The Parks of Donji grad
(The Lenuci Horseshoe)
Parks are a
quineessential feature of European cities, and Zagreb is
certainly no exception. Donji Grad is the lower portion of
Zagreb'"s "Old Town," located just below the former cities
of Kaptol and Gradec. The central part of this area is
surrounded by a horseshoe-shaped formation of parks,
creating a "U"-shaped green space just below Ban Jelacic
Square.The horseshoe was conceived in 1882 by Croatian
urbanist Milan Lenuci and the area is aptly named the
"Lenuci Horseshoe." The parks were designed between 1883 and
1887, at a time when today's Donji grad formed the southern
outskirts of Zagreb. The construction was helped by the
efforts to rebuild the city after the 1880 Zagreb
earthquake, and in 1889 the entire horseshoe was
finished—its two ends were connected by the newly built
Zagreb Botanical Garden. The park system consists of eight
squares aligned on three straight lines.
The photo to the left shows the eastern side of the
"horseshoe," while the photo to the right shows the eastern
segment.
There is also a version of
this tour designed specifically for VR headsets such as
Google Cardboard, and it works with both iPhone and
Android devices. It may be accessed by scanning on the
QR code to the left. If you are viewing this on a mobile
phone, you may access the VR tour by following this link.