Croatia, Zagreb

Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of Croatia. Zagreb is the cultural, scientific, economic and governmental center of the Republic of Croatia. The city's population in 2001 was 779,145 (1.1 million in the metropolitan area). It is situated between the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain and both northern and southern bank of the Sava river at an elevation of approximately 122 m above sea level.

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 scoop up" or "scoop out".

Demographics

Zagreb is the largest city in Croatia, and is the only Croatian city whose metropolitan population exceeds one million people. Most people live in the city proper. There are 1,088,841 people in the Zagreb metropolitan area, which includes the smaller cities of Samobor, Velika Gorica and Zaprešić. The official census states that the population of Zagreb itself is 779,145.

History

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.
Modern Zagreb
The area between the railway and the Sava river witnessed a new construction boom after World War II.

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.

Economy

Zagreb is the most developed and the most prosperous city in South-Eastern Europe reaching almost 95% GDP per capita of EU.

The city of Zagreb has the highest GDP per capita in Croatia of 25,850 USD in 2006(the EU average was 28,114 USD). However, average income and prices are still somewhat lower than in Western Europe.

Zagreb, being a relatively large city situated on the fastest route that connects Central with Southeastern Europe, has great potential for investment and development.

Culture

The city offers rich cultural and artistic enjoyment. There are about 20 permanent or seasonal theaters and stages. The Croatian National Theater, built in 1895, is the most impressive building among them. The most renowned concert hall is named "Vatroslav Lisinski", after the composer of the first Croatian opera. It was built in 1973 and is visited by 760,000 people each year.

Zagreb is also the host of Zagrebfest, the oldest Croatian pop-music festival, as well as of several traditional international sports events and tournaments.

Education

There are 136 primary schools and 100 secondary schools including 30 gymnasiums.There are 5 public higher education institution and 9 private professional higher education schools.

Transport

Zagreb is the hub of five major Croatian highways. Until a few years ago all Croatian highways either started or ended in Zagreb.

The city has a well developed road network with several main arteries up to six lanes wide and Zagreb bypass, a full-profile highway encircling most of the city.

As of 2007, Zagreb has seven road traffic bridges across the river Sava.

Public transportation in the city is organized in two layers: the inner parts of the city are mostly covered by trams and the outer suburbs are linked with buses.

In 2005, suburban rail services were increased to a 15-minute frequency serving the middle and outer suburbs of Zagreb, primarily in the east-west direction and to the southern districts.

Zagreb Airport known as 'Pleso Airport' is the main Croatian international airport, situated 14 km south-west from Zagreb in the suburb of Pleso. The airport is also a main Croatian airbase featuring helicopters, as well as military and freight transport aircraft.