Museum Night began in 2005 with several Zagreb museums and has grown into the most important event of Croatian museums in recent years.
The Croatian Museum Association has organized the Museum Night event in Croatia since 2005. The initiators are the author of the program concept and project leaders, Vesna Jurić Bulatović and Dubravka Osrečki Jakelić, who in December 2005 launched it as a city pilot project with six Zagreb museums. Since 2007, Museum Night has grown into a national event involving more and more museums and cities.
The 17th Museum Night will be held on January 28, 2022, in conditions that are more or less similar to those of last year. This means in circumstances in which cultural institutions have “adapted” to the new reality, when a large part of the program takes place in controlled conditions and circumstances with mandatory Covid certificates, when the number of visitors to cultural events is significantly reduced, and group and tourist visits to museum exhibitions are almost completely absent in the statistics of museum visitors.
Most of the events moved online, which contributed to the wide availability of museum content. However, on the other hand, the immediate experience of the museum space, content, atmosphere, and people is irreplaceable when it comes to the true experience. The visitor is looking for a way to best meet their needs, and that is a true and real experience of a cultural event.
Thus, in uncertain circumstances when it has become almost impossible to plan museum programs, and it is especially unknown to which target audience certain programs are intended, in conditions when museums and other institutions balance between the real and possible, the real and digital, and many difficult conditions due to the great damage they suffered in the earthquake, it is important to continue the beautiful tradition of this event.
The existing zeal, enthusiasm, and great Museum Night programs and atmospheres will be given to the loyal audience throughout Croatia for the 17th edition. After consultations with the Croatian museum community, the 17th edition will be organized with live programs, in compliance with prescribed epidemiological measures, while all programs will also be available through digital channels.
The 16th Museum Night, which was held on January 29, 2021, organized by the Croatian Museum Society, included 188 museums, heritage, educational, scientific, and religious institutions that participated for the first time through digital communication channels. Numerous live programs were also held, where possible and in accordance with epidemiological measures.
In recent years, this national event has been marked by a massive number of visits to museums, which exceeded 300,000 visits during one night. Last year’s Museum Night was realized almost entirely on a digital level – online, except in those locations and facilities that can take place outdoors, again in accordance with the prescribed measures of the Civil Protection Headquarters of the Republic of Croatia. It is precisely this interest in the Museum Night event that confirms the vitality and strength of museums and other cultural communities, despite the given circumstances.
The participating museums in Split this year include:
Archaeological Museum in Split || Split Ethnographic Museum Split || Meštrović Gallery || Split Gallery School || Split Art Gallery || Croatian Maritime Museum Split || Museum of the City of Split || Museum of Croatian Archaeological Monuments – Split || Prokultura – Observatory of Cultural Policies – Association || University of Split / University Gallery || Star Village Mosor
You can find all the programs for Museum Night in your city HERE.
All programs must be completed by 24:00 due to the measures for holding professional cultural and artistic performances, programs, and events.
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