Osijek - Museum of Slavonia
by Natasa Lujic
The Museum of Slavonia is one among the oldest, and also - viewing the scope of its holdings - the most important institutions of its kind in Croatia. It was founded in 1877 as "The Museum of the Free and Royal City of Osijek" through a donation of a rich collection of coins, weapons and medals by the Osijek antiquities collector, wholesaler Franjo Sedlakovic.A number of other donors (C. F. Nuber, O. Friml-Antunovic, R. Franjetic, E. Hild, M. Zucker and others) have, over the decades that followed, contributed to the expansion of the Museum's holdings. A considerable part of the material was also collected on the territory of Roman Mursa, explored back in 1782 by Matija Petar Katancic, who in fact introduced archeology into this part of the world. Andrija Kodric, professor of classical philology, was appointed the first collections keeper i.e the curator. Most of his succesors were also professors at Osijek's high schools. Owing to their classical education, they were the ones who showed the largest interest in archeology, so that the Museum was initially oriented towards archeology and numismatics (similarly to other European museums at the time). The newly established museum, located in one of the City Hall rooms, had the following collections: Numismatic, books & journals (numismatic bibliography), and weapons.. Andrija Kodric wrote the following about the first collection: "Nearly everybody has had the opportunity to see for him/herself that this small room holds much more interesting items than many other museum halls. Local museums are useful for another reason as well: Not everyone can afford to visit the capital: There is no money, no time... In that case, he/she is able to see at least something in his/her native town. Better something than nothing..." The space envisaged for the Museum soon became too small for the increasing collections, so that, in 1888, it was moved to a new location: Two rooms of the newly built Royal High School. It is interesting to note that, at the turn of the century - in 1899, professor Vjekoslav Celestin, the then "keeper of the Museum of the Free and Royal City of Osijek" bought a camera, took a lot of pictures and that very same year offered postcards with museum exhibits for sale to the local Fritsche library.As of 1903, through the purchase of Slavonian calendars printed in Osijek and Budapest, a more intensive collecting started of everything that was local, particularly of printed materials: Invitation car. For more info, contact Natasa Lujic
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