Mediterrana

ZAGREB is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It has an area of 641,355 km2 and 779.145 inhabitants. Zagreb is the cultural, research, economic, political and administrative center of Croatia. Furthermore, it is the seat of the Croatian parliament (Sabor) and the Croatian Government.

The city with a tradition of almost one thousand years celebrated in 1994 its 900th birthday. The history, art and culture not only of Zagreb and Croatia but also of Europe and the world, can be seen by walking through the large number of Zagreb museums. Around thirty collections in museums and galleries comprise more than 3.6 million various exhibits, excluding church and private collections. 

The city offers rich cultural and artistic enjoyment. There are about 20 permanent or seasonal theatres and stages. The Croatian National Theatre is the most impressive building among them; the most famous of concert halls is the Concert Hall "Vatroslav Lisinski", named after the composer of the first Croatian opera. 

Numerous shops, boutiques, store houses and shopping centres offer a variety of good quality clothes. World famous Zagreb souvenirs include: the ball-point pen, invented by Slavoljub Penkala from Zagreb more than 80 years ago, or the tie, an accessory named after Croatian horsemen who fought on the European fronts from the Thirty Years' War in the 17th century up to the French Revolution, wearing characteristic scarves around their necks.

The offer of Zagreb includes good-quality crystal, china and ceramics, nice wicker or straw baskets, top-quality Croatian wines and gastronomic products. Zagreb hosts many domestic and international events as well. The World Festival of Animated Films takes place each even year, and the Music Bien-nial, the international festival of avant-garde music, every odd year.

The Festival of the Zagreb Philharmonic and the famous flowers exhibition Floraart (end of May or beginning of June), the Old-timer Rally, the Week of the Contemporary Dance, as well as Eurokaz, the international festival of contemporary theatre (in June) represent annual events. In the summer, theatre performances and concerts, mostly in the Upper Town, are organised. The stage on Opatovina hosts the Zagreb Histrionic Summer.

The city also hosts Zagrebfest, the oldest Croatian pop-music festival, as well as of several traditional international sports events and tournaments. On the Statehood Day (30th of May), a national holiday sometimes accompanied by a military parade at Jarun Lake, and the Day of the City of Zagreb (16th of November) special festivities are organised. Entertainment can be found in many discotheques, night clubs, casinos, etc.

Being an important European traffic center, it is connected by road, air, railway and bus to all major European cities and all larger towns and tourist destinations in Croatia. The international airport of Zagreb is located 15 km south from Zagreb in the town of Pleso.