The Donation

The collection of Ante Rodin, a packaging researcher and long-time collector, was formed through his diligent gathering of packaging over three decades, starting in 1971. At the time, while renovating his newly purchased flat, Ante Rodin discovered a tea box from the oldest pharmacy in Zagreb, ‘K Crnom Orlu’ (the Black Eagle), located uptown. At first, he collected only old packaging, but later he started collecting more recent packaging as well. ‘Actually, that box inspired me to create a collection of packaging that would shed light on people's everyday lives. From that moment on, packaging became my life, and it was all I could focus on,’ Rodin recounted to Nina Ožegović in an interview for the weekly magazine Nacional titled Ante Rodin – the largest collection of old packaging / My colleagues turned their heads away, when I rummaged through garbage published on 16th August 2005.

On 21st November 2001, Ante Rodin and his wife Ana Rodin donated 2,000 items to the City of Zagreb, curated by the City Institute for Cultural and Natural Heritage Conservation.

Through a Deed of Gift, the Collection of Old Packaging of Dr. Ante Rodin was entrusted to the management of the Zagreb City Museum. After expert evaluation, selected items from the Collection were displayed in the Museum's permanent exhibition. These items tell the story of the history of Zagreb's industry, the development and design of packaging, and the products that people still identify with today.

According to the museological conception, the items are grouped into thematic sections based on product types and their manufacturers, serving as a sort of window into the past. They are closely arranged on shelves in display cases, just as they were displayed in shop windows and on the shelves of general stores.