Ban Jelačić Square

Ban Jelačić Square is the central and most popular town square.

The square has existed since the 17th century as the place of provincial fair and market, named Harmica. In 1848 the square was renamed in the honour of Ban Josip Jelačić (1801 – 1859). The statue of Ban Josip Jelačić on a horse standing in the middle of the square was created by an Austrian sculptor Anton Dominik Fernkorn (1813 – 1878) and it was installed on the 19 October 1866 by Austrian authorities. After the World War II, 1947 Communist government removed the statue and renamed the square Trg Republike (The Republic Square) accusing him of being a servant of foreign interests. Antun Bauer, the curator of Gliptoteka Gallery, kept it in the gallery cellar until 1990. In 1990 after elections in Croatia and public petition, the statue was returned to the square and the name has again been changed in Ban Josip Jelačić’s honour and his struggle for freedom and unification of Croatian provinces against Hungarians. The Square has always been the centre of city’s social life and most popular meeting point.