On the 3rd floor of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb, a highly valuable cultural-historical collection from the Croatian School Museum – the Paris Room – is temporarily on display. Created for the 1900 World Exposition in Paris as a representative showcase of the education system of the Kingdom of Croatia and Slavonia, this historic installation won the grand-prix medal and, more than 120 years later, remains a unique testament to Croatian cultural heritage.
The historicist furniture, designed by architect Herman Bollé, was crafted by students of the Royal Provincial Crafts School in Zagreb, while watercolors depicting schools and cultural institutions were painted by the most prominent Croatian artists of the time, including Slava Raškaj, Oton Iveković, Celestin Medović, and Bela Csikos Sesia. Display cases feature student works, photo albums of school games and scenes from school life, and a školovid – a map showing all schools in the kingdom.
The exhibition offers a rare opportunity to experience this unique historical testimony to the development and achievements of Croatian education at the turn of the century, even outside its original building, which has been closed since the 2020 earthquake.
- 4/9/2025, Thursday / 10:00–20:00
- 5/9/2025, Friday / 10:00–20:00
- 6/9/2025, Saturday / 10:00–20:00
- 7/9/2025, Sunday / 10:00–20:00
