Klovićevi dvori Gallery: 1100 Years of the Croatian Kingdom
The exhibition “In the Beginning Was the Kingdom” is a unique testimony about a thousand-years long history of Croatian nation and shaping of the Croatian national identity and sovereignty.
Exhibition “In the Beginning Was the Kingdom” about 1100th anniversary of the Croatian Kingdom will be open to visitors until 15 February 2026 at the Klovićevi Dvori Gallery in the Upper Town. It is a reminder of some important events in the history of the Croatian nation, the year of the coronation of the first Croatian king Tomislav as well as a reference to him as a rex in the letter of Pope John X which was sent in 925 to convoke the First church council of Split. This made Croatia an independent and acknowledged kingdom, which had a crucial role in the shaping of Croatian national identity and sovereignty.
The exhibition, whose authors are renowned historians and art historians, is divided into topics, designed in line with the dominant political, social, religious and cultural phenomena that marked certain periods of Croatian history. More than fifty experts from all around Croatia and abroad collaborated on the content of the exhibition and accompanying catalogue, more than a hundred museum staff, archivists, treasurers, conservators, conservator-restorers, technicians and preparators prepared the exhibits and other materials.
The exhibition allows the visitors to see more than 400 art pieces, archaeological monuments, historical documents, historical archives and artisan objects. One exhibit that stands out from a myriad of crucial monuments is the Baptismal Font of Višeslav, whose symbolic and civilisational importance surpasses its undeniable monumentality and artistic value. There are also exhibits containing names of Croatian dukes, kings and queens, which create a “stone archives”, unique in Europe. Among them, there is the inscription from the sarcophagus of Queen Jelena which helped to recreate a part of the ruling dynasty Trpimirović in the 10th century. The first written monument in Glagolitic script and the language of the people which mentions a Croatian king – Zvonimir, the Baška Tablet, is also among the exhibits.
A special part of the exhibition located on the ground floor is dedicated to the ruling personality of King Tomislav, original historical documents and his phenomenon which evolved through centuries and culminated in 1925 with a grand jubilee. Romanticised interpretations are visible in the historical paintings of the 19th and 20th century by Mate Celestin Medović and Oton Iveović as well as in initial sketches and models for the monumental statue on a horse by Robert Frangeš Mihanović. There are films connected to the jubilee, which also represent the beginning of Croatian cinematography and film production. The exhibition ends with a partial reconstruction of the exhibition in Zagreb that took place in 1925, which allows us to witness the continuity of the grand jubilee celebrations.
The exhibition is accompanied by a luxurious catalogue with texts of numerous experts and descriptions of exhibits as well as photographs.
The Croatian Parliament proclaimed 2025 as the Year of marking 1100th anniversary of the Croatian Kingdom, whose grand finale is the exhibition at the Klovićevi Dvori Gallery.