Discover Zagreb’s unique grounded solar system

If you are looking for something a bit different to do in the Croatian capital then how about checking out the city’s grounded solar system. Yes, Zagreb has its very own grounded solar system. 

Back in 1971, Croatian artist Ivan Kožarić, who built a reputation abroad for his stunning sculptures, created a 2 metre diamater bronze sphere known as ‘grounded sun’.

The sculpture was first displayed in front of the Croatian National Theatre, but since 1994 is has sat in the heart of downtown Zagreb in Bogovićeva street. 

In 2004, Davor Preis came up with the idea to create a scale model of the solar system around the impressive sun sculpture. 

Metal, sphere-shaped monuments of all the planets of the solar system are placed around Zagreb’s city centre, with their sizes and distances from Kozaric’s “grounded sun” in Bogovićeva street in exact proportion to the real solar system.

The grounded solar system, or Nine Views as it is also called, can be found at the following locations throughout the city: 

Mercury – Margaretska 3

Venus – Trg bana Josipa Jelačića 3

Earth – Varšavska 9

Mars – Tkalčićeva 21

Jupiter – Voćarska 71

Saturn – Račićeva 1

Uranus – Siget 9

Neptune – Kozari put 

Pluto – Aleja Bologne – underpass

Preis never revealed the locations of the planets, so finding them turned into a game lasting until the last planet was “discovered” in 2006.

The system is at scale 1:680 000 000. Earth’s model is about 1.9 cm in size and at 225 m distance from the sun’s model, while Pluto’s model is 7.7 km away from it.