My Visual Travel Experience: Zagreb

I visited Croatia in 2011 and spent 3 days in Zagreb. I found it to be a charming town with some lovely churches and a large number of interesting museums. What I found particularly interesting is that Zagreb is divided into two parts – the Upper Town (or Old Town), and the Lower Town (the Modern Town). A funicular connects the two parts. The two parts of the town have quite a different character, and not surprisingly, I found the Old Town a lot more interesting.

Zagreb is a town with a population of 780,000 and it is the capital and largest city of Croatia. Croatia declared its independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991. Fierce fighting followed for the next four years, between the Croatians and the Serbs living in Croatia, who were assisted by the Yugoslav People’s Army. Post 1995, Croatia has prospered and gone on to become a part of the EU in 2004 and NATO in 2009.

Earlier in its history, Croatia was a part of the Austro Hungarian Empire, under the Habsburgs. It declared independence in 1918. Later, after World War II, Croatia was a part of Yugoslavia, along with Serbia, Slovenia, Bosnia, Macedonia and Montenegro. Tito held the country together until his death in 1980. Thereafter, the country’s split was inevitable, due to the unrest between the many different ethnic communities.

The Church of St Mark, in the Upper Town, stands out because of the tiled roof that has the coat of arms of Croatia and Serbia. The origins of the church date back to before 1256 . The church has a Gothic portal completed back in 1377. The portal has 15 figures, including those of Jesus, Mary, St Mark and the 12 Apostles.

Church of St Mark

Gothic Portal at Church of St Mark

Zagreb Cathedral dates back to the 11th century, but the present structure was built largely after a big earthquake in 1880. The cathedral has two spires that stand at a height of 105 meters.  The Tomb of Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac lies inside the cathedral. He was persecuted during the Communist regime, but was later beatified by Pope John Paul II.

Zagreb Cathedral

Virgin Mary Column, Zagreb Cathedral

Tomb of  Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac, Zagreb Cathedral

High Altar, Zagreb Cathedral

Pulpit, Zagreb Cathedral

The Archbishop’s Palace is right next to Zagreb Cathedral and surrounds it on three sides. The complex has multiple towers, built in 1469 to fortify the town against the Turks. The palace in its present form was however completed only in 1730.

Archbishop's Palace

The Funicular that connects the Lower Town and the Upper Town makes life a lot easier for tourists.

Funicular

The Lotrscak Tower dates back to the 13th century. Every day at noon, a cannon is fired and this practice has been on since 1877. The top of the tower offers fine views of the town.

Lotrscak Tower

The Stone Gate is a 13th century structure, and the only remaining part of an ancient defensive wall. Inside the Stone Gate is a famous painting of Virgin Mary, which survived a fire in 1731. It has since become a well known pilgrimage site.

Stone Gate

Sculpture, Stone Gate

St George Sculpture, Stone Gate

The Mimara Museum’s exhibits were gifted to the city of Zagreb by Ante Topic Mimara in 1972. The museum was built to house the vast personal collection. The works include paintings, medieval sculptures, archaeological finds, Ming vases and oriental carpets. A real treasure trove!

Mimara Museum

Mimara's Death Mask, Mimara Museum

Renoir's Bathing Woman, Mimara Museum

The Mestrovic Gallery is housed in a large building where the sculptor Ivan Mestrovic resided for 20 years from 1922 to 1942. Mestrovic (1883 – 1962) was one of the 20th century’s best known sculptors. After studying in Zagreb and Vienna, he worked in Paris and made a name for himself. He also spent a lot of his working life in Zagreb and Split. Later in his life, he moved o the US, where he taught in universities. He breathed his last there. He designed his own mausoleum in Otavice, where he was buried after his death. The Mestrovic Gallery has close to 300 of his works.

Self Portrait, Mestrovic Gallery

The Evangelist John, Mestrovic Gallery

The Croatian Gallery of Naïve Art was started in 1952 and has been housed in its current building in the Upper Town since 1994. The paintings feature strong peasant craft traditions. Peasant life is a common theme running across many of the paintings.

Kovacic's Woman in Winter Landscape,
Croatian Gallery of Naive Art

Generalic's Village Dance,Croatian Gallery of Naive Art

The Croatian Academy of Arts and Sciences was built in 1876 by Bishop Strossmayer. It contains a fabulous collection of paintings by old masters, including El Greco, Carpaccio and Lippi.

El Greco's St Mary Magdalene,
Croatian Academy of Arts and Sciences

The Museum of Arts and Crafts has a beautiful collection of applied art, including a collection of ceramics, glassworks, clocks and furniture.

Porcelain Figure of Children, Museum of Arts and Crafts

The Archaeological Museum has been housed in the beautiful Neo Classical Vraniczany Hafner Palace since 1945. It has artifacts and finds from all over Croatia. There are ancient objects, mummies, Greek vases and jewelry, among many other things.

Vucedol Dove (2,500 BC), Archaeological Museum

Zagreb Mummy (3rd century BC), Archaeological Museum

The Croatian National Theatre was completed in 1895 and is a beautiful baroque building. In front of the theatre lies the sculpture The Well Of Life, by famous sculptor Ivan Mestrovic. It has a group of bronze figures around a well.  

Croatian National Theatre

The Natural History Museum has a good collection of stuffed animals.

Mountain Goat, Natural History Museum

Dolac Market is a lively market in the heart of the city near the Church of St Mary, where farmers sell their produce, and fishermen sell fish. 

Dolac Market

Jelacic Square, named after Governor Jelacic, has an equestrian sculpture of the governor, and also a big clock. It is surrounded by commercial buildings and shops. Zagreb Cathedral is near by.

Jelacic Square

Zagreb Railway Station is housed in a grand building and has sculpture of  Prince Tomislav in front of it.

Glavini Kolodvor, the Railway Station

Zrinjevac is a large, green square close to the centre of the town, and surrounded by majestic buildings. It has a pavilion in the centre of the square.

Zrinjevac

All in all, I was very happy with my Zagreb visit. I was impressed by the sheer number of interesting museums the town had to offer. Zagreb served as a good base point to set off for the Adriatic Coast and the delightful walled town of Dubrovnik, which I visited from there.

My Visual Travel Experience: Istanbul

I went to Istanbul in 2010 and spent a memorable 5 days there. I had heard a lot about the architecture, the buzzing bazaars and the history of the city, and I was really looking forward to my trip. I was more than delighted with what I saw.

Istanbul is Turkey’s largest city and has a population of over 14 million, making it one of the most populated cities in the world. It is the only city that lies partially in one continent (Asia) and partially in another (Europe). The city was founded in the 7th century BC along the Bosphorous river, by a Greek colonist Byzas, and it came to be known as Byzantium. In the 3rd century AD, Constantine became sole ruler of the Roman Empire. He made Byzantium the eastern capital of the Roman Empire, and the “New Rome” started being known as Constantinople. In the 6th century AD, the city saw rapid development (including the construction of the Hagia Sophia) under Justinian. In 1261, Constantinople was recaptured and renamed Byzantium with the help of the Italian city of Genoa.

In 1453, Sultan Mehmet II of the Ottoman Empire took control over the city. The Topkapi Palace and the Grand Bazaar were built shortly afterwards. The Ottoman Empire reached its peak under the reign of Suleyman I. In the early 20th century, the Ottoman Empire lost territory in wars against Russia and Austria. It was on the losing side in WWI, and the city was occupied by French and British troops. Under Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the Turkish war of independence was fought and land was regained from the Allies. The sultanate was abolished in 1922 and the country was declared a secular state. The city was named Istanbul in 1928. Meanwhile, Turkey’s capital was shifted to the more centrally located Ankara in 1923.

The Blue Mosque is actually the Sultan Ahmed Mosque. It was completed in 1616 by Sultan Ahmed I as a statement of Ottoman power. The mosque has the capacity to accommodate 10,000 people at a time. It has one large dome, 10 small domes and 6 minarets (which was originally controversial, as it matched the number of minarets of the Ka’aba in Mecca).

Blue Mosque

Interior of Dome, Blue Mosque

Hagia Sophia was originally a Greek Orthodox church (from 537 AD to 1453 AD), then a mosque (from 1453 to 1931) and since 1935, it has been a museum. It has a massive dome, typical of Byzantine architecture. The church was converted into a mosque when Constantinople was conquered by the Ottomans under Sultan Mehmed II.

Haghia Sophia

Koranic Scripts, Haghia Sophina

Minbar, Haghia Sophia

Mosaic of the Virgin with Constantin
and Justanian, Haghia Sophia

Sultan's Loge, Haghia Sophia

Suleimaniye Mosque was completed in 1558 by Sultan Suleyman. The large mosque has a dome that is 53 meters high and has a diameter of 27.5 meters. A fire in 1660 and an earthquake in 1766 damaged the mosque, but it was repaired each time.

Suleimaniye Mosque

Interior of Dome, Suleimaniye Mosque

Work on the New Mosque was started in 1597 by Safiye, the mother of Sultan Mehmet III but after the sultan’s death, work was suspended and the mosque was completed in 1663. The mosque has a large courtyard. It once served as a hospital, school and public bath.

New Mosque

Carpet, New Mosque

The Grand Bazaar is like a labyrinth filled with numerous stalls. The market was set up by Sultan Mehmet II soon after the conquest of the city in 1453. The products on sale include ceramic ware, hookahs, oriental lamps, rugs and jewelry.

Ceramic Ware, Grand Bazaar

Hookahs, Grand Bazaar

Lamps, Grand Bazaar

The Spice Bazaar was built in the late 17th century as an extension of the New Mosque. Through its history, the market has been famous for specializing in oriental spices. Today, the market also houses stalls that sell souvenirs, food products, household goods and clothes, to name just a few.

Souvenirs, Spice Bazaar

Topkapi Palace was the primary palace of the Ottoman rulers from 1465 to 1856. Construction was done under the rule of Sultan Mehmed II. In 1856, the royal residence was shifted to Dolmabahce Palace. The huge Imperial Harem has over 400 rooms and housed the sultan’s mother, his wives, his children and their servants, who were eunuchs.

Entrance, Topkapi Palace

Dome Interior of Baghdad Pavilion, Topkapi Palace

Haghia Eirene, Topkapi Palace

Imperial Hall at the Harem, Topkapi Palace

Tower of Justice, Topkapi Palace

The building housing the Archaeological Museum was erected in the late 19th century. The collection was begun in the mid 19th century, but soon objects were collected from across the Ottoman Empire. The collection spans over 5,000 years.

Alexander Sarcophagus, Archaeological Museum

Alexander the Great, Archaeological Museum

Marsyas, Archaeological Museum

Treaty of Kadesh, Archaeological Museum

Tiles Pavilion, Archaeological Museum

Galata Tower is a 66 meter tall tower completed in 1348 AD. It was built as the Tower of Christ and was, at that time, Constantinople’s tallest building. The tower now has a restaurant and café, and offers a great view of Istanbul and the Bosphorous River.

Galata Tower

Dolmabahce Palace was the main administrative centre of the Ottoman Empire from 1856 to 1922. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey and its first President, lived in the palace until his death in 1938. The clock in his room still shows the time as 9:05, which is the time when he died on November 10, 1938.

Swan Fountain, Dolmabahce Palace

Clock Tower, Dolmabahce Palace

Lion Sculpture, Dolmabahce Palace

Basilica Cistern is a vast underground cistern. It was laid out by Justinian in 532 AD to cater to the growing demand for water. The cistern’s roof is held up by 336 columns, each having a height of 8 meters. It is an unusual site, but very popular with visitors.

Basilica Cistern

Medusa Head, Basilica Cistern

The Eminonu area is a popular hangout place. It lies close to Galata Tower, and has food stalls and boats. There are good views of city landmarks from there.

Boat, Eminonu

View of Galata Tower, Eminonu

View of Suleimanye Mosque, Eminonu

Church of St Saviour in Chora dates back to the 11th century AD. It has a beautiful collection of mosaics and frescoes.

Church of St Saviour in Chora

Interior, Church of St Saviour in Chora

Mosaic, Church of St Saviour in Chora

Orient House is a popular place with a cultural show that includes belly-dancing, music, and other cultural performances. One can enjoy a great Turkish meal there too.

Belly Dancer, Orient House

Drummer and Procession, Orient House

 Four Seasons Hotel is a luxury hotel that is popular with foreign visitors to the city.

Four Seasons Hotel

Istanbul offers so much to visitors thanks in no small measure to its amazingly rich and long history. The earlier Roman influence and the later Ottoman influence are both clearly apparent here, as East meets West like nowhere else in this very unique city! I really enjoyed my visit!