We also call it Ban Jelacic Square, Jelacic Square, locally known as Jelacic - plac; older titles are Republic Square (from 1947 to 1990) and Harmica (from the Hungarian harmincz - 30) because they used to collect thirtieth, ie. there was a tollhouse on which the tax was collected.
The square is dominated by a statue of Ban Josip Jelacic made by the sculptor Dominic Fernkorn, now facing south. When the statue was placed on the market for the first time in 1866, it was faced north, towards Hungary. In 1947, communist regime removed the statue, and in 1990 it was ceremonially returned to the market. During the communist regime, the square was named Republic Square or The Square of the Republic.
On the east side of the square is a fountain which is a contemporary version of Mandusevac Fountain, aka Mandusa's well. According to legend, Zagreb is named after the beautiful Mandusa who took the water out of the well and gave it to drink to the army passing by.
The market was not always located within the city. It used to be an empty meadow below the walls of Gradec and the Kaptol, where the strangers who were prohibited to approach the town lived. The expansion of the city to Ilica and Stara Vlaska Street made Ban Jelacic Square the center of the city.
