ArtandCulture, Sibenik

The Trogir Museum was opened in 1966 within a unique complex of several palaces and houses owned by the Garagnin-Fonfogna family since the 18th century. The first small room accommodates a late Greek relief "Woman at Work" (2nd- 1 st century BC), and the replica of Kairos (4th-3rd century BC), as well as the prehistorical finds from the Trogir surroundings and the fragments of ceramics and glass from the Greek period. The Roman period is represented by the finds from the graves (fragments of a helmet, money, amphoras, urns) and stone reliefs and fragments discovered during archaeological excavations near Trogir. The second, large hall with a three-light window presents the medieval Trogir through the documentation on the development of the autonomous commune. The first printed city Statute from 1708, which actually governed the city public life already in the 14th century, and the city seal rings are on display in this hall. The original minutes of the City Council sessions from 1316 are displayed, along with major documents on parchment, and the Venetian money used in the provinces of Dalmatia and Albania. Ivan Lucic's "De Regno Dalmatiae et Croatiae", the major medieval Croatian work published in Amsterdam in 1666 is here, along with the matricula of the All Saints brotherhood from 1573, and the testimony on Venetian-Turkish war contained in the memoirs of Koriolan Cipiko (1477). http://www.portal-trogir.com/things-to-do-en/heritage/museums/trogir-town-museum/

The programme of designing the apperance of the main city square in Trogir, at the site of the Roman forum, started in the 1300 with the construction of the commune's loggia and the council chamber. http://www.portal-trogir.com/about-trogir/must-see/#city_square

As the oldest museum institution in Croatia, the Split Archaeological Museum was founded in 1820 by the decree of the Dalmatian government in Zadar. The incentive for the establishment of the Museum was provided by the visit of Emperor Francis I to Dalmatia in 1818, which also included visits to Split and Solin. The original museum building was erected in 1821 next to the eastern walls of Diocletian's Palace but soon became too small to house the growing number of monuments. A new era in the development of archaeology in Croatia is associated with the work and activity of Father Frano Bulic, director of the Split Museum since 1884. Father Frano Bulic (Vranjic, 1846 - Zagreb, 1934), a catholic priest, archaeologist, historian, and conservator, had for more than 50 years been working as a field researcher, conservator and writer. He is known as the founder of the Croatian archaeological society "Bihac" that was established in Split in 1894. https://www.mdc.hr/split-arheoloski/eng/index.html

Prokurative or as they are officially called, Republic Square resemble the Venice St. Marks Square. They are located west of the Riva and they were named after the arches found on the neo-Renaissance buildings surrounding the square on three sides. http://visitsplit.com/en/514/prokurative

Art Studio Naranča was founded in 1983 as a design studio of small arts and crafts objects. When the gallery moved in the bigger space at the beginning of the nineties in Majstora Jurja street at the heart of Split’s Diocletian palace we have expanded our activities by organizing exhibitions of Croatian and international contemporary artists. International graphic art biennial “Splitgraphic” was established ten years ago in Studio Naranča gallery. Fifth “Splitgraphic” International Graphic Biennial was successfully organized in 2011. with participation and exhibitions of renowned Croatian and international artists. In gallery Studio Naranča you can find the works of Pavo Majić, a graphic artist, his prints, paintings, designed items, Maja Mijač Majić’s unique jewellery, as well the books by Marina Majić and Pavo Majić. https://studionaranca.com/studio-naranca/

Gallery featuring contemporary sculpture, paintings & other works of the namesake artist. Vasko Lipovac was a Croatian painter, sculptor, printmaker, designer, illustrator and scenographer and one of the most prominent artists of the region. He is best known for his minimalist figuration and use of intense, unmodulated and often dissonant palette. With the exception of his juvenile period of geometric abstraction, he remained loyal to figuration throughout his whole career. Exceptionally prolific, he worked in various techniques and was equally skilful in using high-polished metal, polychromous wood, enamel, terracotta or polyester to create his sculptures, reliefs and mobiles. http://www.vaskolipovac.com/

The Museum of ancient glass in Zadar has a souvenir shop with a very rich offer in which one can buy publications and especially souvenirs like replicas of ancient glass made in glassmaking museum workshops with the method of hand blowing. The Museum of Ancient Glass is a contemporary and unique cultural institution in the world, and it has a specialized archaeological collection of more than 5.000 glass objects from the period of Antiquity from the first century B.C. do the 5th century A.D. in its possession. It has a permanent display and an attractive glassmaking workshop in which by manual blowing technique replicas of ancient glass are made. https://zadar.travel/attractions/museums/museum-of-ancient-glass

Everything that ever mattered in Zadar, since the medieval period, happened or was heard of on the People's Square. It is the centre of urban life, a source that sucks you in with its energy and beauty, and then leaves the people passing-by to some of the other urban sensations. The People's Square in Zadar is the medieval Platea Magna, the centre of life and nowadays centre of town administration together with the City Loggia. From the People's square all the ways lead in all directions; to the Kalelarga, the Waterfront, the Five Wells Square or to the market and fish market. In The City Loggia on People's Square, that was built already in the 13th century, Zadar inhabitants have been gathering and have been discussing the most important city matters, while on the other side can be found the City Guard from the second half of the 16th century with a watch on a tower that has been in function incessantly since 1803. https://zadar.travel/attractions/attractions/peoples-square

Jaksić Gallery is located in the family yard, surrounded by the workshops of each author. In it, you can find the paintings of doctor of art Dina Jaksic, jewellery made of semiprecious stones combined with silver designed by Ida Jaksic, stone sculptures of the sculptor Lovre Jaksic, while the interior and exterior of the gallery are work of stonemasonry workshop which is in the property of Drazen Jaksic. He is not only a master of the craft but also a designer with the idea. The gallery also contains a number of useful items made of Brač stone and stone furniture which is an attraction itself. https://www.visitbrac.com/tours/jaksic-gallery/BR-TR-162

The Croatian National Theatre has its ensemble that was founded 14 years ago when it starts with professional productions with Zadar acting forces. It has a prepaid and not prepaid programme as also the Zadar Theatre Summer. Croatian medieval liturgical dramas and liturgical games have been performed in Zadar already in the 11th century, so it is since then that begins the history of Croatian theatre. The first modern theatre dates back to the year 1783 (Nobile Teatro), while the New Theatre from the year 1865 was the most beautiful theatre building in Zadar. The first professional theatre from 1945 carries the name National theatre (Narodno kazalište), and today Croatian National Theatre (Hrvatsko narodno kazalište) Zadar. The total percentage of visits to its programmes is 85 per cent. https://zadar.travel/attractions/attractions/croatian-national-theatre

On the glass face of the Archeological Museum in Zadar, you can see the reflection of the Forum and Saint Donatus, with which the Museum is unbreakably connected. Since 1880 works of protection and restoration have been done in Saint-Donat with the idea to place the Archeological Museum in it. The Archeological Museum is the oldest museum in Zadar and the second oldest in Croatia. It was founded in 1832., and today it keeps more than 100.000 archaeological objects from all the cultural and historical periods from the Paleolithic to the end of 11th century. The museum has its journal and for almost 60 years in a preparatory workshop, it has been producing hand-made souvenirs- amphoras, recipients, fibulas (brooches), jewellery and other valuable museum material. https://zadar.travel/attractions/museums/archeological-museum

The forum in Zadar has been built by the first Roman emperor Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian of what the inscriptions in stone dating back to the 3rd century give evidence when the construction came to an end. It was once closed by a portico with galleries on the first floor, and under the portico there were shops. Since the first century B.C. the forum has been the main gathering place for Roman soldiers, religious people, bureaucrats of the Republic and later of the Empire, as also for traders and all Zadar citizens in ancient times. In the time of its full glory, the forum was surrounded from three sides by a magnificent portico. It is indispensable for a walk and also one of the symbols of the city. https://zadar.travel/attractions/attractions/forum

Zadar has a unique combination of architecture and music, the wordly known Sea Organ. It is located next to the installation Greeting to the Sun, and it represents an organ whose sound is produced under the influence of the energy of the sea, rather waves and tides. The Sea Organ has been gently formed out of stone and returned to the sea. It stretches out on a surface of seventy meters of Zadar's coast, under which on the level of the lowest seated 35 pipes of different lengths, diameters and descent are installed. When the most beautiful sunset illuminates the waterfront, the play of light of the Greeting to the Sun accompanies the rhythm of waves and the sounds of the Sea Organ. https://zadar.travel/attractions/attractions/sea-organ

This new symbol of Zadar is located in the Zadar port on the western point of Zadar Peninsula. The Greeting to the Sun is overlooking the Zadar Channel, the islands and the widely known sunset. With this installation, Zadar has got a new tourist attraction. The modern installation Greeting to the Sun is made of 300 multilayer glass solar panels in the shape of a circle of a diameter of 22 meters. Throughout the day it collects the energy of the sun and transforms it into the electricity, which is consumed in and around the installation throughout the night. The Greeting to the Sun in the immediate proximity of the Sea Organ, the second modern intervention on Zadar's waterfront, and both of them brought Zadar to the front covers of all the world media. https://zadar.travel/attractions/attractions/the-greeting-to-the-sun

The stories about the sphinx in Zadar and the treasure buried under it were the inspiration for many fantasies of generations of Zadar inhabitants. The replica of the Egyptian Sfinx in Zadar had the relief of an eagle, and instead of claws, it had fingers with which it was once holding a big sword for the protection of a shell with a little fishpond. Devastated by the pain because of the premature loss of his wife Attilia, the famous Zadar citizen Giovanni Smirić in 1901 built a sphinx made of concrete in her honour. It can be found in the part of the city called Brodarica, within the space of the Villa Atilia and the park in the bay Maestral, and according to a legend it fulfils love wishes to romantic souls. https://zadar.travel/attractions/attractions/sphynx

Prehistoric town walls, numerous archaeological finds, several sarcophagi, reliefs and medieval graves are an evidence of the long history of the place and the lives of its people. Where there once stood Illyrian town walls from 1400 BC, later was a Roman mausoleum, then a Radojković Tower built for defensive purposes and today it is a museum of the island of Brač. The museum displays interesting exhibits from Kopačina cave, Roman tomb-stones, sea charts and diverse folk handicrafts from the entire island. This jewel of historical and cultural heritage has always been a very popular tourist destination. The long history and culture of the island of Brač is best seen in Škrip – the oldest settlement on the island. https://www.visitbrac.com/tours/the-museum-of-the-island-of-brac/BR-TR-146

Resembling an art studio or creative room which also serves as a living space, the gallery Hvaroom hosts exhibitions of Maja Jelušić and Ana Kolega. Over the last couple of years, it also featured photo exhibits of Ivo Vučetić, Filip Bubalo and Marko Jelušić. Apart from paintings and sculptures, the gallery also offers a variety of textile articles, author postcards and books. This crafty corner is situated in a stone Mediterranean house, grandma's 300 years old legacy semi-detached with one of the oldest theatres in Europe and Arsenal, former Venetian warehouse. Good, old grandma is still around, just like a cosy bar on the terrace Belvedere two floors above, opened on the previous location of Hvaroom, representing an additional exhibition venue of the gallery. In a thirteen years long art trajectory, the gallery has been recognized as a pleasant meeting place offering a variety of unique art products created out of love for the island’s hidden delights. The authentic interior is a melting pot of art, design and life’s little pleasures. Studio and gallery. Store and room…Hvar room. https://www.visit-hvar.com/tours/hvaroom-gallery/HV-TR-261

If you visit Hvar, all the streets will lead you to Hvarska pjaca (Hvar's square), the centre of the city's public and social life and the largest square in Dalmatia. The eastern side of the square is surrounded by the Cathedral of St. Stephen that was built on the foundations of an early-Christian church from the 6th century and that acquired its present appearance in the 16th and 17thcentury. The Cathedral is dedicated to St. Stephen, a pope and martyr, the protector of the Diocese and the city of Hvar. The renaissance bell-tower of the Cathedral and Hvar's other bell towers (St. Mark, Franciscan and the ruined one of St. Venerande) are considered to be the nicest ones in Dalmatia. Hvar's Cathedral preserves many valuable items and paintings of famous painters like Stefano Celesti, Palma Junior and the Spanish painter Juan Boschettus, but the most renowned painting is definitely Madonna, an example of the proto-Venetian art and one of the oldest in Dalmatia originating back in 1220. In the Episcopal Palace standing next to the Cathedral, a collection of objects of art, sacred vessels, archival documents, old books and liturgical vestments was founded in 1963. http://www.visit-hvar.com/tours/square-of-st-stephen-cathedral-of-st-stephen/HV-TR-37

An easy stroll from Hvar's square, along the sea and the waterfront soon brings you to the Franciscan monastery. Within the peace and quiet of the monastery walls, you can enjoy a rich display of museum exhibits (collections of Greek, Roman and Venetian coins, liturgical items, atlas of the ancient cartographer Ptolemaeus, rare exhibits of amphora, etc.), as well as paintings of Venetian artists like Francesco Santacroce and Palma Junior. The monastery is known for its magnificent painting of the Last Supper (2 x 8 m) which leaves everyone breathless. Some critics believe it is the work of a painter from Ravenna Matteo Ingoli, whilst others think that the painting belongs to the school of Palma Junior. One more rarity that makes the monastery famous is the 300-year old cypress that is located in the garden of the monastery. https://www.visit-hvar.com/tours/franciscan-monastery-hvar/HV-TR-28

In the 19th century during the period of sailboats Stari Grad marked the development of the shipping industry and naval construction. There is a rich naval collection preserved in Palace Biankini in Stari Grad. The collection was founded by the Centre for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage of the island of Hvar in 1966 and besides documentation on naval construction; it also displays various nautical instruments, paintings of Hvar captains, old nautical charts and literature on navigation. https://www.visit-hvar.com/tours/palace-biankini-and-naval-collection/HV-TR-38

Vapor Art Gallery is lovely Korčula art space located in the very Sea Gate medieval Tower right next to Morska vrata town entrance. The gallery offers for sale large selection of major Croatian contemporary and modern artists including paintings by Stipe Nobilo, the local painter, Vasko Lipovac and others https://www.korculainfo.com/vapor-art-gallery/

Korcula Town Museum (Gradski muzej Korcula) is located at St Mark’s Square facing Cathedral Sveti Marko. The Museum is housed in Gabrielis palace that was built in 15th and 16th century. It is 3 storey building with basement and attic. Museum has various collections covering Korcula’s history and culture from Ancient history to nowadays. https://www.korculainfo.com/museums/korcula-museum/

Bishop’s Treasury Museum is located in Bishops Palace in an elegant two-storey palace on Sveti Marko Square in Korcula Old Town. The museum is also called Abbey Treasury of St Mark (Opatska Riznica Svetog Marka). The ground floor covers parish office, library, archives and Kitchen exhibition hall. On the first floor, there are exhibits of Treasury hall, while the top floor covers residence of the parish priest. The museum exhibits numerous works of art including some paintings by Blaz Jurjev and Tiepolo. There are also old manuscripts with illuminated codex from the 12th century, alabaster sculptures from the 15th century as well as a statue of Mary Stuart from the 17th century. This is an interesting museum collection worth to visit if you are in Korcula. https://www.korculainfo.com/bishops-treasury/

The National Museum of BiH was founded on February 1, 1888 and was first housed in a building next to the Sarajevo Cathedral. Construction of the facility in Marijin Dvor, the museum’s current home, got underway in 1909 and was completed in 1913 and designed by Karl Paržik. The museum allows visitors to take “a short walk” through BiH’s past, from earliest times all the way to the ethnology exhibit, whose interior captures the atmosphere of a traditional city house during the Ottoman period. The most valuable item in the museum’s collection is the famous Sarajevo Haggadah, which the Sephardic Jews brought to Sarajevo when they left Spain. There is also the rich collection in the natural history section which covers both living and non-living worlds, including a skeleton of a bearded vulture, a bird with a giant wingspan which used to fly in the skies above BiH not that long ago. https://sarajevo.travel/en/things-to-do/national-museum-of-bih/237

By collecting stone monuments in the Temple of Augustus in 1802, marshal Marmont began the founding of the museum collection in Pula. However, the discovery of stone, ceramic and metal objects in Nesactium was the basis for founding the Museo Civico (City Museum) in Pula in 1902. After the seat of the “Società istriana di archeologia e storia patria” had been moved and with the transfer of the archaeological inventory from Poreč to Pula, the Museo Civico was integrated with the National collection (stone monuments) and the Poreč Regional Museum (Museo Provinciale) into one regional institution. Therefore, in 1925 the Museum of Istria (Il Regio Museo dell’Istria) was founded in the present-day museum building. In 1930 the museum opened its doors to visitors, and a guidebook in Italian was published. This exhibition, along with minor changes, was open for the public until the end of World War II, when many objects were transferred to Italy during the Anglo-American administration. https://www.pulainfo.hr/where/archaeological-museum-istria-2

The most famous and important monument, the starting and ending point of every sightseeing tour is the Amphitheater, popularly called the Arena of Pula, which was once the site of gladiator fights. It was built in the 1st century AD during the reign of Emperor Vespasian, at the same time as the magnificent Colosseum in Rome. The ground plan is elliptical, the longer axis measuring about 130 m and the shorter one about 100 m. Gladiator fights took place in the central flat area called the arena, while the spectators could sit on the stone tiers or stand in the gallery. It is believed that the Amphitheater could seat about 20,000 spectators. Local limestone was used for its construction. In the Middle Ages, it was the site of knights tournaments and fairs. Today, it is the venue for many different events – Pula Film Festival, various concerts, opera, ballet, sports competitions… since its capacity is about 5000 spectators. http://www.pulainfo.hr/where/arena-amphitheater-2

It is one of the two chapels built in the 6th century as part of a large Benedictine abbey demolished in the 16th century. The floor and walls were decorated with mosaics, some of which are now in the Archaeological Museum of Istria. It was built in the style of Ravenna churches, the only difference being the use of stone instead of brick. Due to its dimensions, method of construction and good state of preservation, the Chapel represents an extraordinary architectural masterpiece of its time. https://www.pulainfo.hr/where/chapel-st-maria-formosa

The museum collects works of art created in the second half of last century until the latest work of recent artists. MCAI represents an open meeting place of multiculturalism and, above all, to be a leading cultural and art institution of Istrian artists. http://www.pulainfo.hr/where/museum-contemporary-art-istria

Rijeka is reflected in Korzo, at Korzo you can read Rijeka. Anyone who, at least once, had a coffee at one of the terraces of numerous and picturesque café bars lined along this unusual promenade, would agree. http://www.visitrijeka.eu/What_To_See/Korzo

The museum is headquartered in the former Governor's Palace, a historicist edifice and protected cultural monument. The Governor's Palace was constructed in 1896 and designed by Alajos Hauszmann, one of the foremost Hungarian architects during the time when Rijeka was under Hungarian rule. Today, the palace houses the Maritime and History Museum of the Croatian Littoral, which was established in 1961 and comprises maritime, historical and cultural, ethnographic and archaeological departments. Some of the original items from the Governor's Palace, such as furniture and artisan craft-work, have been preserved and exhibited in salons on the first floor. The permanent exhibition of the museum provides an interactive and modern platform for showcasing the long, rich and tumultuous history and culture of living in the area of what is today Primorje-Gorski Kotar County from prehistoric times to the present day. The Lipa Pamti Memorial Centre (Lipa Remembers), which is dedicated to the victims of the Lipa massacre that took place on 30 April 1944, is also a part of the museum. In addition to its memorial heritage, the Memorial Centre interprets the entire cultural, historical and ethnographical heritage of the Liburnian Karst region (Rupa, Pasjak, Šapjane and Brce) from prehistoric times to the present day. http://www.visitrijeka.eu/What_To_See/Museums_and_Collections/The_Maritime_and_History_Museum_of_the_Croatian_Littoral_Rijeka

The museum has its roots in the Fine Arts Gallery built in 1948. Six years later, in 1954, the 1954 Salon was founded - the Exhibition of Contemporary Sculpture and Painting in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). This was the first group exhibition of the modern fine arts production of the former state. In 1960 it started the Biennale of Young Artists and in 1968 it presented the International Exhibition of Original Drawings. Since 1990 it has been presenting Croatian artists at the European and Mediterranean Biennale of Young Artists. In 1962 the institution changed its name to the Rijeka Modern Gallery and in 2003 to the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. The Museum is working on a number of collections. These are collections of works by national artists Božidar Rašica, Romolo Venucci and Slavko Grčko, as well as collections of drawings, graphics, sculptures, posters, paintings, photographs and media art. The exhibition activities take place in Krešimirova Street. http://www.visitrijeka.eu/What_To_See/Museums_and_Collections/Museum_of_Modern_and_Contemporary_Art

Fort Lovrijenac or St. Lawrence Fortress, often called “Dubrovnik’s Gibraltar”, is a fortress and theater located outside the western wall of the city of Dubrovnik in Croatia, 37 m above sea level. Famous for its plays and importance in resisting Venetian rule, it overshadows the two entrances to the city, from the sea and by land. Early in the 11th century the Venetians attempted to build a fort on the same spot where Fort Lovrijenac currently stands. If they had succeeded, they would have kept Dubrovnik under their power, but the people of the city beat them to it. The “Chronicles of Ragusa” reveal how the fort was built within just three months time and from then on constantly reconstructed. When the Venetian ships arrived, full of materials for the construction of the fort, they were told to return to Venice. The Croatian leg of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series takes place in Lovrijenac. https://www.godubrovnik.guide/dubrovnikthingstodo/fort-lovrijenac/

The Ethnographic Museum has its origins in the collection of traditional culture that began to be formed in the first decades of the twentieth century. Its holdings were very much enlarged with specimens of traditional attire and lace donated several times by that great benefactor of the museum, Jelka Miš (1875 -1956). In the course of time, the collection grew into the ethnological department of Dubrovnik Museum, and in 1950 opened its first display of original ethnographic folk handicrafts from the local area on the second floor of Fort St John. At the end of the eighties, the ethnographic department was relocated to the building of the Dubrovnik Republic’s granary, popularly known as Rupe/The Holes, which derives from the name for the underground grain storage areas carved out of bedrock or tufa. https://www.godubrovnik.guide/dubrovnikthingstodo/ethnographic-museum/