Ban Josip Jelacic Square

It is certainly abbreviated as: Ban Jelačić Square, Jelačić Square; locally it is also known as Jelačić-plac; the older names are Trg Republike (from 1947 to 1990) and Harmica (from the Hungarian harmincz – 30) because thirtieth was collected there, ie there was a toll booth where dachas were collected.

Various historical-political and historical-sports events were welcomed in that square. One of the most significant events is certainly on July 16, 2018 , after winning second place at the 2018 World Cup, where 550,000 people welcomed the Croatian national football team .

It is dominated by the statue of Ban Josip Jelačić, sculptor Dominik Fernkorn , today facing south. When the statue was first placed on the square in 1866 , it looked north, towards Hungary . In 1947, the communist regime removed the statue, and in 1990 , the statue was ceremoniously returned to the square. From after the Second World War until 1990, when its old name was restored, the square was named Republic Square.

On the east side of the square there is a fountain which is a modern version of Manduševac , or Manduša's well. According to the legend, Zagreb was named after the beautiful Manduša who, grabbing water from that well, watered the army that was passing by.

The square has not always been located within the city, but was an empty field under the walls of Gradec and Kaptol , inhabited by newcomers who were forbidden access to the city. With the expansion of the city to Ilica and Stara Vlaška , Ban Josip Jelačić Square became the narrowest part of the city. By 1975, car traffic was allowed on the square. Today it is the main city promenade where only the tram runs.