Kyiv has made friends with Zagreb: Klitschko and the mayor of the Croatian capital signed an agreement

Zagreb, which is more than a thousand years old, will now be a close ally of the capital of Ukraine.

Kyiv has become a twin city of the Croatian capital, Zagreb. The mayor of the Ukrainian city, Vitali Klitschko, announced the details on Telegram.

Together with the Mayor of Zagreb Tomislav Tomasevic, he signed the agreement. It happened during the summit of European mayors in Paris.

Zagreb has become the 14th city with which the Ukrainian capital has entered into sister city relations since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops.

Vitali Klitschko expressed his gratitude for the assistance. He hopes that the partnership between the two countries will continue.

“I am grateful to our friends and partners who support us,” said the mayor of Kyiv.

History of Zagreb and location

Zagreb is the capital of Croatia. It is the country’s largest city and the economic, cultural and political centre of the Balkan state.

The first mention of the city dates back to 1094. It was then that Hungarian King Laszlo I founded a bishopric in the settlement on Kaptol Hill. It was proclaimed a free royal city in 1242.

The Jesuits founded the first gymnasium and academy in 1669. This date is considered to be the foundation of the University of Zagreb, one of the oldest in Europe. Zagreb was soon recognised as the cultural centre of the country.

In 1776, the Croatian Royal Assembly (government) was moved from Varazdin to Zagreb. After that, the city actually acquired the status of the capital.

In 1851, Ban Josip Jelacic merged Gradec and Kaptol into Zagreb. During the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the city was called Agram.

The city was proclaimed the modern capital of Croatia on 25 June 1991.

Zagreb is located in the north-west of Croatia along the Sava River on the southern slopes of the Medvednica Mountain. The settlement is located at an altitude of about 122 m above sea level. The city is divided into two parts – the “Upper Town” (Gornji Grad, Gradec) and the “Lower Town” (Donji Grad).

“The Upper Town is a historic centre with old buildings. It is here that the following architectural monuments are located: the Baroque St Catherine’s Church, the Gothic St Mark’s Church, the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, the Palace with St Stephen’s Chapel, and the Church of St Mark with a mosaic roof.

“The Lower Town features modern high-rise buildings, numerous parks and art monuments, and straight and level streets. The centre of the Lower Town is called the “Green Horseshoe”, formed by beautiful alleys, squares, parks and fountains.

A special funicular can be used to get from the Lower to the Upper Town.