Tkalčićeva Street

Tkalčićeva Street, or Tkalčićeva ulica, is the pedestrian street that runs just north of Ban Jelačić Square along the foot of the hill below Zagreb’s Upper Town. It is one of the liveliest places in the city, lined from end to end with café terraces, bars, restaurants and small shops housed in low, colourful, nineteenth-century buildings, and it is where many residents go for coffee in the day and for drinks in the evening.

Historically, the street’s position is easy to explain. Zagreb began as two separate settlements on neighbouring hills, Kaptol, the church settlement crowned by the Cathedral, and Gradec, the walled town of merchants and craftsmen. Between them ran the Medveščak creek, which was a real boundary, and rivalry between the two communities lasted for centuries. A bridge across the stream, remembered in the name Krvavi Most, or Bloody Bridge, is said to take its name from the fights that broke out there. The creek also drove mills that supported the city’s early workshops. In the late nineteenth century the stream was covered and built over, and the former watercourse became a street. The name honours Ivan Tkalčić, a historian of Zagreb, and it is the reason the street follows a long, gentle curve instead of a grid.

Today the character is relaxed and sociable. By late morning the terraces begin to fill, and at lunchtime the street is a good place to try Croatian dishes such as štrukli, the baked or boiled cheese pastry from the Zagorje region, or to sit over coffee watching the city go by. In the evening the cafés and bars become busier, and the street is one of the main places for nightlife in the centre. The upper end has quieter corners, with narrow lanes leading up into Gornji Grad and a feeling of stepping into a more peaceful, old-fashioned part of town.

Nearby you will find several other sights. The Grič Tunnel entrance and the funicular route to Gradec are close, and the Dolac Market, Zagreb’s main open-air food market, lies a short walk down toward the Cathedral. Together with Ban Jelačić Square and the Croatian National Theatre they make an easy day of walking.

The street suits anyone who wants atmosphere, people-watching and an easy introduction to Zagreb’s social life. There is no entry fee, since it is a public street, and it is busiest on Friday and Saturday evenings and on sunny weekend afternoons. For a quieter experience, go in the morning, when the shop shutters are going up and delivery vans are the only traffic.