Ban Jelačić Square
Ban Jelačić Square features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Zagreb. Give it roughly ~30 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type square
- Suggested visit ~30 min
- Zagreb Zagreb guide
About Ban Jelačić Square
The grand central square of Zagreb below the two old hilltop towns, named for the Ban Josip Jelačić whose bronze horseman presides over it, with the Manduševac fountain and the city's favourite meeting points.
Ban Jelačić Square (Trg bana Josipa Jelačića) is the central square of Zagreb, spread on the plain just below the old hilltop towns of Gradec and Kaptol. It grew up in the seventeenth century as a marketplace near the Manduševac spring, and its oldest name was Harmica, from a word for a merchants' tax. In 1848 it was renamed for Josip Jelačić, the Ban of Croatia who led the country through the revolutions of that year and abolished serfdom.
At its centre rides the bronze equestrian statue of Jelačić by the sculptor Anton Dominik Fernkorn, unveiled in 1866, sabre raised. Removed by the communist authorities in 1947, it was triumphantly returned in 1990. The Manduševac fountain plays over the old spring that watered the city until the late nineteenth century, and Zagrebans still arrange to meet 'under the clock' or 'under the horse's tail'.
Did you know? Ban Jelačić Square began in the seventeenth century as a marketplace called Harmica, after a merchants' tax; it was renamed in 1848 for Ban Josip Jelačić, who abolished serfdom in Croatia.
How long is a visit to Ban Jelačić Square?
Set aside roughly ~30 min for Ban Jelačić Square. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Ban Jelačić Square worth your time?
Ban Jelačić Square is among the 13 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Zagreb, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Zagreb
Sources and further reading
Where to check the facts about Ban Jelačić Square and read more:
Day 1 of the Zagreb in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Ban Jelačić Square
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