August 23, 2024 – Zagreb has a lively – and very quirky – museum scene, one that keeps on evolving.
It is said that Zagreb has the most museums per capita in the world. True or not, what is for certain is that the Croatian capital has one of the world’s most vibrant museum scenes, and one which seems to expand into new and exciting directions every year.
Zagreb’s most famous museum, perhaps, is the Museum of Broken Relationships, an innovative celebration of broken love, which has been franchised in other locations around the world. King of the franchises, however – indeed the most franchised private museum in the world – is the Museum of Illusions, which can now be found in more than 50 locations on multiple continents.
And while these two superstars are what the Zagreb museum scene famous, there are plenty of lesser-known gems which are tackling some truly unusual topics, often the first in their field.
The Museum of Hangovers, for example, celebrates a global issue with hilarious exhibits, recreating the night before, a truly fun experience that is perhaps best experienced sober. And for a truly relaxing experience, the Cannabis Museum has been hailed as the world’s best, and it covers the subject comprehensively.
One of the more educational stops on the main square of Ban Jelacic is the mushroom museum, with an outstanding collection of 1.500 types of mushroom, all freeze-dried and labelled edible, poisonous and deadly – this would have been worth a visit before I started my mushroom-picking career.
The ’80s museum is a delightful tour into nostalgia, of a Zagreb that once was, and an overview of how the city looked in the time of former Yugoslavia. For many of the exhibits in the recreated ’80s apartment, you will have to be a certain age to even understand what they are, but what a wonderful education for the younger generation of how we lived before technology.
Chocolate lovers will not be disappointed in the Zagreb Chocolate Museum, a theme park dedicated to everyone’s favourite sweet, including great information on the history, geography and cultural significance of chocolate. The hand-made delicacies provide a real treat at the end of the tour, or the perfect gift from Croatia for loved ones back home.
Zagreb’s tourism scene is constantly evolving, as is its museum scene. Here are a few new arrivals to add to the already impressive list of Zagreb museums:
Museum of Lost Tales is a place that stages a wonderful spectrum of creatures and phenomena that inhabited the imagination and the time when the worlds of humans and fairies overlapped.
Croatia invented many things for mankind, including the necktie, and this unique heritage is now being celebrated at the Cravaticum boutique museum, a unique museum in the world dedicated to the tie.
The euro might have replaced the kuna, but Croatia’s rich monetary lives on with a visit to Monterra, the new money museum of the Croatian National Bank.
And while there are plenty of art galleries to explore in Zagreb, spare a thought for all those pieces that have yet to be finished. Or better still, head to the Museum of Unfinished Art.
For a more comprehensive overview of the city’s museum’s check out the Zagreb Tourist Board listings.
The city’s museum scene, just like the city itself, has hidden depths and is full of surprises, one of many reasons why Zagreb has been the best place I ever lived – find out why in the video below.
