Memorijalni centar Lipa pamti

About the museum

The Memorijalni centar “Lipa pamti” (Lipa Remembers Memorial Centre) opened in April 2015 on the site of the old Spomen muzej (Memorial Museum), which operated in Lipa from 1968 to 1989. On 30 April 1944 Lipa lost 269 residents within a few hours, mostly old men, women and children, among them 96 children. The crime was committed by German Nazi and Fascist units as part of the Braunschweig offensive, and the killings were accompanied by the theft of property and the burning of almost all residential and farm buildings. Most of the victims died in the so-called Kvartirkina kuća (Kvartirkina House) at the entrance to the village, where a common ossuary and a monument to the victims stand today.

The centre is a dislocated collection of the Pomorski i povijesni muzej Hrvatskog primorja (Maritime and History Museum of the Croatian Littoral) in Rijeka. The opening was financed by the Municipality of Matulji, Primorje-Gorski Kotar County and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia. The new display continues the concept of the old Memorial Museum, and some of its parts have been retained as quotations. The authors are curators of the Rijeka museum, and the spatial and visual design is by the architect Antun Sevšek and the designer Damir Gamulin.

The display interprets the history of the Second World War in the area of the Liburnian Karst (Lipa, Pasjak, Rupa, Šapjane and Brdce) and includes an overview of life in the area from prehistory to the present. In the basement is the ethnographic collection of the Karst, and the ground floor is a space for cultural and historical heritage and events. The centre functions as a local history museum and a community museum, and promotes tolerance and non-violence.

Key themes

• Commemoration of the crime in Lipa on 30 April 1944
• Common ossuary and monument to the victims in the village
• Memorial, cultural-historical and ethnographic heritage of the Karst
• Educational programmes “Lipa – edukacija za mir” (Lipa – Education for Peace)

Permanent exhibition

• Stalni postav Memorijalnog centra „Lipa pamti” – The memorial, cultural-historical and ethnographic heritage of the Liburnian Karst, with an emphasis on the suffering of Lipa on 30 April 1944.

Founded

2015

Operated by

Pomorski i povijesni muzej Hrvatskog primorja Rijeka

Admission & discounts

Free admission is also granted to residents of the Liburnian Karst, members of professional associations and journalists.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom: not available
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: not available
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The entrance is at street level, but one must go around the railing and pass one low step. The ground floor is at the same level, while the basement and the upper floor are reached by stairs only. The building has no lift, the toilets on the ground floor are not adapted, and the display is not adapted for blind and partially sighted people. The captions are in Croatian and English.

Kids & families

Only partly suitable for kids

• Family tours & workshops

The subject of the crimes against civilians is a heavy one. The centre offers educational programmes for school children and families, among them “Pčelinja staza” (Bee Trail).

Getting there & parking

By car from Rijeka on the E61 road towards Opatija; before Rupa turn right towards Lipa. From the bus stop to the building it is about a hundred metres uphill on a gentle slope.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Next to the ticket office is a sales counter with publications.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit