CITY MUSEUM OF THE CULTURAL CENTER – Vrbas

CITY MUSEUM OF THE CULTURAL CENTER – Vrbas

The Vrbas Museum collection, founded in 1969 as the Local Heritage Collection, has been functioning within the House of Culture (today the Cultural Center of Vrbas) since 1971. The Local Heritage Museum Collection included three sections:

Vrbas in the Past – objects, materials, documents, and other items from the earliest period.

Ethnological Section – objects, clothing, household items, and everything that reflects the multi-ethnic structure of Vrbas.

Vrbas in the National Liberation Struggle (NOP) – documents, weapons, photographs, models, and other items related to the workers’ movement and the National Revolution.

Through the efforts and dedication of history teacher Istvan Djenge, students of Vrbas primary schools donated objects that enriched the historical and ethnological collections.

The Art History Collection was established by acquiring works of Jožef Pehan, a key figure at the turn of the century, who influenced all spheres of cultural, artistic, and social life in Vrbas at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. Works by his son, Bela Pehan, also a painter, were later added.

The Archaeological Collection, composed of material from excavations in the Vrbas area, was entrusted for permanent care by the Museum of Vojvodina. This collection expanded thanks to archaeological research conducted between 1984 and 2015.

The first permanent exhibition in Vrbas opened in 1998 in temporary premises shared with the Cultural Center. Four rooms displayed items from archaeology, history, and ethnology. The exhibition was curated by Dragica Vukotić and Nebojša Stanojev, an archaeologist from the Museum of Vojvodina. Its goal of effectively communicating cultural heritage and raising public awareness was confirmed in 2005, when the local government assigned the museum a dedicated building in the city center.

A notable historical reference is from Fridrih Loc, who described a museum collection opened in Novi Vrbas in 1935 to commemorate the settlement of Germans and the founding of Novi Vrbas. The museum focused on the history and ancestry of the settlers and aimed to educate future generations about their roots. Unfortunately, all artifacts were lost during World War II.

The City Museum of Vrbas is a complex-type museum that conducts heritage protection across the Vrbas municipality. The museum’s activities are organized into departments and collections:

Archaeological and Historical Departments with their collections, Ethnological Department, Art History Department

The museum is housed in two buildings:

Main Building – Maršala Tita 88:

Permanent exhibition: “Vrbas – Man and Nature: Harmony of Coexistence”, “Ethno Corner” – exhibition and workshop space, Mileta Leskovac’s Pharmacy, “At the Turn of the Centuries – Jožef Pehan”

“Baza Centar” Building – Milivoja Čobanskog 126:

Permanent exhibition: “National Liberation Struggle in Vrbas” and an Ethno-house.

The permanent exhibition in “Baza Centar” was curated by Nada Bošković, a Vojvodina museum curator, and was established in 1986. “Baza Centar” is legally protected as a site of cultural significance and listed among immovable cultural properties of great importance.

In 2017, a Guide to the City Museum of Vrbas was published and promoted, 144 pages long, in Serbian, Hungarian, Rusyn, English, and German.

Permanent Exhibition – “Vrbas – Man and Nature: Harmony of Coexistence”

The theme of the permanent exhibition at the City Museum of Vrbas is Vrbas, Man, and Nature – Harmony of Coexistence. The exhibition guides visitors through eight millennia, showcasing successive cultures through the archaeological and historical collections.

The theme references Crna Bara, a waterway where humans first settled due to ideal living conditions. Today, after millennia, Crna Bara merges with the Great Bačka Canal. The exhibition emphasizes how the balance between humans and nature has shifted, reflecting humanity’s exploitation rather than adaptation, and encourages visitors to consider their role in preserving both natural and cultural heritage.The exhibition portrays the life and achievements of humans in the Vrbas area from the earliest Neolithic communities, through the arrival of the Turks (6th millennium BCE to the 16th century CE), and up to the present settlement.

The permanent exhibition is based on artifacts obtained through archaeological and historical research and scientific study conducted over past decades. The expansion of the exhibition space allowed for interdisciplinary approaches, the application of new knowledge, and contemporary museological methods. Efforts were made to ensure the exhibition language is clear and accessible, connecting the message to general knowledge, while offering visitors a fresh perspective on the collections.

Thanks to important archaeological sites in the municipality, such as Čarnok, Šuvakov Salaš, and the Polet Brickworks, the collection includes valuable artifacts from these excavations.

The collection also contains parts of and complete traditional costumes, numerous craft objects, including a unique wooden vacuum cleaner, currently the only known example of its kind.

Working hours:

Monday – Friday: 08:00 AM – 03:00 PM

During exhibitions: 10:00 AM – 06:00 PM

Group visits: by prior appointment

88 Maršala Tita Street, Vrbas
+381 (0)21 707 510
[email protected]
facebook.com/muzejvrbas
instagram.com/muzej_vrbas/

Attractions

All attractions