Croatia boasts a large number of museums and galleries spread across the major population centres of Zagreb, Osijeck, Split and Dubrovnik, the result of its rich cultural and political heritage.
The Dubrovnik Museum is located in the Duke's Palace where it hosts up to 15,500 cultural and historical exhibits. Visitors can view 17th-19th century furniture, uniforms worn by dukes and councilors, garments worn by aristocrats, and so on.
The Maritime Museum offers a view of maritime history for Dubrovnik and Croatia from its location in the Sveti Ivan fortress. A Dominican monastery and a Franciscan monastery store jewellery, paintings, embroidery, sculptures, manuscripts, incunabula and music notes. The patron saint of Dubrovnik St. Blaise is venerated in the Dubrovnik cathedral's treasury, where his relics remain in safekeeping along with numerous paintings and artworks. At the Rupe Ethnographical Museum, one can see traditional occupations and the rural architecture of Dubrovnik as well as national costumes and handmade textiles.
Dubrovnik is also home to the Art Gallery, Luza Art Centre and Sebastian, where many exhibitions are staged over the course of the year. In Zagreb, the most popular galleries are the Strossmayer Gallery, Gallery of Modern Art, Ethnographic Museum and the Mimara museum, the last of which hosts nearly 4,000 priceless items.
The City Museum of Split was originally a part of the Town library in the Bernardy palace. Once separated, the museum collection was exhibited in six rooms of the Bernardy palace. The museum was completely separated and opened in 1992, hosting items that showed the urban, cultural, historic, artistic and economical development of Split.
The Museum of Croatian Archaeological Monuments is the only Croatian museum engaged in the research, collection, presentation and study of material and spiritual remains of Croats from the Middle Ages. The museum hosts a collection of approximately 20.000 objects including stone monuments from early Croatian churches. The early medieval epigraphic monuments from the 9th–12th century bear inscriptions of names of Croatian.
The life and art of sculptor Ivan Meštrović is presented in a gallery named after him, set in a villa designed by him at Meje. It was built as a studio and family before being donated to the city of Split. The permanent display holds 202 works of art, although the gallery possesses a total of 811 items. Some of these include sculptures in stone, bronze and wood; paintings; and drawings and sketches created by the artist throughout his life.
In Osijek, the Museum of Slawonia is one of the oldest, most significant museums in Croatia. Established in 1877 in honour of "the free and royal city of Osijek," it houses a vast collection of money, weapons and medals donated by renowned antiquarian and wholesaler Franjo Sedlaković.
Orson Johnson writes for Holiday Velvet, a website providing Croatia accommodation and world vacation rentals.
