Archaeological Museum in Zagreb – Vranyczany-Hafner Palace

Today, the Archaeological Museum collection numbers over 450,000 different artifacts collected from various sources. Among them are some artifacts whose significance goes far beyond the boundaries of local or regional heritage, such as:

• The Vučedol Eneolithic dove
• Lumbard psephism in memory of the creation of a Greek colony on the island of Korčula
• Roman portrait of a girl from Salona (assumed to be Princess Plautila)
• The first dated inscription of a Slavic ruler — Branimir‘s inscription from 888.

Although, generally speaking, most of the monuments are of national origin, from areas that belong to the Croatian historical space, unlike other similar museums in Croatia, the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb also has rich collections and monuments from abroad.

In addition to the Egyptian collection and a significant part of the numismatic collection, the Museum also keeps several significant collections of Greek and Roman origin. Special mention should be the rich collection of painted Greek vases of southern Italian and Greek origin, the precious collection of stone monuments of Italian provenance, and the famous Zagreb Mummy and Zagreb linen book (Liber linteus Zagrabiensis).

The museum also takes care of the archaeological park Andautonija in Šćitarjevo, where the remains of the ancient city from the 1st to 4th centuries have been preserved.

The museum building was heavily damaged in the 2020 Zagreb earthquake. Renovation was over in 2024.

It is also possible to take a virtual tour and watch some exhibitions in the virtual museum.

The Archaeological Museum in Zagreb is the oldest museum institution in the capital, and it is the direct successor of the National Museum. It began its public and organized work in 1846, although it was not an institutionalized establishment at that time. In 1866, when the Rules of the National Museum were accepted, it was placed under the protectorate of the Parliament and was divided into the Department of Natural History, History, and Archeology. In 1940, the National Museum was officially abolished, and since then, the Archaeological Museum has been operating independently.

Since 1945, the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb has been located in the Vranyczany-Hafner Palace on Zrinski Square. The palace was constructed in 1878-79 by industrialist Baron Dragan Vranyczany-Dobrinović of Karlovac. The building was designed by Zagreb architect Ferdinand Kondrat and features a Neo-Renaissance main facade with details inspired by 16th-century Italian architecture and rich decoration, which was exceptional for Zagreb during the second half of the 19th century.

The palace also survived the big 1880 Zagreb earthquake during which the statues adorning the top of the facade fell and were never replaced.