History of the City Museum of Senj
The City Museum of Senj is located in the palace of the Vukasović family, one of the most prominent families of Senj, also known as the “House of Maria Theresa.” The palace, built in the 14th/15th century, is a prime example of the city’s secular architecture.
The idea of founding the museum arose from the rich cultural heritage of Senj and its surroundings, including numerous cultural-historical monuments and archaeological finds from all historical periods discovered in the area.
At the proposal of the Senj Museum Society, the People’s Liberation Committee of the Municipality of Senj adopted a decision on May 7, 1962, to establish the City Museum of Senj as a cultural and scientific institution.
Between 1969 and 1991, the City Museum of Senj (CMS) operated twice as part of the People’s
University – Center for Culture Senj. With the decision of the Municipal Assembly of Senj on March 14, 1991, the CMS once again became an independent cultural and scientific institution of special local and county significance.
FOUNDERS
VUK KRAJAČ (1896–1962)
Dr. Vuk Krajač returned to Senj in 1946, at that time a city almost completely destroyed, to actively participate in its reconstruction. From then until his death, he remained inseparably connected with Senj. As Senj’s conservator, he saved many historical monuments from ruin and wrote numerous studies on the cultural and economic importance of Senj and its reconstruction, which were published in various journals.
Vuk Krajač was one of the main founders of the Senj Museum Society and served as its president until his death. He is also credited with the restoration of the Vukasović Palace, one of Senj’s most significant historical monuments, which was renovated and secured for the needs of the Senj Museum. With the same energy, he worked on the construction of the Mausoleum of the Senj Uskoks, for which, at his request, all the plans were prepared by Ivan Meštrović. He was also one of the main initiators and collaborators in the erection of the commemorative busts in Senj’s Writers’ Park at Art dedicated to Silvije Strahimir Kranjčević, Vjenceslav Novak, and Milutin Cihlar Nehajev. Additionally, he organized the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the Nehaj Fortress, on whose preservation and touristic valorization he worked extensively.
ANTE GLAVIČIĆ (1931–2003)
He graduated from high school in Senj in 1950 and completed his studies in archaeology and history at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb in 1961. From 1956 to 1958, he worked as curator and director of the National Museum in Pazin, and from 1960 he became the director and curator of the newly founded City Museum of Senj. In 1978, he was appointed museum advisor. From 1962, he served as the Secretary-General of the Senj Museum Society.
He organized and led the restoration of the Vukasović Palace (1962–1965) and the Nehaj Fortress (1964–1974), in which museum collections were subsequently established, giving the Museum a comprehensive regional role. From 1961, he organized and led archaeological, ethnographic, and historical research in the Velebit area and collected museum materials. He was the founder and editor of the journal Senjski zbornik (1965–2003), the carnival newspapers Metla i škavacera (1965–1975), the humorous magazine Smišna senjska kronika (1972), and the journal Rašeljka (1973).
He organized the publication of reprints and critical editions of Senj’s Glagolitic books Spovid općena (1980) and Korizmenjak (1981). He authored the Guide to Senj and its Surroundings in Croatian and German (Senj 1962, 1974), and the Professional Guide to the Nehaj Fortress and Museum Exhibition (Senj, 1990). His scholarly works in archaeology, ethnography, and the history of Senj and its surroundings were published in Riječka revija (1962), Vijesti muzealaca i konzervatora Hrvatske (1963, 1965, 1969, 1971), and Senjski zbornik (1965–2003).
Professor Glavičić’s work was widely recognized and appreciated, earning him numerous awards, including a decoration from the President of the Republic of Croatia in 1994, when he was awarded the Order of Danica Hrvatska with the image of Marko Marulić for his exceptional contributions to culture.
THE CITY MUSEUM OF SENJ TODAY
Today, the Museum is a complex institution housing the following collections: Archaeological and Underwater Archaeological Collection, Numismatic Collection, Glagolitic and Glagolitic Printing Collection, Weapons and Military Equipment Collection, Collection of Modern Senj History, Ethnographic Collection – Bunjevci, and the Natural History Collection – Velebit.
The Museum also includes a professional library (Seniensia) with older and newer archival materials, a smaller collection of artworks, as well as a collection of photographs, postcards, and correspondence.
The Museum covers a total area of 690 m², of which 400 m² is exhibition space, 75 m² office space, 48 m² library space, 93 m² storage, and 63 m² for other facilities. The Nehaj Fortress covers 810 m², of which 700 m² is exhibition space, 18 m² storage, and 92 m² for other uses.
The Museum operates through two organizational-program units: the professional-scientific unit and the general unit. The professional-scientific unit consists of the comprehensive museum collection housed in the City Museum and Nehaj Fortress, conservation and restoration services, the library, archival materials, and photo documentation, as well as educational, promotional, and marketing activities. The general unit includes custodial and technical support services at both the Nehaj Fortress and the City Museum.
In addition to the director and staff, the City Museum of Senj has a Governing Board as a collegial management body, consisting of a president and six members appointed for a term of four years. The founder, the City of Senj, appoints the president and four members, while two members are elected from among the Museum’s professional staff.
The City Museum of Senj is housed in the palace of the Vukasović family, one of the most prominent families of Senj, also known as the “House of Maria Theresa.” Built in the 14th/15th century, the palace is considered one of the finest examples of secular architecture in Senj.
Nehaj Fortress
Nehaj Fortress, the symbol of the city of Senj
Throughout its history, the palace was extended and reconstructed several times, and today it reflects a blend of architectural styles – Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque.
The building was heavily damaged during World War II. Restoration work, along with the arrangement and formation of the museum collections, was initiated in the 1950s by honorary conservator Dr. Vuk Krajač and later continued by Professor Ante Glavičić, also an honorary conservator of the city of Senj. Thanks to the dedication of these two conservators, the restoration was successfully completed in 1965.
Nehaj Fortress, the emblem of Senj, was built in 1558 under the supervision of Captain and General of the Croatian Military Frontier Ivan Lenković and Captain Herbart VIII von Auersperg of Turjak. It was constructed using stone taken from demolished churches, monasteries, and houses that once stood outside the city walls.
The fortress has a square shape, oriented toward the cardinal points. It is 18 meters high and 23 meters wide. Access was gained by stairs leading over a wooden bridge through narrow double doors. The walls, 2 to 3.3 meters thick, taper toward the top and end with battlements featuring five small corner towers. There are about one hundred loopholes in the walls and eleven large cannon openings.
Inside, there is a cistern–well above which three coats of arms are displayed: on the left, the coat of arms of Captain Ivan Lenković with the year of construction; in the center, the coat of arms of Archduke Ferdinand I of Austria, the ruler of Senj at that time; and on the right, the coat of arms of Captain Herbart VIII von Auersperg of Turjak. On the ground floor to the right was the fireplace, surrounded by rooms for soldiers and weapons. Here, the foundations of a small early Romanesque church of St. George from the 11th century can still be seen.
The first floor housed rooms for officers and the fortress commander, while the second floor was a cannon battery with eleven heavy cannons. Today, this area hosts renowned cultural and music events, scientific conferences, and other cultural programs. The top of the fortress serves as a lookout point. From here, guards once watched over the approaches to Senj from land and sea, receiving smoke and light signals from their allies on the islands and along the coast. Today, visitors can enjoy spectacular views of the Croatian Littoral and the islands of Rab, Goli, Prvić, Cres, and Krk, as well as the mountains of Gorski Kotar, Učka, and Velebit.
Within Nehaj Fortress, visitors can explore the permanent exhibition “The Senj Uskoks and the Senj Coastal Captaincy”, as well as exhibitions on “Senj’s Churches Through History” and “Coats of Arms of the City and Nobility of Senj.” The fortress is managed by the City Museum of Senj.
History – Nehaj Fortress
The development and improvement of firearms during the 15th and 16th centuries, which saw the introduction of larger-caliber cannons with greater range, had a profound impact on military strategy and fundamentally changed existing principles of defense. As a result, stronger and more advanced fortifications were required. Irregularly shaped fortresses began to lose their strategic value and were gradually replaced by coastal castles and forts, designed with regular layouts such as squares, triangles, stars, polygons, or other geometric shapes.
For this reason, new fortifications were built lower but with increasingly thicker walls to enhance defensive capabilities. In the early 15th and throughout the 16th century, the fall of empires and kingdoms to Ottoman forces prompted European regions to prepare their defenses in areas not yet conquered. A dramatic period for Europe and fortification construction began after 1453, following the fall of Constantinople. Soon after, Ottoman forces appeared at the walls of Senj, prompting military, civil, and ecclesiastical authorities to quickly organize the defense of the city and its population.
In the interest of stronger defense, Ivan Lenković became Captain of Senj in 1539. As an experienced military commander familiar with contemporary fortifications, he recognized the need to construct a fortress capable of withstanding modern artillery. He wrote to Emperor Ferdinand I, reporting on the condition of Senj’s walls and fortifications and emphasizing the urgent need to strengthen the city’s defenses, advocating for the construction of a modern and powerful fortress on the nearby hill.
When the imperial court allocated funds in 1551, Lenković began constructing the long-awaited fortress on the 62-meter-high Nehaj hill. With approval from military and church authorities, he demolished all buildings outside the city walls and used the stone from these ruins to build, by 1558, one of the strongest and most beautiful fortresses of its time. Evidence of the repurposed materials can be seen in numerous spolia—inscriptions, reliefs, and carved window and door frames—some embedded in the walls and some displayed on the ground floor.
The fortress has a square layout oriented to the cardinal points, measuring 23.5 meters in width and 18 meters in height. It is estimated that over 3,400 m³ of material were used, weighing approximately 7,500 tons of stone, sand, and lime. The stone facades display three distinct layers: at the bottom, local karst limestone; in the middle, well-cut monastery stone; and at the top, a mixture of various types and shapes of stone.
The walls are 3.2 meters thick at the base, tapering to 2.5 meters at the top, crowned with battlements and five small corner towers. The fortress contains about one hundred loopholes and eleven large cannon openings. Access was via stairs over a wooden bridge through double doors.
The construction of Nehaj Fortress significantly strengthened the defense of Senj and the surrounding coastal area against Ottoman and Venetian threats, allowing attackers to be engaged from a greater distance. The fortress had to be provisioned with personnel and supplies, a responsibility of the city’s defense organizers. As the Ottomans advanced westward, particularly after the fall of Klis in 1537, Senj became a refuge and stronghold for refugees known as Uskoks, who immediately joined the defense and became a permanent garrison of Senj and Nehaj Fortress.
According to Lenković’s report from 1563, the castle and the city of Senj, including the new fortress above the town, were defended by 300 men—primarily Uskoks under General Ivan Lenković—who named the fortress Nehaj. This name reflects their fearlessness in the face of danger, as celebrated in many legendary Uskok exploits.
To defend against the Ottomans, the Senj Captaincy was established in 1469, later forming the Coastal Frontier, which became the core of the future Military Frontier. Some of Senj’s most notable captains included Ivan Lenković, Mirko Derenčin, Petar Berislavić, Grgur Orlovčić, Nikola Jurišić, Petar Kružić, Nikola Frankopan, and Nikola Zrinski.
Collections City Museum of Senj
Today, Nehaj Fortress stands not only as a symbol of Senj’s past strength and resilience but also as a vibrant cultural landmark, offering visitors a unique glimpse into the city’s history and spectacular views of the surrounding landscape.
Discover more details by visiting us here.