TRAVEL

Croatia opens a strange new museum dedicated to ties, with exhibits including bulletproof neckties and instructions on how to tie the most popular knots

24/07/2024

Croatia has a museum of stuffed frogs, a museum of hangovers, and a museum of broken relationships… and now it has a museum dedicated to neckties.

This unique museum pays homage to this office wardrobe staple with Cravaticum, the Tie Boutique Museum, located in the country’s capital, Zagreb.

The exhibition opened in June, declaring its concept to be “to illustrate the historical significance of neckties.”

We are told that Croatia is the “homeland of the necktie” and Cravaticum explains that this item of clothing is around 400 years old and was introduced to the world by Croatian soldiers in the 17th century.

The museum’s website states: ‘It is said that the first neckties were made by girls and women for their men who travelled from Croatia to the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648), predicting luck and a safe return home for them.’

Croatia has a museum of stuffed frogs, a museum of hangovers and a museum of broken relationships, and now it has a museum in Zagreb dedicated to the tie – Cravaticum, Tie Boutique Museum

The museum shows the evolution of the tie over time

The museum showcases the evolution of the tie over time in a 130-square-metre space filled with “artistic works by contemporary local artists.”

These include ‘immersive uniforms of a Cravat regiment’ (the term given by the French to Croatian soldiers because of the ties they wore), as well as designs by Juraj Zigman, a Croatian fashion designer who has worked with Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, Rit UO, Christina Aguilera, Cardi B and others.

One exhibit includes a tie made from bulletproof material, another offers information about silk moth cocoons, and a room explains how different knots are tied.

‘As the history of the tie spread around the world, who designed the tie as we know it today, how much silk is needed for a tie, how many ways there are to tie it… and many other stories can be discovered through a unique exhibition that awaits you at the museum,’ says Cravaticum.

The museum, located in the centre of Zagreb, offers information about silk moth cocoons (above)

Igor Mladinović, one of the museum’s co-owners, comments: “Learning should be fun, especially for the youngest, and that is why this museum is designed to share numerous facts and stories about links in an entertaining and interactive way.”

Cravaticum is open daily from 10 am to 8 pm and is located in the centre of Zagreb.

Tickets cost €8 (£6.74/$8.71) for adults, €5 (£4.21/$5.44) for students and are free for children aged seven and under. Visit: cravaticum.com/english.