Description of the attraction
The open-air museum “Old Village” in Kumrovac was created by the former director of the Ethnographic Museum in Zagreb, Marjan Gusic. Then he wrote a study about Kumrovets as the birthplace of the famous politician Josip Broz Tito. First, the house where Tito was born was restored, and later in 1948 a monument was erected in the courtyard of the house of the politician. For several years, restoration and gardening work and the collection of items for the home interior have been going on.
After that, the specialists of the Zagreb Museum were engaged in the restoration work of other buildings in the old part of the village of Kumrovets. The work took two years (from 1952 to 1954), they were carried out in strict accordance with the catalog of buildings and households of the old Kumrovets prepared by the researchers. In 1969, the Old Village Museum was included in the list of cultural monuments protected by the state.
The Old Village is the only open-air museum in Croatia. The total area of the museum is 12,640 sq. M. The exposition of the museum includes more than 2,800 exhibits, most of which are on the permanent display of the museum. In total, there are 15 permanent ethnographic exhibitions that present the traditional way of life, customs and crafts of local residents (at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries).
An important criterion for the restorers was the desire to preserve the authenticity of the structure and its ethnographic, historical and architectural value. Several families remained in the reconstructed Kumrovets, whose rural life is organically intertwined with the overall appearance of the open-air museum.
You can see traditional buildings and architectural elements of old Croatian villages: two-story sheds (used for storing household equipment and drying corn), thatched roofs, houses with walls whitewashed using traditional techniques, etc. Particular attention was paid to the landscape, preserving its original appearance and beauty. In addition to buildings, old roads and a stone bridge were also reconstructed. The abandoned land plots and buildings were bought from the owners and turned into utility and utility rooms.
For many years, various schools and courses have been opened on the territory of the village-museum, which introduce those who wish to the skills of ancient crafts. Here you can learn how ceramics and wooden toys were made, as well as learn the secrets of forging various products.
