Contract signed for the project ”Krapina Neanderthal Museum: A Time Machine for Everyone” worth 135,202.43 euros

At the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, on Tuesday, 24 March 2026, a grant agreement was signed from the European Social Fund for the project Krapina Neanderthal Museum: A Time Machine for Everyone. The agreement was signed on behalf of the Museums of Hrvatsko Zagorje – Krapina Neanderthal Museum by the Director of the MHZ, Jurica Sabol, and at the award ceremony the agreement was presented by the Minister of Culture and Media Nina Obuljen Koržinek, the Minister of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy Alen Ružić and the Director of the Croatian Employment Service Ante Lončar. The total value of the project is 135,202.43 euros and is fully (100%) financed by the European Union.

The project was approved within the framework of the E-Inclusion call of the Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy, and its implementation will start on 1 April 2026 and will last for two years. The main objective of the project is to increase the accessibility of cultural content to vulnerable groups and to encourage their social inclusion through the development and implementation of inclusive programs in culture. The project also includes strengthening the capacity of Museum employees through training for the implementation of inclusive services.

Vulnerable groups will be included in the project, especially children and young people, people with disabilities and the elderly. During the implementation, 12 educational and creative workshops will be organized that address the topics of the evolution of life on Earth, the geological past and the life of prehistoric humans, with a special emphasis on the Hušnjakovo site. Each workshop will last 10 school hours, and at least 135 members of the target groups are expected to participate.

The workshop program is adapted to different groups of users, including blind and partially sighted people, people with hearing impairments, people with disabilities, children from educational institutions and homes for neglected children, children without adequate parental care, children with developmental disabilities and children from rural and remote parts of the Hrvatsko Zagorje.

We would like to thank the Zagorje Development Agency for its assistance in applying for the project, while the entire program was designed by the museum educators of the Krapina Neanderthal Museum – museum advisor Lorka Lončar Uvodić and curator educator Mirjana Biljan.

By implementing the project, the Krapina Neanderthal Museum will further strengthen its role as an inclusive cultural institution accessible to all groups of society.