Collection of School Equipment and Paraphernalia

The creation of the present Collection of School Equipment and Paraphernalia is associated with the activities of the Croatian Literary-Educational Association, a trade association comprising teachers, which included collecting materials for the future Croatian School Museum.

Materials were collected through private donations of teachers, various manufacturers of teaching tools and aids and school equipment, as well as donations received from institutions and the Provincial Government, Department of Worship and Education. Since the Museum’s establishment in 1901, the collected items were classified in 41 groups and allocated among the Historical Section and the Modern Section (Pleše, 1971, 16).

CSM’s Statutes of 1901 described Group 4 of the materials to comprise the future Collection of School Equipment and Paraphernalia as follows: 4 Different items associated with primary schools of any age, such as pictures of outstanding teachers, memorials, manuscripts, medals, seals, diplomas, decrees, receipts, school flags, collections of old sacral and school songs… (Statutes of the Croatian School Museum in Zagreb of 1901). Most of the materials were kept at the Historical Section, and only a small portion at the Modern Section, classified by subject.

Until 1907, proper documentation showing the origins and particulars of the items provided to the Museum was maintained and then the initial enthusiasm began to wane. There are several reasons for this, the crucial one being the fact that the Museum lacked professional staff and a permanent employee, which is why materials to be included in collections were not collected systematically and some items were received by the Museum without any basic particulars. Some of the particulars, however, may be retrieved from the Archival Collection and documents held by the Museum.

After the end of World War 2, the archived materials were retrieved and cleaned and systematic collection began – from special exhibitions and with substantial assistance from the Ministry of Education which published a call in 1949, asking schools to donate to the Museum their materials that may be useful both for the new display and for further studies of the history of education and pedagogy in Croatia. For the first half-century, the materials comprising the present Collection of School Equipment and Paraphernalia mostly contained materials received from primary schools and teacher education schools, as well as trade schools to a minor extent.

Until 2011, the Collection of School Equipment and Paraphernalia was part of a large collection titled Collection of Teaching Tools and School Equipment, Works of Students and Teachers, and Artwork, which included various sources for studying the history of education. Various items were collected, including those bequeathed by teachers, pedagogists, pedagogical authors, popular children’s writers, etc.

According to the Statutes of the Croatian School Museum of 2011, the Collection of School Equipment and Paraphernalia became autonomous and now features more than 4000 items dating between the 18^th century and present day. The Collection continues to grow by collecting historical and modern items important for studying and development of the school system, primarily in the Republic of Croatia.

These items are either donated by or purchased from various manufacturers of school equipment, schools and other educational, pedagogical and cultural institutions and societies, as well as individuals.