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Contents: 1/13 · At a glance
  1. At a glance
  2. Where it is
  3. For and against
  4. What it's like
  5. The name
  6. History
  7. What to see
  8. Did you know?
  9. Everyday life
  10. Renting
  11. Nearby
  12. Questions
  13. Sources
The Ferenščica tram stop on Ulica grada Vukovara: a blue articulated tram on a grassy track, a stop pole, a lawn and tall trees.The Ferenščica tram stop on Ulica grada Vukovara: a blue articulated tram on a grassy track, a stop pole, a lawn and tall trees.

Neighbourhood guide · Peščenica – Žitnjak

FerenščicaThe neighbourhood where eleven streets share one name

Checked 25 October 2026 · 11 min read

In Ferenščica eleven streets carry the neighbourhood's name, numbered I to XI, and II. Ferenščica has seven side streets of its own; in 2011 one resident said even postmen get lost there.20,2

Ferenščica at a glance

  • To the main square by ZET30 min
  • To the centre as the crow flies3.8 km
  • Residents (2021)28,35,774
  • Committee area399.26 ha
Trams nearby

Where Ferenščica is

Ferenščica is in the city district of Peščenica – Žitnjak, and officially it is local committee (mjesni odbor) no. 4, Ferenščica, based at Ivanićgradska ulica 66.3 The committee is part of the settlement of Zagreb, so Ferenščica is not a separate settlement.2 Neighbourhoods have no official boundaries, so this guide describes Ferenščica through that committee.

The committee is bounded by Ulica grada Vukovara to the north, Ulica grada Gospića to the east, Slavonska avenija to the south and, to the west, Heinzelova ulica and Radnička cesta, along the line of the Trnje district.2 Volovčica lies across Ulica grada Vukovara and Ulica grada Gospića, Donje Svetice to the north-west, and the Savica – Šanci and Kozari Bok committees across Slavonska avenija.2 The Zagrebački leksikon, the city's encyclopaedia, draws the area a little differently, with Avenija Vukovar to the north and east and Donje Svetice and Heinzelova to the west.1

For and against: life in Ferenščica

What's going for it

  • Seven tram stops line the northern and eastern edges, from Heinzelova to Žitnjak, on lines 2, 3 and 13.23,24,25
  • OŠ Augusta Cesarca is in the neighbourhood, at II. Ferenščica 9a. Its catchment is Ferenščica, so children walk to school.6
  • The Duga nursery has its main site at Ferenščica I. 90, and the Dom zdravlja Zagreb – Istok health centre also works from Ivekovićeva 17.31,29
  • The 2025 amendments to the city master plan (GUP) protect as park landscape the grounds of the school and the Duga nursery and parks by Ferenščica I., at Leprovička and on Ježevska.10
  • A market, a library, the KNAP culture centre and a school sports hall are just across the boundary, in Volovčica.39,40,42,41,2

What to expect

  • According to the Zagrebački leksikon, the southern part of the neighbourhood is the northern edge of the Žitnjak industrial zone. In 2006 it listed the firms Ledo, Dukat, Veletržnica, Dalekovod, Lipa Mill and INA there.1
  • Residents of VII. Ferenščica have complained for decades about lorry noise at night at the Tržnice Zagreb cold store and wholesale market on Slavonska avenija. In February 2025 Tržnice replied that a noise barrier along the whole street had been designed and was waiting on decisions within Zagrebački holding.19
  • Line 3 doesn't run on Saturdays, Sundays or holidays.24
  • New buildings have gone up around Lovinčićeva in recent years, and in November 2025 the local council warned that traffic infrastructure is not keeping up with the area's growth.18,37

What life is like in Ferenščica

A narrow street, house roofs and a tree in Ferenščica, seen from a window.A narrow street, house roofs and a tree in Ferenščica, seen from a window.
A narrow street, house roofs and a tree in Ferenščica, seen from a window.

According to the Zagrebački leksikon, a few five-storey blocks went up among the single-storey family houses in the central part of Ferenščica in the 1960s, and complexes of eight-storey buildings in the 1980s, mostly in the north along Ulica grada Vukovara.1 The block at Ivekovićeva 17–19, completed in 1981 to a design by Višnja Cimić and Đorđe Romić of Zagreb projekt, dates from the same decade.11,12 Most streets are dead ends, and many carry a number in their name: Ferenščica I to XI, the side streets of II. Ferenščica, and Andrilovečka I to IV.1,2

Since the 2010s new blocks of flats have gone up plot by plot around Lovinčićeva ulica. According to the property site Bauštela, the Lipa-Mil factory once stood there.18 In 2024 residents told Bauštela's reporter about the loss of the "avenue of a hundred trees", a footpath that had been closed off, warmer air, and old infrastructure now shared with thousands of new residents.18 Nikša Božić, director of the City's Institute for Spatial Planning, said the building was a direct application of the master plan.18 The same residents still called the neighbourhood a great one, with every part of the city easy to reach.18 In November 2025 the local council asked for traffic mirrors at three spots on Lovinčićeva, "in the new quarter".37

At the 2011 census the committee area had 5,528 residents and 2,861 dwellings; in 2021 it had 5,774 residents in 2,598 households, on 99.26 hectares.27,28,3 The 2025 amendments to the master plan list Ferenščica among areas of urban transformation. For the Ferenščica – zapad detailed plan they set goals that include turning the existing buildings along the main roads into a mixed residential and business zone and strengthening the frontage along Ulica grada Vukovara and Donje Svetice.10

Where the name Ferenščica comes from

The origin of the name Ferenščica is not recorded, and neither the Zagrebački leksikon nor the City of Zagreb explains it.1,4 The official Croatian spelling guide lists Ferenščica, like Medveščak and Peščenica, among Kajkavian place names that may be written two ways: Ferenščica after the local pronunciation and Ferenšćica after the standard norm.5 A city decision of 1995 spelled it a third way, in the name of the Dječji centar "Ferenčica" nursery.32

A short history of Ferenščica

According to the Zagrebački leksikon, a settlement already stood here in the Middle Ages, and building picked up between the two world wars, as poorer newcomers moved in.1 The City of Zagreb, for its part, counts Ferenščica among the district's urban settlements that grew up mainly after the Second World War.4 It adds that Vinko Sabljar's gazetteer of 1866 lists no present-day urban settlement in the area except Vukomerec.4

By 1950 the tram had a new route along today's Ulica grada Vukovara, from Savska to Heinzelova and on to Žitnjak, along the neighbourhood's northern edge.22 The school was founded on 19 May 1960; its building at II. Ferenščica 9a, which went up between 1959 and 1962, was designed by Zlatko Neumann.6,8,7 According to the Croatian technical encyclopaedia, Neumann also designed nurseries in Ferenščica in 1961 and 1962.9 In 1990 the tramline was extended from Žitnjak to the Savišće terminus.22

From 7 March 1965 a Dominican chapel in a family house bought for the purpose at Ludinska 10, in Volovčica, served the faithful of Volovčica and Ferenščica for years.15,13 On 22 September 2001 Archbishop Bozanić proclaimed the parish of Blessed Augustin Kažotić for Volovčica, Ferenščica and Peščenica and entrusted it to the Dominicans.14,15 Their church across Ulica grada Vukovara was consecrated on 25 September 2011.14,15,13

In 1995 the City renamed the Dječji centar "Ferenčica" nursery as Dječji vrtić "Duga".32 The City Assembly adopted the Ferenščica – istok urban plan in 2006 and Ferenščica – zapad in 2009.33,34 The Ferenščica local committee was set up in February 2009, and on 24 February 2010 the school building was entered in the Register of Cultural Goods.2,4,7

  1. Middle AgesAccording to the Zagrebački leksikon, a settlement already stands here.1
  2. By 1950The tram gets a route along today's Ulica grada Vukovara to Žitnjak.22
  3. 1957On 27 May Vladimir Guteša takes the photograph "Ferenščica I", now in the Zagreb City Museum.21
  4. 1960The school now called OŠ Augusta Cesarca is founded.6,1
  5. 1962Zlatko Neumann's school building at II. Ferenščica 9a is completed.8,7
  6. 1965The Dominicans open a chapel at Ludinska 10 for the faithful of Volovčica and Ferenščica.15,13
  7. 1980sComplexes of eight-storey blocks go up in the north, along Ulica grada Vukovara.1
  8. 1981The block at Ivekovićeva 17–19 is completed.11,12
  9. 1990The tramline is extended from Žitnjak to Savišće.22
  10. 1995The Dječji centar "Ferenčica" becomes Dječji vrtić "Duga".32
  11. 2001The parish of Blessed Augustin Kažotić is founded for Volovčica, Ferenščica and Peščenica.14,15
  12. 2009The Ferenščica local committee is set up and the Ferenščica – zapad plan adopted.2,34
  13. 2010The school building is entered in the Register of Cultural Goods.7,10
  14. 2024The school's energy renovation is completed.6

What to see in Ferenščica

  • OŠ Augusta Cesarca

    At II. Ferenščica 9a. The building went up between 1959 and 1962 to a design by Zlatko Neumann, and since 2010 it has been in the Register of Cultural Goods as Z-4469.8,7,10 An energy renovation was finished in August 2024, and a platform lift was fitted in line with conservation guidelines.6 Besides 3,752 m² indoors the school has 17,108 m² outside: lawns, a school park and sports pitches.6

  • The block at Ivekovićeva 17–19

    By Višnja Cimić and Đorđe Romić, completed in 1981.11,12 According to the Arhitektura Zagreba site, the U-shaped block has ten floors above ground, the top two set back. The wings have seven storeys, and cylindrical volumes at the corners hold spiral staircases.12

  • Protected parks

    The 2025 master plan protects as park landscape the park by Ferenščica I. 68–72 and 86–88, the park at Leprovička, Ivanićgradska and Ivekovićeva, and Ježevska 1–7.10 The district's 2025 works plan provides for rebuilding the playground at Ferenščica I. 68–72 (about €191,000) and an urban orchard on the green at Ivanićgradska 60–66, by Leprovička (about €20,500).35

  • The Bliznec stream

    It runs past the Ferenščica tram stop. In October 2025 the local council asked for the stream to be cleaned and tidied together with the planned renovation of the stop.36

  • Church of Blessed Augustin Kažotić

    Across Ulica grada Vukovara at Ivanićgradska 71, already in Volovčica. The church and Dominican monastery were designed by Boris Magaš; the bell tower is 25 metres high, and the square has a fountain of granite and glass.13,15,2

Did you know?

  • Zlatko "Cico" Kranjčar, Dinamo's "plavi devet" (blue number nine), grew up in Ferenščica. The first veterans' memorial tournament named after him was played in September 2021 on the pitch of OŠ Augusta Cesarca.16,17
  • The committee's official street list of 2009 has Ferenščica I, II, IV, V, VI, VII, IX, X and XI, but not III or VIII. Both are on the school's current catchment list.2,6
  • When the Zagrebancija portal wrote in 2011 about finding your way around Ferenščica's streets, the City confirmed that one section had no street-name sign and promised to put one up.20
  • According to the parish, an engineering unit of the Croatian Army dug the foundation pit of the neighbouring Church of Blessed Augustin Kažotić.13

Everyday life in Ferenščica

Getting around

  • The tram stops along the edge of the neighbourhood are, in order, Heinzelova, Donje Svetice, Ivanićgradska, Ferenščica, Getaldićeva, Čavićeva and Žitnjak.23,25 The lines are 2 (Črnomerec – Savišće), 3 (Ljubljanica – Savišće, weekdays only) and 13 (Žitnjak – Kvaternikov trg), which leaves the Žitnjak terminus along Ulica grada Gospića and Ulica grada Vukovara.23,24,25,22
  • A 3.7 km tramline is planned along the western edge, on Heinzelova and Radnička to the Savišće terminus, worth about €48 million. It was originally meant to be finished by autumn 2027, but Večernji list reported in July 2026 that, after new problems with the public tender, it was unclear whether work would even start by then.26,2

Schools and nurseries

  • OŠ Augusta Cesarca, II. Ferenščica 9a: 333 pupils in 17 classes in 2024/25, all in one shift.6
  • Tehnička škola Ruđera Boškovića, a technical secondary school at Getaldićeva 4, across the boundary in Volovčica; trams 2, 3 and 13 stop at Getaldićeva.38,2
  • The Duga nursery has its main site at Ferenščica I. 90 and other sites at Racinova 1B, Ulica Divka Budaka 16 and Ulica Dobrovoljačke oružane skupine Ban Jelačić 8.31,30
  • The S. S. Kranjčević library (Zapoljska 1) and the KNAP centre, opened on 8 May 1955 as a Dom kulture (culture house), are in neighbouring Volovčica.40,42

Parks and sport

  • The grounds of OŠ Augusta Cesarca, 17,108 m², with a 2,974 m² sports ground.6
  • Protected parks by Ferenščica I. 68–72 and 86–88, at Leprovička, Ivanićgradska and Ivekovićeva, and at Ježevska 1–7.10
  • The Peščenica school sports hall, opened in 1987 for the Universiade, in neighbouring Volovčica.41,2

Markets and shops

  • Tržnica Volovčica, the market in neighbouring Volovčica.39

Health

  • Dom zdravlja Zagreb – Istok has a site at Ivekovićeva 17, which the City lists as Dom zdravlja Ferenščica.29,30

Renting in Ferenščica

Nearby neighbourhoods

Questions about life in Ferenščica

Which city district is Ferenščica in?

Peščenica – Žitnjak. Ferenščica is local committee no. 4, between Ulica grada Vukovara, Ulica grada Gospića, Slavonska avenija, Heinzelova and Radnička cesta.2,3

Which trams serve Ferenščica?

Lines 2, 3 and 13, with stops along the northern and eastern edges, from Heinzelova to Žitnjak. Line 3 runs on weekdays only.23,24,25

Which primary school serves Ferenščica?

OŠ Augusta Cesarca at II. Ferenščica 9a, in Zlatko Neumann's protected building. In 2024/25 it had 333 pupils, all in one shift.6,7,8

How many people live in Ferenščica?

At the 2021 census the Ferenščica committee area had 5,774 residents, up from 5,528 in 2011.28,27,3

Are there parks in Ferenščica?

The 2025 master plan protects the grounds of the school and the Duga nursery and parks by Ferenščica I., at Leprovička and on Ježevska. The school alone has 17,108 m² outside, with lawns, a school park and pitches.10,6

Where does the name Ferenščica come from?

The sources don't record it.1,4 The Croatian spelling guide allows two forms, Ferenščica and Ferenšćica.5

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Sources

  1. Zagrebački leksikon (2006.), natuknica „Ferenščica” (PDF) · checked 25 October 2026
  2. Službeni glasnik Grada Zagreba 7/2009, Odluka o osnivanju mjesnih odbora (PDF) · checked 25 October 2026
  3. Grad Zagreb, 4. Mjesni odbor Ferenščica · checked 25 October 2026
  4. Grad Zagreb, Gradska četvrt Peščenica – Žitnjak: Iz povijesti · checked 25 October 2026
  5. Institut za hrvatski jezik, Hrvatski pravopis, „Glas č” · checked 25 October 2026
  6. OŠ Augusta Cesarca, Godišnji plan i program rada 2024./2025. (PDF) · checked 25 October 2026
  7. Ministarstvo kulture, Godišnjak zaštite spomenika kulture Hrvatske 39 (PDF) · checked 25 October 2026
  8. Hrvatska tehnička enciklopedija, Neumann, Zlatko · checked 25 October 2026
  9. Hrvatska tehnička enciklopedija, školske zgrade · checked 25 October 2026
  10. Grad Zagreb, Izmjene i dopune GUP-a 2025., odredbe (PDF) · checked 25 October 2026
  11. UHA, Razgovor sa suvremenicima: stambena arhitektura 1970-ih i 1980-ih · checked 25 October 2026
  12. Arhitektura Zagreba, Višestambena zgrada, Ivekovićeva 17–19 · checked 25 October 2026
  13. Samostan i župa bl. Augustina Kažotića, Izgradnja samostana i crkve · checked 25 October 2026
  14. Samostan i župa bl. Augustina Kažotića, Osnutak župe · checked 25 October 2026
  15. Zagrebačka nadbiskupija, župa bl. Augustina Kažotića, Peščenica · checked 25 October 2026
  16. GNK Dinamo, memorijal Zlatko Cico Kranjčar (2021.) · checked 25 October 2026
  17. tportal, kvartovski turnir u čast Cice Kranjčara (2021.) · checked 25 October 2026
  18. Bauštela, reportaža o novogradnji na Ferenščici (2024.) · checked 25 October 2026
  19. HRT Radio Sljeme, buka šlepera kod Tržnica Zagreb (2025.) · checked 25 October 2026
  20. Zagrebancija, Na Ferenščici se ne snalaze ni poštari (2011.) · checked 25 October 2026
  21. Muzej grada Zagreba, Vladimir Guteša, „Ferenščica I” (1957.) · checked 25 October 2026
  22. Grad Zagreb / ZET, Studija razvoja tramvajskog prometa, Elaborat IV (PDF) · checked 25 October 2026
  23. ZET, vozni red linije 2 · checked 25 October 2026
  24. ZET, vozni red linije 3 · checked 25 October 2026
  25. ZET, vozni red linije 13 · checked 25 October 2026
  26. Večernji list, nova odgoda pruge u Heinzelovoj (2026.) · checked 25 October 2026
  27. Grad Zagreb, Prostorna analiza Zagrepčanka (2020., popis 2011.) · checked 25 October 2026
  28. Grad Zagreb, Prostorna analiza Zagrepčanka (2024., popis 2021.) · checked 25 October 2026
  29. Dom zdravlja Zagreb – Istok, popis lokacija (PDF) · checked 25 October 2026
  30. Grad Zagreb, Gradska četvrt Peščenica – Žitnjak, prostorna i statistička analiza (PDF) · checked 25 October 2026
  31. Grad Zagreb, popis gradskih dječjih vrtića · checked 25 October 2026
  32. Novi informator, Odluka o promjeni naziva Dječjega centra „Ferenčica” (1995.) · checked 25 October 2026
  33. Grad Zagreb, Program za izmjene UPU-a Ferenščica – istok (PDF) · checked 25 October 2026
  34. Novi informator, Odluka o donošenju UPU-a Ferenščica – zapad · checked 25 October 2026
  35. Novi informator, Plan komunalnih aktivnosti GČ Peščenica – Žitnjak u 2025. · checked 25 October 2026
  36. Vijeće MO Ferenščica, zapisnik 5. sjednice (10. 10. 2025.) · checked 25 October 2026
  37. Vijeće MO Ferenščica, zapisnik 6. sjednice (14. 11. 2025.) · checked 25 October 2026
  38. Tehnička škola Ruđera Boškovića, kontakt · checked 25 October 2026
  39. Tržnice Zagreb, Tržnica Volovčica · checked 25 October 2026
  40. Knjižnice grada Zagreba, Knjižnica S. S. Kranjčevića · checked 25 October 2026
  41. InfoZagreb, Peščenica Sports and School Hall · checked 25 October 2026
  42. tportal, Centar Knap slavi 65. rođendan (2020.) · checked 25 October 2026
  43. Grad Zagreb, Izvješće o tržištu nekretnina za 2025. godinu (pogl. 5)

We wrote this from the sources above, checked on the date shown; every figure in the text links to its source. Rent figures are computed live from the listings.

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