Photo-reconstruction of the Permanent Exhibition of the Zagreb City Museum from 1949

After its establishment in 1907 and placement in the Stone Gate Tower, the Art Pavilion, in Opatička 8, Zagreb City Museum was relocated at the beginning of 1947 to the former convent of the Clarisse nuns at 20 Opatička ulica. Two years later, on 30 November, 1949, the Museum opened its doors to the public with a permanent exhibition. The authors of this exhibition were Director Franjo Buntak, PhD and Lelja Dobronić, PhD with academic painter Mijo Bišćan commissioned for the visual design, who was also the author of educational drawings on display. This permanent exhibition was entirely different from its predecessors, as the concept of displaying objects was abandoned in favour of a chronological and systematic display of Zagreb’s development using museum items, documents, and museographic aids.

The exhibition presented development of Zagreb from prehistory to the end of the 18th century. Additional rooms were later arranged, and the permanent exhibition was expanded. A section showcasing development of Zagreb in the 19th century was opened in 1956, and in 1951, a permanent exhibition “Zagreb during the National Liberation Movement of Resistance 1941 – 1945” was arranged.

Through a photo-reconstruction of the permanent exhibition from 1949, we offer you the chance to “have a peek” into the history of the Museum, to “walk” from one hall to another, to discover the charms and shortcomings of this old exhibition, and to compare it with the current one.

Finally, in the last gallery, you can read about the preparations and research that preceded the preparation of the permanent exhibition, its significance, and its distinctly educational character in the text by Dr Lelja Dobronić: Zagreb City Museum in the Service of Teaching and Enlightenment.

(D. B.)

Sources:

1. Dobronić, Lelja. 1957. Muzej grada Zagreba u službi nastave i prosvjećivanja: Iz starog i novog Zagreba I. Muzej grada Zagreba, Zagreb
2. Premerl, Nada. 2007. Povijest Muzeja grada Zagreba u zrcalu stalnih postava: Stoljeće Muzeja grada Zagreba, Muzej grada Zagreba, Zagreb