ZAGREB MILITARY HISTORY TOUR – 21K

Embark on an eye-opening 21km run through Zagreb’s rich and often dark military history. We begin at the iconic Ban Jelačić Square, where the tumultuous 20th century unfolded amid multiple regime changes to the backdrop of war.

Heading east, we pass the intersection of Vlaška and Draškovićeva streets, sites scarred by a devastating missile attack during the closing stages of Croatia’s War of Independence in spring 1995.

Reaching Maksimir Park, a lush and beloved spot for runners today, we pause to uncover its hidden shadows. Like nearby Dotrščina Park, Maksimir harbours a grim past as the site of numerous wartime executions and mass graves. Among them, we’ll visit a particularly unusual grave—belonging to a Croatian soldier shot while fleeing in 1945. Taken in by a local family, he succumbed to his wounds and was buried here, his grave lovingly tended by generations since.

Following the Bliznec stream down to Dubrava, we stop at a chilling and often overlooked site where 16 Partisans were hanged by fascists — a haunting reminder of the brutal realities once faced in this now bustling city area.

Though Zagreb is dotted with plaques commemorating wartime resistance, we’ll visit an unmarked building on Kralj Zvonimir Street, once the headquarters of the Nazi-aligned fascist secret police. Nearby, we’ll see an art gallery which was converted into a mosque during the Second World War, in an attempt to curry favour with Croatia’s Muslim population and is still informally known the “the mosque” by Zagreb’s residents.

The most westerly stop on our run is a hidden Regelbau bunker. One of many constructed by the Nazis, this one in the Črnomerec neighbourhood has been largely forgotten. Today it is camouflaged beneath overgrowth and tucked away from the city’s gaze, but the bunker’s massive walls stand as a stark testament to the intense events Zagreb endured.

Our final point of interest is the bizarre Grič Tunnel. We will run through this 350-metre-long, arrow-straight concrete passage with goes directly beneath the city centre. Built by the fascist regime as an air-raid shelter to protect against Allied bombings, the tunnel was largely forgotten for decades before being recently and reopened.

Blending jogging and storytelling, this run offers a meaningful narrative to many of the trials and resilience that have shaped the Zagreb we see around us today.

PICK-UP SERVICE
Pick-up service from your hotel/apartment or another meeting point is possible and will be checked by the tour provider individually. If your hotel/apartment should be too far away from the city centre or not close to the tour route, then we will meet you at our standard meeting point.

MEETING DETAILS
The tour provider will get in contact with you to provide you with more detailed information after the tour was booked. Please, bring along your mobile phone in case we need to contact each other.

WHAT IS INCLUDED?

• Private guide/tour
• Individual pace
• Digital photos
• Tour route
• Pick-up service
• Water