110 Years of Life with Art

The Art Pavilion celebrated its 110th anniversary in mid-December. As one of the oldest exhibition venues in this part of Europe, it has greatly contributed to the cultural life in Zagreb.

The Art Pavilion, one of Zagreb’s landmarks, is one of the most monumental structures in the downtown area. It was purpose-built to host large exhibitions and is one of the oldest such places in this part of Europe. Since the day it first opened its doors 110 years ago, it has become a torchbearer for the cultural life of Zagreb.
The structure was built after the Millennium exhibition in Budapest, which was organized in 1896 to mark the thousandth anniversary of the statehood of Hungary; a country with which Croatia and Slavonia had legal and political ties. On the initiative of Croatian artists, a prefabricated building of the Art Pavilion was purpose-built for the exhibition. Once the exhibition was over, its steel frame was easily moved to Zagreb and a competition was launched to design and build the future Art Pavilion. The contract was landed by renowned Viennese architects, Hellmer and Fellner, famous for their theater-building projects, while the construction works were undertaken by local contractors under the supervision of engineer Milan Lenucci. He also connected the most beautiful city squares and gardens, all eight of them, into a landscaping feature that would become known as the “Green Horseshoe” and that would constitute one of Zagreb’s most recognizable landmarks. The Art Pavilion is one of the most impressive buildings located within this area.
Since it was opened on December 15th 1898, the building of the Art Pavilion has proudly served as the venue for numerous events.