Departments and collections

The Collection of Documents comprises hand-written and printed materials from the 18th century to 1990. Within the very diverse Collection, the Charter of Francis I granting privileges to the City of Karlovac from 1830, and the Charter of Ferdinand I from 1846 can be singled out, as well as materials concerning guilds and citizens’ associations, and the fund of the First Croatian Vocal Ensemble “Zora”. The Collection is digitalized and may be accessed via the museum online catalogue.

The Collection of Photographs, Photographic Equipment and Accessories preserves the visual memory of the City of Karlovac from 1849 to the Homeland War. The Collection’s primary interest are the works of Karlovac photographers and the visuals of the city and city events, photographs of well-known persons from all walks of social, political and cultural life, various events, but also individual and family portraits of Karlovac residents. In addition to individual photographs there are also family albums, such as the one of the Türk family, and photomonographs City of Karlovac and Surroundings (1889), Slunj and the Plitvice Lakes (after 1892), and the album titled Jubilee Economic Forestry Exhibition in Zagreb 1891, by the Karlovac photographer Hinko Krapek, glass negatives of the Fogina family, and photo cameras and accessories.

The Collection of the National Liberation Front and Socialist Construction is the successor of the Department of Workers’ Movement, National Liberation Front and Socialist Construction. It comprises materials illustrating the phenomena, events, ideas, people and various aspects of their public and private life in 20th century Karlovac. The collection is composed of miscellaneous items that have in common the period of creation and/or use, and mostly pertain to World War II.

The Collection of Decorations, Medals and Plaques consists of civil and military decorations, medals and plaques of the 19th and 20th century, mostly from the area of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy and southeastern Europe. The items mostly come from the Karlovac provenance, or are connected with certain events, persons, associations and institutions whose activities concern the City of Karlovac. The collection is a valuable source for research into the political, economic and social history of Karlovac.

The Collection of Uniforms, Flags and Sashes contains parts of military uniforms from the period of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, World War II and SFRY, as well as parts of the uniforms of members of certain professions. In addition to the uniforms, the Collection also includes sashes of civil associations from late 19th and early 20th century, as well as flags and flag ribbons of civic associations, youth work brigades, and official flags from the period of 1945 – 1990. The collection also features a magnetic chain, flag and sash of the “Nada” Craftsmen and Workers’ Association, Falcon hat, fireman’s helmets, shirt of the ensign of the 96th Karlovac Infantry Regiment. 

The Collection of Weapons and Military Equipment includes various specimens of cold steel and fire arms. The majority belongs to the 19th and 20th century, although there are also earlier specimens. The collection was severely devastated in the Homeland War. Particularly representative items in the collection are the specimens of guns manufactured in the local weaponry workshop by the well-known gunsmith Jakov Šašel.

Postcards and greeting cards are a document of the times reflecting the history of the city and following all its changes. The Collection of Postcards and Greeting Cards comprises mostly postcards of the city of Karlovac and other towns in the Karlovac County from late 19th century to the present day. The oldest preserved postcard in the collection with the Karlovac motif is the postcard by photographer Hinko Krapek (1841 – 1915), which traveled in 1894.

The Miscellaneous Collection is very diverse in terms of content. As it was impossible to form individual collections due to the small number of items, these have been integrated into this unique and joint collection. The items mostly pertain to the activities of JNA army barracks (teaching videos, phonograph records, coats of arms, busts, drawings, souvenirs, seals) on the territory of the City of Karlovac in the period until 1990.