Karlovac Aquatika joins Global Network of Water Museums

The Croatian public institution Aquatika - the Karlovac Freshwater Aquarium has recently joined the Global Network of Water Museums as the first Croatian institution to do so. The institution's head, Margarita Markusic Kulas, said Aquatika was extremely proud of becoming a part of the prestigious association. The Global Network of Water Museums was placed under the umbrella of UNESCO’s International Hydrological Programme (IHP) in June 2018 by its Intergovernmental Council, composed of 36 member states.The new IHP initiative aims to reconnect people and water in all of its dimensions. It is expected to strengthen IHP’s communication and capacity to reach new audiences in order to deploy and enhance the benefit of formal and informal water education, according to information on the UNESCO website.

Markusic Kulas also pointed to the importance of museums, interpretation centres and similar institutions in education and promotion of the significance of Croatia's aquatic heritage.

Aquatika opened in October 2016 and has received several awards and nominations to date, including an award as one of the most successful local EU projects in Croatia in 2015-2016.

It was created as part of a project called "KAquarium - Freshwater Aquarium and River Museum", which was co-financed by the European Union with 36.2 million kuna from the European Regional Development Fund. The total value of the project was HRK 36.7 million. (Hina/FaH) 

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