The Museum Zone at Zagreb’s Franjo Tuđman Airport won silver in the regional the! Award competition for collaboration across organisations and sectors. The Croatian Public Relations Association presented the award at its KoMferencija conference. It is the second industry award this year for the joint project by the Croatian History Museum and Zagreb International Airport, following a national Grand PRix win in the spring.

The 2020 Zagreb earthquake severely damaged the Upper Town palaces that house the Croatian History Museum, leaving it without exhibition space. At the initiative of Val Group and with support from the Ministry of Culture and Media, the museum and the airport opened the Museum Zone to introduce domestic and international travellers to Croatian heritage.

The exhibition, Stars of Croatian History: The Sky Is Their Limit. Get to Know Them!, introduces passengers to 24 figures who shaped Croatian science, culture, politics, society and sport, and whose influence reached beyond the country’s borders. The display continues to grow, with the Croatian flag joining the exhibition in July.

According to Matea Brstilo Rešetar, director of the Croatian History Museum, the Museum Zone became Croatia’s second most visited exhibition space within a year of opening. Huseyin Bahadir Bedir, president of Zagreb International Airport’s management board, said the exhibition gives passengers a chance to explore Croatian history and cultural heritage during their time at the airport.