The central event for the museums in Dubrovnik this year, the exhibition ”Orlando – A Symbol of Freedom” (Orlando – simbol slobode) was opened yesterday at Knežev dvor (The Rector’s Palace).
The exhibition is a part of an entire series of events organised throughout this year in Dubrovnik to commemorate the 600th anniversary of when the Orlando Column was erected. 2019 was therefore dubbed “The Year of Orlando” in Dubrovnik.
The exhibition consists of several thematic units, and more than 70 objects, copies and originals from the museums and archives are being presented at one of the most amazing settings for an exhibition. Most of the exhibits for the purposes of this exhibition have been borrowed from the archives in Dubrovnik, the scientific library in Dubrovnik, the archives of the Croatian Academy of Science and Arts and the Franciscan monastery Male braće in Dubrovnik. Some of the exhibits have also been borrowed from various private owners.
The exhibition also includes interesting multimedia displays, and a rich catalogue of over 300 pages, as well as a comic-book titled “An Interview with Orlando” which was also published.
The manager of the Dubrovnik Museums and the project’s leader, Pavica Vilać, said that this exhibition completes the seven central exhibition and publishing projects. Those projects are an attempt by the Dubrovnik Museums to brand Dubrovnik as a location of great cultural and historic significance.
Vilać added that the exhibition brings forth the historic framework around Orlando’s Column, talks about the artistry of the column itself in terms of the sculptures in Dubrovnik in the 12th through to the 16th century, as well as the motif of Orlando in fine arts, music and literary heritage.
The exhibition will be open for public until early January 2020, it was designed by Studio Rašić+Vrabec, and the multimedia was created by the Novena company. The City of Dubrovnik and the Ministry of Culture supported both the exhibition and the catalogue.
