Ribnjak () is a neighborhood in the
Gornji Grad - Medveščak district of
Zagreb
Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
,
Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
, directly east of the
Zagreb Cathedral
The Zagreb Cathedral (officially the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saints Stephen and Ladislav), is a Catholic cathedral in Kaptol, Zagreb. It is the second tallest building in Croatia and the most monumental sacra ...
. According to the
2001 census, the neighborhood had 2,956 inhabitants;
as of 2011, the population was 1,324. It is centered mainly around its main north–south thoroughfare, the Ribnjak Street.
tram tracks in the Ribnjak Road pass through the neighborhood, carrying lines 8 and 14. A
tram
A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...
station is located on the Grškovićeva and Ribnjak intersection in the northern part of the neighborhood. The southern part is served by the Draškovićeva Street tram
transfer station.
The neighborhood is also served by bus routes 106, 201, 226 and 238. All routes pass through Zvonarnička and Degenova Street, delineating the north border of the neighborhood.
Ribnjak Park
The Ribnjak Park is situated on the west side of Ribnjak Street at . Located five minutes of walk away from
Ban Jelačić Square
Ban Jelačić Square (; ) is the central square of the city of Zagreb, Croatia, named after ban Josip Jelačić. Its official name is and is colloquially called .
The square is located below Zagreb's old city cores Gradec and Kaptol, just di ...
, the park comprises the western part of the neighborhood. It is also the location of Youth Center Ribnjak and the Purgeraj club.
The park had been a part of the city fortification since the 15th century, but it was projected in its current form and built in 1830 by Zagreb bishop and architect Leopold Klingspogle.
The park was named after the fishponds in the area.
However, since late 19th century, parts of the park have been slowly chipped away to make way for new buildings and infrastructure, such as the widening of Ribnjak Street. From 14th century on, the size of ponds had continuously been artificially decreased, until the last pond (in the southern end) was filled and paved over to make way for Josip Lang Square in 1870. Until 1946 the park had been private property of the Zagreb archdiocese. After the World War II it was expanded and opened for public, becoming a prime location in the heart of Zagreb.
Although a beautiful tourist attraction during the day, after dusk the park has been known to turn into a youth site for
binge drinking
Binge drinking, or heavy episodic drinking, is drinking alcoholic beverages with an intention of becoming intoxicated by heavy consumption of alcohol over a short period of time, but definitions vary considerably.
Binge drinking is a style of ...
, as well as
gang violence
A gang is a group or society of associates, friends, or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collecti ...
. After a murder of member of a violent
football fan faction committed in March 2008, and an announced bloody retaliation by the murdered fan's gang, the City of Zagreb announced it will hire wardens to patrol the park 24 hours a day.
The Ribnjak Park was also the site of the yearly festival Park-in-Zagreb. In 2008, the festival lasted two weeks and hosted many well-known Croatian bands such as
The Beat Fleet
The Beat Fleet, also known as TBF, is a band from Split, Croatia, founded in 1990. Members of the band are: Aleksandar Antić (vocals, lyrics, samples, accordion), Mladen Badovinac (vocal, samples), Luka Barbić (vocals, keyboards, samples), Ognjen ...
and
Psihomodo Pop.
Since 2017, Ribnjak Park hosts the Crossover Festival, a boutique international music festival.
References
External links
Youth Center "Ribnjak"
Purgeraj club
{{Gornji Grad-Medveščak district
Gornji Grad–Medveščak
Neighbourhoods of Zagreb
Parks in Croatia