Zagreb City Day: Celebration May Begin
Do you have any plans for 31 May? We are inviting you to a special birthday celebration because the City of Zagreb is celebrating!
The last day in May is a special day for citizens and visitors of Zagreb – it is the Zagreb City Day. The life in the city will be marked by it once again this year, and the fact that the celebration takes place on a Sunday will certainly contribute to the festive atmosphere and increase the number of visitors.
Zagreb is a city with a long history, which is visible on every walk along its streets. The historical city centre was built on two hills in the Middle Ages. The two hills were secular Gradec, which is the Upper Town today, and the religious Kaptol, which is where another symbol of the city, the cathedral, is located. Among many significant years, those that should be underlined are 1094 when the Zagreb diocese was established in Kaptol, and 1242 when King Bela IV granted Zagreb the status of a free city in a charter.
The Zagreb City Day is celebrated in memory of a special event and the legend linked to it. On 31 May 1731, the painting of the city’s divine patron Our Lady of the Stone Gate miraculously survived a large fire. In memory of this event, every year there is a candlelit procession carrying the painting of Our Lady of the Stone Gate starting from the Cathedral, moving across Ban Josip Jelačić Square, via Radićeva Street, whose final stop is at the Stone Gate and the votive chapel.
The procession, which only takes place on this particular date of the year, attracts a lot of attention of citizens of Zagreb and its visitors. They are also drawn to the solemn changing of the Guard by the Honorary Company of the Cravat Regiment.
In addition to religious and historical events, the Zagreb City Day will also be marked by numerous cultural, entertaining and tourist happenings. Free of charge, themed tours of the city in several languages have already become a tradition, but there are other surprises. Unexpected encounters with street performers, songs and dances, magicians’ and jugglers’ acts will accompany you on your stroll on this very special dan in Zagreb.