There are many very fine museums in Zagreb – so much so, that we’ve decided to give them their own page. Read on below for some of our top picks.
Museum of Broken Relationships
Kulmer Palace, Cirilometodska (just behind Lotrscak Tower)
Website: brokenships.com
You may well have heard of this museum even if you’ve never been to Zagreb, for its exhibits have toured to a number of foreign venues. (There was even a very successful run at the Tristan Bates Theatre in London in summer 2011.) A quirky museum, it is well worth a visit – its pieces have been donated by people from across the world. Each has an accompanying story of a past relationship which can be sad, amusing or unusual – a fascinating yet brief glimpse into something so private and personal. The museum was a European Museum Award winner in 2011 for the Kenneth Hudson award of the most innovative museum in Europe.
Museum of Contemporary Art (Muzej suvremene umjetnosti)
Avenija Dubrovnik 17
Website: www.msu.hr
In a very modern, architecturally-designed building (which opened in 2009), the Museum of Contemporary Art is home to both its permanent Collection in Motion exhibit and a great selection of temporary exhibits throughout the year – check on their website for a run-down of the latest events. One of the most famous items at the Museum is the Double Slide by Carsten Höller.
Croatian National History Museum
Prilaz Gjure Dezelica 30
Website: www.hpm.hr/en
Reopened in October 2024 after an extensive refurbishment to feature more interactive exhibits, the museum showcases a vast collection of natural history items from Croatia and its neighbouring countries – including two million specimens of minerals, rocks, fossils, preserved plants and animals. It is one of the largest museums in Croatia.
Archeological Museum (Arheoloski muzej)
Trg Nikole Subica Zrinskog 19
Website: www.amz.hr
Home to a fascinating variety of collections, including items from prehistoric times; it features 78,000 artefacts from this period, making it one of the largest collections in Europe. There are also items from Greek and Roman times and the Medieval period, as well as an Egyptian Mummy and a superb collection of coins, notes and other forms that were once used as payment.
One of the must-see exhibits is the Vucedol dove (an important symbol of Croatia) – a partridge-shaped vessel that was made between 2,800 and 2,500 BC.
Mimara Museum
Rooseveltov trg 5
Website: www.mimara.hr
Housing the private collection of Ante Topic Mimara, the Museum is home to over 3,750 works of art that was only opened to the public in 1987. Top pieces to see include works by Carveggio, Canaletto, Goya, Renoir, Degas, and Manet. The museum itself is a striking, 19th-century building that used to be a school.
Museum of Arts & Crafts (Muzej za umjetnost i obrt)
Trg Marsala Tita 10
Website: www.muo.hr
Founded in 1880, the museum was once also a crafts school. It houses a collection of over 160,000 objects, from ceramics, textiles and paintings to furniture, musical instruments and more.
Automobile Museum Ferdinand Budicki
Ulica kneza Ljudevita Posavskog 48
Website: www.otk-ferdinandbudicki.hr
The first car museum in Croatia (it only opened in 2013), this museum has an exhibition of vintage cars, motorcycles and bikes detailing 115 years of motor history in Croatia. There are also photography and documentary film exhibits, memorabilia and more.
Image of War Museum
Ulica Andrije Hebranga 4
Website: www.imageofwar.hr
Newly opened in the summer of 2018, this museum is dedicated to war photography, showing the horrors of armed conflict through the eyes of professional photographers. The museum also tells the stories of ordinary and innocent people caught up in wars. Find out more on the museum: New in Zagreb – The Image of War Museum.
Zagreb 80s Museum
1st Floor, Radiceva Ulica
Website: www.zagreb80.com
A very fun trip back in time to 1980s Yugoslavia in this museum, set in a flat with different rooms furnished with all manner of items from that decade. The museum is fully interactive so you can have a play around with everything – you can even have a go dressing up in some 80s outfits! Find out more in our review of the Zagreb 80s Museum.
Museum of Illusions
Ilica 72
Website: muzejiluzija.com
Another one of the fun, modern museums in Zagreb, there are 70 exhibits to explore here. Experience optical illusions, holograms, mirrored effects, an anti-gravity room and much, much more. Highly entertaining for all ages!
Croatian Museum of Naïve Art
Ulica sv. Cirila i Metoda 3
Website: www.hmnu.hr
Naive art (art by ‘untrained’ artists) is often closely associated with Croatia, as a number of artists and movements of this genre existed in the country in the first half of the 20th Century. This small museum is the oldest museum dedicated to naive art in the world (it opened in 1952) and holds close to 2,000 pieces of art. These include works by one of the most famous Croatian naive artists, Ivan Generalic (1914 – 1992) of the Hlebine School, and other artists from this movement too, such as Ivan Vecenaj, Dragan Gazi and Mijo Kovacic. A small selection of paintings by foreign (European) artists are also shown in the museum. Well worth a visit for experiencing this unusual style of painting and art.
Museum of Hangovers
Preradoviceva 8
Website: www.museumofhangovers.com
And here’s yet another quirky Zagreb museum! Come and enjoy funny hangover stories, view items collected during drunk nights out and ‘experience’ drunkenness (without any booze!). If you don’t mind sharing, why not submit your own story?!
Chocolate Museum
Varsavska 5
Website: muzejcokolade.hr/en
Another museum for the whole family to enjoy with its numerous interactive exhibits. Tour the museum to discover the history of chocolate making from as far back as the ancient Aztecs through to more modern production in Belgium and Britain, as well as chocolate production in Croatia. You will also receive a sampling box containing nine types of chocolate! Additionally, if you’re visiting in February, the museum hosts a “Days of Chocolate” event (I mean, what’s not to love?!) where exhibitors from Croatia and neighbouring countries show off their wonderful chocolate creations.
Cravaticum – Boutique Museum of the Cravat
Tomiceva 5
Website: cravaticum.com
“Why a museum about ties” you may be thinking. Aha! Sounds like you don’t know about Croatia’s invention of the humble tie (or cravat). Well, I’ve got just the place for you – the Cravaticum Museum. Come down to learn more about ties through the ages, and how they were invented by Croats in the 17th century.
Monterra Museum
Augusta Cesara 10
Website: moneterra.hr
Established by the Croatian National Bank, this interactive museum aims to educate visitors about money, central banks, monetary policy financial institutions and similar. Not a place to learn about cash, coins and notes but rather about how money is used by individuals and on a larger scale, and the future of money.