The new Croatian Natural History Museum tailored to the standards of the world’s greatest metropolises
Zagreb, 31 March 2021 – Today, the project “Heritage Guardian as a Catalyst for Development, Research and Learning – the new Croatian Natural History Museum”, worth more than 69 million kuna, was presented at the Klovićevi dvori Gallery. Upon its completion at the end of 2023, the project will enable the complete reconstruction and extension of the Amadeo Palace, the installation of modern presentation and multimedia equipment for the presentation of selected museum holdings, and new laboratories equipped with modern technology that will be available to all museum users.
The project was presented by the Director of the Croatian Natural History Museum, Prof. Tatjana Vlahović, PhD, and museum advisor Iva Mihoci, PhD, together with the Director of the Zagreb Tourist Board, Martina Bienenfeld, PhD, Deputy Director of SAFU Josipa Herceg Zeba, and Deputy Mayor acting as Mayor of the City of Zagreb, Jelena Pavičić Vukičević, PhD.
The holder of the project “Heritage Guardian as a Catalyst for Development, Research and Learning – the new Croatian Natural History Museum” is the Croatian Natural History Museum, and the project partners are the City of Zagreb and the Zagreb Tourist Board. The total value of the project is 69,272,612.59 kuna, of which the European Union is co-financing 57,251,417.40 kuna from the European Regional Development Fund. The City of Zagreb has allocated 12,021,195.19 kuna for the project.
This project, currently the largest cultural project in the City of Zagreb and one of the capital projects in the Republic of Croatia, will be completed by the end of 2023, when citizens and visitors of Zagreb will be able to enjoy the new splendour of the fully renovated Amadeo Palace.
The comprehensive renovation will include construction works, the complete replacement of all installations, and improved thermal insulation with the use of more energy-efficient systems. Unobstructed access and movement will also be ensured for persons with disabilities and reduced mobility.
Additional space for expanding the permanent exhibition of the Croatian Natural History Museum and for numerous new activities will be achieved by roofing the central courtyard of the Amadeo Palace and relocating the entire museum holdings to new storage facilities in Novi Petruševec. This will significantly improve the capacities of Zagreb’s tourist offer in the reconstructed Amadeo Palace.
A new access route to the museum and the Upper Town will also be opened via Vrazovo šetalište, a link between green Tuškanac and urban Demetrova Street, which will play an important role in the revitalisation of the Upper Town area. The area from Vrazovo šetalište will also be used to introduce natural history content, with an emphasis on the section “Botany on Tuškanac”.
The next project activity relates to the establishment of a new permanent exhibition, a multimedia and multifunctional hall, a souvenir shop and a museum catering facility.
In the new permanent exhibition, visitors will be able to see a range of representative exhibits from various collections, accompanied by explanations, related graphics, maps, illustrations and photographs, as well as multimedia interactive presentations connected to specific thematic units.
Each visitor will be able to choose the interpretive level through which they wish to explore particular topics in the exhibition, while the newly equipped multimedia hall will enable the interactive presentation of existing and new multimedia content on the rich Croatian natural heritage.
A novelty of this project, representing a significant step forward in the presentation of cultural heritage and the enrichment of Zagreb’s tourist offer, is the equipping of a demonstration laboratory. This laboratory will allow users to become familiar with basic methods of work in biological and geological science, which have not previously been presented to the public.
In the demonstration laboratory, users will for the first time be able to observe the course of analyses live as part of the interpretation of museum heritage. Finally, within the interactive laboratory and with the possibility of working “in situ”, users will be able to create new values for natural history themselves.
Part of the scientific activities will be opened to the public in cooperation with educational institutions, enabling active work by pupils and students. Educational workshops intended for primary and secondary school age groups will help stimulate curiosity about the natural world, while content for all age groups will contribute to natural history literacy, an important tool for understanding the physical and natural world and placing natural history in a social and cultural context.
The implementation of this project will enable the employment of 12 new employees, with additional employment expected as a result of the increased scope of activities and new attractive content that enables new insights into natural history.
The comprehensive renovation of the Upper Town Amadeo Palace and the new attractive content serve the development of sustainable tourism in the City of Zagreb and the achievement of the goals of the Zagreb Urban Agglomeration. Cultural heritage, interpreted in a contemporary way, offers visitors a new dimension of experiencing living and non-living nature and becoming acquainted with the respected Croatian natural history tradition, while also enriching Zagreb’s attractiveness as a desirable tourist destination.
Presentation video
Project presentation pdf