Museum Night: Marked by Important Museum Anniversaries

There is a continuous rise in the number of visitors to Zagreb’s museums from Croatia and abroad owing to their interesting programmes. However, daily visits hardly compare to the number of visitors on Museum Night. On that day there are long queues from early evening, and museums repay visitors for their patience with numerous special programmes and workshops. 31 January this year will be no different. The topic of the 15^th edition of Museum Night is big anniversaries of Croatian museums. The entrance to museums will be free of charge from 18 PM to 01 AM, and additional welcome events will be organised for visitors, making museums’ programme even more interesting.

Museum Night started in Croatia in 2005, right here in Zagreb, with several museums which were later joined by museums in other parts of the country. According to available data, Museum Night in Croatia has been attended by more than 5 million visitors so far. The aim of this event is to promote museums and related professions. It could be noted that Museum Night was the very occasion that led many visitors to explore interesting treasures found in museums for the first time.

This year’s jubilee of Museum Night is dedicated to two big anniversaries in Croatia: the 140^th anniversary of the Museum of Arts and Crafts in Zagreb and 200 years of the Archaeological Museum in Split.

Even though these are not jubilees, long tradition of other museums in Zagreb is also impressive. In 2020 the 174^th anniversary of the foundation of the former Croatian National Museum will be celebrated. This museum was a precursor of a large number of specialised museums. The Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters will mark 152 years since it was founded and the Croatian Natural History Museum 142. This year’s Museum Night will be a chance to draw attention to a long tradition but also to underline the use of digital technology which considerably influences the presentation and interpretation of museum content.