Gornjogradska Gymnasium Zagreb
Address
Trg Katarine Zrinske 5
Comprehensive Renovation:
AMG STUDIO d.o.o. (Božidar Gorički as lead designer) and Contractor: Modulor d.o.o.
Contractor
Modulor d.o.o
Professional Guide
Antonia Matković Šerić
Photography
City of Zagreb
The three-winged, two-story gymnasium building—with a long wing facing Strossmayer Promenade and a shorter wing facing the square—was gradually constructed on the city ramparts on the site of an abandoned medieval Dominican monastery, where a Jesuit gymnasium was opened in 1607. The new gymnasium building, constructed after the fire of 1645, was expanded in 1668 to accommodate a
philosophy course and, in 1669, received the privileges of a higher education institution, becoming an Academy, considered the foundation of the University of Zagreb. The Academy was further expanded and restructured between 1703 and 1705, with a new southern façade richly detailed and incorporating a medieval semicircular tower, visible in views of Zagreb from 1729 and 1792. In 1776, following the suppression of the Jesuit order, the reorganised academy became the "Royal Academy of Sciences"; The gymnasium was separated from the Academy in 1842, and in 1853, the eastern part of the wing facing the promenade was added. In 1872, the second floor was added to the wing facing the promenade, where the University opened in 1874 and remained until 1882, after which the building served exclusively as a gymnasium. In the present building, structures of the 17th-century Jesuit gymnasium can still be discerned, including barrel vaults and deeply recessed transverse beams with pronounced ridges, along with vaulted spaces in the 18th- century added wings. The large two-story hall, formerly the Jesuit theatre hall "Theatrum" was repurposed in 1894 as a gymnastics hall. The three-armed staircase with wrought-iron railing was built in 1829, as evidenced by a bronze gilded commemorative plaque with the coat of arms of Count Josip Sermage, while the new three-armed staircase with cast-iron railing in the southern wing was constructed in 1872. After the earthquake, the gymnasium was restored according to a comprehensive renovation project for the earthquake-damaged building. The proposed measures respected the given special conditions and conservation guidelines, and the exterior appearance of the building was not altered.
philosophy course and, in 1669, received the privileges of a higher education institution, becoming an Academy, considered the foundation of the University of Zagreb. The Academy was further expanded and restructured between 1703 and 1705, with a new southern façade richly detailed and incorporating a medieval semicircular tower, visible in views of Zagreb from 1729 and 1792. In 1776, following the suppression of the Jesuit order, the reorganised academy became the "Royal Academy of Sciences"; The gymnasium was separated from the Academy in 1842, and in 1853, the eastern part of the wing facing the promenade was added. In 1872, the second floor was added to the wing facing the promenade, where the University opened in 1874 and remained until 1882, after which the building served exclusively as a gymnasium. In the present building, structures of the 17th-century Jesuit gymnasium can still be discerned, including barrel vaults and deeply recessed transverse beams with pronounced ridges, along with vaulted spaces in the 18th- century added wings. The large two-story hall, formerly the Jesuit theatre hall "Theatrum" was repurposed in 1894 as a gymnastics hall. The three-armed staircase with wrought-iron railing was built in 1829, as evidenced by a bronze gilded commemorative plaque with the coat of arms of Count Josip Sermage, while the new three-armed staircase with cast-iron railing in the southern wing was constructed in 1872. After the earthquake, the gymnasium was restored according to a comprehensive renovation project for the earthquake-damaged building. The proposed measures respected the given special conditions and conservation guidelines, and the exterior appearance of the building was not altered.