Ban Jelacic Square (Trg Bana Jelacica)
The basics
This huge, paved piazza is named after 19th-century Croatian war hero Count Josip Jelačić, memorialized in a bronze equestrian statue by Austrian sculptor Anton Dominick Ritter that anchors the square. Along the perimeter are department stores, bars, and cafés, the latter of which offer inviting outdoor seating during warmer months. There's always something going on in Jelačić Square, from a changing of the guard ceremony to art markets, yoga classes, street performances, and holiday festivals. It's a popular meeting place for walking tours of old town Zagreb, and nearly all city sightseeing itineraries make a stop here.
Things to know before you go
- Keep an eye out for buskers and impromptu street performances, especially in the evening hours.
- Free Wi-Fi is generally available throughout the square.
- Shop for fresh produce brought in from the Croatian countryside at the Dolac farmers market, located just north of the square by the cathedral.
How to get there
Ban Jelačić Square marks the boundary between Gornji Grad and Kapitol (both in the Upper Town) and Donji Grad (Lower Town). It is crossed by several of the city’s great boulevards, including Illica and Radićeva, and is a stop on nearly all Zagreb tram lines and city sightseeing tours.
Trip ideas
When to get there
The square is always open but becomes particularly festive in December during the annual Christmas market. It's also the site of a pop-up arts and crafts fair during the summer and a fireworks show and live music every New Year's Eve.
Monuments Around Ban Jelačić Square
Thanks to its central location and connection to public transit lines, Ban Jelačić Square makes an ideal jumping-off point for the exploration of some of Zagreb’s best sights. Within walking distance, take in panoramic city views from the Zagreb 360 Observation Deck, step inside the neo-Gothic Zagreb Cathedral, and take a ride on the world's shortest funicular up to Lotrščak Tower.
- Lower Town (Donji Grad)
- Zagreb 360 Observation Deck (Zagreb Eye)
- Dolac Market
- Zagreb Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Strossmayer Promenade (Strossmayerovo Setaliste)
- Museum of Broken Relationships (Muzej Prekinutih Veza)
- Stone Gate (Kamenita Vrata)
- Zrinjevac Park (Nikola Subic Zrinski Square)
- Croatian Museum of Naive Art (Hrvatski Muzej Naivne Umjetnosti)
- Lotrscak Tower
- Upper Town (Gornji Grad)
- St. Mark's Church (Crkva Svetog Marka)
- Croatian National Theatre (HNK Zagreb)
- Art Pavilion
- Museum of Illusions