Mimara Museum, Zagreb, Croatia - SpottingHistory.com

The Mimara Museum is an art museum in the city of Zagreb. Of the total of 3,700 varied works of art, more than 1,500 exhibits constitute permanent holdings, dating from the prehistoric period up to the 20th century. Some of the most famous exhibits include works by Lorenzetti, Giorgione, Veronese, Canaletto, 60 paintings by the Dutch masters Van Goyen, Ruisdael, 50 works by the Flemish masters Van der Weyden, Bosch, Rubens, Van Dyck, more than 30 by the Spanish masters Velázquez, Murillo, Goya, some 20 paintings by the German masters Holbein, Liebermann, Leibl, some 30 paintings by the English painters Gainsborough, Turner, Bonington and more than 120 paintings by the French masters Georges de La Tour, Boucher, Chardin, Delacroix, Corot, Manet, Renoir, Degas. The drawings collection holds some 200 drawings by Bronzino, Guardi, Claude Lorrain, Le Brun, Oudry, Greuze, Géricault, and Friesz. The museum was opened in 1987. The building itself originates from the 19th century, its conversion to a museum overseen by a Zagreb architect Kuno Waidmann; originally it served as a gymnasium.

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Museums in Croatia

User Reviews

Cristiana Umbelino (7 months ago)
Another of the excelent museums one can/must experience in Zagreb. For museum lovers, like myself and my husband this was a very interesting day. We absolutely recomend it, if you have the time to spend while in Zagreb.

NOStorious S.P.I.D (7 months ago)
Wonderfull place filled with art of all kinds

Eugenia Barrios (9 months ago)
It is close for reparation but I wrote to them a few months ago and they never answer me. The building is beautiful.

Charlotte Sophie (14 months ago)
Lovely little arts and craft museum, but nothing you can visit for a bit of peace and quite. If you wanna see the art,be prepared for the staff to follow you around the rooms at the respectful distance of about 2m. If they're not following you around the staff of mainly art students will half block the doorways while texting. Overall a less than relaxing atmosphere

Danny Wallace (14 months ago)
This museum is a must for any culture and fine arts lover. The museum is spacious and well laid out. All the exhibits are available to view very close up, the old masters can be viewed without barriers, ropes or glass. The staff are informative and very friendly. There is a 40kn (£5.00) entrance fee but worth it considering the exhibitions. Use the cloakroom, the museum is quite warm and it could take a couple of hours, a long time to hump your coats around.

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Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba

The Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba, also known as the Great Mosque of Córdoba and the Mezquita is regarded as one of the most accomplished monuments of Moorish architecture.

According to a traditional account, a small Visigoth church, the Catholic Basilica of Saint Vincent of Lérins, originally stood on the site. In 784 Abd al-Rahman I ordered construction of the Great Mosque, which was considerably expanded by later Muslim rulers. The mosque underwent numerous subsequent changes: Abd al-Rahman II ordered a new minaret, while in 961 Al-Hakam II enlarged the building and enriched the Mihrab. The last of such reforms was carried out by Almanzor in 987. It was connected to the Caliph"s palace by a raised walkway, mosques within the palaces being the tradition for previous Islamic rulers – as well as Christian Kings who built their palaces adjacent to churches. The Mezquita reached its current dimensions in 987 with the completion of the outer naves and courtyard.

In 1236, Córdoba was conquered by King Ferdinand III of Castile, and the centre of the mosque was converted into a Catholic cathedral. Alfonso X oversaw the construction of the Villaviciosa Chapel and the Royal Chapel within the mosque. The kings who followed added further Christian features, such as King Henry II rebuilding the chapel in the 14th century. The minaret of the mosque was also converted to the bell tower of the cathedral. It was adorned with Santiago de Compostela"s captured cathedral bells. Following a windstorm in 1589, the former minaret was further reinforced by encasing it within a new structure.

The most significant alteration was the building of a Renaissance cathedral nave in the middle of the expansive structure. The insertion was constructed by permission of Charles V, king of Castile and Aragon. Artisans and architects continued to add to the existing structure until the late 18th century.

Architecture

The building"s floor plan is seen to be parallel to some of the earliest mosques built from the very beginning of Islam. It had a rectangular prayer hall with aisles arranged perpendicular to the qibla, the direction towards which Muslims pray. The prayer hall was large and flat, with timber ceilings held up by arches of horseshoe-like appearance.

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