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Museums & Galleries in ZagrebHR

The Habsburg-grid capital with more museums per capita than most of Europe, from heartbreak's own museum to the ex-Yugoslav avant-gardes.

$ BudgetLow crowdsStraightforward logistics

Why here

Zagreb claims more museums per capita than most European capitals, and two of them justify the trip alone. The Museum of Broken Relationships in the Upper Town grew from a 2006 art project into a permanent museum by 2010 and won the European Museum of the Year's Kenneth Hudson Award in 2011: crowd-donated objects of ended relationships, each with its story, a concept so exportable it has a sister branch in Chiang Mai. Across the river in Novi Zagreb, the Museum of Contemporary Art holds some 12,000 works with around 600 on display in its purpose-built 2009 building, including the Exat 51 geometric abstraction that made Zagreb a mid-century avant-garde node.

Best months

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Year-round; October to April is quiet-season Zagreb at its most local. Most museums close Mondays. The Mimara remains closed for post-earthquake renovation, so plan around it.

Getting there & around

Straightforward logistics

The Upper Town museums are walkable; the contemporary museum is a short tram ride to Novi Zagreb. Zagreb airport connects across Europe year-round.

Skill levels: beginner

Schools & guides (2)

Museum of Broken Relationships

Organizer

The Upper Town museum of crowd-donated relics from ended relationships, permanent since 2010 and Kenneth Hudson laureate 2011.

Levels: beginner

Museum of Contemporary Art Zagreb

Organizer

The national contemporary collection of some 12,000 works in a purpose-built 2009 Novi Zagreb building; site has a certificate quirk, verified by search.

Levels: beginner