Ethnographic Museum Split, located next to the Peristyle, the central square of the Palace, in a building that in itself has exceptional cultural and historical-architectural importance, and with the presentation of extremely valuable ethnographic collections that show us the former life of Split, islanders and farmers of Zagora, a unique cultural complement during a tourist tour of the city of Split. Namely, what makes this museum unique is the fact that the museum space is located on the site where in the 4th century were the imperial chambers, or the bedrooms of Emperor Diocletian, as the most intimate part of the Palace.
History
During the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy in
1913, with the approval of Vienna, the Statute of the museum was
confirmed, which legally revived the institution. The key person
related to the history of the museum is the engineer Kamilo Tončić
pl. Sorinjski (1878 - 1961), a native of Zadar, an architect by
profession and a great admirer and lover of folk art. Thanks to the
tireless and passionate work of engineer Tončić on the collection,
preservation and presentation of folk handicrafts, awareness of the
importance and care for ethnographic material has grown
significantly. In 1906, the Crafts School in Split started
operating, and since 1909, ethnographic exhibits have been exhibited
in that institution. The director of the school was Kamilo Tončić,
and on his initiative and commitment, a systematic purchase and
collection of ethnographic material began, which was to serve as a
model for students in order to preserve the original folk tradition
of creativity. In 1910, folk costumes from the area of Dalmatia
were presented in one of the school's premises, and this collection
became part of the permanent exhibition. At that time, the name
"National Museum", "Provincial Museum of Folk Crafts and Art" and
"National Museum of Folk Industry and Folk Art" began to be used for
the exhibition space. Kamilo Tončić became the first director of the
museum and held that position until 1944. After World War I (1919),
the museum was moved to another location in the premises of the
Agricultural School near the Archaeological Museum. During the
interwar period, the museum gained the status of a regional
institution and collected ethnographic material from the entire
territory of the then state. For the third time, the museum was
moved in 1924 to the building of the Old Town Hall and in these
premises is part of until 2004. The museum is still located inside
the old town, but at the new address - Behind the vestibule 4.
Activity
The museum in general, in accordance with the Law on
Museums, collects, preserves and researches civilizational, cultural
and natural assets, and performs professional-scientific processing
and systematization of content into collections. The museum is
obliged to permanently protect the museum material, to keep and
preserve the museum documentation, and to supervise and protect
valuable sites and localities. The Ethnographic Museum in Split has
the task of collecting, preserving and presenting ethnographic
material of cultural value and significance.
Material
The
museum material consists of ethnographic collections, documentation
funds and a library collection.
Services
Providing
professional assistance in the field of museum activities, holding
lectures, providing professional guidance, providing information
services related to activities, organizing exhibitions, publishing
professional publications.