Zagreb Cathedral

Zagreb's cathedral is the tallest church in Croatia and was for over a century the country's tallest building, until a Split tower overtook it in 2022 - a pair of neo-Gothic spires rising over the Kaptol quarter, visible from much of the city. The church beneath the nineteenth-century remodelling is medieval, rebuilt many times; the architect Hermann Bollé gave it the present towers in the 1880s after an earthquake brought down what stood before. Another earthquake, in March 2020, damaged the spires badly and one was taken down for safety. Restoration has continued since, with cranes, scaffolding and long closures of the interior. Around the cathedral run the round towers and curtain wall of the old bishop's fortifications.

What you actually see

• The twin spires - the neo-Gothic towers over Kaptol, currently under restoration and partly dismantled.
• The fortification walls - round towers and curtain wall built around the bishop's palace beside it.
• Kaptol square - the approach street of clergy houses, with a gilded Marian column in front of the church.
• The view from Gradec - the cathedral seen over the market roofs from the Upper Town terraces.

When to go

The exterior can be seen at any hour and the towers are floodlit at night. Access to the interior has been restricted since the earthquake and depends on the stage of works, so check locally rather than planning a day around it. Morning light hits the west front; the best overall view is from the Upper Town in late afternoon.

Honest expectations

This is a building site and has been for years. Expect hoardings, scaffolding, a missing spire and no guarantee of getting inside; photographs taken before 2020 do not match what is there now. The square in front is often partly closed. Anyone who has come specifically for the interior should have an alternative in mind and treat the cathedral as a silhouette.

Nearby

Dolac market is directly below, and the Upper Town is a few minutes' walk uphill.