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Museum accessibility: development of good practice  
for the promotion of archaeological heritage 
Muzejska dostopnost: razvoj dobre prakse  
za promocijo arheološke dediščine
Zrinka Mileusnić
University of Primorska, Faculty of Humanities, Slovenia 
zrinka.mileusnic@fhs.upr.si 
Aleksandra Bugar
Zagreb City Museum, Croatia 
abugar@mgz.hr
Abstract
In the article, we present the importance of accessibility of archaeological heritage to all types of muse-
um visitors. Through the example of the previous activities of the Zagreb City Museum, we will focus 
on good practices of promotion and cooperation between the museum and certain groups of visitors 
with special needs, i.e. people with disabilities. We will focus on the exhibition project’s design concept 
to promote archaeology for the entire public and the possibility of its upgrade. In doing so, we will look 
back at the effects of completed activities so far but also warn about potential challenges and possible 
ways to solve them.
Key words: archaeology, promotion, exhibition, people with disabilities, accessibility, inclusion
Izvleček
V članku predstavljamo pomen dostopnosti arheološke dediščine vsem tipom muzejskih obiskovalcev. 
Na primeru dosedanjih aktivnosti Mestnega muzeja Zagreb se bomo osredotočili na dobre prakse pro-
mocije in sodelovanja med muzejem in določenimi skupinami obiskovalcev s posebnimi potrebami, tj. 
invalidi. Posebno pozornost bomo namenili zasnovi razstavnega projekta z namenom promocije arhe-
ologije za celotno javnost in možnosti njene nadgradnje. Pri tem se bomo ozrli na učinke dosedanjih 
opravljenih aktivnosti, hkrati pa opozorili na morebitne izzive in načine njihovega reševanja.
Ključne besede: arheologija, promocija, razstava, osebe s posebnimi potrebami, dostopnost, vključenost
Introduction
The new museum definition1 was approved the Extraordinary General Assembly of ICOM in Prague on 24 August 2022:
“A museum is a not-for-profit, permanent 
institution in the service of society that re-
searches, collects, conserves, interprets and 
exhibits tangible and intangible heritage. 
Open to the public, accessible and inclusive, 
museums foster diversity and sustainabili-
1 https://icom.museum/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/
EN_EGA2022_MuseumDefinition_WDoc_Final-2.pdf
ty. They operate and communicate ethical-
ly, professionally and with the participation 
of communities, offering varied experienc-
es for education, enjoyment, reflection, and 
knowledge sharing.”
We must be aware that the new museum 
definition is not an initial step, suggesting what 
museums must become in the future. However, 
it is a reflection of the changes and adaptations 
museums have undergone and the definition of 
their purpose and role in contemporary society. 
Its importance also arises from the fact that the 
process of defining a contemporary museum was 
ht t ps://doi .org /10. 26493/2350-54 43.10(2)43-56
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complex. Since 2019 it has been organised by de-
veloping and implementing the specific meth-
odology, including the response and needs of 
museums worldwide. The long process that led 
to the new definition included open commu-
nication with the museum society and visibil-
ity of the specific phases of this research to so-
ciety in general. The process was inclusive, and 
by its previously mentioned accessibility to the 
public, we might conclude that it depicted one 
of the essential features of museums – inclusion 
and accessibility. 
The idea and development of museums as 
inclusive and accessible can be traced for sever-
al decades, and both terms can be understood as 
complementary. If the museum works towards 
inclusiveness, it must respond to the needs of so-
ciety and work on adaptations to become acces-
sible. On the other hand, working on accessibil-
ity means that the museum must be responsive 
to the needs of society and, by a participatory ap-
proach, learn about the adaptations that should 
be done. 
One can define different groups of visi-
tors on the level of society and inclusive aspects 
of museums. Most adaptations focus on groups 
of people such as the socially impaired, minor-
ities, and people with disabilities. The basic idea 
of identification of these groups and the need for 
their inclusion into museums lies in the fact that 
they do not visit museums regularly for different 
reasons. To name some, they are unaware of what 
museums offer them, and they are not convinced 
that museums represent them, or they might 
feel their presence in the museum is not wanted. 
Suppose we sum up these potential doubts that 
these groups of potential visitors might have and 
the possible lack of adaptations in the museums 
for their needs. In that case, they become exclud-
ed groups of visitors. 
Additional challenges for inclusive and ac-
cessible museums arise from the different needs 
of the society in which museums are situated, 
the different goals of museums’ contents and 
strategies, and the different physical aspects of 
museum architecture. In some cases, museum 
buildings are protected as cultural monuments 
that do not allow the complete freedom of im-
plementing adaptations. The digitalisation and 
possibilities of using different new technologies 
and tools can ease the process of these adapta-
tions. However, the fast growth and changes in 
technological development can also mean imple-
menting new and expensive digital infrastruc-
ture that becomes outdated and sometimes use-
less in a short period. Another challenge is the 
museum’s strategy for inclusion and accessibility, 
which must address all the museum employees 
and train them for the adaptations. At the same 
time, it has to educate the general public and the 
standard types of visitors to understand the ad-
aptations and accept specific groups of visitors.
Considering all these facts, challenges for 
all museums in becoming inclusive and accessi-
ble are immense and complex. Museums should 
make adaptations because, in this way, they can 
collaborate to create an inclusive and equitable 
society. Based on their specifics, many museums 
have developed different toolkits with solutions 
for implementing inclusiveness and accessibil-
ity to help other museums with their adapta-
tions. These processes are slow and must follow 
the persistent goal and strategy. In this article, 
we present examples of good practice and adap-
tation for the visitors with special needs that sat-
isfy and incorporate the museum’s primary goals 
to become inclusive and accessible, focusing on 
promoting archaeological heritage. 
For many years, the Zagreb City Museum 
has been working on adapting its permanent ex-
hibition to disabled people, especially blind and 
partially sighted people. It has introduced the 
Info Tactile Points program and the Dialogue 
through Touch program. A series of activities 
take place – workshops, occasional exhibitions, 
campaigns, and publications aimed at peo-
ple with disabilities. However, none of the pro-
grams is intended only for people with disabil-
ities, and instead, efforts are made to make the 
programs, at least in part, interesting for every-
one. The goal is to sensitize the public to the 
needs of people with disabilities, their visibility 
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and real inclusion in society. As a place open to 
all social groups, which cooperates with various 
associations and constantly promotes accessibil-
ity for people with disabilities, the Zagreb City 
Museum is also recognized by the internation-
al museum community COME-IN!2 and at the 
end of 2020 was awarded the COME-IN! La-
bel – an innovative promotional tool awarded 
to museums that have reached notable improve-
ments in the field of accessibility. After that, the 
museum intensified its work on the adaptation 
of temporary showcases and museum spaces and 
continued with the adaptation of the permanent 
exhibition to meet contemporary societal de-
mands and create a museum which is a place for 
everyone!
The Zagreb City Museum and work models 
with people with disabilities
As a complex cultural and historical museum, 
the Zagreb City Museum has changed four lo-
cations and was situated in six permanent struc-
2 https://www.interreg-central.eu/Content.Node/COME-
IN.html
tures during its 115 years, the last one in 1997. A 
year later, the archaeological part of the perma-
nent exhibition was open. On 2,223 m² there are 
4,500 exhibited objects, organized through 45 
themes, ranging from archaeology to the 20th 
century.3 It includes a part of the archaeological 
site presented in situ, explored from 1989 to 1997. 
This part of the museum is a unique place in the 
town’s historic core where visitors can see orig-
inal parts of the archaeological site and related 
objects. Archaeological remains are partly on the 
ground floor, but about 300 m2 are in situ (fig. 1; 
Mašić 2007, 310–311). Because of this combined 
kind of presentation of archaeological heritage, 
the museum’s permanent exhibition is unique in 
the Zagreb area. Display of parts of the prehis-
toric settlement, pre-medieval rampart, and part 
of the late medieval settlement have immeasura-
bly enriched the interpretation of the city’s old-
est history.
3 The Zagreb City Museum has 30 collections, 8 collec-
tions-donations to the City of Zagreb, a documentation 
department, an IT department, a pedagogical-andragogi-
cal department, conservation-restoration workshops and a 
library.
Figure 1: Parts of the Zagreb City Museum – Poor Clares’ Monastery Site in situ within the permanent display 
of the Zagreb City Museum (photo: Miljenko Gregl, Zagreb City Museum).
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The museum has the unique task of stimu-
lating visitors’ interest in Zagreb. Key points of 
the development of the capital of Croatia, in-
cluding some peculiarities, are included in dif-
ferent contexts and interpretation and presenta-
tion methods, following the expectations and 
needs of contemporary society (Premerl 1994, 
10–18; ibid 2007, 29–71; Kolveshi 2007, 7–9).
For more than 25 years, the Zagreb City 
Museum has been working on quality commu-
nication with its visitors and taking special care 
of people with disabilities. However, programs 
are not designed only for one group of visitors - 
people with disabilities - precisely to avoid ghet-
toization - but all programs strive to be designed 
so that everyone uses them, that they are accept-
able and valuable to everyone in a certain way 
(Leiner 2016, 49–50). 
In 2005, the Guide for the Blind and Visual-
ly Impaired was created in Croatian Braille and 
enlarged print with maps and photos of museum 
objects printed in colour and raised print (fig. 2; 
Leiner 2005). It was the first museum guide in-
tended for blind and deaf-blind people in Croa-
tia (Leiner 2016, 50). The same guide received its 
English edition in 2010 (Leiner 2010). The im-
petus for the creation of the guide were work-
shops with blind and deaf-blind people and the 
realization that most had rarely visited a muse-
um until then because they did not feel welcome 
(Leiner 2016, 51). Created in intensive coopera-
tion with experts and users in the Croatian As-
sociation of the Blind, this guide became the ba-
sis for the further intensive cooperation between 
the Museum and Associations of Persons with 
Disabilities.4 
4 MGZ cooperates with numerous associations of people 
with disabilities (Croatian Association of the Blind, Cro-
atian Association of Deaf-Blind Persons “Dodir”, Theater 
of the Blind and Visually Impaired “Novi Život”, Associ-
ation of the Blind Zagreb, UGsO - Association of Deaf-
Blind Persons of the City of Zagreb, Society for the Pro-
motion of Inclusion Zagreb), with associations for chil-
dren’s rights and gender equality and other institutions 
(Zagreb elementary schools, cultural centres, homes for 
the elderly and infirm, children’s hospital in Klaićeva, Gol-
jak - hospital for the protection of children with mobili-
ty and neurodevelopmental disabilities, Suvag Polyclinic, 
Center for Education and education Slava Raškaj Zagreb, 
and other museums).
Figure 2: Guide to Zagreb City Museum for the blind, 
partially sighted, deaf-blind and all those who have diffi-
culties with seeing (photo: Miljenko Gregl, Zagreb City 
Museum).
In 2010, the Zagreb City Museum be-
gan adapting its permanent exhibition to peo-
ple with disabilities, especially blind and visual-
ly impaired and deaf-blind people, through the 
Info Tactile Points program (fig. 3, 4).5 The ad-
aptation began precisely in the archaeological 
part of the permanent exhibition, where the first 
main texts and texts in Braille were placed. Rep-
licas of archaeological objects were made – three 
ceramic vessels from the Zagreb City Museum – 
Poor Clare monastery, a stone axe made of crys-
tal, an accidental find from the Zagreb area and 
a metal helmet from the Budinjak site.
The concept of adaptation is essentially sim-
ple – in each theme of the permanent exhibition, 
the main texts are in enlarged print in Croatian 
and smaller font in English and German. Be-
neath the main texts of the 1 x 1 m format, bev-
elled surfaces are placed for the abbreviated texts 
in Croatian Braille and in enlarged print. Below, 
5 The Info Tactile Points program was designed and led by 
Vesna Leiner, a museum consultant - pedagogue, until her 
retirement in 2022.
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on the right, on the same slope, tactile displays 
are applied - interpretations of floor plans or pic-
tures or graphics (at first on paper), or a small-
er shelf is installed on the right, on which is at-
tached a replica of an object or a tactile display 
that interprets a picture, graphic, floor plan, and 
the like. The objects are made of original mate-
rials or similar – examples of ceramic and metal. 
The creation of these replicas went through the 
fingers of collaborators in the Croatian Associ-
ation of the Blind. They learned from their mis-
takes, and the abundance of details decreased 
over time. They tried to find the most efficient 
way of presentation that would be clear to a 
blind person and most legible with fingers. 
Over time, many objects were replaced by 
displays in more durable material because tactile 
displays on paper wore out and did not always 
meet all the needs of blind people. Almost all 
tactile displays on paper are gradually being re-
placed by tactile displays performed in acrystal. 
Replicas are also made in acrystal, and with the 
touch and feel under the fingers, and the repro-
duced details, it mostly meets the needs of blind 
and partially sighted people. The author of the 
replicas and 3D renderings is professor Mladen 
Mikulin, an academic sculptor who intensively 
collaborated and consulted with blind people in 
the Croatian Association of the Blind. Follow-
ing their descriptions, remarks and wishes, he 
creates objects that aesthetically meet high cri-
teria, are functionally legible to blind people and 
provide information that helps them create an 
idea about the object.
In essence, tactile info points are not in-
tended only for people with disabilities (Fig. 5). 
The main descriptions are intended for all visi-
tors, and the fact that the adaptation for blind 
people takes place in the same position is just 
the way to equality and sensitizing the public to 
the needs of all people, sighted and blind. Every-
one, not only blind people, can feel replicas. In 
this way, the sighted person touches the object in 
the museum. At the same time, they realise that 
there is also a text in Braille. This combination 
develops into meaningful communication with 
Figure 4: Special guide through the permanent exhi-
bition of the Zagreb City Museum for a blind and deaf 
-blind persons (photo: Miljenko Gregl, Zagreb City 
Museum).
Figure 3: Tactile representation from Guide to Za-
greb City Museum - photo of a portable hearth from 
Early Iron Age (photo: Miljenko Gregl, Zagreb City 
Museum).
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heritage, the museum as a communicator of her-
itage and with all users. 
It is a slow but straightforward way to think 
about equality and the needs of those who need 
help. Children are educated this way from a 
young age, and the Zagreb City Museum, as 
part of the primary school curriculum, is an ex-
cellent place for the presentation and sensitizing 
of all ages for the needs of people with disabil-
ities. One of the more recent works is the pic-
ture book The mole Talpa explores by the Muse-
um of the City of Zagreb, intended for preschool 
children and children in the lower elementa-
ry grades. Namely, the blind mole, as a muse-
um guide, takes sighted children on a tour of the 
museum and teaches them not only about the 
heritage and history of Zagreb but also about 
how the museum is experienced and interpreted 
by the blind and visually impaired (Leiner 2021). 
Talpa, the mole (fig. 6), has become the mascot, 
Figure 5: Example of Info tactile point within a permanent display of the Zagreb City Museum 
(photo: Miljenko Gregl, Zagreb City Museum).
Figure 6: Talpa (Mole) – mascot of adaptation of perma-
nent display to blind and visually impaired people at the 
Zagreb City Museum (photo: Miljenko Gregl, Zagreb 
City Museum).
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the protected sign of the adaptation for people 
with disabilities. The explanation is in the lob-
by in front of the entrance to the permanent ex-
hibition. It includes essential explanations about 
the adaptation of the museum, in enlarged print, 
with the description in Croatian Braille and the 
sculpture of the mole Talpa by Mladen Mikulin, 
which blind and partially sighted people, as well 
as everyone else, can feel.
The museum’s permanent exhibition is re-
plenished yearly with new Braille replicas and 
texts. Currently, 42 replicas and 49 texts in 
Braille are installed in the permanent display, 
which means that the adaptation, as mentioned 
above, covers approximately 90% of the perma-
nent display. Work on adaptation continues. 
Likewise, although controversial, we decided to 
offer some original objects in the permanent ex-
hibition, which are in good condition, conserved 
and preserved, to blind people to feel them: parts 
of architectural plastic, metal doors of shops, 
stone crowns of wells, metal parts of old bicy-
cles, baby carriages, bells and the like and sever-
al museographic aids such as old models of the 
city. For blind people, the experience of touch-
ing originals that are not particularly fragile is 
invaluable.
Dialogue through touch is a program that 
includes various educational actions - creative 
workshops, lectures, exhibitions, events, hu-
manitarian campaigns and plays. If necessary, 
leaflets, catalogues of inclusive exhibitions in en-
larged print and exhibition texts are printed in 
Braille. International White Cane Day is regu-
larly celebrated on October 15, and in 2022 we 
started celebrating the International Day of Per-
sons with Disabilities on December 3rd. A Cro-
atian sign language translator is hired at all ex-
hibition openings and major events and at the 
Open Day for people with disabilities on the 
first Tuesday of every month.
An audio guide for blind and partially 
sighted visitors was introduced in 2012, and due 
to outdated technology, it will be replaced by 
more modern devices. As of 2020, the museum 
website is digitally accessible.
The Zagreb City Museum is part of the 
international community of small and medi-
um-sized museums COME-IN! The goal of 
COME-IN! project was to valorise the cultur-
al heritage of Central Europe, with the desire 
to make small and medium-sized museums ac-
cessible to visitors with disabilities. The project 
also encouraged these goals through the manu-
al for museum employees COME-IN! Guide / 
Guidelines (in 6 languages), followed by seven 
pilot actions and educational training for muse-
um employees. 
Based on the experiences in the project, 
an innovative promotional tool was created – 
COME-IN! label awarded to museums that 
have done a lot in the field of accessibility was 
also awarded to the Zagreb City Museum at 
the end of 2020. The museum is recognised as 
a place open to all social groups and cooperates 
with various associations, and constantly pro-
motes accessibility for people with disabilities. 
After that, the Zagreb City Museum intensified 
its work on adaptations of occasional exhibitions 
and museum spaces. Moreover, it continued 
with adaptations of the permanent exhibition 
and the demands that this community promotes 
– a museum is a place for everyone! This started 
the further evaluation process because the status 
is temporary.
In the same year, the museum hosted the 
exhibition Stone on stone – Roman architecture 
of northwestern Istria of the Maritime Muse-
um Sergej Mašera from Piran, an archaeologi-
cal-themed exhibition, which was adjusted to 
the height of the pedestals, texts in Braille, and 
enlarged print, replicas of objects and tactile rep-
resentations (floor plans) and to persons with 
disabilities. It incentivised the Zagreb City Mu-
seum to design two exhibitions suitable for all 
and accessible to persons with disabilities.
The first art exhibition of busts, Touching 
art – Mladen Mikulin6, opened in the summer 
of 2021 due to the height of the pedestals, texts 
in Braille and enlarged print, and the fact that 
6 The authors of the exhibition concept were Vesna Leiner, 
museum consultant pedagogue and Aleksandra Bugar, se-
nior curator of the Zagreb City Museum.
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all the sculptures – busts of famous people from 
the world of culture, sports and politics, in plas-
ter or cast in bronze, they can be touched, adapt-
ed to people with disabilities and intended for 
just about everyone (Leiner 2021). In 2021, the 
exhibition was hosted in the Vukovar City Mu-
seum, and in 2022 in Opatija, in the Juraj Šporer 
gallery (Leiner and Bugar 2022).
The second exhibition is Zagreb in spe / 
Small objects – big stories.7
Concept and model of exhibition for all
The Exhibition Small Items - Great Stories is 
the first in a series of Zagreb in spe exhibitions.8 
The intention is to regularly present to the Za-
greb City Museum audience various aspects of 
7 The author of the exhibition is Aleksandra Bugar, senior 
curator of the Zagreb City Museum.
8 https://mgz.hr/en/exhibitions/%e2%80%9ezagreb-in- 
spe%e2%80%9c-_--mali-predmeti---velike-pri%c4%8de, 
1603.html
people’s lives in the past who lived in the area 
now occupied by Zagreb and Zagreb Coun-
ty through future archaeological exhibitions 
(Bugar 2022).
The starting point of this reflection is that 
only by understanding the past through learn-
ing about different archaeological sites across the 
city, we try to sensitise the viewing public to the 
need for more active preservation and affirma-
tion of the archaeological cultural heritage pres-
ent in the area we live in (Fig. 7).
In short, the exhibition Zagreb in spe / 
Small Items - Great Stories is smaller, but com-
plex archaeological exhibition, designed to be 
accessible for all visitors and adapted for people 
with disabilities.
Although almost every major city hides 
strata from prehistory, antiquity and the Me-
dieval Era in its foundations, Zagreb City Mu-
seum’s Permanent Exhibition, and parts of the 
Figure 7: A view of the setting of the exhibition Zagreb in spe / Small Items – Great Stories at the Zagreb City Muse-
um (photo: Miljenko Gregl, Zagreb City Museum).
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City before the City presented at the site of dis-
covery in situ have long been telling the story of 
the complex archaeological and historical chang-
es of the city of Zagreb. With every new piece of 
archaeological research Zagreb reveals new items 
and stories. Which new story to choose to inter-
est visitors and point them to the archaeological 
potential and Zagreb’s ancient past?
It was the starting point for creation of the 
exhibition Zagreb in spe / Small Items – Great 
Stories – it was conceived as an insight into the 
roots and development of the city. But not only 
that - making the exhibition accessible for all 
visitors and adapted for people with disabilities 
also guided the exhibition design and selection 
of items. Therefore, it is compressed as much as 
possible – from the large quantity of archaeo-
logical materials held in Zagreb City Museum, 
those selected for this occasion were – only six. 
Six original items and six replicas.
Blind people experience world tactilely, 
and by feeling replicas they can create an idea 
of what the object looks like, what materials it 
is made from and what its surface and shape are 
like. Therefore, the chosen subjects, due to prac-
ticality, were relatively small in format but are 
ideal for tactile exploration. Aesthetically they 
may seem imperfect because they are only con-
solidated, but they were chosen for other reasons 
that are important to archaeologists and muse-
ologists – each of these objects tells a unique sto-
ry. They introduce us to a period that spans sev-
eral thousand years, from prehistory to the Early 
Middle Ages. These are the periods that precede 
our traditional understanding of the emergence 
of the City as we know, namely the founding of 
the Zagreb Diocese in 1094 and the Golden Bula 
charter of Bela IV to Gradec in 1242. This is Za-
greb in spe’ – a story less known for which writ-
ten sources are scarce or missing entirely. We are 
Figure 8: Exhibition Zagreb in spe / Small Items – Great Stories – display cases with original exhibits, replicas of ob-
jects that blind people can touch, and abbreviated texts in braille (photo: Miljenko Gregl, Zagreb City Museum). 
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introduced to these objects from the five sites in 
which they were found, so in many ways they are 
like small portraits of the City itself. A tactile 
map of the location of these archaeological sites 
was also created for the exhibition.
The preparation of this exhibition consid-
ered certain technical adaptation standards - six 
identical display cases were designed for six items 
and their replicas. The height of display cases for 
example, i.e., the position of the original item, is 
slightly lower – most people will notice that they 
have to bend down to get a good look at an ex-
hibit, but for children and wheelchair users this 
height is ideal. The original item is housed in a 
plexiglas cube. Below, on the inclined surface, 
abbreviated texts are applied in Braille and in en-
larged print, following the example of the Info 
tactile points in the permanent display. Small-
er shelves with attached replicas that blind peo-
ple, but also all other visitors, can touch are po-
sitioned on the right side. Textual descriptions 
about sites and objects are placed right next to 
the showcases. They are bilingual (Croatian and 
English) and the font size and line spacing are 
legible for visually impaired people. All texts 
were also translated into Croatian sign language 
and were played on a nearby display (fig. 8, 9).9 
The exhibition was well-received by all visi-
tors and sparked interest in guest appearances in 
other museums. After the Zagreb City Museum, 
the exhibition was opened in the Vučedol cul-
ture museum in Vukovar, on the eve of the In-
ternational White Cane Day, which is celebrat-
ed on October 15 (Bugar and Hutinec 2022).10
9 Due to limited funds, as usual, some ideas could not be re-
alized. It would be ideal if the entire exhibition was accom-
panied by relief floor strips for blind people with a white 
cane. This was not possible, so they were placed in a smaller 
format only in front of the showcases, as a kind of marker.
10 https://mgz.hr/hr/izlozbe/izlozba/gostovanje-izlozbe-% 
e2%80%9ezagreb-in-spe-_mali-predmeti---velike-pri% 
c4%8de%e2%80%9c-u-muzeju,3478.html
Figure 9: Exhibition Zagreb in spe / Small Items – Great Stories – a detail of display cases with original object, replica 
and abbreviated texts in braille (photo: Miljenko Gregl, Zagreb City Museum).
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The educational program accompanying 
the exhibition included jewellery-making work-
shops based on prehistoric jewellery, and three 
guest lectures by archaeologists11 inspired by the 
theme of the exhibition – small objects that tell 
great and interesting stories.
Conclusion
The presented examples of adaptations at the Za-
greb City Museum were chosen because of their 
specifics and tackle many of the challenges we 
have mentioned in the introductory chapter. Its 
main challenge is the museum’s location in the 
city’s historical part, including the building it-
self. The open physical access, including the ac-
cessible public or private transportation to the 
museum, and more extensive adaptations in the 
museum building must include several minor 
adaptive interventions in space, which will prob-
ably never satisfy the needs of all the groups of 
visitors with special needs. However, this lack of 
physical adaptations might be lessened by using 
new technological and digital devices that will 
benefit visitors most of the museum experience.
The long-lasting adaptive works have prov-
en that making a museum inclusive and accessi-
ble takes a long time. They must include several 
aspects of museum work, including communica-
tion, workshops, and organised programmes for 
potential visitors with special needs and their so-
cieties. As was shown, this communication and 
final products must go through different stag-
es, including the constant evaluation processes, 
to make necessary improvements. It is also clear 
that the museum must take these steps towards 
being inclusive and accessible based on the exist-
ing strategy. It works well if it focuses on the de-
velopment of adaptations for the specific type of 
visitors with special needs that can be later used 
for the strategy or even the beginning of oth-
er adaptations. The positive approach shown 
by the presented examples is the inclusion and 
development of minor adaptations of the per-
manent exhibition. This way museum can also 
11 Professor emeritus ddr. Mitja Guštin, Mirela Hutinec, the 
director of the Vučedol culture museum and dr. Zrinka 
Mileusnić from University of Primorska.
quickly improve adaptations without more sig-
nificant impacts on the exhibition itself or any 
greater financial burden. Another positive as-
pect of the gradual introduction of adaptations 
to the permanent exhibition is the establishment 
of communication with regular visitors, who are 
educated and learn to accept the presence of vis-
itors with special needs through the experience 
of the tactile info points, Braille and similar 
presentations.
During our research, we found out that to 
attract visitors with special needs, the museum 
offers organised guided visits and other adapt-
ed activities, primarily for free and in collabora-
tion with different societies of people with spe-
cial needs. As free admittance is not included in 
the final sum of all visitors, we could not gain an 
insight into the number of visits. We find that 
this is the main current challenge to be solved. 
Even though visitors with special needs are vis-
iting the museum, and their awareness of the 
adapted museum programmes and accessibility 
has probably changed over time, this could not 
be measured by the possible increase in the num-
ber of their visits. We are also unable to recog-
nise which types of visitors with special needs 
have accepted all the changes and have also be-
come regular visitors. This information would 
also be valuable for the future planning and up-
grades of adaptations for the specific types of vis-
itors with special needs that still do not recog-
nise that a museum is also a place for them.
The positive side of the presented examples 
shows that the process of becoming inclusive 
and accessible must be wholly integrated with 
the museum’s primary purpose and goals in so-
ciety. Zagreb City Museum mainly aims to pro-
mote the city’s history from its earliest begin-
nings to its recent history. A significant part of 
the city’s history and development can be rec-
ognised and interpreted only through archaeo-
logical finds. Finds in the museum have been ex-
cavated throughout the city and removed from 
their original context. As such, their interpre-
tive potential is smaller than seeing them in situ, 
but it offers the museum curators the possibili-
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ty of applying the creative ways of their interpre-
tation. By using only six archaeological objects 
as the basis for the interpretation of six histori-
cal periods of the city of Zagreb and implemen-
tation of adaptations for the physically, visually 
impaired, and deaf visitors, the exhibition Za-
greb in spe shows an excellent example of the in-
ventive way of communicating heritage inclu-
sively. We believe the exhibition is an example 
of good practice in adapting an occasional ex-
hibition for people with disabilities. Its value is 
formed in the museological concept in service of 
the archaeological story. Affirming the archae-
ological heritage is, in this example, also sensi-
tising the regular public to the needs of people 
with disabilities. This exhibition can now serve 
as an excellent example for other curators and 
museums. Inclusive exhibitions will become the 
standard in some ideal times in the future.
Summary
The new definition of the museum depicts its role and 
impact in contemporary society as inclusive and acces-
sible institutions. The path to becoming such a muse-
um presents several challenges, ranging from the overall 
open access to the museum on the level of transporta-
tion, adaptations of the museum architecture that can 
be challenging by their status as cultural monuments, 
recognising the groups of visitors with special needs in 
the society, communication with these groups to learn 
about their needs and make the adaptations, motiva-
tion of visitors with special needs to visit the museums, 
building strategies with a coordinated approach to the 
museum’s main goals and the goals of inclusion and ac-
cessibility and education of regular visitors, including 
children, about the inclusion. 
Zagreb City Museum has a long history of working 
with visitors with disabilities. In 25 years, it has chosen 
the approach of the introduction of adaptations, mainly 
for the blind and sight-impaired people, into the perma-
nent exhibition. In time, additional adaptations, tools 
and programmes have been developed and have influ-
enced the learning process of the regular visitors and 
raised their awareness about visitors with disabilities and 
their needs. This approach has enabled museum em-
ployees to learn and improve adaptations and has been 
awarded the COME-IN label. The long-lasting work-
ing and learning process has inspired the museum cu-
rators to create a temporary exhibition with included 
adaptations for several groups of visitors with special 
needs that communicates the story of the oldest histo-
ry of Zagreb through six objects equally with all visitors 
and enables the regular visitors to learn about the inclu-
sion. The exhibition presents an excellent example of an 
inclusive exhibition. Its simple form enables easy trans-
port and greater dissemination of the city’s history and 
inclusive approach in the museum.
Povzetek
Nova definicija muzeja kaže na njegovo vlogo in vpliv 
v sodobni družbi kot vključujoče in dostopne institu-
cije. Pot do takšnega muzeja predstavlja več izzivov, od 
vsesplošnega odprtega dostopa do muzeja na ravni tran-
sporta; prilagoditev muzejske arhitekture, ki je zaradi 
statusa kulturnih spomenikov lahko zahtevna; prepo-
znavanja skupin obiskovalcev s posebnimi potrebami 
v družbi; komunikacija s temi skupinami za spoznava-
nje njihovih potreb; motivacija obiskovalcev s posebni-
mi potrebami za obisk muzejev; oblikovanje strategij z 
usklajenim pristopom k ciljem muzeja in ciljem vključe-
vanja in dostopnosti ter izobraževanje rednih obiskoval-
cev, tudi otrok, o inkluziji.
Zagrebški mestni muzej ima dolgo zgodovino dela z 
obiskovalci s posebnimi potrebami. V 25 letih se je od-
ločil za pristop uvajanja prilagoditev v stalno razstavo, 
predvsem za slepe in slabovidne. Sčasoma so se razvile 
dodatne prilagoditve, orodja in programi, ki so vpliva-
li na učni proces rednih obiskovalcev in dvignili njihovo 
zavest o obiskovalcih invalidih in njihovih potrebah. Ta 
pristop je zaposlenim v muzeju omogočil učenje o prila-
goditvah in njihovo izboljšanje in je muzej prejel ozna-
ko COME-IN. 
Dolgotrajen proces dela in učenja je navdihnil muzejske 
kustose, da so ustvarili začasno razstavo z vključenimi 
prilagoditvami za več skupin obiskovalcev s posebnimi 
potrebami, ki zgodbo o najstarejši zgodovini Zagreba 
preko šestih predmetov enakovredno posreduje vsem 
obiskovalcem, obenem pa rednim obiskovalcem omo-
goča, da se seznanijo z inkluzijo. Razstava predstavlja 
odličen primer inkluzivne razstave. Njegova preprosta 
oblika omogoča enostaven transport in večjo disemina-
st
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cijo zgodbe o zgodovini mesta ter o vključujočem pris-
topu v muzejih.
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