It is essential for society to recognize culture as significant, and this should also be reflected in funding. Otherwise, it remains merely declarative and unconvincing for anyone within the system
The Nikola Tesla Technical Museum is the most visited museum in Zagreb and at the very top in Croatia regarding the number of visits. It is also unique due to its location, as the complex is listed in the Register of Cultural Property. In an interview with Diplomacy & Commerce, Markita Franulić, Director of the Nikola Tesla Technical Museum, discusses the museum’s plans, its facility and maintenance, new trends, and the programs they are developing for visitors.
- The Nikola Tesla Technical Museum celebrated its 70th anniversary last year. Where does the mMuseum stand today compared to your vision when you took over as director? What are you most proud of?
I believe we have made significant progress in our program activities, which are now more numerous and diverse than before, covering a range of topics related to technical cultural heritage as well as current issues. We place the themes we present in a broader social and even political context, and we have addressed gender equality in the presentation of science and technology within the museum’s exhibitions. We have established collaborations with companies, NGOs, DIY culture associations, and artists. I am particularly proud of the exhibitions and programs that connect science, technology, and art through high-quality artistic interpretations. We have renovated parts of our permanent exhibition, and this process continues. Some areas of the museum have also been restored, but we still lack the financial resources needed for a comprehensive renovation, modernization, and the ability to present a broader scope of our collection and important topics that we currently cannot showcase due to infrastructural and funding limitations. During my tenure, the Museum was officially named after Nikola Tesla, opening up a wide range of new programmatic and communication opportunities. A new visual identity has been developed and is gradually being implemented across all areas of our operations. We have also focused on increasing our presence and visibility within the community. We became more active on social media and strengthened our public relations efforts. As a result, we have seen a significant increase in visitor numbers.
- For years, you have been the most visited museum in Zagreb and among the top in Croatia. What would you highlight from your permanent exhibition, and what can visitors expect this year?
The museum has traditionally had a high number of visitors, but it was necessary to work on audience development, expand themes, and introduce new approaches. In recent years, we have attracted a new audience and increased visitor numbers, with a noticeable rise in international visitors. This year as well, we will continue to offer various educational programs for children, including workshops on electricity and inventors, animation workshops, and engaging programs related to our museum’s beehives. We will also have activities on meteorology and climate, the Science Festival focusing on “Networks,” Space Week, lectures on transportation, etc. In terms of exhibitions, we will feature displays on NFTs, household appliances from the domestic Rade Končar industry, and a retrospective on Tomislav Mikulić, a pioneer of digital art and media in Croatia. From our permanent exhibition, the always fascinating Nikola Tesla Cabinet, featuring demonstrations of Tesla’s inventions, and the 300-meter-long underground mine remain major attractions. We are also opening a new exhibition on communications, a renewed steam engine display, and updates in our transportation section, starting with ship models. Since last year, visitors can see some of our machines in motion, and we are continuing to expand this feature.
- In addition to the permanent exhibition, your museum is known for high-quality exhibitions, special collections, and educational programs. How important is it for a museum to focus on all these aspects, and how do you track audience reactions?
We closely monitor visitor interests, which is why last year we hosted an exhibition on AI, and this year we will present one dedicated to NFTs. We are open to various collaborations because our museum covers a wide range of topics. We also showcased Croatia’s first satellite, CroCube. I believe that, for a museum like ours, which caters to all visitor profiles and generations, it is essential to have a diverse program that meets different interests. At the same time, some of our programs tackle important topics and raise critical questions, even controversial ones. These programs may not always attract a broad audience, but it is important to conduct them. Visitor numbers, comments on social media, and feedback in our guestbook provide insights into audience reactions. However, we don’t shape our entire program solely based on these responses—they serve as a corrective to some of our ideas.
- Another interesting thing is the very building of the Nikola Tesla Technical Museum. Namely, the complex was built in 1949 as a temporary solution, after the tram terminal was demolished on that site. In 2005, the complex was listed in the Register of Cultural Property. How do you comment on the fact that these buildings, originally intended as temporary, became a protected cultural monument?
The Technical Museum complex was built in 1949 according to the design of architect Marijan Haberle. It was constructed in just three months as a temporary structure after the demolition of a tram terminal with the administrative building of Zagreb Electric Tram, warehouse and workshops. The covert was moved to another part of the city, where it stands today. The Technical Museum was established in 1954, and already next year the city government granted the Museum’s request for land and buildings of the Zagreb Fair in the Savska area, and the surrounding plots. According to the 1955 design by Marijan Haberle, a City of Technology was supposed to be built on that site, in which the Museum would be part of a large complex with buildings for education, research institutes, workshops, museum exhibition halls, depots, administration, etc. The Fair moved to a new location in 1956, and in 1959, the Museum gained ownership of the western Fair complex, where it is still located today, as well as the parcel stretching north to the railway tracks, with the buildings located on it. Even 70 years ago, the existing complex did not have enough space to house museum objects, and over the years, several expansions or even a move to other locations have been planned and designed. However, due to insufficient financial support, the plans remained unrealized. This has remained the case until today. The complex was listed in the Register of Cultural Property in 2005. Thus, the buildings originally intended as temporary became a protected cultural monument, something we now preserve, which poses a significant challenge because the materials they were constructed with have deteriorated and are sensitive, and they lack appropriate infrastructure. Haberle himself had planned to demolish these halls in 1975 and build new ones using durable materials.
- How difficult is it to maintain such a complex in today’s times, and what is the responsibility, given its significance for the whole Croatian society?
While housing a facility that is a cultural heritage and an important monument of wooden architecture is a certain privilege, it significantly complicates our work because many interventions in the space are impossible, and we must seek approval from conservators for everything. The buildings also do not meet today’s comfort standards for visitors and employees, nor do they meet energy efficiency criteria, and it is not possible to adapt them to the extent required by modern times.
- How important do you think museums are as institutions in today’s age of social media, superficiality, and misinformation, and how do you see the future of museums? Do you think there is an advantage in focusing on technical topics compared to other themes (such as virtual museums)?
In addition to preserving heritage for the future and for generations to come, and organizing numerous expert and popular programs, museums play an important role in the community or city they operate in through their publishing activities and many other functions. Museums are or can be hubs for gathering the community around important topics and events. Citizens see museums as reliable sources of information and knowledge. In an uncertain world, museums are still safe places, physically speaking. I believe that direct contact with objects, as well as the experience of our museum space, is important for our visitors, and this cannot be replaced by virtual experiences. In our workshops, people work with their hands, which is crucial for children’s development and for overall personal growth. Undoubtedly, museums are important, and examples in Croatia and worldwide show that more and more of them are being opened.
