Croatia has a museum of taxidermy frogs, a museum of hangovers and a museum of broken relationships – and now it has a museum dedicated to the tie.
The unique museum celebrates the office-wear staple with Cravaticum – Museum Boutique of the Cravat, located in the country’s capital, Zagreb.
The exhibition opened in June, declaring that its concept is ‘to illustrate the historic significance of neckties’.
Croatia, we’re told, is the ‘homeland of the cravat’, with Cravaticum explaining that the item of clothing is around 400 years old and was introduced to the world by Croatian soldiers in the 17th century.
The museum website states: ‘The story goes that the first ties were made by girls and women for their men who went from Croatia to the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648), predicting luck and a safe return home for them.’
Croatia has a museum of taxidermy frogs, a museum of hangovers and a museum of broken relationships, and now it has a museum in Zagreb dedicated to the tie – Cravaticum, Museum Boutique of the Cravat
The museum demonstrates the tie’s evolution through time
The museum demonstrates the tie’s evolution through time in a 130-square-metre area filled with ‘artistic works of contemporary local artists’.
These include ‘immersive uniforms of a Cravat regiment’ – the term awarded to Croat soldiers by the French due to the ties they wore – plus the designs of Juraj Zigman, a Croatian fashion designer who has worked with Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, Rit U.O., Cristina Aguilera, Cardi B, and others.
One display includes a tie made of bulletproof material, another offers insight into silk moth cocoons and one room explains how various knots are tied.
‘As the story of the tie spread around the world, who designed the tie as we know it today, how much silk is needed for one tie, how many ways there are to tie it… and many other stories can be discovered through a unique exhibition awaiting you in the museum,’ states Cravaticum.
The museum, located in the centre of Zagreb, offers insight into silk moth cocoons (above)
Igor Mladinović, one of the museum’s co-owners, remarks: ‘Learning should be fun, especially for the younger crowd, which is why this museum is designed to share numerous facts and stories about ties in an entertaining and interactive way.’
Cravaticum is open daily from 10am to 8pm and is located in the centre of Zagreb.
Tickets are priced at €8 (£6.74/$8.71) for adults, €5 (£4.21/$5.44) for students, and are free of charge for children aged seven or younger. Visit: cravaticum.com/english.
