Grounded Sun and Planets – The Universe in the Heart of Zagreb

The Grounded Solar System: Your Interstellar Adventure Through Zagreb

This extraordinary ambient art installation is comprised of two distinct works: “Grounded Sun” by Ivan Kožarić and “Nine Views” by Davor Preis. By following this unusual installation, you can embark on a city-wide “cosmic” scavenger hunt to find nine planets scattered across the capital.

Starting Point: The Sun

The search begins in the very heart of the city, on Bogovićeva Street, where the permanent replica of Ivan Kožarić’s “Grounded Sun” has stood since 1994.

Kožarić’s work is a massive two-meter-diameter sphere made of bronze with gold leaf accents. Often called the “most charismatic Zagreb public sculpture,” the Sun has been an intense focal point for residents since its original placement in 1971, in front of Croatian National Teather.

• The Artist’s Intent: Originally placed in 1971, the Sun famously evoked strong public reactions, ranging from adoration to acts of destruction (the original was made of plastic). Passersby kicked it, burned it, and danced around it.
• A Deliberate Shift: After a 2013 restoration, the Sun was deliberately moved a few meters from its previous, symmetrical position at the intersection of Petrićeva and Bogovićeva Streets. Kožarić himself requested the shift to an “eccentric position,” arguing that the original, centralized placement “degraded the Sun to a street ornament.” He wanted it to feel “spontaneously grounded in the city space.”

Nine Views: Planets in Perfect Scale

In 2004, artist Davor Preis conceived the idea to “ground” the remaining planets, integrating them perfectly with Kožarić’s Sun. His nine planets, collectively called “Nine Views,” are placed in a proportional scale relative to the two-meter Sun.

• Proportionality: Preis’s planets are stainless steel spheres. Their sizes and distances are all proportional to the Sun. For instance, the largest planet, Jupiter, is a sculpture just 28 centimeters in diameter, while tiny Pluto (included because the installation predates its 2006 dwarf planet classification) is only 3 millimeters across.
• The Ultimate City Tour: Because the stainless steel sculptures are placed at scale distances from the Sun, to visit all nine grounded planets, you will need to cover approximately 30 kilometers in total, stretching from Bogovićeva Street out to Aleja Bologne and Kozari Bok.

Each planetary sculpture is accompanied by a metal plaque listing its name (in English), its diameter, and its average distance from the Sun.

Ready for the Planetary Hunt?

Kicking off your cosmic tour at the Grounded Sun in Bogovićeva Street, here is where you can find the nine proportional planets across Zagreb:

• Mercury: Margaretska St. 3; Distance from the Sun: 88 meters
• Venus: Ban Josip Jelačić Square 3; Distance from the Sun: 167.5 meters
• Earth: Varšavska St. 9; Distance from the Sun: 211 meters
• Mars: Tkalčićeva St. 21; Distance from the Sun: 319 meters
• Jupiter: Voćarska St. 71; Distance from the Sun: 1,194 meters
• Saturn: Račićeva St. 1; Distance from the Sun: 2,170 meters
• Uranus: Siget 9; (across from the address, on a garage structure), Distance from the Sun: 4,150 meters
• Neptune: Kozari 17; (in the Kozari bok neighborhood), Distance from the Sun: 6,570 meters
• Pluto: Aleja Bologne; (on the support pillar of an underpass), Distance from the Sun: 8,880 meters

Happy hunting! You’ll need good walking shoes for the outer planets!

Note on Pluto: Pluto’s sculpture was famously torn from its plaque by unknown vandals—an act some saw as a statement that Pluto no longer belonged in the Solar System, mirroring its 2006 demotion.

Your Guide to a Real and Virtual Cosmos

Exploring the Grounded Solar System is a fun challenge, especially reaching the outer planets located on the city’s outskirts (Neptune is nearly 6 kilometers from the Sun!). This installation is a fantastic way to discover hidden corners of Zagreb you might otherwise miss.

Whether you are an art enthusiast, an astronomy lover, or just looking for a unique urban adventure, the Grounded Solar System offers an unforgettable, city-bound journey through the cosmos!