Hey, if you are in Zagreb there is one more thing you should not miss. It is about one of the main symbols of Zagreb and one of the most popular tourist destinations in the city. Let me tell you a few fun facts every "Zagrebčanec" knows about the place.
The word is about Zagreb's Funicular which connects the Upper town with the Lower Town (Gornji i Donji grad) of old Zagreb. It is located in Tomićeva Ulica (at Ilica Street and part of the Lower Town) and the Lotrščak tower along with Strossmayer's Promenade which represented the Upper Town. This funicular railway is only about 60 meters long and is known as the shortest public transport funicular railway in the world! It started driving the visitors at the end of the 19th century and with some brakes has been doing the same up to this day. The idea for Zagreb to get one funicular like the other towns in Europe at the time came after observations that the citizens rather used Tomićeva Street to climb up the stairs in order to reach the Upper Town rather than Radićeva or Mesnićka Street that lead you up from the main square.
Location and how to reach it?
Go to Tomićeva Ulica which is the first street to the north when you walk through Ilica from the Main Square. You will find at its end (about 50 meters from Ilica) the Lower station which says 'Uspinjača' (Uspi-nyacha, which means "funicular" in Croatian). The other way to reach it from the other direction of Ilica is if you walk from Frankopanska Street (or Gundulićeva even closer) towards the Main square. You will also notice the famous and very good ice-cream confectionery Vincek at the corner of Ilica and Tomićeva. So take some ice-cream and enjoy the short but nice ride to the Upper Town.
If you are in the Upper town already and want to go down... just try to find the Lotrščak Tower and it's right there! You might be also walking along the Strossmayer's Promenade or... walking over Strossmayer's Stairs that lead you down to Radićeva and the Main square. So many options!
The ride and the price
The ride is pretty short, maybe 2 minutes if I remember it. But you can enjoy the good old feeling, atmosphere or "stimmung" in it and the view over the old buildings. Just like the old citizens did it for more than one hundred years!
The ride costs 5 kuna in each direction and during the winter holidays the ride is free for all! I hope they are not going to change this.
And that is it, folks! It might not be like the big and long funiculars of other capitals and famous places... but still Zagreb would be much less Zagreb without it.
Thanks for reading!
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