Rovinj Municipal Museum

Marija Smolica
Fax.: 052/830-650

Info Telefon: 052/816-720
Besucher-Email: muzej-rovinj@pu.t-com.hr
http://www.muzej-rovinj.com...

"The museum, founded in 1954, is located in two buildings on the main square: in the Baroque Califfa palace (17th/ 18th century) and the neighboring Culture Hall.

The permanent exhibition consists of representative pieces from the Collection of Modern and Contemporary Art and the Collection of Old Masters, as well as an exhibition of maritime history and archaeology.

The archaeological exhibition displays finds from a multi-period late Roman tomb (2nd to 4th c.) from the area of Veštar Bay and parts of the stone decorations from the Carolingian church of St. Thomas (9th century).

The Collection of Old Masters holds very valuable works, particularly those by Italian painters created between the 15th and the 19th centuries. The Renaissance is represented by one work from each of the circles of G. Bellini and B. de Pitati (Adoration of the Magi), while the most significant representatives of the Baroque are M. Ricci (The Road to Emmaus), A. Zanchi, G. Romanino, N. Grassi, the circle of G. Reni, the circle of B. Strozzi, and others. Of note are the portraits that orignated from Central Europe (G. F. Waldmüller, Portrait of Ludwig of Bavaria) as well as a polychrome wood sculpture (late Gothic Pietà).

The first floor of the museum hosts a selection of works by the most important names in the Croatian art of the second half of the 20th century (E. Vidović, O. Herman, O. Gliha, E. Murtić, I. Kalina, Š. Vulas, K. Angeli Radovani, I. Picelj, J. Knifer, A. Motika, Ž. Hegedušić, I. Lovrenčić, I. Dulčić, V. Radauš, F. Kulmer, Lj. Ivančić, Đ. Seder, B. Ružić, and others).
The Rovinj Art Circle, from its founders (B. Mascarelli, C. Dessanti, Z. Matić, M. Brajnović, S. Vuličević, B. Baretić, E. Budicin) to avant-garde artists (A. Garbin, G. Petercol, T. Brajnović and others), is particularly prominent.

Due to the rich maritime and fishing tradition of the area, the Rovinj Museum holds a large number of items of documentary, historical, and artistic value: models of ships, sailors' ex-votos, representations of important naval battles, souvenirs from journeys to exotic countries, portraits of ships, and other items. Works by Alexander Kircher (1867-1939), a painter and sailor, famous for his maritime motifs, as well as his townscapes and paintings of archaeological sites, are occasionally on display.

The Memorial Room of painter Vilko Šeferov (1895-1974), who donated about a hundred of his works to the Museum, illustrates the 1950s and 1960s in Rovinj. It is also reminiscent of the creation of the Art Colony and the Regional Museum, as well as the emergence of Grisia – the art street and the event under the same name." (MDC)
 

The Brijuni National Park

Mira Pavletić
Fax.: 052/525-822

Info Telefon: 052/525-822
Besucher-Email: m.pavletic@brijuni.hr
http://www.brijuni.hr...

Javna ustanova "Nacionalni park Brijuni"

Year of foundation: 1955.

"The Department for the Protection of Cultural Assets is responsible for the material and intangible cultural heritage of Brijuni National Park. The museum holdings contain more than 30,000 items divided into twenty archaeological, artistic, cultural, historical, and natural history collections. The permanent display consists of five exhibition units presented in three historic buildings located in the centre of the island.

A smaller number of finds from the archaeological sites of Brijuni (pottery, tools, weapons, jewellery, building fragments) are on display in the 16th century Venetian villa (Kaštel). The Prehistoric period is represented by finds of pottery, bone and flint from a semi-dugout village in Javorika Bay (Neolithic and Copper Age) and a Bronze Age settlement on Gradina Hill. The splendour of ancient times is illustrated by the pottery, glassware, metal ware, and stoneware from the luxurious early imperial residential villa in Verige Bay. Late Antiquity is represented by finds from the richest (in terms of its strata) sites in Brijuni - the so-called castrum (1st century BC-15/16th century AD), while the mediaeval period is shown through parts of stone furnishings from the churches of St. Mary and St. Peter.

Since 1958, copies of frescoes and Glagolitic inscriptions from Istria and Kvarner have been exhibited in the Church of St. German (1481), introducing visitors to fresco painting and the Glagolitic script, which are typical features of the mediaeval cultural heritage of the area. A Roman black-and-white mosaic, originating from the dining room of the villa in Verige Bay, was built into the floor of the church during its renovation in 1911. Stone fragments from Brijuni’s history (1st - 18th centuries) were built into the atrium of the sacristy, which was added to the church in 1912.

The steam baths building (1912) of the old hotel complex houses three exhibitions.

The exhibition From the Memories of the Old Austrian is dedicated to Paul Kupelwieser (1843-1919), an Austrian industrialist who in 1893 bought the malaria-ridden Brijuni Islands and transformed them into an oasis of natural beauty and a tourist resort. Descriptions by Kupelwieser, along with photographs, postcards and printed material present the transformation of the islands into a confluence of European and global elites. A noteworthy item among the exhibits is the microscope that belonged to Dr. Robert Koch. After Koch’s stay on the island in 1900/1901, and following a process of sanitation, the island became a health resort.

An exhibition of photographs under the title Josip Broz Tito on the Brijuni Islands was set up in 1984, when the National Park was opened for visitors. The exhibition presents the activities of the Yugoslav President between 1947 and 1980, when many people in the political and public life of the country (and the world) visited the islands. A series of flags indicates 60 countries whose presidents, 90 of them altogether, visited Brijuni.

The Natural History Collection consists of a large number of mounted animals President Tito received from visiting heads of state; some of which represent Brijuni fauna. Some animals that were brought to the Brijuni safari park, along with the young that were born on Brijuni, were stuffed after they had died. This is how the Zoological Collection gradually developed. Almost 200 taxidermic exhibits are displayed in 19 dioramas, of which seven represent African fauna, while four Asian, one Australian, and one South American make up the other regional collections. The rest of the dioramas present European fauna, with a special emphasis on the fauna of the Brijuni Islands.

The church of St. Roch (1504) organises smaller exhibitions in the summer months.

In addition to exhibition space, there are numerous sites, monuments, and buildings of archaeological, artistic, architectural, historical and cultural value on the island.

In the archaeological park visitors can see the sites where the items displayed in the Venetian villa originate. In addition to the imposing Roman villa rustica in Verige Bay (1st century BC - 6th century), which was linked to a number of facilities by promenades extending 1 km along the bay (the residential section of the villa and its economic parts, temples, the palestra, the baths, and a fishpond), there is also a castrum (1st century BC – 15/16th century), which is a settlement somewhat larger than 1 ha in surface area, enclosed by impressive fortifications. The nearby basilica of St. Mary’s (6th – 18th century AD) was built to serve the inhabitants of the castrum. St. Peter’s Church can also be seen here, as well as the Prehistoric citadel that was fortified by dry-wall ramparts and featured a maze-like entrance to the settlement and a necropolis.

Sculptures by F. Kršinić, D. Džamonja, B. Kalina, and C. Clemens Zumbusch, and Art Nouveau reliefs by J. Engelhart are embedded in the landscape of the island.

There are numerous cultural and historical sites (the viewing point on Ciprovac, the Kupelwieser family mausoleum, quarries converted into walking paths), including the Austro-Hungarian fortifications (the Giaconne battery, with positions for four guns in varying states of preservation).

Brijuni Cretaceous Park has more than two hundred dinosaur footprints spread over four sites on Veli Brijun (Cape Vrbanj, Cape Ploče) and the islands of Vanga and Galija. A sculpture of a dinosaur was erected on Cape Vrbanj in 2011. The sculpture represents a reconstruction based on the best-preserved dinosaur footprints left on the coast some 130-125 million years ago.

There are about a dozen Austro-Hungarian fortifications built at the turn of the 20th century on Mali Brijun. Among them, Fort Brioni Minor and a torpedo-launching battery located on the shore are of particular note. Fort Brioni Minor is the largest Austro-Hungarian fortification in the defensive system of the Pula coastal fortress and has very well preserved instruments and weapons (two 150 mm howitzers made by Škoda)." (MDC)
 

Labin Museum - The Matthias Flacius Illyricus Memorial Collection

Daniela Mohorović
Fax.: 052/885-052

Info Telefon: 052/852-477
Besucher-Email: narodni.muzej.labin@pu.t-com.hr
http://www.flacius.net/...

Narodni muzej Labin

Year of foundation: 1975.

"The mission of the Matija Vlačić Ilirik Memorial Collection of the Labin Museum is to present and popularise Vlačić in the local community, but also among domestic and foreign visitors; to create a coherent and cogent story about the work of Matthias Flacius Illyricus, in a permanent museum display, which needs consistent updates and supplements; to create a centre for the research into Vlačić, his works and the works of his contemporaries.

Labin Museum honors the memory of one of its most famous citizens, Matthias Flacius Illyricus (born in Labin in 1520 and died in Frankfurt in 1575), through an exhibition dedicated to this renowned reformer, theologian, philosopher and church historian. The exhibition is located on the first floor of the former Francovich palace. The museum is located in the old town centre, and houses a collection of stone monuments featuring medieval inscriptions and coats of arms on its ground floor.

The life of Matthias Flacius is presented in chronological order. Information about his most important theological and scientific activities is shown through photographs and labels. Copies of his outstanding literary worksKljuč Svetoga pisma, Magdeburške centurije, Katalog svjedoka istine, andGlosa are on display, along with more than 200 books, pamphlets and other works.
The artistic interpretations of Matthias Flacius’ life and works are particular to the exhibition: a copy of Flacius’ portrait, made by the painter Eugen Kokot, based on the original located in Jena; Flacius’ mural map of Istria, made following the template by the cartographer Pietro Coppa from 1525; plaster busts of Matthias Flacius and Baldo Lupetina, by the sculptor Mate Čvrljak; Flacius’ bronze relief medallion, by Želimir Janeš; and other related items.
The exhibition also offers an interactive display which enables visitors to search for additional information about Flacius in four languages. The display is envisaged as a kind of replica of the collection's website." (Text: MDC, picture: Foundation)
 

Town Museum Labin

Daniela Mohorović, Vedran Kos
Fax.: 052/885-052

Info Telefon: 052/852-477
Besucher-Email: narodni.muzej.labin@pu.t-com.hr
http://www.uciliste-labin.hr/sec_muzej.h...

Pučko otvoreno učilište Labin

To meet the overall cultural needs of the local community, primarily from the city of Labin, but also from the surrounding municipalities of Kršan, Pićan, Raša and Sveta Nedelja.

The Labin Museum endeavours to:
- provide an interesting educational and cultural centre, particularly for schoolchildren
- to promote the improved mining exhibition as a unique cultural attraction in Croatia (according to Lonely Planet, the best known world publisher of tourist guides, in 2005 Labin Museum was among the Top 10 uncommon Croatian attractions, referred to as the most original museum)
- to accomplish a contemporary museum display with interpretations in Croatian, Italian, English and German, in accordance to the needs of the visitors
- to create a coherent story that flows in continuity from the ground floor to the second storey with its sequencing of chronological review and seven thematic units
- to base the story of the display on the following considerations: linking the past and present; the social, cultural and political history of Labin and its region; on the character of the city, the creativity of its people, their centuries-old aspiration for freedom and independence; a depiction of the achievements of leading personalities in the Labin milieu; the coexistence of the various ethnic groups, the multicultural nature of the milieu and, in particular, the good relations between the Croatian and the Italian populations; the presentation of the economic resources of today and yesterday

Year of foundation: 1960.
The Museum has occasional exhibitions.
 

Regional Museum of Buzet

Mirjana Pavletić, Saša Nikolić
Fax.: 052/662-792

Info Telefon: 052/662-792, 091-8888-127
Besucher-Email: muzej@poubuzet.hr

Pučko otvoreno učilište "Augustin Vivoda" Buzet

complex museum - local
Year of foundation: 1961
Museum runs a restoration workshop.
 

Porec Local Hstory Museum with Dušan Džamonja Sculpure Park

Elena Uljančić-Vekić
Fax.: 052/452-119

Info Telefon: 052/431-585
Besucher-Email: info@muzejporec.hr
http://www.muzejporec.hr...

The Museum has occasional exhibitions.

"Founded in 1884, Poreč Local History Museumis the oldest museum in Istria. It is located in the 18th century Baroque palace of the Sinčić family. The palace, with its size, construction, and execution of decorative details, is among the largest and most beautiful buildings of the old town of Poreč. The museum complex also houses Sinčić Gallery where thematic exhibitions take place.

The museum holdings include more than 15,000 items which illustrate the history of Poreč and the surrounding area from prehistory to the Modern Age.

The museum is currently closed to visitors due to reconstruction work and the creation of a new permanent museum exhibition.

The Archaeological Department had already been established by 1884. It comprises material from prehistory, Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The most numerous are items that attest to the rich cultural and historical heritage of Roman Parentium (modern-day Poreč). Of particular interest is the stone altar of Tiberius Volusius Hermes which bears two relief representations of agricultural life in the ager of Poreč, namely, the harvesting of olives and grapes. Equally important is the epigraphic altar which Titus Abudius Verus, the vice-admiral of the fleet of Ravenna, dedicated to the god Neptune.

The Ethnographic Department keeps folk costumes and jewellery, tools and other items related to agriculture, cattle breeding and crafts. There is also kitchenware, furniture and other items that were once objects of everyday use in the rural areas of Istria. There is a significantCollection of Textiles and Jewellery, as well as an assortment of wooden items, the most prominent being a collection of distaffs and a hand-carved wooden chair from Selina with the year 1872 inscribed on it.

Among the collections in the Gallery Department, the Pottery Collection should be highlighted. It presents an overview of the ceramic work by artists from the former Yugoslavia during the 1950s and 1960s, along with the work of local potters Emil Benčić, Melanija Krajina, and Ivan Krajina.

A series of art works comes from Annale, a contemporary art exhibition held in Poreč annually since 1961.

The Cultural and Historical Department comprises items dating from the 17th to the 20th centuries. There are arts and crafts items that illustrate the rich history of the aristocratic and bourgeois material culture of the town of Poreč and its environs. Of particular importance to the Collection of Sculptures and Old Paintings are the 17th and 18th century portraits of the Carli family, a noble family from Koper. The 18th and 19th century portraits of the Facchinetti family are also of note, as well as a large painting of The Last Supper (18th c.) by F. Fedrigazzi, which is a copy of the original work by Palma the Younger kept inthe Diocese of Poreč.

The rich and variegated holdings of the Historical Department reflect the history of Poreč and its surrounding area from the Middle Ages to the present. The collection mainly consists of documents, maps, manuscripts, publications, graphics, photographs, old postcards, and postal-philatelic items. There are also flags, coats of arms, cold weapons, and firearms. Of particular importance are theCollections of Old Postcardsand Photographs from the 19th and the 20th centuries, which offer visual testimonies of a certain period. These collections are important sources for the study of the history of the town and its relevant architectural, urban, cultural and historical heritage.

The museum has a Memorial Library- protected as a cultural monument - that is kept in original library cabinets from the beginning of the 20th century. Its holdings include some 6,500 items donated by three eminent people, the noble men Gian Stefano Carli and Nicolo de Vergottini and the canon Pietro Radoicovich. Rare books date mostly from the 16th to the 19th centuries. Most of the books are in the Italian language, but there are also those in Latin, French, German, Greek and Dutch. Of particular importance are 50 volumes from the 16th century and the first editions of encyclopaedias from the 18th century.

Dušan Džamonja Sculpure Park
Valkanela 5 at 52450 Vrsar

The Sculpture Park of the renowned sculptor Dušan Džamonja is located in Vrsar and spreads over 30,000 square meters comprising a villa, a studio and a gallery. It was built in 1970, and opened to public in 1981. The park exhibits 26 sculptures through which the artist, with his distinctive style, managed to reconcile the rigidity of metal with the organic fluidity of nature.

Dušan Džamonja (1928-2009) conducted technical and formative experiments with his sculptures. He investigated forms and their mutual relations. His works are characterized by monumentality, optical articulation of surfaces, and masses. In his typical works, the artist assembled metal elements in series." (Text and picture: MDC)
 

Ethnographic Museum of Buje

mr. sc. Lorella Limoncin Toth
Fax.: 052/772-023

Info Telefon: 052/772-023, 773-075
Besucher-Email: pou.buje@gmail.com

Pučko otvoreno učilište Buje

complex museum - local
Year of foundation: 1970.
Occasional exhibitions
 

Kaštelir Ethnographic Collection

Info Telefon: 052/463-140
Besucher-Email: info@tz-kastelirlabinci.hr

Ethnographic collection
Year of foundation: 2005.

"The collection assembled by Vittorio Rossoni is housed at the old mill in the centre of Kaštelir.

The permanent exhibition is divided according to the following topics: household, field, crafts, and mill. Apart from the mill’s equipment, the exhibition displays numerous tools once used by carpenters, stone masons, shoemakers, coopers, and blacksmiths, as well as musical instruments, personal items, photographs, letters, and various household items collected from Istrian households." (MDC)
 

Galleria Rigo Gallery Collection

Tel.: +385 91 5777 607

Info Telefon: +385 52 726 582
http://www.galerija-rigo.hr/...

Museo Lapidarium

The Collection was formerly shown in the baroque palace Rigo, hence the name.

"The museum's Rigo Gallery is located on the ground floor of the eponymous Baroque palace in the old town centre, near the museum and the main town square. Opened in 1995, the gallery hosts exhibitions of works by internationally and nationally renowned modern and contemporary artists (Knifer, L. Fontana, G. Trbuljak, J. Albers, M. Bill, D. Martinis, A. Warhol, I. Kožarić, I. Franke, P. Dabac, A. Kulunčić, A. Srnec and others), as well as the works of notable young artists. The gallery also organises a variety of artistic, cultural and sociological projects." (MDC)
 

KuK Marine Museum / Gallerion Gallery – Gobbo Marine Exhibition (Private museum)

Sergio Gobbo
Tel.: 052/720-866

Info Telefon: 098-254-279
Besucher-Email: sergioliagobbo@gmail.com
http://www.kuk-marine-museum.com...

Year of foundation: 2007.

"In 2005, Sergio Gobbo, a designer and photographer from Grožnjan in Istria, expanded his activity to include the study of Austro-Hungarian maritime history. In 2007, his efforts brought about the inauguration of a private museum – Gallerion Gallery – in Novigrad.

The gallery's permanent exhibition displays some 50 large (up to 3 m), and more than 300 small, models of ships. There are also items related to navigation such as navigational instruments, books, and other items on display.
The aim of the gallery/collection is to present the last 200 years of history related to navigation and navies in the region: ships, men, naval bases, shipyards, industry, education, modern technologies, protection of natural resources, and other essential requirements for the development of a maritime tradition in the Adriatic Sea (an important intersection of maritime and land routes in central and south-eastern Europe).

The collection exhibits the maritime history and tradition of an area where different regional influences overlap, from 1797 (when the Peace of Campo Formio was signed and Venice, together with its territories, was turned over to Austria) to the present day (or more precisely, when Croatia joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization)." (MDC)