Departments and collections
Archeology department
The Archeology Department of the Karlovac City Museum collects, preserves and exhibits artifacts that testify to the human presence from prehistoric times to the Modern Age. The items have been collected from the broader Karlovac territory and classified into six museum collections according to the period of their origin, use, and locality. Utilitarian, decorative, cult ceramic, bone, glass and metal items and stone sculptures are divided according to their time of origin and use into the Prehistoric Collection, Classical Antiquity Collection, Medieval Collection, Modern Age Collection, and Numismatic Collection. The explorations of the Archeology Department used to be focused on the territory of Topusko, Turska kosa and the surrounding sites, whereas in recent years we have been focusing on the narrow region of Karlovac, exploring the Dubovac Castle, the Star of Karlovac, Turanj, Kamensko etc.
Matea Galetić, curator
Phone: +385 47 615 980 (6)
e-mail: matea.galetic@mgk.hr
Iva Alibašić, curator
Phone: +385 47 659 093
e-mail: iva.alibasic@mgk.hr
Features over 500 inventoried artifacts testifying to the oldest human presence in the Karlovac area. The artifacts date back to the broad time span from approximately 20,000 years BC to the 4th century BC, and encompass the Stone, Copper, Bronze, and Iron Age. The most numerous are ceramic artifacts demonstrating the diversity of cultural phenomena and influences, while to a smaller extent the collection also features metal, stone and bone artifacts.
Bone clasp from the Lukinić cave, Paleolithic (Old Stone Age)
Ceramic fragments from various sites, Eneolithic (Copper Age)
Stone ax - hammer
Is the largest archeological collection of the Karlovac City Museum, featuring over 1200 inventoried artifacts, composed of ceramic and metal items and stone sculptures, dating back to the period ranging from prehistory to the Middle Ages, and collected on the sites of Kiringrad, Lasinja, Lončarevac, Nikolino brdo, Perna, Topusko, Turska kosa, Velika Vranovina and others. Idols and other items attributed to the Colapiani constitute an important part of the collection. Until the Homeland War, Topusko had a Heritage Museum with a valuable collection of artifacts a part of which has been irretrievably lost, and the collection in its reduced form was transferred to the Karlovac City Museum.
Ceramic idols from Turska kosa, 6th – 3rd century BC (Iron Age)
Ceramic urn with a lid from Turska kosa, Late Bronze Age
Ceramic pot from Turska kosa, Iron Age
Features over 160 inventoried artifacts belonging to the period of classical antiquity, i.e. representing a part of the material culture of the Romans from the 1st to the 4th century, at the time of Roman culture’s domination on the territory of Karlovac along the Kupa river. The majority of the collection is composed of bronze fragments of at least two sculptures found in the Kupa river, metal, bone and glass jewelry, metal arms and tools, medical instruments, everyday use items, metal keys as grave goods etc. The collection also features Roman tombstones exhibited in the Museum courtyard.
Foot of a Roman sculpture from the Kupa river near Kamenski, 2nd half of the 1st century
Fragment from the head of a Roman sculpture of god Apollo from the Kupa river near Kamenski, 2nd half of the 1st century
Ceramic bowl from Bubi’s Cave near Barilović, 3rd century
Is the smallest archeological collection consisting of 54 inventoried artifacts dating back to the period from early 5th to the first half of the 15th century. The artifacts are representative specimens of medieval heritage of the area along the Kupa river in the Karlovac region, with numerous analogies in the neighboring territories of Northern Croatia and Slovenia. The largest part of the Collection comprises fragments of ceramic pots, Gothic jugs and stem glasses, and to a lesser extent also weapons and military equipment made of bronze and iron, tools, everyday use objects and jewelry.
Part of an iron armor from Novigrad on the Dobra river, Late Middle Ages
Gothic stem glass from Kamenski, 14th – 15th century
Ceramic pot from Jopić Cave near Krnjak, Early Middle Ages
Contains over 1000 artifacts dating from the Modern Age, more specifically the period from late 15th to late 19th century, with the majority of the collection belonging to the 17th and 18th century. The artifacts were collected through archeological explorations next to churches where cemeteries or individual graves were discovered. The collection comprises various ceramic, metal, glass, bone and wooden items, among which special mention should be given to parts of clothes and footwear (clasps, buttons and clips), jewelry (rings, necklaces, pendants and earrings), tools, weapons, ceramic pots and fragments, ceramic pipes, wooden buttons, beads made of seed, fragments of fabric etc.
Ceramic pipe from Dubovac Castle, 16th century
Ceramic bowl on three legs from Barilović, 16th – 18th century
Partisan with wings from Ozalj, 19th century
Combines ancient, medieval and modern-age money dating back to the period from classical antiquity to contemporary times.
Hoard of Roman silver coins from Gornje Taborište, 3rd century
Medieval money from various localities around Karlovac