Set in the leafy foothills of Mount Medvednica, Mirogoj Cemetery is a surprisingly pleasant and popular place for a walk. This final resting place of many notable Croatian figures also has numerous attractive pavilions, tombs and arcades, which are among the finest examples of funerary architecture in the country. Explore its peaceful pathways, admire exquisitely sculpted tombs and memorials and pay your respects at the graves of eminent artists, writers and politicians.
The cemetery is on the site of a villa originally owned by prominent linguist and journalist Ljudevit Gaj. After his death in 1872, the plot was sold to the Zagreb authorities, who enlisted Austrian architect Hermann Bollé to design the graveyard. Walk through the grounds and you'll see surviving pavilions and arcades from Bollé's original design, as well as decorative sculptures attributed to other well-known artists.
Consult the map at the entrance to find the resting places of prominent figures. Among the most well-known people buried here are Franjo Tuđman, Croatia’s first president, Croatian playwright Miroslav Krleža and NBA basketball player Dražen Petrović who was interred here following a tragic car crash in 1993.
Follow the paths through to the center of the cemetery to see the chapel, one of Bollé's designs. While you walk, inspect the surrounding graves. The cemetery accommodates members of all religious and non-religious groups. Graves bear symbols from many faiths, including Catholic, Jewish, Muslim and Protestant.
The cemetery contains many beautifully crafted sculptures, which is why it is often referred to as an open-air museum. Spend some time examining these pieces. Among the pockets of lush vegetation and scatterings of tombs and gravestones are works by artists including Dušan Džamonja,Antun Augustinčić and Edo Murtić, as well as a bust by Croatia’s most famous modern sculptor, Ivan Meštrović.
Mirogoj Cemetery is located at the foot of Mount Medvednica in the Medveščak district. It's about a 30-minute walk from the city center. If you don't want to walk, ride a bus instead. The cemetery is open daily and has no admission fee.
