Zrinjevac Park and History
Zrinjevac Park is an indispensable part of the city’s tourist visit and one of the most recognizable symbols of Zagreb. You can not come to Zagreb and not come to take a walk on Zrinjevac Park.
It is part of the so-called green horseshoe or Lenuci’s horseshoe, the urban complex made up of seven Zagreb’s downtown squares as Josip Juraj Strossmayer Square, Nikola Subic Zrinski Square, King Tomislav Sqaure, Marko Marulic Square, Ante Starcevic Square, Ivan-Antun and Vladimir Mazuranic Square and Square of Rebublic of Croatia including Botanical Garden. It covers an area of 12.540 square meters.
Zrinjevac got its name in 1866. Before its name was New Square. The park on this square was officially opened on June 14th 1873 at the place where people organized a cattle fair.
The city authorities made a decision to decorate the muddy and dirty place exactly on the 300th anniversary of the victory over the Turks. Anniversary was about the defense of the Siget. That was also an anniversary of the death of great Croatian hero Nikola Subic Zrinski.
The project for the renovation of the square was made in 1870 by the first modern Zagreb urbanist, Rupert Melkus. After reconstruction, he competed on the beauty contenst with the gorgeous square of Franjo Josip I. (later renamed to King Tomislav square).
Music Pavilon
In the middle of the park there is a music pavilion, which regularly performs promenade concerts and various events. In 1891 it was built by Eduard Prister at his own expense. Later, he donated it to the city of Zagreb. It was originally designed by Hermann Bollé.
Meteorological Station
In the northern part of the park there is a meteorological station. Being set up in 1884, it was also a gift to the city of Zagreb by a military doctor and amateur of meteorologist Dr. Adolf Holzer. The meteorological station measures moisture, pressure and air temperature.
The beautiful station was also designed by Hermann Bollé. He used Istrian marble as the material. Meteorological instruments were acquired in Germany, in the city of Göttingen. The clock was the work of the famous watchmaker at that time, König. Clock is very interesting mechanical device and it makes every day a full circle of 24 hours. The station originally had an iron fence around it, which was removed by the middle of the last century.
Zrinjevac park and 3 Fountains
There are also three fountains in the park – popular twins and mushroom. Mushroom, or Bolle’s mushroom was built in 1893. It is located in the northern part of the park. At the beginning, the fountain did not functioned well because of its appearance and a failed work. The water was drained from the pool, so that part of the park was constantly flooded. The Mushroom fountain was restored in 1975. The stone was replaced by granite and the defects repaired.
Apart from Bolle’s mushrooms, in the southern part two swimming pools were built in 1894 together with waterfalls.
The southern part of the Zrinjevac Park is the place for Croatian nobelmen. There were six busts of Great Croatians as Julije Klović (1879), Andrija Medulic (1879), Krsto Frankopan (1884), Nikola Jurisic(1886), Ivana Kukuljevic Sakcinski (1911) and Ivana Mažuranić (1911).
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