Most visitors head straight for Zagreb's hilltop Upper Town, but the city's 19th-century Lower Town below it is just as rewarding. This guide covers three places there that all date from the same burst of building around 1900: the Botanical Garden, the Croatian National Theatre and the Oktogon passage. They are also the first three stops of our Zagreb scavenger hunt, so they make a natural start before you climb up to the old town.
The Lenuci Horseshoe
Two of these places are part of a larger plan. After the earthquake of 1880, the city planner Milan Lenuci conceived a U-shaped chain of squares and parks around the new Lower Town, often called the Green Horseshoe. The parks were designed between 1883 and 1887 and the whole horseshoe was completed in 1889. It runs from Zrinjevac past the main railway station to the Botanical Garden, then north through Marulić and Mažuranić Squares to Republic of Croatia Square, where the theatre stands. Walking the western side of the horseshoe is the easiest way to link the first two stops.
The Botanical Garden
The Botanical Garden of the Faculty of Science was founded in 1889 by Antun Heinz, a professor at the University of Zagreb, and opened to the public in 1891. It covers about 5 hectares on Marulić Square, at the south-west corner of the Lenuci Horseshoe, and it still belongs to the university's Faculty of Science. It holds thousands of plant species, from native Croatian flora to plants from around the world.
Most of the garden is laid out as a naturalistic English landscape garden, with winding paths, groups of trees and ponds for aquatic plants. Near the greenhouse, by contrast, the flower beds follow a formal French parterre. The painter Slava Raškaj, known for her watercolours, painted some of her best-known works beside the ponds. It is the first stop of our scavenger hunt.
- The ponds with water lilies and other aquatic plants, the spot that inspired Slava Raškaj.
- The formal French parterre in front of the greenhouse, which contrasts with the informal paths elsewhere.
- The groups of trees and winding paths of the English-style section, a quiet break from the busy streets around the garden.
The Croatian National Theatre
At the northern end of the horseshoe, on Republic of Croatia Square, stands the yellow Croatian National Theatre. It was designed by the Viennese firm Fellner & Helmer, specialists in theatre design, and it was officially opened on 14 November 1895 in the presence of Emperor Franz Joseph I. The site, the former city fairground, was controversial at first. The theatre is the oldest Croatian theatre institution, with opera, ballet and drama companies under one roof.
The city's first theatre had opened in 1834 in the Upper Town, in the building now known as the Old City Hall, so the new house marked the move of cultural life down to the Lower Town. The building was closed for renovation from 1967 to 1969. It is the second stop of our scavenger hunt.
- The Well of Life (Zdenac života) in front of the entrance, a fountain by Ivan Meštrović designed in 1905 and set up here in 1912: a ring of figures crowding around a well.
- The richly decorated facade, best seen from across the square.
- The square itself, which was still called University Square when the theatre opened.
The Oktogon
Heading east towards the main square, look for the Oktogon, a covered passage that runs from Petar Preradović Square, the flower square, to Ilica, one of Zagreb's main shopping streets. It was built in 1898–1900 by the architect Josip Vancaš as part of the building of the First Croatian Savings Bank. Two arms of the passage meet in a central octagonal atrium, which gives the Oktogon its name. Like the theatre, it belongs to the years around 1900, when the Lower Town was filling up with grand new public and commercial buildings.
The passage once held Zagreb's only monument to a dog: a bas-relief of Pluto, a stray that kept the builders company while they worked. In 2013 it was moved to nearby Mirko Bogović Street, so look for it there. The Oktogon is the third stop of our scavenger hunt.
- The octagonal atrium where the two arms meet: stop in the middle and look up.
- The Pluto relief on Mirko Bogović Street, a short walk from the Ilica entrance.
How to see them in one walk
Start at the Botanical Garden on Marulić Square and follow the western side of the Lenuci Horseshoe north, through Marulić and Mažuranić Squares, to the Croatian National Theatre. From the theatre, walk east along the streets of the Lower Town to Petar Preradović Square and go through the Oktogon to Ilica, which brings you out close to the main square. Allow extra time in the garden in spring and summer, when the flower beds are at their best, and check the theatre's programme if you would like to see a performance inside.
From there our scavenger hunt continues uphill: the Dolac market, Zagreb Cathedral, the Stone Gate, St Mark's Church, the Museum of Broken Relationships, the Lotrščak Tower and the Grič tunnel. Doing the Lower Town first means you finish the day up in the old town, with views over the roofs you have just walked through.
See Zagreb with World City Trail
Our Zagreb scavenger hunt turns the city into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops, from the Botanical Garden to the Grič tunnel: the Botanical Garden, the Croatian National Theatre, the Oktogon, the Dolac market, Zagreb Cathedral, the Stone Gate, St Mark's Church, the Museum of Broken Relationships, the Lotrščak Tower and the Grič tunnel. All three places in this guide are stops, the first three on the route. At each stop you solve a puzzle and learn a story, at your own pace.
There is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Zagreb, for people who prefer a different format.
Play the Zagreb scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Zagreb →
Play the outdoor escape game in Zagreb →
Facts checked in October 2026.