On 14 November 2022, the National and University Library in Zagreb (NSK) hosted a special programme spotlighting Ivan Lučić (1604-1679), Croatia’s historiography and cartography champion, and his letter collection preserved as part of the Library’s Manuscripts and Old Books Collection. The programme also announced the opening of CroAtrium.

CroAtrium is the Library’s new space envisioned as a multimedia lab and the centre for the research, development and promotion of Croatica – Croatia’s national collection held and managed by the National and University Library in Zagreb.The programme attendants were greeted by the Croatian Minister of Culture and Media Dr Nina Obuljen Koržinek the Library’s Director General Dr Ivanka Stričević, while the exhibited letter collection was presented in greater detail by the Head of the NSK Manuscripts and Old Books Collection Dr Irena Galić Bešker and Professor at the Department of History of the Zagreb Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Bruna Kuntić-Makvić.

“Today is a special day for the Library, not only because of the latest acquisitions in our collection of the letters of the notable Ivan Lučić, an invaluable gem of the Croatian national collection which we are proudly presenting here, but also because of the upcoming opening of CroAtrium, the Library’s multimedia lab and centre for the research, development and promotion of Croatica. Precisely CroAtrium will be the place where we will focus on making the national collection available in and compatible with modern multimedia, interactive and digital formats.”, said NSK Director General Dr Stričević.

The Library acquired the items most recently added to Lučić’s letter collection owing to the support of the Croatian Ministry of Culture and Media and the collection currently includes 143 items dated between 1651 and 1678 which represent an invaluable source in researching Lučić’s work and are representative of other priceless items of Croatian cultural heritage whose promotion in the context of contemporary media will be the focus of CroAtrium’s activities.