MUSEUMS, MUSEUM COLLECTIONS AND GALLERIES, 2024

The processing of statistical reports for 2024 covered 149 museums and museum collections, representing 87% of the legally established and registered museums listed in the Register of Public and Private Museums in the Republic of Croatia.

In 2024, out of 149 museums, 136 were open to the public. Of the 13 museums that were closed to the public, due to the ongoing repairs of damage caused by earthquakes in 2020, nine were national museums.

During 2024, the number of visitors to the permanent display in museums amounted to 2.9 million, which was 120% more than in 2021. This is an indicator of the return of the number of visitors to museums to the levels recorded in the years before the earthquake and the restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Museums in 2024 organised 1 177 temporary exhibitions, either on their own premises or in other museum or gallery institutions, which attracted 2.8 million visitors. Compared to 2021, this represents a 22% increase in the number of temporary exhibitions, and a 179% increase in attendance.

In order to make their collections more accessible online, museums and museum collections continued the digitisation of their holdings. In 2024, 127 thousand objects from their collections were made publicly available online, which was 141% more than in 2021. Additionally, 574 temporary exhibitions, 506 educational workshops, and 8 976 lectures, guided tours, and other online content were presented to the public online.

As for the additional programmes for visitors, museums in 2024 organised 10 662 lectures, guided tours, and presentations for 262 thousand visitors, as well as 1 444 other cultural events such as concerts, performances, and similar programmes, attended by 217 thousand visitors.

For the youngest audiences, the museums prepared 6 756 educational workshops and guided tours, and 341 performances and other cultural programmes.

A significant increase in both the number of additional museum programmes outside the permanent display and the number of visitors at these events can be observed in 2024 compared to 2021. A strong audience turnout is a confirmation of the success of the museums’ engagement in organising additional cultural programmes alongside their exhibition activities.

In 2024, museums and museum collections employed 1 763 staff members, of which 38% held positions in expert-museum occupations. Women made up 66% of the total number of employees. Additionally, 349 persons were engaged in occasional museum work, which was 33% more than in 2021. There was also a 75% increase in the number of students working in museums and a 42% increase in the number of volunteers.

Galleries in Croatia in 2024

In the Republic of Croatia, 70 galleries prepared 1 452 exhibitions for 498 thousand visitors in 2024. The total number of employed persons in galleries was 178, of which 52% were professional staff, and women accounted for 71% of all employees.

NOTES ON METHODOLOGY

Sources and methods of data collection

Presented data are the result of the statistical analysis of annual reports that are collected on the Report on Museums and Museum Collections (MZ-1 form), which is submitted by museums and museum collections that keep museum materials, on the Report on Galleries (MZ-3), which is submitted by self-contained galleries and galleries that are parts of institutions, which meet prescribed criteria.

The survey is carried out every third year.

Coverage and comparability

The survey covers museums and museum collections in the Republic of Croatia, irrespective of whether they exhibit items or whether they are open to the public. It also covers collections and galleries that were open to the public in the previous year.

Definitions and explanations

The activity of museums and museum collections includes systematic collection, recording, keeping, expert protection, scientific processing and presenting of museum items and other material at permanent displays, as well as temporary and mobile exhibitions. It also comprises the promotion of the museum profession and collaboration with museum and other cultural and scientific institutes and institutions in the country and abroad.

Museum and museum collection is a non-profit, permanent institution in the service of society, open to the public, which collects, keeps, explores, communicates and exhibits museum materials and testimonies of man and his environment in order to study, educate and render pleasure.

Art galleries that possess museum materials are processed as art museums.

Museum activities are carried out in indoor and outdoor spaces.

Gallery is an exhibition space whose main activity is organising exhibitions of artistic items.

Collection is a set of items gathered from various scientific and artistic fields, irrespective of whether it is self-contained, or a constituent part of an institution/enterprise, or private property. The main role of a collection is to collect and exhibit items.

Full-time equivalent is expressed in person/years. It presents time as a share of full working time in which persons in employment are engaged in work.

It is calculated in the following way:

1. An example for those employed on contractual agreement basis: one employee working half-time and one employee working quarter time give the equivalent 0.50 + 0.25 = 0.75
2. An example for those employed on employment contract basis: one employee with a six-month contract and six employees with a one-month contract each give the equivalent 0.50 + 6 x 1/12 = 1.00.

Persons in employment presented in Table 3:

Expert museum occupations: curator, senior curator and museum advisor.

Expert: museum pedagogue, senior museum pedagogue, museum advisor pedagogue, documentalist, senior documentalist, advisor documentalist and IT technician, senior IT technician, advisor IT technician, restorer, senior restorer, adviser restorer, marketing manager, senior marketing manager, marketing advisor, PR manager, senior PR manager, PR advisor, graduated librarian, senior graduated librarian, advisor librarian, archivist, senior archivist, advisor archivist and other experts as required in a museum and gallery, or in a museum, gallery and collection within a legal entity.

Expert assistants: preparator, senior preparator, museum technician, senior museum technician, photographer, senior photographer, assistant librarian, librarian, archival technician, senior archival technician, and other expert assistants as required in a museum and gallery, or in a museum, gallery and collection within a legal entity

Other: administrative and auxiliary employees.

Published by the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, Zagreb, Ilica 3, P. O. B. 80
Phone: (+385 1) 48 06 111
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Persons responsible:
Mario Vlajčević, Director of Demographic and Social Statistics Directorate
Lidija Brković, Director General

Prepared by:
Marija Gojević, Gordana Bralić and Maja Lončar

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