Smiljan
Smiljan () is a village in the mountainous region of Western Lika in Croatia. It is located northwest of Gospić, and fifteen kilometers from the Zagreb-Split highway; its population is 418 (2011). Smiljan is the birthplace of inventor and engi ...
,
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
Serb
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language.
The majority of Serbs live in their na ...
parents house in Smiljan,* then part of the
Croatian Military Frontier
The Croatian Military Frontier ( hr, Vojna krajina or ') was a district of the Military Frontier, a territory in the Habsburg monarchy, first during the period of the Austrian Empire and then during Austria-Hungary.
History
Founded in the late 1 ...
within the Habsburg monarchy. The young engineer later left his homeland to work in the
United States of America
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...
. The Lika Museum in nearby
Gospić
Gospić () is a town in the mountainous and sparsely populated region of Lika, Croatia. It is the administrative centre of Lika-Senj County. Gospić is located near the Lika River in the middle of a karst field ( Ličko Polje).
Gospić is the ...
administers the site.
History
The Memorial Center was opened to the public on the 150th anniversary of Tesla's birthday, 10 July 2006, by the President of the Republic of Croatia. The original memorial site was first established as a
museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...
in 1956, but it was damaged during the Croatian War of Independence when a projectile fell on the commercial building next to Nikola Tesla's house. The fire was eventually put out by the
Croatian Army
The Croatian Army ( hr, Hrvatska kopnena vojska or HKoV) is the largest and most significant component of the Croatian Armed Forces (CAF).
Role and deployment
The fundamental role and purpose of the Croatian Army is to protect vital national i ...
who deposited furniture and other objects it saved in the Museum of Lika. The Croatian authorities restored the complex and reopened it in a 2006 ceremony, with the highest dignitaries of
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
and
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...
attending. After the war it was renovated, improved, equipped and opened as Memorial Center in 2006.
Architecture and exhibits
On its surface area of 1.37 square kilometres, the memorial complex contains various components: museum in the birth house* of Nikola Tesla (where the details of his life are shown in a permanent exhibition of artifacts,
document
A document is a written, drawn, presented, or memorialized representation of thought, often the manifestation of non-fictional, as well as fictional, content. The word originates from the Latin ''Documentum'', which denotes a "teaching" o ...
audiovisual
Audiovisual (AV) is electronic media possessing both a sound and a visual component, such as slide-tape presentations, films, television programs, corporate conferencing, church services, and live theater productions.
Audiovisual service pr ...
material), the Serbian Orthodox Church of St. Peter and Paul, an old agricultural building, village cemetery, Tesla's testing station, stone monuments, benches and river banks designed by architect Zdenko Kolacio, metal statue of Nikola Tesla made by sculptor Mile Blažević, open-air
auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theatres, the number of auditoria (or auditoriums) is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoria can be found in entertainment venues, community ...
, prototypes of some Tesla's inventions* (induction motor, Tesla's turbine, rotating magnetic field,
Tesla coil
A Tesla coil is an electrical resonant transformer circuit designed by inventor Nikola Tesla in 1891. It is used to produce high-voltage, low- current, high-frequency alternating-current electricity. Tesla experimented with a number of differen ...
), multimedia center etc.
Various scientific and
education
Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...
al activities or
presentation
A presentation conveys information from a speaker to an audience. Presentations are typically demonstrations, introduction, lecture, or speech meant to inform, persuade, inspire, motivate, build goodwill, or present a new idea/product. Presenta ...
s are occasionally organized in the Memorial Center. Over the past years the number of visitors coming to the site has been steadily growing. 41,000 tourists from many countries from all over the world visited the center in 2016. In 2018 this number increased to over 44,000 people.
Gallery
Nikola Tesla Smiljan 01.jpg, Memorial Center reception building
Nikola Tesla Memorial Center.JPG, Tourists visiting Memorial Center
Nikola Tesla Smiljan 11.jpg, Tesla's birth house entrance
Tesla Geburtshaus.jpg, Buildings and surrounding area
Teslina eksperimentalna stanica Smiljan.jpg, Tesla's experimental station
Nikola Tesla Smiljan 15.jpg,
Tesla coil
A Tesla coil is an electrical resonant transformer circuit designed by inventor Nikola Tesla in 1891. It is used to produce high-voltage, low- current, high-frequency alternating-current electricity. Tesla experimented with a number of differen ...
Multimedijalna zgrada Memorijalnog centra Nikola Tesla u Smiljanu, Hrvatska.jpg, Multimedia center
See also
*
List of museums in Croatia
Osijek
* Archaeological Museum Osijek
* Gallery of Fine Arts, Osijek
* Gallery Waldinger
* Museum of Slavonia
Split
* Froggyland
* Gallery of Fine Arts, Split
* Ivan Meštrović Gallery
* Split Archaeological Museum
* Museum of Croatian ...
*
Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe
The Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe (also known as TSCW) is a nonprofit organization established to develop a regional science and technology center, museum and makerspace at the site of Nikola Tesla's former Wardenclyffe laboratory on Lo ...
*
Nikola Tesla Museum
The Nikola Tesla Museum ( sr-cyr, Музеј Николе Тесле, Muzej Nikole Tesle) is a science museum located in the central area of Belgrade, Serbia. It is dedicated to honoring and displaying the life and work of Nikola Tesla as well as ...