The pivotal
points of the permanent display of the Peasants’ Revolt
Museum in Gornja Stubica are history, culture, and everyday
life of the feudal age. Peasants’ revolts in Zagorje and
the surrounding areas remain central, but in a different
historical and cultural context. The feudal society is depicted
not only through conflicts of the social classes, but also
through all the aspects of numerous changes that affected
that society in Zagorje from the late Middle Ages till the
official abolition of serfdom and the end of the feudal
age in 1848.
Such an approach was conditioned by the very museum exhibits
of the collections on display, mostly because there was
a very small number of items that could in any way be related
to the famous Peasants’ Revolt and later peasants’ risings.
Another important factor was the public interest focused
on Zagorje and the depicting of it in that historical period,
since that was the only area that escaped the Turkish conquests
and managed to retain the Central European spirit, typical
of Croatia.
Efforts were made to bring idiosyncratic historical, cultural,
and civilizational characteristics of the region closer
to public through several themes, selected by taking into
account historically important events, as well as the cultural
typology of the area.
(According to the text of
Goranka Kovačić, head of the Zagorje Museums)
The aim is to depict cultural activities of the inhabitants
of Zagorje in architecture, clothing, customs, beliefs,
political ideas, literature, and other arts. A part of this
heritage is presented in situ: the Oršić palace and its
landscaped environment with the monument to Matija Gubec.
The sacral
art in Zagorje is displayed in the chapel of Saint Francis
Xavier. Apart from A. Lehringer’s murals from the 18th century,
which originally decorated the chapel, selected liturgical
items are also displayed. Most of the exhibits come from
the National Sanctuary in Marija Bistrica.
The permanent display consists of more separate thematic
units and its function is to note changes in the society
through the ages, relying on ideal reconstructions of the
Zagorje nobility’s environment between the 16th and the
19th century, on scale-models of buildings, on original
furniture, everyday objects, portraits, nobility rolls,
and genealogical trees.
Multimedia tools are used to represent profane architecture,
mostly gothic and baroque, as a distinctive feature of Zagorje.
The motive of the Peasants’ Revolt of 1573 is museologically
represented through weapons and tools, scale-models, graphs,
documents facsimiles, and video and computer projections.
The last two halls of the Museum are dedicated to ban Josip
Jelačić, events in Croatia in 1848, and the most prominent
figures and ideological initiators of the Croatian National
Revival, or the Illyrian Movement.
(according to the text of
Vladimir Maleković, author of the permanent display concept)
The Oršić palace is a valuable monument of the profane
feudal architecture of Zagorje, so that the building itself
is a museum exhibit. Therefore, representation of a baroque
nobility residence may be regarded as a parallel theme introduced
into the main museum theme, that of the Peasants’ Revolt
and its wider context i.e. the whole feudal era in Zagorje.
The space conception of the new display is completely
subject to the logic of the baroque architectural structure
of the palace. The main theme is placed in the central hall
and the six additional themes are situated in mutually communicating
lateral auxiliary areas. The original space organization
thus imposes a straightforward, one-way direction of the
line of presentation, the entrance being on the west, and
the exit on the east side of the arcade hall.
The theme chunks of the display are defined by corresponding
colouristic combinations, which is a result of an ancient
custom to name the halls according to the colour of their
walls and furniture. Specially designed posters organized
as cartoons are used to illustrate the architectural heritage
and explain the historic content.
The visual content is followed by music or an acoustic
background, made for the occasion. The presentation of the
main theme includes a multimedia programme with clips from
Vatroslav Mimica’s film ANNO DOMINI 1573.
(according to the text of
Mario Beusan, author of the permanent display design) |
