of Croatian historical figures, which provide an insight into the Croatian past. Zrinjevac Park is located in the vicinity of beautiful historic buildings, which now house various museums where valuable works by globally renowned artists are safeguarded. Among them is the Archaeological Museum whose valuable holdings include numerous world rarities, and which juxtaposes history to modern city rituals in an amazing way. This contemporary park, located in the vicinity of Zagreb’s main square of Ban Josip Jelačić, owes its unique style and appearance to the historic monuments that adorn it as well as the hands of true horticulture artists who work hard to always make it look pretty and original.

Time spent in this wonderful environment that has existed for 140 years is always very relaxing and gives everybody the opportunity to have a unique and very personal experience of green Zagreb.