May 2026
Zagreb has almost as many sculptures around town as it has streets. These are some that caught my eye.
Kumica Barica
Kumica Barica now sits at the Dolac Market. It was sculpted in 2006 by Stjepan Gračan to honor all the ladies, or “kumice,” who sell their fresh produce in this area.
Saint George and the Dragon – Sculpted by Austrian Anton Fernkorn.
The original ended up at a nobleman’s palace in Vienna in 1853. A zinc cast was originally brought to Zagreb. This bronze copy was placed at its current location in 1908. I personally think that is a sorry excuse for a dragon.
Marija Jurić (March 1873 – November 1957) was known by her pen name Zagorka. She was a Croatian journalist, writer, and women’s rights activist. She was the first female journalist in Croatia and is among the most read Croatian writers.
The sculpture is of a fisherman fighting a snake. It was commissioned by Belgrade and created by the sculptor Simeon Roksandic in Rome in 1906. However, the following year, while en route to a Balkan exhibition in London, the sculpture was lost. A second casting was made immediately. The original casting was eventually found and was bought by the municipality of Zagreb in 1912.
Nine Views
Nine Views is an art installation that combines two separate installations. It began in 1994 with a sculpture titled Prizemljeno Sunce (The Grounded Sun) by Ivan Kožarić.
Prizemljeno Sunce
Then, in 2004, artist Davor Preis placed 9 models of the planets around the city to complete a model of the entire solar system. The models’ sizes as well as their distances from the Prizemljeno Sunce are all in the same scale as the Prizemljeno Sunce itself.
Earth
Mercury
Venus
Mars
I didn’t get to them all, but it was fun to track down as many as possible.
Gradjevni Pas Pluto
Gradjevni Pas Pluto – Construction Dog Pluto
Stray dog, Gradjevin Pas Pluto wandered into the construction site of The First Croatian Savings Bank in 18999. He was adopted by the crew and named by the architect, Josip Vrancas. Upon his mysterious death, the workers and architect honored him with a plaque.
Nicoli Tesla
Nikola Tesla
On one of the shortest streets in Zagreb, coincidentally called Nikola Tesla Street, sits this sculpture of Nikola Tesla. Tesla is a national hero in Croatia. He was born in 1856 in Smilijan, a village near Gospić in then-Austria-Hungary, now Croatia.
The pavement in front of the Nikola Tesla Statue
The mural was created by Croatian street artists and brothers Slaven Kosanović and Ivo Kosanović. The piece features stylized cats and is part of the “Everyday People” initiative, supported by the Bloomberg Asphalt Art Initiative and the City of Zagreb, to revitalize urban spaces.