Kaptol — the cathedral quarter — is the older of the two settlements that grew together to form Zagreb. It belonged to the church, where Gradec across the stream belonged to the craftsmen and merchants. The two argued, raided, and excommunicated each other for centuries before finally being unified in the 19th century. Today Kaptol is essentially the long street running north from the back of the cathedral, lined with the canons' manors (twenty-five of them, mostly intact) and ending at a quiet square.
Most visitors only see Kaptol Square in front of the cathedral, framed by the two spires and the Madonna's column. Walk five minutes further and you reach the much quieter back of the quarter, where you can sit at a café table and look up at the cathedral towers without crowds.