The Old Zagreb Craft-Guilds
Croatian History Museum in collaboration with Zagreb City Museum
Exhibition concept: Marija Šercer, MSc
Associates: Vanda Ladović, Nada Premerl
Exhibition design: Oleg Hržić
There are not many towns about which writers have written so many verses, plays and novels, and musicians so many lovely melodies, as Zagreb. Throughout its history artists have portrayed it, sculptors and builders made it more beautiful and scholars made its past real to us. In honour of this great 900 years anniversary of Zagreb there will be many new works. The contribution of the Zagreb City Museum and the History Museum of Croatia is this extensive exhibition Old Zagreb Craft-Guilds.
The exhibition has been assembled by Marija Šercer, museum adviser, who for long years has studied the history of the Zagreb guilds of Gradec and Kaptol. The exhibition is the result of her work and presents the development of the craft-guilds from their foundation in the fifteenth century until they were abolished in 1872, and also how their traditions lived on in the craft cooperatives.
The exhibition shows how the guilds were organised, their membership, customs and regulations and all other aspects that characterised not only guild life but life in Zagreb through the centuries. The visitor will experience the well organised system that was the backbone of the social and economic status of one section of the urban population. Of much interest are the customs and ceremonies connected with various events, and there is a wealth of examples of the work of the old master-craftsmen showing who they were and how they worked.
We hope that an indirect result will be a revival of forgotten crafts and help those that have managed to survive to be better appreciated.
In the exhibition catalogue there is scholarly treatment of about 600 varied items selected from a large number of museums and archives.
Exhibition and catalogue represent the most complete presentation to date of Zagreb crafts. The catalogue makes unusually interesting reading not only for experts but for all who wish to know something about Zagreb and its past.
Old Zagreb Craft-Guilds is a joint project of the Zagreb City Museum and the Historical Museum of Croatia. To achieve adequate exhibition space the City Museum has cleared the entire first floor and made extensive adaptions. The exhibition is presented in these new premises by architect Oleg Hržić. The catalogue was made possible by the work of many experts in other museums and we take this opportunity to thank them, also all those engaged in restoration and preparation of the exhibits which have been renovated for the exhibition.
This great project in honour of Zagreb's 900 years anniversary has been jointly financed by communities of interest for the furtherance of culture of the city of Zagreb and of the Republic of Croatia and by many other sponsors.
Jasna Tomičić
Pictures from the exhibition
photo Josip Vranić, ZCM
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Exhibition catalogue
Šercer, Marija. The Old Zagreb Craft-Guilds.
Zagreb : Historical Museum of Croatia, 1991