Information
Landmark: Mimara MuseumCity: Zagreb
Country: Croatia
Continent: Europe
Mimara Museum, Zagreb, Croatia, Europe
Overview
The Mimara Museum (Croatian: Muzej Mimara) ranks among Zagreb’s top cultural treasures, housing an extraordinary mix of paintings, sculptures, and artifacts that stretch across millennia, from ancient bronze figures to shimmering Renaissance portraits.The museum sits in a grand neoclassical building on Roosevelt Square, its tall columns catching the afternoon light, and it’s a place art lovers and history buffs shouldn’t miss.The collection, a gift from art collector Ante Topić Mimara, showcases a vibrant mix of cultural treasures from every corner of the world, from delicate Asian ceramics to weathered African masks.The Mimara Museum opened its doors in 1987 after Ante Topić Mimara gifted his private collection to the people of Croatia.Born in 1898, Mimara was a devoted art collector and restorer who spent decades tracking down paintings, sculptures, and ancient artifacts.Today, the museum fills a grand former high school from the late 1800s, its high windows and restored details showcasing more than 3,750 works spanning from prehistoric carvings to 20th-century masterpieces.You’ll find the collection spread over three floors, each section arranged by region, period, or theme-like a quiet corner devoted to ancient maps or a gallery glowing with modern sculpture.At the Mimara Museum in Zagreb’s Lower Town, you’ll wander from Mesopotamian tablets and Egyptian funerary masks to shimmering Roman glass and painted Greek pottery; pass into halls of medieval icons, marble saints, and Renaissance treasures by Bellini and Botticelli; then pause before luminous canvases by Rembrandt, Rubens, Velázquez, and Van Dyck, alongside Impressionist light and Baroque drama.Asian galleries glow with Chinese porcelain, Persian carpets soft underfoot, and the delicate lines of Japanese ukiyo-e, while ornate European furniture, glass, and metalwork reflect centuries of craftsmanship.The 19th- and 20th-century rooms display Manet, Delacroix, and Croatian masters, and quiet cases hold illuminated manuscripts, rare books, and fine textiles.Sculptures span ancient stone to modern bronze, beneath a neoclassical façade of tall columns and arched windows, and inside, lofty ceilings with warm light invite you to linger.Open Tuesday to Saturday from morning to evening, with shorter hours on Sunday, the museum is wheelchair-friendly and offers guided tours; plan two to three hours, and consider pairing your visit with the Croatian National Theatre or the Botanical Gardens nearby.Founded on Ante Topić Mimara’s lifelong collecting-sometimes stirring debate over provenance-the museum rewards curiosity with both celebrated works and hidden gems, offering a rich, global tapestry of art that’s firmly woven into Croatia’s cultural heart.Inside a creaking old building, its vibrant, eclectic collection leads you on a journey through centuries of art and imagination.
