User:Admiral Norton/Museums in Zagreb

Zagreb's numerous museums reflect the history, art and culture not only of Zagreb and Croatia, but also of Europe and the world. Around thirty collections in museums and galleries comprise more than 3.6 million various exhibits, excluding church and private collections.

Klovićevi dvori
The Klovićevi dvori (4 Jesuit Square) is probably the most widely known museum in Zagreb. Opened in March 1982, the Klovićevi dvori Gallery is situated in a building originating from late 17th and early 18th century previously occupied by a jesuit monastery. A part of the building is a tower from the 13th century, showing signs of romanic architecture, such as almost two meters thick walls.

In 1987 Klovićevi dvori gets a new exhibit position: the Mimara museum. By this action, the Museum and Gallery Center is formed. Afterwards, a part of the Klovićevi dvori building separated itself from the main institution to become Fortezza Gallery. It is currently under the jurisdiction of Klovićevi dvori.

As of October 2007, the gallery has displayed over 100 exhibitions. From 2003 on, Klovićevi dvori hosts more than 10 exhibitions per year.

Lotrščak Tower
The Lotrščak Tower (1 Dverce) was built between 1242 and 1266. It is presumed to be the most preserved part of the city defense system. It was located beside a small city gate called Dverce. The gate is known by a 1793 city map. The Lotrščak was used as a watchtower and it hosted campana latrunculorum (the bell of thieves). This bell used to ring on evenings. It warned the Zagreb residents who worked outside the city to return to the city before the closing of the city gates.

Today there is no bell and Dverce is gone, but a cannon with paper projectiles fires at noon to remind bystanders of the current time. The first recorded instance of this practice happened on January 1, 1877. The cannon can be heard all over the Zagreb city center, except for the northeastern part due to the hills. It is known as the Grički top (the cannon of Grič).

An interesting finding is the fact that before the 19th century, during the shortages of resources to repair and maintain the tower, the city used to rent out the Lotrščak Tower, just like the other towers in Zagreb. A particularly documented case is the renting in 1651, when Martin pl. Kovačić rented the tower to use as a warehouse. He agreed to pay 10 Rhine forints.

Archaeological Museum
The Archaeological Museum (19 Nikola Šubić Zrinski Square) collections, today consisting of nearly 400,000 varied artifacts and monuments, have been gathered over the years from many different sources. These holdings include evidence of Croatian presence in the area as well as rare samples which have made the museum world renowned. The most famous are the Egyptian collection, the Zagreb mummy and bandages with the oldest Etruscan inscription in the world (Liber Linteus Zagrabiensis), as well as the numismatic collection. A part of the museum is set aside for the collection of stone monuments dating back predominantly to the Roman period.

The museum displays permanent numismatic, prehistorical and Egyptian exhibits. The Archaeological Park of Andautonia in Ščitarjevo is also a part of the museum.

Croatian Natural History Museum
The Croatian Natural History Museum (1 Demetrova Street) holds the world's most extensive collection of Neanderthal remains found at one site. These are the remains, stone weapons and tools of prehistoric Krapina man. The holdings of the Croatian History Museum comprise more than 250,000 specimens distributed among various different collections. Also this museum publishes the scientific journal "Natura Croatica".

Technical Museum
The Technical Museum (18 Savska Street) was founded in 1954 and it maintains the oldest preserved machine in the area, dating from 1830, which is still operational. The museum exhibits numerous historic aircraft, cars, machinery and equipment. There are some distinct sections in the museum: the Planetarium, the Apisarium, the Mine (model of mines for coal, iron and non-ferrous metals, about 300 m long), and the Nikola Tesla study. The Museum organises educational, study, informative and occasional exhibitions, lectures and panel discussions on popular science, as well as playrooms and workshops.

Museum of the City of Zagreb
The Museum of the City of Zagreb (20 Opatička Street) was established in 1907 by the Association of the Braća Hrvatskog Zmaja. It is located in a restored monumental complex (Popov toranj, the Observatory, Zakmardi Granary) of the former Convent of the Poor Clares, of 1650. The Museum deals with topics from the cultural, artistic, economic and political history of the city spanning from Roman finds to the modern period. The holdings comprise 75,000 items arranged systematically into collections of artistic and mundane objects characteristic of the city and its history.

Arts and Crafts Museum
The Arts and Crafts Museum (10 Marshall Tito Square) was founded in 1880 with the intention of preserving the works of art and craft against the new predominance of industrial products. With its 160,000 exhibits, the Arts and Crafts Museum is a national-level museum for artistic production and the history of material culture in Croatia. The holdings are classified into 19 diverse museum collections: furnishing, metal, painting, sculpture, clocks, photography and photographic equipment, musical instruments, graphic design, ivory, printing and bookbinding, printed and painted leather, devotional items, smoking accessories and toys.

Ethnographic Museum
The Ethnographic Museum (14 Ivan Mažuranić Square) was founded in 1919. It lies in the fine Secession building of the one-time Trades Hall of 1903. The ample holdings of about 80,000 items cover the ethnographic heritage of Croatia, classified in the three cultural zones: the Pannonian, Dinaric and Adriatic. In the non-European section there are items from the traditional cultures of Africa, Latin America, Asia, Australia and Oceania.

Mimara Museum


The museum called the "Art Collection of Ante and Wiltrud Topic Mimara" or, for short, the Mimara Museum (5 Franklin Delano Roosevelt Square), was founded with a donation from Ante "Mimara" Topic and opened to the public in 1987. It is located in a neo-Renaissance palace from the end of the 19th century. The holdings comprise 3,750 works of art of various techniques and materials, and different cultures and civilisations.

Croatian Naive Art Museum
The Croatian Naive Art Museum (3 Ćirilometodska Street) is considered to be the first museum of naive art in the world. The museum keeps works of Croatian naive expression of the 20th century. It is located in the 18th century Raffay Palace in the Upper Town (Gornji Grad). The museum holdings consist of 1500 works of art - paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints, mainly by Croatians but also by other well-known world artists. From time to time, the museum organises topics and retrospective exhibitions by naive artists, expert meetings and educational workshops and playrooms.

Museum of Contemporary Art
The Museum of Contemporary Art was founded in 1954 and a rich collection of Croatian and foreign contemporary visual art has been collected throughout the decades. The Museum (2 St. Catherine Square) is located in a space within the Kulmer Palace in the Upper City (Gornji Grad). A new Museum building in Novi Zagreb has been under construction since 2003. The Museum's permanent art collection will be presented to the public when it moves into its new building planned for 2007.

Other museums and galleries
Valuable historical collections are also found in the Croatian School Museum, the Croatian Hunting Museum, the Croatian Sports Museum, the Croatian Post and Telecommunications Museum, the HAZU (Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts) Glyptotheque (collection of monuments), and the HAZU Graphics Cabinet.

The Strossmayer's Old Masters Gallery (11 Nikola Šubić Zrinski Square) offers permanent holdings presenting European paintings from the 14th to 19th centuries, and the Ivan Meštrović Studio, (8 Mletačka Street) with sculptures, drawings, lithography portfolios and other items, was a donation of this great artist to his homeland The Museum and Gallery Centre (4 Jesuit Square) introduces on various occasions the Croatian and foreign cultural and artistic heritage. The Art Pavilion (22 King Tomislav Square) by Viennese architects Hermann Hellmer and Ferdinand Fellner who were the most famous designers of theatres in Central Europe is a neo-classical exhibition complex and one of the landmarks of the city centre. The exhibitions are also held in the impressive Meštrović building on Hrvatskih Velikana Square &mdash; the Home of Croatian Fine Artists. The World Centre "Wonder of Croatian Naïve Art" (12 Ban Jelačić Square) exhibits masterpieces of Croatian naive art as well as the works of a new generation of artists. The Modern Gallery (1 Hebrangova Street) comprises all relevant fine artists of the 19th and 20th centuries.