August 5, 2022 – The Vučedol Culture Museum in Vukovar remains a truly special place. Its unique location, architecture, and the dedication of those who make things happen there day after day, all keep drawing you back and leave you longing for more. This time, the invitation is out for all who like anything digital, 3D, and in general thinking out of the box. A new interactive exhibition nicknamed Vučedolac izvan okvira (The Vučedol Man Outside His Box) is open until the end of August.

Tportal followed up with the author of the exhibition, Darko Bilandžić, who is also the head of marketing at the Vučedol Culture Museum. He points out that, thanks to their approach to marketing and the possibilities of the digital world, he decided to offer the museum’s visitors a digital insight into the life of the prehistoric people of Vučedol.

Photo: Vučedol Culture Museum

“The people of Vučedol were advanced as a culture and in many ways ahead of many at that time. We could say that they thought outside the box. I believe that we have passed the time of static museums, which require visitors to walk through them and read the materials next to the exhibits. In addition to improving our website, we decided to go a step further and create an interactive exhibition using augmented reality technology”, says Bilandžić.

He explains that ten tablets are available to visitors, which they can use to scan ten posters to find the corresponding 3D, audio, text, or video content.

“With this type of presentation, we want to get even closer to the younger generation and keep up with the modern ways of presenting museum material, and thus further build our digital archive. I must admit that the feedback of our visitors pleasantly surprised me, as it clearly shows how important it is to continue working in the direction of new technologies”, says Darko Bilandžić.

He adds that even as a child he was interested in advanced technologies and that robots were his favourite toys.

“That passion for new and advanced technologies always stayed with me. Back in 2016, at the Vučedol Culture Museum, we had visitors take a virtual walk through the museum with the help of VR glasses”, he recalls.

He added that the “trigger” for greater involvement in the digital presentation of cultural material was the coronavirus pandemic when many museums were closed.

“It made apparent that a lot of museums were not ready for online work. We saw our chance there and I dove into learning and education, and this exhibition is the first result of that”, he says proudly, adding that without digital technologies in the future it will be difficult to imagine the operation of any museum.

Photo: Vučedol Culture Museum

This marketing expert believes that augmented reality offers museums unimagined opportunities for development and getting closer to citizens of all ages.

“We especially want to get closer to young people and get them interested in everything that the Vučedol Culture Museum offers, and it offers many things that define today's life and reality”, concludes Darko Bilandžić.

Darko is a marketing expert who has a passion for a reality that is virtual, augmented, or extended. If you would like to know more about that, make sure to check out TCN’s interview with Darko on Culex, a successful VR company that he co-owns.

For more on lifestyle in Croatia, check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

May 14, 2021 - Croatian Museums will Celebrate International Museum Day on May 18th alongside their colleagues worldwide.

May 18th is International Museum Day. Croatian museums will participate as well. Not only that, but they need to get creative during this era of social distancing. As tportal reports, the theme of this year’s museum day is “The Future of Museums: Recover and Reimagine”. It is not difficult to see why this theme makes sense nowadays. Museums have had to struggle with the inability to work properly within the last year. COVID-related restrictions and lack of visitors took a toll on these institutions. Many will join this year’s celebration offering virtual tours of their exhibits, rather than live visits.

Zagreb Museums

To add insult to injury, many Zagreb museums also suffered earthquake damages during the last 12 months. This is why Ethnographic Museum is organising a two-day conference about museum collection storages. These are crucial for the preservation of museum material in unexpected situations.

On International Museum Day, the National Museum of Modern Art in Zagreb is offering free entrance to the exhibition entitled “Rafael – at the Outcome of a Myth”. Museum’s social media pages will also show a video where the members of the public will voice their opinions on the future of museums.

Croatian History Museum is currently closed for the public. Still, it is setting up a new exhibition entitled “Sword – once upon a time…”. This exhibition will open to visitors on the 19th of May.

If you are looking for something a bit different try the Croatian Naïve Art Museum. They are organising a tasting inspired by the museums' exhibits. Meanwhile, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb is staging mural painting events, among other things.

Rest of Croatia

Museum of Samobor is organising a children’s workshop called “Ferdionica”.

In Opatija, the Croatian Tourism Museum is staging an exhibition of photographs by renowned Croatian photographer Toso Dabac entitled “Opatija Album by Toso Dabac”.

The Museum of Brodsko Posavlje is having an exhibition of items collected in the city of Slavonski Brod and the area of Brodsko Posavlje. The idea behind this exhibition is to raise awareness among local people about the importance of collecting and preserving traditional items of a certain area.

Museum of Koprivnica organises a bicycle tour taking the visitors along an “art route” through the city, visiting points of interest.

Museum of Sibenik will see its experts presenting future projects by live Facebook video.

These are just some of the options for museum hungry visitors on May 18th. Where ever you find yourself in Croatia, make sure to check with local museums about their plans for International Museum Day.

For more on lifestyle, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB December 13, 2020 – .One of Croatia's best-loved gallery and event spaces will undergo a revolutionary new facelift at the hands of a world-famous architect. Zagreb Lauba's new look comes at the hands of internationally acclaimed Sou Fujimoto. A serial award winner, the architect's prominent works are found all over the world.

Newly-released images of how Zagreb's Lauba will look show an incredibly imaginative redesign. Echoing the avenue of trees that runs by the side of the gallery and event space, Sou Fujimoto has planned an oval-shaped garden roof space for the building in which trees will also be planted. The inspiration for the design came from Zagreb Lauba's name – it is a colloquial word used to describe a certain circular area of trees, the architect being informed of this by gallery owner Tomislav Klitschko.

© Sou Fujimoto Architects / Lauba

According to Jutarnji List's coverage of the redesign, by journalist Patricia Kish, the new roof garden space will be accessed by stairs and lift. Zagreb Lauba's design as it stands today was originally made by Alenka Gačić-Pojatina, who will collaborate on the new additions by Sou Fujimoto.

Zagreb Lauba's story dates back to 1910 when it was constructed by Emil Eisner and Adolf Ehrlich for use as a stables and riding school for the Austro-Hungarian army. It later became the weaving mill of the Textile Combine Zagreb, which it remained until being converted to a gallery and event space in 2008.

© Sou Fujimoto Architects / Lauba

Sou Fujimoto is one of the most celebrated architects of Japan. He has won several prestigious awards for his work and the acclaim has made his designs much in-demand around the world. Often working with wood and natural materials, his designs can be found in London, Paris, Budapest and soon, at Zagreb Lauba's hands, in Croatia.

Lauba is a contemporary art gallery and its mission is to discover artistic expression by Croatian visual artists, and also participate in international cultural trends. Set in a huge black building near Črnomerec its exhibitions usually change around every month. In recent times it has also played host to large-scale electronic music events.

One of Sou Fujimoto's previous designs © Kenta Mabuchi

November 7, 2020 – Protected by UNESCO, the unmistakable Slavonian folk song style will get deserved attention at the new Museum of Becarac in Pleternica.

There are lots of pretty little towns in Slavonia like Pleternica. The average outsider often has no way of distinguishing between them. But, Pleternica is determined to stand out. In a smart and considered move, they've decided to become synonymous with a UNESCO-protected element of Slavonian and Croatian culture - Bećarac.

Last year, Bećarac Square was opened in Pleternica. Soon, the town will become home to another symbol of heritage preservation – the Museum of Becarac. The Museum of Becarac will be located right next to Bećarac Square in the center of the town.

Bećarac is a traditional and humorous type of folk song originally from Slavonia. It has an unmistakable sound. It is characterised by a rhyming, call-and-response type of delivery and is performed acapella or accompanied by the traditional Slavonian folk music style of tamburitza. The melody of Bećaraci remains constant, only the song words differ as it continues or is again performed. In this way, Bećarac is more akin to the traditional storytelling aspect of folk music than it is an individual song.

The first verse is sung by the choir leader and forms a logical thesis; it is repeated by the choir of gathered men. The second verse is a humorous antithesis, also repeated by the choir (but often broken by laughter). Bećarci is usually performed at the peak of a party as a drinking song after the crowd is sufficiently warmed up by wine and music. A series of bećarci can last indefinitely. Their words are often made up spontaneously. The creator of the lines of lyrics can draw on many different sources of inspiration - recent happenings, local stories, reputations, past songs and much more. The style is embraced by almost every band who you will ever hear play tamburitza music - young, old, traditional, or modern. Thus, the subject matter and language used can vary greatly, as does the appeal of the humour and the lyrics. If a writer creates a popular motif, it can be remembered, repeated and even replied to at later instances. It may travel outside of its source of origin in the same way traditional folk music always has. 



Bećarac was declared an intangible part of cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2011. The name bećarac comes from the word bećar, meaning reveller, and the word is often used to describe young Slavonian bachelors.

Museum of Becarac to present Slavonian heritage in a modern way

As Požeški vodič reports, the Museum of Becarac project was presented at the beginning of 2020. The 1400 square meters that the Museum of Becarac will occupy has already been designated during the construction of Bećarac Square.

Below the stands of the square, it is planned to house a souvenir shop and a cafe. The Museum of Becarac itself will be built on two floors. The first is already visible when you walk through the passage under the stands. The larger part of the museum will be located underground, in the basement space. The museum is expected to open at the end of 2021.

Bećarac Square in the center of Pleternica, under whose stands the Museum of Bećarac will be located, is designed as a reminiscence of golden Slavonian fields and sunny hills / D. Fabijanić, The City of Pleternica

"The Museum of Bećarac will be a presentation of heritage with all modern techniques: music, video, and visual recordings, and at some point, you will even have the feeling that you are running through wheat fields," said Antonija Jozić, the Mayor of Pleternica.

Apart from Slavonia, the Croatian regions of Baranja and Srijem are also home to bećarac, and it belongs to them equally. Furthermore, it is also performed in parts of southern Hungary and Vojvodina. It is a part of traditional culture throughout much of the Pannonian Basin. Like its UNESCO protection, its continued performances seek to preserve a special Slavonian tradition. This dedicated museum will also contribute to doing just that.

"Folk costumes and other objects will be exhibited in the museum, too, because it is very important, but we will use other methods to contextualize these objects. First of all, this is not a museum of folk costumes, but a museum of folk song bećarac. And it is performed. So we have to figure out how bećarac will be in focus all the time, but then we will, of course, talk about other anthropological, ethnographic, and historical phenomena related to bećarac," explained Dragana Lucija Ratković Aydemir, founder and director of Muza company which participated in the presentation of the museum project on January 13, 2020.

The Museum of Bećarac is part of a large project called "Svijet graševine" (The world of graševina), which is being carried out by the City of Pakrac, with the City of Pleternica as one of the partners. Out of the total 65.7 million kuna of the project, 30 million kuna is intended for the Museum of Bećarac, while the rest is intended for the City of Pakrac's "Spahijski podrum" project and branding.

The rich city cultural treasury

The Museum of Bećarac is designed as an extension of the tourist offer of the small Slavonian town. Pleternica has about 11,000 inhabitants, but every year, one event attracts as many as 100,000 pilgrims there. It is the Novena of Our Lady of Tears, whose sanctuary is located in the heart of Pleternica and for which the city of Pleternica is otherwise known. It is held every year from 23 to 31 August.

The June Days of Amateur Creativity called LIDAS are also important for Pleternica, during which the splendor of the cultural treasury of this region is presented. The children's tamburitza festival "Cvjetići glazbe" (Flowers of Music) is held on those days and is the only one of its kind in Croatia. Due to the parish church of Sv. Nicholas, who is the patron saint of the city, Pleternica City Day is celebrated each year on December 6th.

Pleternica has been looking for a "trigger" for a long time to help them attract even more tourists, and they finally recognized it in bećarac.

"Many years ago, at the suggestion of one of my fellow citizens, we protected the name of the Museum of Bećarac at the Intellectual Property Office because we felt that it could be a good story that would bring tourists to Pleternica. As European funds were available to us, we developed the project and, now we are in the phase of completing equipping the museum. I believe that from the end of next year we will be able to count the tourists who will come to Pleternica," the mayor Jozić told Večernji list.

An interpretation center rather than a museum

The museum currently produces all video and audio materials, applications, art installations, and procures all exhibits, and to consistently convey the spirit of Slavonian tradition to visitors, preparations by museologists, experts, and ethnologists are indispensable.

"The museum we are working on is not a classic museum, it is more of an interpretation center, that is, a visitor center. We will show all tourists who come what bećarac is and what Slavonian life is. And then, of course, when they visit the museum, we hope that they will visit all our other beauties, from wine roads and cellars to family farms," says Antonija Jozić.

EU funds have opened up a wide variety of doors for Croatia, quite literally. As more and more EU funding is accessed, more former Croatian ''glory'' buildings, including old castles and palaces, are having new life breathed into them.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes on the 28th of May, 2019, in July in Suhopolje near Virovitica, a visitor's centre will be opened up at Janković castle, marking the creation of a brand new attraction for Virovitica-Podravina County, in which a total of 39.7 million kuna will be invested, of which 33.4 million kuna is being funded from European Union fund for Regional Development, permitted under the Preparation and implementation of Integrated Development Programs based on the Reconstruction of Cultural Heritage.

This is just one of the projects which directly involves the revitalisation of a series of castles, noble and ex-military buildings in the aforementioned county, and putting them into the function of tourism within the so-called. Plemićka ruta. At the moment, there are projects in their various phases of implementation or completion of a total value of up to 276 million kuna, as was revealed yesterday at the project's presentation in Zagreb by Josip Mikolčić, assistant director of the VPŽ (Virovitica-Podravina) Tourist Board. Last year, 16,033 tourists visited this continental Croatian county, achieving an impressive 40,276 overnight stays.

"Participating in EU projects is a great opportunity to rebuild many of the neglected facilities that we'll then put into the function of tourism. The county still has a bit of hotel accommodation, which we need to modify so that we can make a significant income from tourism," Mikolčić explained.

Namely, as EU funds can't provide non-refundable money for the construction of hotels, a solution has been found by the Croatian county in question to create presentation centre projects that later be turned into hotels. In addition to the multimedia exhibition hall, 5D cinema and creative lab, Janković will also have fifteen guest rooms, which will initially be registered as rooms for rent, and after five years have passed, another fifteen rooms will be added and the facility will be registered as a heritage hotel, at least that's what the current plan is.

Then, Virovitica-Podravina County will be able to sell that hotel to a private investor, as well as all of its other facilities.

As it is already known, an informative-educational centre and a hostel in a restored summer residence from the nineteenth century have been on the market for about two years now. The Heritage Hotel Kurija Janković is on the Plemićka ruta, and the opening of a museum in the renovated Pejačević Castle is expected this October.

The renovated Ružica grad from the fifteenth century will be receive its first guests within the next 1.5 years, while on the island of Križnica on the border with Hungary, former military facilities will be turned into a camp and a visitor's centre.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for much more.

Click here for the original article by Marija Crnjak for Poslovni Dnevnik

Museums outside of museums is an event opened yesterday at the Ban Jelačić square in Zagreb, which you will be able to visit during the next week. The idea behind this manifestation is to bring the museums even closer to the broader public, showcasing them on the Zagreb main square.

The project is the brainchild of the curators from the Natural History Museum Nediljka Prlj Šimić and Katarina Krizmanić and artist Nedjeljko Mikac, and their museum and Zagreb Tourist Board were in charge of organizing it at the square. The setup of the exhibition is that there's an wooden installation shaped like a giant bird's nest where seven of Zagreb's museums and one visiting museum will present their collections to the passers-by. Archaeological Museum, Museum of Arts and Crafts, Museum of Contemporary Art, Nikola Tesla Technical Museum, Ethographic Museum and Museum Documentation Centre and the visiting Radboa from Radoboj are participating this year. The event was organized last year for the first time, and attracted over twenty thousand visitors.

The biggest attraction of the exhibition this year is a replica of a dinosaur from Istria from the Theropoda family, which is believed to have walked the Earth 135 million years ago, as well as the models of fish and lizzards fossils from the ancient seas. The dinosaur replica was made by the sculptor Marin Marinić, helped by the paleontology experts. The Etnographic Museum presents their collection of head-covering items, titled "Hats Down!" Museum of Contemporary Arts created a program to mark the tenth anniversary of their move to their current, Novi Zagreb location, which shows more of the architecture of the building itself. Technical Museum Nikola Tesla created a program to mark the International Day of Letter Writing, showing some of the items that are usually not shown to the public, such as the automatic mechanic pencil.

Too bad that the extreme spring weather might bring down the number of visitors to the Museums outside of museums exhibition!

January 30, 2019 - As most of you are probably aware, the ‘Long Night of Museums’, also known as Museum Night, returns this Friday, February 1, 2019. The 14th edition of this favorite event will be held throughout Croatia under the theme "Museums - Innovations and Digital Future”.

“Croatian museums use state-of-the-art technologies in their everyday practices, which involves an innovative and creative view of the museum’s possibilities and greater availability of museum content to new segments of museum audiences, through various digital platforms, mobile applications, tools, VR (Virtual Reality, AE (Augmented Reality), and many other technological innovations," reads the Museum Night website. 

The Croatian Museum Association (HMD) called on museums, galleries and similar institutions to propose their programmes on this topic by  January 11. 

Many establishments in Split signed up to participate in this Friday’s event, including the Archaeological Museum, Ethnographic Museum, Meštrović Gallery, Škola Gallery, HGK County Chamber Split, the Croatian-French Association, City Museum of Split, Museum of Croatian Archaeological Monuments, the Split University Library, Poljud Stadium, the Starry Village Mosor, and others.

You can find the full program of each participating location on the Museum Night’s official website. 

Last year, Museum Night was held in over 200 museums and similar institutions in about 100 cities and towns across Croatia under the title "Museums and Sports - Faster, Higher, Stronger".

Fourteen years ago, when this event was organized in Croatia for the first time, only six museums in Zagreb joined the campaign.

The initiative was launched in Germany in 1997, followed by France. As of 2005, it became a Europe-wide cultural event in which museums and cultural institutions in an area cooperate to remain open late into the night to attract visitors.

In Croatia, admission to all Museum Night venues is free. The event lasts from 6 pm to 1 am. 

To read more about Croatian lifestyle, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

As Morski writes on the 8th of January, 2019, at the end of last year, the Apoxyomenos Museum on Mali Lošinj was nominated for the title of the European Museum of the Year among as many as 39 other European museums, from Russia to the United Kingdom. Otherwise, this popular Mali Lošinj museum is the only museum in the whole of the Republic of Croatia to compete for this prestigious title since the year 1977.

The work and effort of the staff of the Apoxyomenos Museum has also been rightfully recognised by the respected European Museum Forum, which has accepted the museum's candidacy for the prestigious title of European Museum of the Year under the auspices of the Council of Europe. The award gives recognition to the vast European museum scene and thus promotes innovative processes in the museum world.

The award will be held this year in Sarajevo from the 22nd to the 25th of May. All forty candidates from across the continent of Europe can be viewed on the official EMYA website.

The wave of good news has continued over these very early days of 2019 as the Apoxyomenos Museum was also declared number one on the list of the top 10 museums in Croatia to visit, based on the choice of the 2018 Travelers' Choice from TripAdvisor, as was reported by Pokret otoka (Island movement).

The stunning bronze statue of a young Apoxyomenos athlete was found under the water near the island of Vele Orjule near Lošinj, at a depth of 45 metres. When the statue was discovered, it remained in a completely preserved state, missing only the little finger of the left hand, and a part of its original bronze base was astonishingly still attached to the foot of the right leg. The statue was recovered in 1999.

It is an old Greek piece, known now as the Croatian Apoxyomenos, kept in a state of absolutely exceptional preservation, an example of remarkable historic beauty and artistic value, apparently dating from the 1st or 2nd century BC.

The project of the extraction of the statue from the sea, its conservation and restoration work, and of course further research and proper representation of the statue was made possible through the funds of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia and owing to a welcome donation from Oxford Maritime Ltd. from the United Kingdom.

Conservation and restoration works started back in the year 2000 and were performed at the Croatian Conservation Institute in Zagreb. The works were led by the now late restaurateur Giuliano Tordi, a former employee of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure Institute in Florence, Italy, in collaboration with Antonio Šerbetić. The works lasted for six long years.

Make sure to stay up to date with more on the Apoxyomenos Museum and much more by following our dedicated lifestyle page.

Click here for the original article by Marta Stupin for Pokret otoka

Works have begun in the extreme south of Dalmatia, just before the Montenegrin border. Prevlaka fortress, the renovation works on which have been being awaited for some considerable time now, have finally started. Prevlaka fortress, which sadly sat neglected and delapidated for years, will be renovated and eventually turned into no less than a naval museum.

As Morski writes on the 3rd of January, 2019, thanks to the Society of Friends of Dubrovnik Antiquities, Prevlaka fortress will get a new lease of life and a sense of purpose. The raising of the scaffolding and the beginning of the works on the renovation of the almost entirely abandoned Austro-Hungarian fortress of Prevlaka have finally been announced.

''It's clear that 2019 will be the same as it has been throughout many past years for the Society of Friends of Dubrovnik Antiquities, fruitful and careful attention due to the wish to preserve our heritage for generations to come,'' said Niko Kapetanić, President of the aforementioned Dubrovnik-based society, who expressed his satisfaction at the start of the works on the reconstruction of Prevlaka fortress, located at the southernmost point of Croatia, almost right on the border with Montenegro, and from which the coastline of Montenegro can be seen.

To briefly recall, this area of extreme southern Dalmatia was under the jurisdiction of the Republic of Croatia until quite recently, and the state left Prevlaka fortress in the hands of Croatia's southernmost municipality, the Municipality of Konavle. Together with the Society of Friends of Dubrovnik Antiquities, the municipality will eventually open a museum dedicated to the Austro-Hungarian Navy in the fortress, with special emphasis placed on the Croatian component.

This isn't something that is particularly cheap to oversee and do, and according to some of the best experts on such matters in the world, ranging from naval uniforms to historic weaopons, to parts of old ships, the final result will be a complete cross section of the former Austro-Hungarian Navy. The plan is also for Prevlaka fortress to house an aquarium displaying an array of Adriatic fish, a souvenir shop, a lookout point, and an accompanying catering facility.

These plans have been revealed by Kapetanić, who didn't really want to speculate on what the price would or could be, but added that it would surely be tens of millions of kuna.

Back in September 2017, Minister of State Property Goran Marić pointed out that while Konavle might well geographically be at the very edge of Croatia, it doesn't mean that it also needs to be at the very edge in terms of relations with the state.

''It's in our interest to bring this project to life and that this [piece of state] property doesn't fall. We like the project that is intended for this property,'' Marić said.

Make sure to stay up to date on Prevlaka's progress and much more by following our dedicated lifestyle page.

The leading Zagorje-based bus company has opened an attractive museum in Krapina, and much to the delight of car lovers, it's showcasing numerous old timers.

As PD and VL nativ tim writes on the 12th of November, 2018, in addition to the world famous Krapina Neanderthal Museum, Krapina has another museum attraction to boast since last year - the Presečki Old Timer Museum.

The museum is located within the business centre of the Zagorje-based Presečki Group and boasts eighty exhibits, including cars, buses, motorcycles and bicycles. In the category of some of the most interesting cars from the period between the two world wars, the 1924 Mercedes stands out in particular, as does the beauty of the red Morgan built on the basis of the 1935 model. There is also a whole range of cars from the 50s, 60s and 70s on show at the Krapina museum.

Motorcycle lovers won't regret paying a visit either, with more than sixty bikes being exhibited.

With the opening of the museum, the childhood dream of Croatian entrepreneur Antun Presečki has finally been realised.

Antun Presečki, the owner of the well-known Presečki Group, the leading Zagorje-based bus company, has been collecting and restoring old timer type vehicles for over 25 years. Years worth of effort and passion has now been compressed down and presented to the public on 1100 square metres of attractive exhibition space, where visitors can immerse themselves in the history of both motoring and motorcycle culture.

In the museum there are also many old photographs, magazines, books, posters and gadgets along with the vehicles themselves. Thematic exhibitions of photographs, workshops, the screenings of films and other presentations which work to promote the motor and motorcycle culture can also been seen there. Within the museum there is also a children's workshop, where kids can learn about the history of the world of cars and other vehicles.

Almost six million kuna was invested in the museum building, which sits next to the administrative building of the Presečki Group. In addition, another 300,000 euro was invested into the exhibited vehicles themselves, and by Presečki's own estimation, his collection is now worth between anywhere between 600,000 and 800,000 euro on the market.

Make sure to follow our lifestyle page for more information like this.

Click here for the original article by PD and VL native tim on Poslovni Dnevnik