As winter looms, many are looking ahead to brighter days and thinking about their next sun holiday. If you have been considering a vacation in Croatia next spring or summer then why not browse our holiday rentals in Zagreb and come and see what this vibrant and beautiful city has to offer? As the capital and largest city in Croatia, Zagreb is a centre of culture and activity with lots to see and do, from wandering amongst the 18th- and 19th-century Austro-Hungarian architectural gems that make up the historic core of the city, to grabbing food in one of the endless outdoor cafes lining the streets, to exploring markets, to admiring the stunning Mirogoj Cemetery, to enjoying water sports on Jarun Lake, to visiting the wide range of unique and incredible museums in town. In fact, Zagreb boasts a rather remarkable museum circuit including: the Museum of Broken Relationships (dedicated to the stories of relationships and breakups as told by individuals involved in them themselves and the objects that symbolise these broken ties), the Archaeological Museum, the Croatian Association of Artists, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Croatian Museum of Naïve Art (dedicated to the work of some of the most famous artists in this genre of those who were not formally trained in fine art), the Museum Mimara (boasting a collection of works donated by a well-travelled local who brought back glassware from Alexandria, jade and ivory ornaments from China, paintings by Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Bosch, Velázquez, Goya, Renoir, and Degas, and more), the Museum of Illusion, the City Museum, and more. It would be fair to call it the museum capital of Croatia in addition to being the actual capital of the country.
However, among all of these extraordinary museums in Zagreb, the Museum of Arts and Crafts is one of the best. The first purpose-built museum in all of Croatia, it is home to both a wonderful Arts and Crafts collection and one of the oldest photography collections in the globe. Opened in 1888, the Museum of Arts and Crafts of Zagreb was one of the first such institutions in Europe and boasts an incredible collection of some 160,000 objects including pieces of furniture, glass objects, metalwork, ceramics, sculptural works, paintings, graphic pieces (such as prints, drawings, etc), clocks and watches, photographs, musical instruments, leather goods, ivory ornaments, and examples of printings and bookbinding. Around 3,000 exhibits are on display at any one time, showcased in chronological order, from the Gothic to the Art Déco period and the 4th century to the present day, across 14 rooms and over three floors.
Established by the initiative of the Arts Society and its former President Izidor Kršnjavi in 1880, the museum was inspired by the Art and Crafts movement in England and the work of Gottfried Semper in its aim to lift up and celebrate crafts and craftsmanship in the way that fine art has always been lauded. Its creation, they hoped, would inspire local craftspeople and artists, preserve traditional crafts and skills and reinvigorate those producing high-quality local crafts. The establishment of a Crafts School (today Applied Art and Design School) in 1882 was a logical progression of this aim and, in 1888, a building to house both was constructed by Hermann Bollé and was one of the first purpose-built spaces designed to function as a museum and school. This building is a stunning, grand palace-style building, modelled after the architectural style of the German Renaissance and is an attraction in its own right. Though the museum was founded in 1880 and the actual building was completed in 1888, the beginnings of the institution actually go back to the initial gathering of objects for a collection of Arts and Crafts pieces, with the first items being bought in 1875 by Izidor Kršnjavi with funds donated by bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer at the auction of the personal collection of the Catalan painter and collector Mariano Fortuny in Paris after his death.
Some of the highlights of the collection include: the collection of antique and vintage cameras and photographic equipment; paintings by the likes of Charles Lebrun, Guido Reni, Canaletto, the Rembrandt School, and the Velazquez School; the textile collection's wonderful array of Croatian garments from the 17th century to the present day and pieces from famed international fashion houses and designers such as Jean Patou, Valentino, Fendi, Pierre Balmain, Hugo Boss, and Moschino; and more. If you have found a vacation rental in Zagreb , we highly recommend a visit to take in this rich and varied collection for yourself. However, if you are dreaming of your next holiday in Croatia but know that it is likely still some time away yet, then you can always explore this fascinating museum virtually through the Google Arts and Culture project right now from the comfort and safety of your own home. In addition to allowing you to search through the collections at large and virtually walk through the museum, this project allows you to attend four different online exhibitions in the museum: the Permanent Collection, the Trials and Tribulations of Croatian Lace, Wedding Fashion, and a Century of the Wristwatch.
So, whether you have found a vacation rental in Zagreb and are headed to Croatia soon, you're looking forward to a trip next year, or you're dreaming of future adventures, come and explore this wonderful cultural institution in the country's capital – both physically and virtually...
Museum of Arts and Crafts
Trg Republike Hrvatske 10, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia
Opening Hours:
Tuesday-Saturday, 10am to 7pm
Sunday, 10am to 2pm
Closed on Mondays and national holidays.
Ticket Prices:
Adults – 40 HRK
Seniors 65+ and students – 20 HRK
Family ticket – 70 HRK
Free with ZagrebCard
Photo credits:
Picture 1: Bernard Gagnon / CC BY-SA 4.0
Picture 1: Bernard Gagnon / CC BY-SA 4.0