Museums and Cultural Itineraries in Zagreb Croatia

Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. The first recorded appearance of the name Zagreb is dated to 1094, at which time the city existed as two different city centers: the smaller, eastern Kaptol, inhabited mainly by clergy and housing Zagreb Cathedral, and the larger, western Gradec, inhabited mainly by farmers and merchants. They were united in 1851. Some sources suggest that the name derives from the term 'za breg' or 'beyond the hill'. The hill may well have been the river bank of the River Sava, which is believed to have previously flowed closer to the city center. According to another old legend, a city ruler was thirsty and ordered a girl named Manda to take water from Lake Manduševac, nowadays a fountain in Ban Jelačić Square, using the sentence: "Zagrabi, Mando!" which means, Scoop it up, Manda!

A cafe culture downtown outdoor cafes are crammed with caffeine-seeking voyeurs, assessing passersby while gossiping or debating politics. Friendly and funny, many of the city's residents speak English. No double skim lattes, these purists go for espresso -- with or without whipped cream -- or cappuccino elegantly served in cup and saucer.

The food over the past millennia, Romans, Ottomans, Venetians and Austrians have all battled over Croatia. The result is a remarkably diverse cuisine based on quality ingredients. Be sure to order Paski sir (cheese from the island of Pag), janjetina na raznju (spit-roasted lamb) and riba na gradele (fish on the grill), as well as Turkish treats cevapi u somunu (grilled meat dumplings) and raznjici (pork shish-kabab). And with all the vineyards around, wine is delicious and inexpensive.

The Cathedral despite being communist until 1989, Croatia managed to retain its Catholic religion. The twin spires of Zagreb's neo-Gothic cathedral dominate the downtown skyline.

The Archeology Museum the Zagreb mummy is too macabre to resist. This mummified body of a woman replete with toenails and hair, was brought to Croatia from Egypt in 1848. Like many celebrities, the Zagreb mummy is most famous for her clothes. Her bandage wrapping are strips of an Etruscan book made of linen, the longest known text (1,200 words) in this as-yet untranslated language. The mystery, however, is why the Etruscan mummy was in Egypt in the first place!

Day 2 after breakfast departure by bus for the Croatian Zagorje region. Our first stop will be Krapina to visit the Neanderthal Museum. The main museum attraction is the authentic reconstruction of a Neanderthal family of 17 people. The archaeological site on a hill called Husnjak had over eight hundred fossil remains of 75 Neanderthals along with tools and weapons, making it one of the most significant in Europe. Next stop is the nearby town of Gornja Stubica and the Peasant Revolt Museum, founded and opened to the public on the 400th anniversary of the great 1573 Peasant's Revolt. It is situated in the 18th century baroque palace of the Oršić family and built on the site of a medieval fort. The Museum collects material related to the Peasants' Revolt, noblemen and farmers' life, and all objects from the cultural, historical, and art heritage of Zagorje. Items are divided into three collections: cultural and historical collection, art collection, and ethnographic collection; the Museum also contains archaeological findings from the ancient town of Konjšćina.

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Day 3 – after breakfast departure by bus to the Ethno village Kumrovec. The Staro Selo Museum is the only open-air museum in Croatia that is equipped with all facilities with which to justify its existence as a European open-air museum. The restored and reconstructed buildings include 25 residential houses, 9 farm buildings and 8 smaller structures (2 corn sheds, 2 pigsties, and 4 wells), covering a total area of 12,640 square meters. The museum holdings include 2,800 exhibits the majority of which are permanently on show. The 15 permanent ethnographic displays and the two historical ones provide insight into the traditional ways of life, old customs, handicrafts, and trades some of which have long been forgotten. Next stop is Veliki Tabor, the fortress and a museum dating from the 12^th century.

The collections in the exhibition spaces include old vehicles, ethnographic items, the first manufacture of medicines, swords and armor, paintings and pottery, as well as a presentation of the noble Ratkaj family which used to own the castle. Afterward, we will walk to the nearby local restaurant where you will have an opportunity to enjoy the rural ambiance and tasteful food.

After the lunch break we continue to the small town of Klanjec to visit the Gallery of Antun Augustincic, established in 1970, when Antun Augustincic (1900-1979), educated in both Zagreb and Paris, among our most renowned sculptors, as well as the foremost representative of Croatian contemporary art, donated to its native town of Klanjec his own sculptures, created over 50 years of work, from the 20's to the 70's.  The Gallery hosts works, exhibits as well as a sculpture park.

Back in Zagreb, we suggest a visit to the Museum of Broken Relationships – winner of Kenneth Hudson Award for the most innovative museum in Europe. The Museum grew from a traveling exhibition revolving around the concept of failed relationships and their ruins. Unlike ‘destructive’ self-help instructions for recovery from failed loves, the Museum offers a chance to overcome an emotional collapse through creation: such as contributing to the Museum's collection.

You can also go to the Zagreb Ethnographic Museum, founded in 1919 and holdings about 80,000 items that cover the ethnographic heritage of Croatia, classified in the three cultural zones: the Pannonian, Dinaric and Adriatic. There are about 3,000 items in the permanent display of the Museum, and they are arranged so as to illustrate two main themes: the folk costumes of Croatia and the popular art and handicrafts with a representative selection of Croatian national costume (lace from Pag, Slavonian goldsmith work and Konavle jewelry) as well as collections of rarities from extra-European traditional cultures.  In the non-European section there are items from the traditional cultures of Africa, Latin America, Asia, Australia and Oceania. About 5,000 items of clothing, furniture, arms, tools, jewelry, musical instruments, religious and cult items and many other things were collected at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. These collections vividly represents local cultures on these continents. Following a brief stop at your hotel we will have dinner at the local restaurant.

Day 4 after breakfast we will meet a local guide who will take us on a tour around Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. Zagreb has more than thousand-year long history: its development began on the two hills Kaptol and Gradec - today the Upper Town. Our stroll around the streets of Zagreb begins on King Tomislav Square and adjacent park, then to Zrinjevac park with its fountains, the most valuable example of the 19th century architectural design. From the park, Praska street leads to the main square called Trg Bana Jelacica.  After a short walk we will arrive to the Cathedral and a visit to its interior. Sightseeing continues on the other part of the old Upper Town - Gradec hill. There we will visit the well-preserved 13^th Century Stone Gate, part of defense walls, St. Mark church with its famed multi-color roof, the Parliament buildings, St. Catherine church, and Lotrščak tower. Nearby, there is a Promenade with a beautiful view of downtown Zagreb.

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The Museums of Krapina-Zagorje Croatia

Travel to Zagreb   Dubrovnik   Istria & Zadar   Central Istria 

The Museums of Krapina-Zagorje Croatia

The Museums of Hrvatsko Zagorje is an umbrella institution of five museums in Krapina-Zagorje County which include a variety of collections and interesting national and international projects managed by a professional staff; their energy and efforts in interactive museum programs them among the most visited in Croatia. 

The Peasant Uprising Museum in Gornja Stubica

Opened in 1973, it is housed in an 18^th Century manor house, built next to a medieval fortress now in ruins. The permanent exhibition gives an interesting cultural and historical survey of the region from the 14^th century till the abolishment of the feudal system in 1848. The 18^th century is depicted with an interior reflecting the time of the manor’s builder - Counts Oršić. Visitors can learn something about the construction of late-medieval castles, arms and armor.

The Peasant Revolt of 1573, led by national hero Matija Gubec, became a synonym of fighting for just causes and efforts to fight for justice against tyrants of any kind. Documents, posters, models and maps are representative the true history, in ways that can be perceived today. After the 16^th century, an extremely difficult time for Croatia and its inhabitants, mostly marked by battles with the Turks, a more peaceful period came in 17^th and 18^th century. Numerous manors houses were built, not for military purposes but as comfortable dwellings. The ways of the nobles’ changed, as documented by numerous everyday items.

The exhibition concludes with the theme of the Croatian National Revival and the Viceroy’s proclamation that abolishes peasantry in Croatia.

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The "Old Village" Museum in Kumrovec

A unique open-air museum in Croatia - is an ethnographical museum in situ, famous for its thirty vernacular buildings, preserved or restored, where the museum exhibitions are staged. In the 1950s, a comprehensive ethnographic research of Kumrovec surroundings and nearby villages by the famous Croatian ethnologist Mirjana Gušić paved the way for the first museum of this kind in Croatia.

Traditional Life in the Sutla area as it was at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. The President of former Yugoslavia, Josip Broz Tito, was born in Kumrovec; his family household is situated on the village outskirts and contains historical and ethnological displays.

The museum shows objects thematically exhibited according to various crafts and customs typical of the Hrvatsko Zagorje region and is one of the most active promoters of traditional crafts in the country; the Center for Traditional Crafts and Skills preserves this heritage.

Also, in Kumrovec, Four Seasons in a Museum with winter by a warm fire and the smell of bread in ovens, springtime by listening to bee buzzing, then a relaxing summer in the shadow of orchards and finally autumn with its rich colors and fruits.

The Antun Augustinčić Gallery in Klanjec

Established in 1970 when Antun Augustinčić, the distinguished Croatian sculptor, donated his sculptural oeuvre, assembled during 50 years of work. Known for his monumental sculptures - The Peace in front of the UN building in New York and The Monument to the Peasant Uprising and Matija Gubec in Gornja Stubica, he is presented here as a master of intimate sculpture, especially female and children nudes and torsos, as well as strong, psychologically determined and sculpturally expressive portraits.

The Gallery creates an atmosphere where you can establish a personal contact with these works of art. The permanent display has two units: the indoor exhibition - thematically divided into intimate sculpture, portraits and public monuments - and an outdoor one with the park of sculptures. During a stroll in the park, abundant with fountains, the lively gestures of a bronze boy show how figurative art can be still appealing.

Veliki Tabor Castle

One of the best preserved late medieval castles in Croatia. Built by the royal owners and then given to the noble Rattkay family in the 16^th century, it remained their estate till 1793. The oldest part of the complex was used as a residence and for defense. The semi-circular towers were built when firearms became an important element of warfare.  

A newly renovated part and the central tower opened to the public in 2011 with the exhibitions: Veliki Tabor in the Light of Discovery and Age of Fortifications – Fort Vrbovec. They give general information on the history of the castle, their owners but also about the vast archaeological and  restoration work of the site and in the surroundings.

Architecture seen from a distance or from a spot in front of the entrance gate, the massive towers and high walls are equally impressive. Beautiful views open on all sides to picturesque scenery of the region. You can escape to the past undisturbed and return enriched with the romantic experience of the former times.

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The Krapina Neanderthals Museum “Hušnjakovo”

The most famous site of Neanderthal man in the world due to its rich and most varied fossil collection. It is protected as the first paleontological nature monument in Croatia.

The Museum of the Krapina Neanderthals opened in 2010. The architecture and display were made according to a project conceived and realized by Željko Kovačić and Jakov Radovčić. A fascinating journey into the past helps you understand why Krapina is one of the most famous Palaeolithic sites in the world. 

The exposition contains elaborate multimedia and settings which bring the story of Man closer to the public. Visitors meet different themes in each segment of the display following the timeline of creation.

An unforgettable experience awaits all explorers who venture into the museum

The site in Krapina is a story about the beginning of humanity, about distant prehistoric times, still unveiled and unexplored. About nine hundred human fossil bones, numerous stone tools from the Palaeolithic era and fossil remains of animals have been found in the layers of the cave. This site is about 130 thousand years old.

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The Museums of Krapina-Zagorje in Croatia

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