10. Other museums

There are books there arranged on shelves, which the late Filip Šuflaj collected and used… In that library, a scholar and an academic would find many beautiful and interesting things; because there is also old weaponry displayed, which was found in Brlog and its surroundings, indeed, there are, so to speak, unique objects. If I remember correctly, many years ago I saw in the Zagreb museum weapons and artefacts donated by the patriotic Filip Šuflaj to that institution; but most of it was certainly left in Brlog. So, there are armour, helmets, rifles, sabres, daggers, swords, various types of flintlock pistols, from various periods… In the library, there is also a meteor, I think it fell near Brlog, and there is also a collection of coins, whose value I cannot estimate. When I mention those many paintings throughout the manor, some religious, some mythological, various portraits, it is clearly evident that Filip Šuflaj was highly educated…

10.1: Helmet and breastplate armour from the estate of Filip Šufflay, on permanent display at the Zagreb City Museum Photo by: M. Bušić, Zagreb, 2024 MGZ

Collecting and preserving objects of cultural and historical value, protecting heritage, as well as donating objects to museums, was a setting in which Laszowski grew up.

Even when he established a museum for which objects needed to be collected, when he could have been “selfish” and direct all objects towards the newly established museum, Laszowski did not deviate from his principles and did not retain objects that belonged to collections of other museums.

He considered his most valuable possessions to be a large collection of weapons and the library. He noted in his records about the weapons that at the request of Dr. Brunšmid, he had sold them to the Archaeological Museum on 26 March, 1898 for 100 forints. Laszowski also donated objects to the Archaeological Museum, and the last note by Laszowski about his donation to this museum dates back to 16 April, 1947, when, along with a donation of letters from Bude Budisavljević and Mijo Sabljar, he wrote that he had bought the letters from Abel Lukšić in 1891, and Lukšić had bought them from the widow of Ivan Kukuljević.

In 1892, he also bought from Abel Lukšić, from the Kukuljević estate, covers of a missal from the Remete Monastery, which he donated to the Zagreb City Museum.

10.2: Note on donation to the Archaeological Museum

Zagreb, April 16, 1947

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10.3: Archaeological Museum in Zagreb

V. Horvat, 1939

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10.4: Missal covers and fastenings; detail – note by E. Laszowski

Photo by: M. Gregl, 2024

Missal covers from the Remete Monastery. From the collection of I. Noble Kukuljević. Purchased among other objects from Abel Lukšić, who sold off the remaining antiquities after Kukuljević’s death.

21. 09. 1892. Laszowski

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Laszowski was appointed an advocate of the Ethnographic Museum and became a commissioner of the Ethnographic Department of the Croatian National Museum in Zagreb. He was a benefactor to the Ethnographic Museum, the Theatre Archives of the Zagreb National Theatre, the Conservation Institute in Zagreb, the Natural History Museum, Samobor and Varaždin Museums. He donated an object from his family estate to the Museum of Arts and Crafts – his grandfather’s barometer made in the glass factory in Osredak, and today’s Croatian History Museum preserves numerous objects donated by Laszowski. Laszowski had in his family inheritance tickets and theatre programs of Viennese provenance, which he donated to the Vienna Museum.

10.5: View of the Ethnographic Museum in Zagreb

Photographer unknown, circa 1910

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10.6 – 7: Diploma and correspondence on appointing Emil Noble Laszowski as commissioner of the Ethnographic Department of the Croatian National Museum in Zagreb

Zagreb, 1922

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10.8: Thank-you card from the Ethnographic Department of the Croatian National Museum in Zagreb to E. Laszowski for the donation

Zagreb, 1922

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10.9: Croatian National Theatre

Photographer unknown, Zagreb, 1940

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10.10: Thank-you card for donation of books to the theatre archives of the Zagreb National Theatre

Zagreb, 1939

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10.11: Correspondence between architect Stjepan Podhorski, Emilij Laszowski, and the Croatian State Conservatory concerning recordings of the church in Oštarije

Zagreb, 1938, 1945

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10.13: Record of donation to the Samobor Museum

Zagreb, 1946

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10.12: Confirmation of donation of a fossil to the Natural History Museum in Zagreb Zagreb, 1946 HDA

10.14: Concept letter to the Museum of the City of Varaždin for the donation of a lithograph of Varaždin

Zagreb, 1936

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10.15: Museum of Arts and Crafts

Photographer unknown, Zagreb, 1935

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10.16: Thank-you card from the Museum of Arts and Crafts for the donated object

Zagreb, September 20, 1943

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10.17: Croatian History Museum

Photographer unknown, Zagreb, circa 1928

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10.18: Flask

Plitvice, end of 17th century

The flask is a finding from an archaeological excavation of Gradina at the Plitvice Lakes, led by Laszowski, and is one of the numerous objects he handed over or donated to the Croatian History Museum.

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10.19: Letter from Emilij Laszowski to the city museum in Vienna offering a donation of theatre programs and tickets from Vienna from 1829 and 1863

Zagreb, 1929

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One particularly valuable object Laszowski donated to the Venerable Cathedral Chapter – a letter from Ivan Zrinski, son of Petar, to his relative Ivan Šubić Peranski, in which he asks him to intercede for his father’s pardon.

This letter is framed with glass on both sides, and in his letter, Laszowski emphasizes the value of the object: Let this precious letter be permanently kept in the treasury as a historical relic, and at the same time, property of all Croatian people.

Donations made to the War Museum in 1945 show another great trait of Laszowski: forgiveness. After being dismissed from a five-month term as director of the War Museum and Archives, Laszowski was not granted retirement status as director of the state archives, which brought him to the brink of existence. However, two years later, Laszowski donated objects to that same museum.

10.20 – 21: Draft letter from Laszowski and a response of the Cathedral Chapter of Zagreb regarding the donation of Ivan Zrinski’s letter

Zagreb, 1939

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10.22: Confirmation of donation of objects to the Croatian War Museum

Zagreb, March 6,1945

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Laszowski played a significant role in the founding of museums in Koprivnica and Petrinja. Thanks to the help of Emilij Laszowski and Vladimir Tkalčić, a museum was founded and opened in Petrinja in 1937. During the establishment, Matija Filjak and Milan Babić were appointed to the board of Petrinja Museum. A letter sent by Matija Filjak to Emilij Laszowski a few years later, reveals Laszowski’s continuous professional assistance and joint concern for museum objects and the museum, whose building was destroyed in 1943. Emilij Laszowski also collaborated with his “dragon brother” from Koprivnica, Dr. Leander Brozović. Laszowski, who had previously published a series of historical sources from the history of Koprivnica, was now passing on knowledge and experience as an archivist, a museum professional, and a founder to Brozović. Dr. Leander’s engagement and volunteer work resulted in founding of the Museum of the Town of Koprivnica, which was ceremonially opened to the public on 27 July, 1951. Leander Brozović served as the first curator and director of the institution until his death on 31 August, 1962.

10.23: Petrinja, Osnivanje gradskog muzeja (Petrinja, Foundation of the town museum)

Novosti, June 19, 1937

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10.24: Letter from Matija Filjak to Emilij Laszowski

Petrinja, July 19, 1943

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10.25: Muzej grada Koprivnice (Museum of the town of Koprivnica)

Ilustrirani vjesnik, 1947

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A great commitment of the “Brethren of the Croatian Dragon” Society and Laszowski was reflected in their long-term efforts and work on rescue, restoration, and revitalisation of the former estates of Zrinski and Frankopan families in Bakar and Karlovac. Laszowski was appointed a member of the Bakar Committee and by giving a lecture on the history of Bakar, importance of the town and founding of a museum, he won over many residents of Bakar. Furthermore, he developed a concept for the Bakar museum and library, which he planned to locate in the castle, he listed the objects he observed in Bakar that needed to be preserved for the museum, he managed restoration work, and donated objects to the Museum. At the same time, he was involved in restoration of the old town in Dubovac, with an idea of establishing the Museum of the Town of Karlovac and placing it there. Restoration of the old town of Dubovac was taken over by the Croatian Mountaineering Association Martinšćak, with whom Laszowski agreed and held a lecture on Old Karlovac and Dubovac. Voluntary contributions were collected instead of tickets for the restoration of Dubovac.

10.27: Town of Bakar, excerpt from the magazine Kulisa

Zagreb, 1933

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10.26: Brethren of the Croatian Dragon take over the Bakar castle, Frankopan castle in Bakar, Brethren of the Croatian Dragon

Jutarnji list, Novosti, 1934.

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10.28: Notice from the “Brethren of the Croatian Dragon” Society to Emilij Laszowski about the establishment of the Bakar Committee and his appointment as a member of that committee

Zagreb, October, 20, 1937

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10.29: List of donations from Emilij Laszowski to the Bakar Museum

Zagreb, December 11, 1937

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10.30: Obnova historijskoga grada Bakra (Restoration of the historical town of Bakar)

Hrvatska straža, December 8, 1937

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10.32: Sketch for the establishment of a museum, library, and archives in Bakar

E. Laszowski, 1937

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10.31: Groundwork for the Bakar Museum and Library

E. Laszowski, October 5, 1937

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10.33: List of objects for which Laszowski noted that they should be preserved for the museum in Bakar

E. Laszowski, March 6, 1938

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10.35: Važnost grada Bakra u prošlosti i muzej za grad Bakar, Vinodol i Gorski kotar (Importance of the town of Bakar in the past and the museum for the town of Bakar, Vinodol, and Gorski Kotar)

E. Laszowski / Jutarnji list, 1938

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