Franjo Buntak

Franjo Buntak (Zagreb, 2 September 1910 – Zagreb, 14 December 1985) was a distinguished art historian and a long-time director of the Zagreb City Museum. He studied art and culture history and classical archaeology at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb, where he obtained his PhD in 1938 with a thesis Župna crkva sv. Marije u Zagrebu. From 1937 to 1941, first he worked as a curator and later as director of the City Museum in Osijek. In April 1941, he was appointed curator at the Zagreb City Museum. In 1946, he was officially appointed director of the Zagreb City Museum and remained at this position until his retirement in 1979.

Under his leadership, two permanent exhibitions were set up at the Zagreb City Museum. The first permanent exhibition prepared in 1949, followed contemporary museological principles and chronologically displayed the history and development of Zagreb. The second permanent exhibition, which took years of planning and preparation, opened in 1977. In connection with this exhibition, Franjo Buntak, PhD wrote a detailed guide, Muzej grada Zagreba (1979).

During his tenure as the Museum director, numerous exhibitions were held at the Museum, and he himself was the author of several: Razvoj kazališta u Zagrebu (Development of Theatres in Zagreb)(1947), Slike Zagreba od 16. do 19. stoljeća (Pictures of Zagreb from the 16th to the 19th century) (1957), and Muzej grada Zagreba 1907. – 1967. (Zagreb City Museum 1907–1967), an exhibition celebrating the sixtieth anniversary of the Museum’s foundation.

Upon his retirement in 1979, he bid farewell to his colleagues and the Museum with the following words: Finally, I wish you all much success in your work. I hope you perform your beautiful and honourable duty of preserving cultural heritage of our beloved Zagreb with love and joy. May this work never feel burdensome but always bring you satisfaction, for if you are content in your job and work, you will complete your life’s happiness too. This profession and this Museum need idealists. Although we live in a very practical world, you should cultivate ideals – you will be happier!

After his death, the steps leading from Radićeva ulica towards Dvoranski prečac and to the Zagreb City Museum where he worked with dedication and love for decades, were named in his honour.

A. T.