Visit the Old Village of Kumrovec

Rich traditional and ethnographic heritage always draws tourists' attention. Therefore, we have a tip for everybody, citizens of Zagreb and their guests alike, who wish to spend a pleasant and interesting weekend – pay a visit to Kumrovec and the ethnographic museum known as the Old Village of Kumrovec.

The village of Kumrovec in Zagorje, located some 45 kilometers north of Zagreb, is known as the birthplace of once famous statesman Josip Broz Tito. To this very day, Tito is the village’s most famous symbol, but anybody who decides to take a stroll will be able to spot numerous other attractions in the village, mostly connected with the rich tradition, customs and architecture of Zagorje. Indeed, the entire old nucleus of the village has been protected as a heritage monument. As early as 1947, a project was launched here to redesign the village and turn it into an «open air museum». As of 1969, the old village has been proclaimed a protected rural site and registered as a Category I cultural monument. As of 1992, the Old Village Museum has been part of the Museum of Croatian Zagorje, headquartered in Gornja Stubica. 

The Old Village Museum covers an area of 12,640 square meters, and features a total of 25 residential, 9 commercial and 8 auxiliary buildings (two corn barns, two pig sties and four water wells). All the buildings have been restored. The Museum holding has approximately 2,800 exhibits, most of which are part of the permanent displays. The 15 permanent ethnographic and two historical displays show a traditional way of life, customs and handicraft, old or forgotten arts and crafts, historical figures and events linked to Kumrovec and the former area of the Klanjec district at the turn of the 19th century. Several local families residing in the reconstructed old nucleus of Kumrovec village give a dynamic character to what would otherwise be a rather static and lifeless display of a rural way of life. 

All the buildings have been reconstructed and renovated “in situ” which means that practically no house, water well, pig sty or corn barn have been brought from elsewhere but rather reconstructed on their original foundations.
Old crafts are being revitalized through workshops which are organized in cooperation with the masters of old popular arts and crafts. They are the ones who come to the site and demonstrate their pottery skills, crafting children’s toys, manufacturing blacksmiths' products or shoeing a horse, the last being one of the biggest attractions for the younger visitors.
The museum is open on workdays between 9 A.M. and 4 P.M. and the entrance fee is 20 Kuna or 10 Kuna for students and pensioners. The number of visitors is the best proof that this is indeed a very attractive place to visit. Last year alone, the Old Village was visited by over 58,000 visitors, of whom nearly 20,000 were foreigners.