[31] Some linguists (e.g. Nada Klaić, Miroslav Kravar) propose a metathesis of *Zabreg, which would originate from Old Slavic breg (see Proto-Slavic *bergъ) in the sense of "riverbank", referring to River Sava.

This metathesis has been attested in Kajkavian,[32] but the meaning of "riverbank" is lost in modern Croatian and folk etymology associates it instead with breg "hill", ostensibly referring to Medvednica.

A folk legend illustrating this derivation, attested but discarded as a serious etymology by Ivan Tkalčić, ties the name to a drought of the early 14th century, during which Augustin Kažotić (c. 1260–1323) is said to have dug a well which miraculously produced water.

[34] In another legend,[35][36][37][38][39] a city governor is thirsty and orders a girl named Manda to "scoop" water from the Manduševac well (nowadays a fountain in Ban Jelačić Square), using the imperative: Zagrabi, Mando!

[45] As a sign of gratitude for offering him a safe haven from the Mongols, the Croatian and Hungarian King Béla IV granted Gradec the Golden Bull of 1242, which gave its citizens exemption from county rule and autonomy, as well as their own judicial system.

The construction of railway lines enabled the old suburbs to merge gradually into Donji Grad, characterized by a regular block pattern that prevails in Central European cities.

Compared to these cities, however, Zagreb has fewer rainy days, but the annual rainfall is higher due to heavier showers occurring mainly in late spring and summer.

[69] The wider Zagreb area has been continuously inhabited since the prehistoric period, as witnessed by archaeological findings in the Veternica cave from the Paleolithic and excavation of the remains of the Roman Andautonia near the present village of Šćitarjevo.

To the north is the Medvednica Mountain (Croatian: Zagrebačka gora), with its highest peak Sljeme (1,035 m), where one of the tallest structures in Croatia, Zagreb TV Tower is located.

From the summit, weather permitting, the vista reaches as far as Velebit Range along Croatia's rocky northern coast, as well as the snow-capped peaks of the towering Julian Alps in neighboring Slovenia.

The same census records around 49,605 residents belonging to ethnic minorities: 12,035 Serbs (1.57%), 6,566 Bosniaks (0.86%), 3,475 Albanians (0.45%), 2,167 Romani (0.28%), 1,312 Slovenes (0.17%), 1,036 Macedonians (0.15%), 865 Montenegrins (0.11%), and a number of other smaller communities.

There are many interesting sights and happenings for tourists to attend in Zagreb, for example, the two statues of Saint George, one at the Republic of Croatia Square, the other at the Stone Gate, where the image of the Virgin Mary is said to be the only thing that did not burn in the 17th-century fire.

The historical part of the city to the north of Ban Jelačić Square is composed of the Gornji Grad and Kaptol, a medieval urban complex of churches, palaces, museums, galleries and government buildings that are popular with tourists on sightseeing tours.

The historic district can be reached on foot, starting from the Ban Jelačić Square, the center of Zagreb, or by a funicular on nearby Tomićeva Street.

Each Saturday, (from April until the end of September), on St. Mark's Square in the Upper town, tourists can meet members of the Order of The Silver Dragon (Red Srebrnog Zmaja), who reenact famous historical conflicts between Gradec and Kaptol.

Zagreb's offerings include crystal, china and ceramics, wicker or straw baskets, and top-quality Croatian wines and gastronomic products.

Domestic products which deserve to be tasted include turkey, duck or goose with mlinci (flat pasta, soaked in roast juices), a famous Zagrebački odrezak (type of cordon bleu), Štrukli (cottage cheese strudel), sir i vrhnje (cottage cheese with cream), kremšnite (custard slices in flaky pastry), orehnjača (traditional walnut roll), and sarma (Sauerkraut rolls filed with minced pork meat and rice, served with mashed potato).

[126] The Museum deals with topics from the cultural, artistic, economic and political history of the city spanning from Roman finds to the modern period.

[129] The holdings comprise 3,750 works of art of various techniques and materials, and different cultures and civilizations, including paintings from great European masters like: Caravaggio, Raphael, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Rembrandt, Hieronymus Bosch, Francisco Goya, Diego Velázquez and many others.

[132] The Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters offers permanent holdings presenting European paintings from the 14th to 19th centuries,[133] and the Ivan Meštrović Studio, with sculptures, drawings, lithography portfolios and other items, was a donation of this great artist to his homeland.

The Art Pavilion by Viennese architects Hellmer and Fellmer who were the most famous designers of theatres in Central Europe is a neo-classical exhibition complex and one of the landmarks of the downtown.

[141] Zagreb has hosted some of the most popular mainstream musical artists in recent years, including those of Queen, Rolling Stones, U2, Guns N' Roses, Eric Clapton, Deep Purple, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Elton John, Roger Waters, Depeche Mode, Prodigy, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, Shakira, Nick Cave, Jamiroquai, George Michael, Sade, Sting, Rod Stewart, Eros Ramazzotti, Manu Chao, Massive Attack, Andrea Bocelli, Metallica, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Duran Duran as well as some of world most recognised underground artists such as Dimmu Borgir, Sepultura, Melvins, Mastodon and more.

Zagreb Hippodrome offers recreational horseback riding opportunities, while horse races are held every weekend during the warmer part of the year.

The latest larger recreational facility is Bundek, a group of two small lakes near the Sava in Novi Zagreb, surrounded by a partly forested park.

[148] In total there are around 40 non-Catholic religious organizations and denominations in Zagreb with their headquarters and places of worship across the city making it a large and diverse multicultural community.

According to 2008 data, the city of Zagreb has the highest PPP and nominal gross domestic product per capita in Croatia at $32,185 and $27,271 respectively, compared to the Croatian averages of US$18,686 and $15,758.

[168] The railway and the highway A3 along the Sava river that extend to Slavonia (towards Slavonski Brod, Vinkovci, Osijek and Vukovar) are some of the busiest traffic corridors in the country.

The national rail operator Croatian Railways (Hrvatske željeznice, HŽ) runs a network of urban and suburban train lines in the metropolitan Zagreb area and is a government-owned corporation.

An ambitious program, which entailed replacing old trams with the new and modern ones built mostly in Zagreb by companies Končar elektroindustrija and, to a lesser extent, by TŽV Gredelj, has recently been finished.

Bjelovar, Bjelovar-BilogoraSlavonski Brod, Brod-PosavinaDubrovnik, Dubrovnik-NeretvaPazin, Istria Karlovac, KarlovacKoprivnica, Koprivnica-KriževciKrapina, Krapina-ZagorjeGospić, Lika-Senj Čakovec, MeđimurjeOsijek, Osijek-BaranjaPožega, Požega-SlavoniaRijeka, Primorje-Gorski Kotar Sisak, Sisak-MoslavinaSplit, Split-DalmatiaŠibenik, Šibenik-KninVaraždin, Varaždin Virovitica, Virovitica-PodravinaVukovar, Vukovar-SrijemZadar, ZadarZagreb, Zagreb