What do digital technologies, ancient weapons, and one of the most beautiful castles in Croatia have in common? The answer can be found at Trakoscan Castle, where from January 15 to 17, digital master gunsmith Marko from the Etar Museum’s project “Digital Twins of Old Crafts” will be visiting.

Marco is displayed in an exhibition hall at Trakoshchan Palace—a place steeped in history and aristocratic grandeur. A special room has been set aside for him, spacious enough for visitors to comfortably enter the digital workshop, stay there, and closely follow the individual stages of weapon production as they took place in the past.

The program of the event, in which Master Marko participates, is as rich as the history of the place itself. Visitors can attend a public lecture on historical weapons, prepared by the Ptuj-Ormož Regional Museum (Slovenia), as well as a lecture by Branko Vnuk, curator at the same museum. In addition, there will be a presentation of flintlock pistols (kuburi) by a traditional kubur society – a demonstration that is sure to attract attention.

Trakošćan Castle is a protected cultural monument of national importance and a symbol of the noble heritage of Croatian Zagorje. It was here, in the fall, in the modern exhibition space—the Trakošćan Castle Gallery—that the exhibition “The Soldiers of Count Josip Kazimir Drašković” was opened. It tells the captivating story of the military, artistic, and family traditions of one of the most famous noble families in Croatia.

The exhibition focuses on Count Josip Kazimir Drščković, a military commander with a turbulent life and love story that scandalized the aristocracy at the time. After losing the favor of the imperial court because of his marriage to Suzana Malatinski, the count embarked on an ambitious mission: to restore his reputation and prove the honor and power of his family before Empress Maria Theresa herself. To this end, he invested a huge fortune in creating his own banderium of nearly a thousand infantrymen and cavalrymen, as well as in impressive visual displays of military power and discipline, prepared for the announced but never realized visit of the Empress to Croatia in 1755.

For the first time, the exhibition presents in their entirety 49 portraits of officers from the count’s regiment, 11 painted wallpapers with images of military units, as well as the so-called Small Genealogy. Among the exhibits are objects from the 18th century—tools, weapons, banners, and sabers bearing the marks of a time when honor and ostentation went hand in hand. Some of the materials come from the Trakoscan Castle collection, while others have been provided by the Croatian Historical Museum and the Ptuj-Ormož Regional Museum.

Some of the materials come from the collection of Trakošćan Castle, while others have been provided by the Croatian Historical Museum, the Ptuj-Ormož Regional Museum, the National and University Library in Zagreb, and the collection of Tomislav Aralica.

The conceptual framework of the exhibition was developed by Dr. Goranka Horyan, and the curators are Ivan Mravlincic and Vladimir Bernardić. Among the expert collaborators are Dr. Marina Bregovac Pisk, art historian, and German historian Harald Skala. The design was created by Studio Twenty2, and the multimedia installation by Smartera Solutions. The exhibition was realized with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia.

As part of the events between January 15 and 17, the Etar Museum brings the spirit of Bulgarian craftsmen to the digital world through the project “Digital Twins of Old Crafts.” The project is implemented with the financial support of the European Union – NextGenerationEU. REMO Etar bears full responsibility for the content and under no circumstances can it be assumed that it reflects the official position of the European Union and the National Culture Fund.

Chief curator Rositsa Bineva is the project manager, and the team includes coordinator Bistra Dimova, financier Maria Ivanova, PR specialist Tihomir Tsarov, consultants Desislava Pingelova, Dr. Irina Dimitrova, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Simeon Tsvetkov, and Dimitar Mirchev.

In Trakoshchan, the past and the future do not simply meet—they join hands.