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Traditional agriculture
Spaces of intimacy

Vedutas and scenes

MARIJA BISTRICA (Donja Stubica)
View of the Pilgrimage Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary with a carousel in the foreground
Marija Bistrica is one of the most popular and frequently visited Marian shrines in Croatia. Each year, especially on the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on August 15, many pilgrims and visitors make their way to the site. The miraculous statue of Our Lady of Bistrica remained completely unharmed in the 1880 fire that destroyed much of the church except for the altar housing the statue of the Virgin. Following this unfortunate event, the church was rebuilt according to designs by architect Herman Bollé, during which it was significantly enlarged and enclosed by an architectural fence known as the cintura.
During pilgrimage days, a fair is held near the church featuring local crafts and handmade products, among which licitar hearts and traditional wooden toys stand out. Due to their originality and cultural value, these were inscribed in 2009 on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Naturally, amusement attractions such as carousels and other forms of entertainment are also present—almost inevitably then as now, especially in times before tablets and PlayStations.

Vladimir Horvat, 1931.

Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia
Photo archive of cultural heritage
Inv. No. 33034, neg. III-1183
GREDA (Sunja, Sisak, The Central part of Croatia)
View of the Posavina village with wooden houses with porches and a horse-drawn carriage

Nino Vranić, 1963.

Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia
Photo archive of cultural heritage
Inv. No. 26827, neg. I-C-246
ILOK
Donjogradska Street with conservators engaged in an informative conversation with the locals, while a cloud of dust rises from an approaching flock of geese.

Nino Vranić, 1956.

Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia
Photo archive of cultural heritage
Inv. No. 20376, neg. I-C-164
STROŠINCI (Županja, eastern part of Croatia)
A view of a Slavonian Posavina village at dusk with a flock of geese

Nino Vranić, 1961.

Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia
Photo archive of cultural heritage
Inv. No. 23563, neg. I-A-209
POGANOVCI (Našice, Slavonia, eastern part of Croatia)
Romani caravan on a road made of broken stone, cobblestones

Nino Vranić, 1958.

Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia
Photo archive of cultural heritage
Inv. No. 19621, neg. I-B-154
BISTRAČ (Sisak, Banovina, The Central part of Croatia)
Lonely washerwoman at Tišina, a branch of the Sava River
Have you ever thought – or maybe you are thinking at the moment when you look at this idyllic photo – what was the life of women before the construction of the water network and before the washing machines began to be used in the middle of the last century, although at first only in urban areas? Most people, especially housewives, consider the invention of the washing machine to be the most important invention among household appliances.
Today, it is difficult for many to imagine that women once washed clothes at city fountains, at public brick laundromats, at laundromats along the seashore by springs of sweet ode, at larger natural ponds and puddles, or at rivers and their backwaters, and even on streams. Washing clothes on the rivers was widespread throughout ourcountry, but also much, much wider. When washing clothes on the river, women used a board with which they would go a little deeper into the water. They would wash laundry by rubbing it against a wooden trough, later also against a metal plate, rifljača, and by hitting it with a wooden board, pralka. This painstaking work would take all day, so women often did it in groups and in conversation.

Nino Vranić, 1973.

Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia
Photo archive of cultural heritage
Inv. No. 36810, neg. II-9734
BATANYA (Eastern Croatian plain)
Vigil over the sleeping master

Nino Vranić, 1984.

Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia
Photo archive of cultural heritage
Nino Vranić’s legacy
VODICE (Ćićarija, northern part of Istria, towards the border with the Republic of Slovenia)
Departure of the flock of sheep to pasture
The main economic branch of the population of Vodice until the end of the 19th century was animal husbandry, both sheep and cattle breeding. At that time, sheep were counted in groups of forty sheep. Some households in the village used to have forty kvarnari each, or one thousand and six hunderd sheep. Back then, everything came down to the kvarnari and in the village there would often be discussions about how many kvarni has who, one, two or three?” In the 20th century, the population began to turn more and more to the production of charcoal. Today, in the 21st century, only one family in the area of Ćićarija, the Zlatić family, is interested in sheep farming. They own one hundred and twenty sheep, that is, three kvarnari of the protected autochthonous Istrian sheep breed, and they mostly sell their products on their doorstep.

VINKO MALINARIĆ, 1975.

Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia
Photo archive of the Conservation Department in Rijeka
Inv. No. 63066, neg. I-37263
PREDOŠĆICA (northern part of the island of Cres)
In the interior of the island, halfway between the town of Cres and the port of Porozina, is the beautiful town of Predošćica with a picturesque approach road surrounded by dry stone walls, fruit trees in bloom, once distinguished estates and the church of St. Blasius. In 1969, when this photo was taken, the stagnation of the place had already begun because the local school closed its doors in 1962.

VINKO MALINARIĆ, 1969.

Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia
Photo archive of the Conservation Department in Rijeka
Inv. No. 27007, neg. II-8859
DOLAC (Požega, Slavonia, eastern part of Croatia)
Locals pose for the distinguished professor and photographer in their everyday surroundings
In the foreground is a well na đeram (a forked pole on which a long pole with a weight on the back and a bucket on the front is placed for easier extraction of water from the well), and in the background ušoreno selo (a village organized along a straight path and road).

prof. Julije Kempf, 20th century

Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia
Photo archive of the Conservation Department in Osijek
Neg. 52530B
LUKAVEC (Velika Gorica)
Fortress-castle, detail with children
A group of children poses in front of a baroque portal with a coat of arms. The portal is part of a baroque castle, built in the middle of the 18th century on the site of a wooden fort, that served to defend Turopolje nobility during the Ottoman invasion of Croatian territories.

Unidentified author, 30’s year of the 20th century

Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia
Photo archive of the Conservation Department in Zagreb
Inv. No. 5918
VOLARICA (Ostrovica Lička, Gospić, Lika)
Chapel of St. John the Baptist
Under the medieval fortress of Ostrovica Lička, in a narrow valley between two hills, there is a stone village chapel, most likely built in the 13th or 14th century, when the fortress itself was built. The chapel is probably based on the site of an older chapel of the former old Croatian settlement. Not far from the church is a source of living water, called the Kovčeg, which never dries up. In the course of history, in this area marked by the rule of the princes Disislavić, then Frankopan, then Turks, this chapel met the beginning of the 20th century with a significantly dilapidated, damaged roof and bell tower. Only newer wooden doors defy age. In front of the chapel, whose facade is picturesquely complemented by two gnarled trees with branches without leaves, a few locals pose.

Ivan Rupčić, oko 1910.

Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia
Photo archive of cultural heritage
Inv. No. 7278

Other Chapters
Cultural landscapes
A valid phrase describing the concept of a cultural landscape is “a space with identity.” In other words, the most concise definition of a cultural landscape is: a combined work of nature and humans. Although the term “cultural landscape” has been present in geographical terminology since the early 20th century, the key year for its international legal protection is 1992, when it was recognized as a distinct category of cultural heritage.
Banovina and Kostajnica
This heritage conservation photograph takes you into the historic noble seat of the Zrinski and Frankopan families, but also into the folk world of wooden, ornamented, ever-anchored boats.
Fishing, maritime, and river navigation
Fishing, maritime, and river navigation have been an integral part of human life since time immemorial, so it is no surprise that they are captured in old black-and-white conservation photographs with a hint of sepia. Beyond documenting the traditional activities of this economic sector, they continue to play a role in modern economic life, possessing a notable potential for societal development.
Traditional agriculture
Farming has always been the backbone of rural areas. It forms the foundation of food security and economic sovereignty for every region and nation, and it is inseparably linked to the diligent, calloused hands of our people. Conservation heritage photography tells this story in its own distinctive way.
Vedutas and scenes
Vedutas are painterly or (photo)graphic works that depict a part of the landscape—rural or urban, a square, street, or similar—in a detailed and faithful manner, regularly employing perspective to convey a sense of spatial depth. Vedutas become even more striking and lively when they include context, such as scenes with people and/or animals, whether these figures serve as nearly equal participants in the spatial composition or merely as its embellishment. Conservation photography often captures such veduta views, frequently and enthusiastically.
Spaces of intimacy
Alongside monumental cultural heritage—shared treasures of the broader community, the nation, and even the world—conservation heritage photography also gladly records another form of heritage: the opposite extreme of communal life, namely human intimacy. This represents the inalienable and unique inner and emotional world of an individual person.
Portraits
Whether in literature, painting, or photography, the portrait—one of the most direct literary or visual expressions of human intimacy—can either offer only a superficial engagement with the subject, presenting merely the model’s appearance, or it can pursue a deeper, more thoughtful, and intimate approach, contributing to the subject’s individualization and characterization.
Musical organs
Organs, queens among musical instruments, companions of St. Cecilia and symphonic ensembles, which originated in antiquity as hydraulis (the distant ancestors of today’s sea organs in Zadar!) and were gilded during the Baroque period—especially thanks to Bach’s virtuosity—were the focus of systematic study and protection during the Musical Instrument Protection campaign carried out by the national conservation service from 1972 to 1975. During this three-year fieldwork, aimed at documenting, systematizing, evaluating, and appropriately safeguarding musical instruments across the Republic of Croatia, just under 800 organs—mostly of monumental significance—were recorded, and a total of 5,462 photographs were taken. This effort formed the basis for the creation of the Unique National Register of Historic Organs.
Intangible cultural heritage
Intangible cultural heritage refers to practices, performances, expressions, knowledge, and skills that communities, groups, and individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage, transmitting them from generation to generation. Unlike tangible heritage (monuments, objects), intangible heritage is “living,” constantly evolving, and provides a sense of identity and continuity. The following photographs, taken in the early 1960s, illustrate that the recognition of the importance of intangible heritage among Croatian conservators preceded UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Safeguarding of Traditional Culture and Folklore (1989), the UNESCO Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity (1998), and the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003) by two decades or more. These international frameworks ultimately led, in 2006, to the adoption of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, following ratification by a sufficient number of states.
Tourism and culture
Heritage photographs in general, including those presented in our virtual exhibition, although created long before the establishment of cultural tourism, should be valued not only for their contribution to our culture and tourism—since they promote our regions, monuments, and people—but also more broadly as a powerful national and social reference. They raise awareness of our identity and uniqueness in increasingly globalized and challenging times ahead.
Chiaro-scuro photographs
Must conservation photography be solely functional and documentary, or is it sometimes allowed the freedom to venture into interpretative realms? Reflect on this question in light of the following photographs…
Sign-off
The conservators and the eKultura team of the Ministry of Culture and Media thank you for your attention!
Impresum
Author of the exhibition: M.Sc. Sanja GrkovićMinistry of Culture and Media – Photo archive of cultural heritage The virtual exhibition was prepared by the Cultural Heritage Digitization OfficeMinistry of Culture and Media Photo preparation: DIGITAL FOTO ART, Dragutin Škreblin
Cultural landscapes
A valid phrase describing the concept of a cultural landscape is “a space with identity.” In other words, the most concise definition of a cultural landscape is: a combined work of nature and humans. Although the term “cultural landscape” has been present in geographical terminology since the early 20th century, the key year for its international legal protection is 1992, when it was recognized as a distinct category of cultural heritage.
Banovina and Kostajnica
This heritage conservation photograph takes you into the historic noble seat of the Zrinski and Frankopan families, but also into the folk world of wooden, ornamented, ever-anchored boats.
Fishing, maritime, and river navigation
Fishing, maritime, and river navigation have been an integral part of human life since time immemorial, so it is no surprise that they are captured in old black-and-white conservation photographs with a hint of sepia. Beyond documenting the traditional activities of this economic sector, they continue to play a role in modern economic life, possessing a notable potential for societal development.
Traditional agriculture
Farming has always been the backbone of rural areas. It forms the foundation of food security and economic sovereignty for every region and nation, and it is inseparably linked to the diligent, calloused hands of our people. Conservation heritage photography tells this story in its own distinctive way.
Vedutas and scenes
Vedutas are painterly or (photo)graphic works that depict a part of the landscape—rural or urban, a square, street, or similar—in a detailed and faithful manner, regularly employing perspective to convey a sense of spatial depth. Vedutas become even more striking and lively when they include context, such as scenes with people and/or animals, whether these figures serve as nearly equal participants in the spatial composition or merely as its embellishment. Conservation photography often captures such veduta views, frequently and enthusiastically.
Spaces of intimacy
Alongside monumental cultural heritage—shared treasures of the broader community, the nation, and even the world—conservation heritage photography also gladly records another form of heritage: the opposite extreme of communal life, namely human intimacy. This represents the inalienable and unique inner and emotional world of an individual person.
Portraits
Whether in literature, painting, or photography, the portrait—one of the most direct literary or visual expressions of human intimacy—can either offer only a superficial engagement with the subject, presenting merely the model’s appearance, or it can pursue a deeper, more thoughtful, and intimate approach, contributing to the subject’s individualization and characterization.
Musical organs
Organs, queens among musical instruments, companions of St. Cecilia and symphonic ensembles, which originated in antiquity as hydraulis (the distant ancestors of today’s sea organs in Zadar!) and were gilded during the Baroque period—especially thanks to Bach’s virtuosity—were the focus of systematic study and protection during the Musical Instrument Protection campaign carried out by the national conservation service from 1972 to 1975. During this three-year fieldwork, aimed at documenting, systematizing, evaluating, and appropriately safeguarding musical instruments across the Republic of Croatia, just under 800 organs—mostly of monumental significance—were recorded, and a total of 5,462 photographs were taken. This effort formed the basis for the creation of the Unique National Register of Historic Organs.
Intangible cultural heritage
Intangible cultural heritage refers to practices, performances, expressions, knowledge, and skills that communities, groups, and individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage, transmitting them from generation to generation. Unlike tangible heritage (monuments, objects), intangible heritage is “living,” constantly evolving, and provides a sense of identity and continuity. The following photographs, taken in the early 1960s, illustrate that the recognition of the importance of intangible heritage among Croatian conservators preceded UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Safeguarding of Traditional Culture and Folklore (1989), the UNESCO Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity (1998), and the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003) by two decades or more. These international frameworks ultimately led, in 2006, to the adoption of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, following ratification by a sufficient number of states.
Tourism and culture
Heritage photographs in general, including those presented in our virtual exhibition, although created long before the establishment of cultural tourism, should be valued not only for their contribution to our culture and tourism—since they promote our regions, monuments, and people—but also more broadly as a powerful national and social reference. They raise awareness of our identity and uniqueness in increasingly globalized and challenging times ahead.
Chiaro-scuro photographs
Must conservation photography be solely functional and documentary, or is it sometimes allowed the freedom to venture into interpretative realms? Reflect on this question in light of the following photographs…
Sign-off
The conservators and the eKultura team of the Ministry of Culture and Media thank you for your attention!
Impresum
Author of the exhibition: M.Sc. Sanja GrkovićMinistry of Culture and Media – Photo archive of cultural heritage The virtual exhibition was prepared by the Cultural Heritage Digitization OfficeMinistry of Culture and Media Photo preparation: DIGITAL FOTO ART, Dragutin Škreblin
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