Night of Museums 2025: Technological Innovations Expanding Cultural Visibility
Night of Museums in Croatia has become a key cultural event that, once a year, opens the doors of museums across the country to thousands of visitors.
The landmark 20th Night of Museums, held on 31 January 2025, carried the theme “Museums – Visible and Invisible,” highlighting the role of digital technologies in extending museums’ reach beyond their physical spaces. During this special evening, more than 360,000 people visited museums in person, while tens of thousands took part via online platforms—showing just how important this event is for connecting cultural institutions with their audiences.
How does the technology work?
This year’s Night of Museums demonstrated just how far Croatian museums have advanced technologically. Many institutions prepared virtual exhibitions featuring 3D views of spaces, interactive models, and high-resolution photographs of artifacts. From their homes, visitors could “walk” through virtual halls, zoom in on objects, and read detailed descriptions—made possible by advanced virtual-tour software. In addition, live-stream broadcasts of lectures, demonstrations of conservation processes, and workshops were organized, supported by professional audio-video equipment, stable streaming servers, and technical teams. Through social media and the event’s official website, audiences could also participate interactively in quizzes, online workshops, and other digital activities.
What’s new for audiences?
This year, audiences had the chance to peek into the “invisible” parts of museums that are normally not open to the public, such as storage areas, conservation laboratories, and digital archives. Examples like the Museum of the Đakovština region, which hosted a fully virtual exhibition available online, show how museum content can be adapted for those who are unable to visit in person. The Archaeological Museum in Zagreb recorded an impressive 6,390 online visits, alongside 3,439 in-person visitors that evening—almost double compared to previous years. In addition, interactive games, quizzes, and virtual tours encouraged audiences to stay longer on the platforms, while the social aspect—sharing experiences on social media—further amplified the event’s visibility.
Organization and support
Night of Museums is organized by the Croatian Museum Association (HMD), a professional organization bringing together museum professionals from across Croatia. HMD coordinates the national event platform and provides the technical infrastructure needed to monitor and deliver the program. Although the event does not have a single technology partner, the online components rely on collaboration with multiple service providers, including streaming services and web-platform developers. HMD is recognized as a key promoter of innovation in the museum sector—from digitizing collections to introducing online analytics to track audience behavior—ensuring continuous improvement in content quality and the adaptation of programming.
How can one night change the cultural scene?
Night of Museums 2025 showed how digital technologies can empower cultural institutions, helping them reach wider audiences, attract younger generations, and increase their relevance in the digital age. This hybrid participation model—combining in-person and online programs—could become the standard for future cultural events, providing the museum community with long-term resilience and stability.