Night of Museums in Karlovac 2026: 12 locations, new industrial heritage and programs from science to film
Karlovac is joining the Night of Museums again this year with a program that goes beyond a classic tour of exhibition spaces and turns the city into a large, branched stage of heritage. The event takes place on Friday, January 30, 2026, in a time slot set at the national level from 18:00 to 01:00, with free entry to participating institutions. A special feature of this year's edition is that the Night of Museums has no pre-set theme, so museums and partners were able to shape content according to their own priorities and audiences. In Karlovac, this means finding yourself on the same evening in front of a fortress and Legos, in front of a war display and veteran stories, in an aquarium among “invisible” microorganisms, in an interpretation center about Nikola Tesla, in a cinema watching a documentary film, but also in spaces that preserve the industrial, fire-fighting, numismatic, and ethnographic memory of the city.
The programs were presented on January 27, 2026, at the Museum of the Homeland War Karlovac – Turanj, with the emphasis that for years the Night of Museums in Karlovac has outgrown the framework of a single institution and become a joint project of museums, the tourism sector, associations, and other guardians of heritage. The director of the Karlovac City Museum, Igor Čulig, pointed out that in practice, the Night of Museums has long since turned into a night of “museum-ness,” where heritage is not viewed only as the past, but as a potential that can be recognized, interpreted, and offered to the audience in a new way. Mayor Damir Mandić said that this is an opportunity to show how much effort, knowledge, and ideas are invested in the institutions and that the City of Karlovac continues to be a support for such events, with the belief that this Friday the atmosphere will once again attract a large number of visitors.
Twelve locations in one evening: who is participating and where to go
The Night of Museums in Karlovac 2026 is organized at 12 locations, with some spaces operating in the national time slot until 01:00, while some programs start earlier and end by 23:00 or midnight. Precisely this combination gives the possibility to plan the evening as a “route” through the city, without rushing and with a clear choice of content for different generations. For visitors from outside Karlovac, this is also a good reason to come and stay longer in the city, especially if they plan to visit multiple points and connect them with a walk along the Korana or a tour of the center.
- Old Town Dubovac
- Museum of the Homeland War Karlovac – Turanj
- Gallery “Vjekoslav Karas”
- Aquatika – freshwater aquarium Karlovac (with the program of the Green Library and the City Library “Ivan Goran Kovačić”)
- Nikola Tesla Experience Center
- Edison Cinema
- Historical Firefighting Collection
- Katzler Pavilion
- KUD “Stative” – Donje Stative Branch School
- Ethno House Vučjak
- Social Center Prostor(i)ja
- Karlovac Turbine Factory / Mustad building (former ŽE-ČE)
If you are coming from another city and want to make the most of the evening, it is practical to secure
accommodation in Karlovac in advance and plan the tour by zones: the center and the promenade (Gallery, Edison Cinema, Katzler Pavilion), then Rakovac (Tesla Experience Center and industrial heritage in Mustad), and locations along the rivers and edge points (Aquatika, Dubovac, Turanj, Vučjak, Stative). Such a division reduces time lost on transport and allows reaching contents with precisely determined schedules.
Dubovac and “Bricks”: the fortress as a playroom and history classroom
Old Town Dubovac remains one of the most attractive locations in this edition as well, because it combines the ambiance of a medieval fortress with a program that simultaneously attracts children, families, and model enthusiasts. During the evening, the exhibition “Bricks at Dubovac” is planned, dedicated to constructions made of Lego bricks, with the possibility for visitors to join continuous workshops and playrooms. The idea is clear: the castle is not viewed only “from afar,” but through building and creative tasks, one becomes an active participant. In addition, expert guidance through the exhibition “Dubovac through the centuries” in the Watchtower has been announced, so the playful part of the program can be connected with classic museum content for a complete experience.
The special value of Dubovac is that the program is designed as an open, continuous format. This is important information for parents and all who come in waves: it is not necessary to “catch” the exact start of a workshop to participate, but one can enter the program whenever they arrive at the location. For guests who want to combine Dubovac with the rest of the evening, choosing
accommodation near the center of Karlovac is a practical choice, because that way Dubovac can be visited earlier, and later one can arrive without pressure for lectures, tours, or film screenings.
Turanj: expert guidance and conversation along the exhibition about “Tigers”
The Museum of the Homeland War Karlovac – Turanj emphasizes the educational dimension in the Night of Museums through guided tours of the permanent exhibition “Karlovac 1991 – 1995”, but also through a program related to the exhibition “For Croatia like a Tiger”. It is planned for visitors to get acquainted with the exhibition under the guidance of the president of the Association of War Veterans and members of the guard unit “Tigers”, Ivan Knezović, which in this context gives an additional level: besides the curatorial interpretation, a perspective of a participant who directly lived through part of the story is offered. This positions Turanj as a place where the memory of the war is transmitted with arguments and documentation, but also through living conversation, which can be particularly important for younger visitors who know the war period only from textbooks.
In a time when public space is often polarized, this kind of format in a museum has a clear function: it encourages dialogue in a controlled, educational framework and returns the focus to facts, objects, context, and testimonies. For visitors coming in an organized manner or wishing to stay until later, it is recommended to look at the logistics of movement in advance and, if the plan includes more locations and a longer stay, consider
accommodation offers in Karlovac so that the evening can be finished without rushing and returning in late hours.
Gallery “Vjekoslav Karas”: exhibition, workshop and lecture on transhumanism
The gallery program traditionally combines expert guidance, educational content, and “live” contact of the audience with the exhibition. In Karlovac, a tour through the exhibition “Dreamscape I” by author Marija Romoda has been announced, as well as an art workshop that follows the idea of mask and identity. Such formats often attract an audience that otherwise rarely visits galleries, precisely because it offers not only “looking” but also participation.
Additional attention this year is drawn by the lecture of Krešimir Mišak “Transhumanism – the dawn or twilight of man”. In the context of the Night of Museums, such a title shows well how the manifestation is not limited to the past: it expands to topics that touch on technology, ethics, the future of society, and the boundaries of human transformation. Precisely because the national manifestation has no set theme, local organizers were given space to open questions that are relevant even outside the museum profession. For part of the audience it will be a magnet, for some a reason for discussion, and for all together a good illustration of how cultural institutions can be a place of conversation about contemporary dilemmas, and not just repositories of objects.
Aquatika: microorganisms in focus and programs for families
Aquatika in the Night of Museums combines science, nature, and education, and the program is structured so that it can be visited with children and in later hours, with contents that have a clear local connection: rivers, the Korana, freshwater ecosystems, and Karlovac as a city on the water. Visitors can view the aquarium with free entry, with additional contents such as exhibitions and socializing. The key event of the evening is the opening of the permanent exhibition “(In)visible world of microorganisms”, designed as an entry into the microworld of rivers and lakes and an explanation of the role of microorganisms in the health and balance of freshwater systems.
An important component is also the Green Library program “Healthy River”, intended for children and families, with reading of ecological stories, a creative workshop, and a pop-up book offer. With this, Aquatika confirms the trend in which museums and related institutions increasingly create a “programmatic coalition” with libraries and educational partners, because today the audience is not won over only by the display, but by an experience that combines learning, play, and time together.
Tesla Experience Center and Rakovac: science as an experience, heritage as an incentive
Nikola Tesla Experience Center participates in a time slot that suits both families and visitors who want to “fit” Tesla content between other locations. The concept of the center is based on interactivity and bringing Tesla closer as a person, not just as a genius from a textbook. The Night of Museums program emphasizes the possibility for visitors to test their memory, patience, and logic through the display, and to get acquainted with the events and influences that shaped Tesla's life and work, precisely in the city where he finished school.
In the same city zone, but in a completely different register, industrial heritage also appears: the Mustad building (former ŽE-ČE) and the project of the Karlovac Turbine Factory. The director of the Karlovac Turbine Factory, Ivica Mikšić, announced that part of the collection and exhibits related to the engineering of Jugoturbina, which has been preserved and developed since 2019, is being presented this year to the general public in the historic building that is being gradually renovated. The idea is for the display of industrial history to also have an educational role and motivate young people to innovate, with the emphasis that the project is progressing in phases while waiting for certain statements from institutions.
This “pairing” of Tesla and Jugoturbina in the same evening is not just a coincidence of location. It is a story about Karlovac as a city that is not just a transit point between Zagreb and the sea, but an environment with strong layers: scientific, industrial, cultural, and natural. Night of Museums, when well organized, pulls such layers to the surface and makes them visible even to those who know Karlovac only through a quick pass on the highway.
Edison Cinema: documentary film about Bukovac and free entry with tickets
Edison Cinema in the Night of Museums offers a film program that logically fits into a cultural evening: the documentary film “Bukovac – light, roots and wings”. The program was announced with the note that entry is free, but with the pick-up of tickets online or at the box office, which is important due to the capacity of the hall and organization. Content-wise, the film follows the period of Vlaho Bukovac's arrival in Zagreb and his influence on the art scene, with a broader look at the city's transformation and cultural development. For the audience that perceives the Night of Museums as a “night out”, the cinema is a natural stop: it can be the start of the evening, but also a “break” between walking through locations.
Katzler Pavilion, firefighting collection, Vučjak and Prostor(i)ja: small locations, big character
Night of Museums in Karlovac is known for not staying only in large institutions. Katzler Pavilion, which presents itself as the smallest museum in the world, offers a participatory performance “Become a museum piece yourself”, in which visitors voluntarily enter the display windows, receive a museum “label” and become part of a living museum of the present. This is a witty but also serious comment on the question of what we preserve today: objects, people, experiences, or the moment in which the city lives.
The Historical Firefighting Collection opens its doors to those who want to get to know the history of firefighting and see a large number of exhibits from the 19th and 20th centuries, with stories about the challenges and development of voluntary societies. Ethno House Vučjak offers a tour of the local collection with an emphasis on restored items that have the status of cultural property, and additionally, the exhibition “Karlovac and surroundings 1849-2025” is announced in cooperation with local collectors, with snacks and evening socializing. Social Center Prostor(i)ja joins with an exhibition of banknotes and coins from a private collection called “Money Makes The World Go Round”, with an evening opening and the possibility of viewing until midnight.
KUD “Stative” – Donje Stative Branch School provides a program “on the ground”, outside the city center, with exhibitions of Christmas cards, napkins, and children's picture books. Such content may seem “quieter” at first glance, but that is precisely one of the meaningful contributions of the Night of Museums: to show that heritage is not only kept in large buildings, but also in school spaces, in local associations, and in private collections, where details that easily slip through large narratives are often preserved.
Practical: how to get the most out of the Night of Museums in Karlovac
For those who want to visit more locations, it is useful to stick to a few simple rules. First, contents with an exact schedule (lectures, expert tours, openings, and film screenings) should be included as the “anchors” of the evening, and locations with a continuous program inserted between them. Second, part of the locations work earlier (from 17:00), which is a good opportunity to start at Aquatika or the Tesla center and later move to the city center. Third, if you plan to stay until late, it is practical to have transportation settled in advance or
accommodation for visitors of the Night of Museums in Karlovac, especially for guests coming from outside the county. Fourth, for Edison Cinema, you should count on picking up tickets, although the screening is free, because that can decide whether you will enter the hall at all in the desired time slot.
The Tourist Board of the City of Karlovac, which coordinates information and logistics, emphasizes that the expansion to multiple locations is precisely what sets Karlovac apart: the event is not perceived as a single crowd in one place, but as a series of contents among which the audience chooses its own pace. And that is, ultimately, the best definition of the Night of Museums: a night in which culture stops being a “program for someone else” and becomes an event in which one participates.
Sources:- Croatian Museum Association – official information about the 21st Night of Museums, date and time at the national level (link)- Official platform of the Night of Museums – explanation of the event concept and information that the 2026 edition has no specific theme (link)- Tourist Board of the City of Karlovac (Visit Karlovac) – detailed program and schedules of the Night of Museums 2026 at locations in Karlovac (link)- Aquatika – Freshwater Aquarium Karlovac – announcement of the opening of the permanent exhibition “(In)visible world of microorganisms” as part of the Night of Museums (link)- Nikola Tesla Experience Center Karlovac – published working hours for the Night of Museums (Jan 30) and visit information (link)
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