Zagreb
capital city of Croatia
Zagreb ( ZAH-greb; Croatian: [zǎːɡreb] ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the north of the country, along the Sava River, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slovenia at an elevation of approximately 158 m (518 ft) above sea level. At the 2021 census, the city itself had a population of 767,131, while the population of the Zagreb metropolitan area is 1,086,528.
The oldest settlement in the vicinity of the city was the Roman Andautonia, in today's Šćitarjevo. The historical record of the name "Zagreb" dates from 1134, in reference to the foundation of the settlement at Kaptol in 1094. Zagreb became a free royal city in 1242. In 1851, Janko Kamauf became Zagreb's first mayor. Zagreb has special status as a Croatian administrative division—it comprises a consolidated city-county (but separate from Zagreb County), and is administratively subdivided into 17 city districts. Most of the city districts lie at a low elevation along the valley of the river Sava, whereas northern and northeastern city districts, such as Podsljeme and Sesvete districts are spread out across the foothills of the Medvednica mountain, making the city's geography rather diverse.
“Zagreb” enters the record as capital city of Croatia. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Zagreb, capital and city can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Zagreb” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Zagreb, capital and city provides the most credible route into that argument.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 23, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1435. VIAF identifies the subject as 123146146. The Library of Congress control number is n79116205. Authority coordinates are 45.813, 15.977. 2 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2021, 1134, 1094 and 1242.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Zagreb”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Zagreb primary sources, Zagreb archive and Zagreb research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Zagreb”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Zagreb” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.