Ratković Aydemir (Muze): The Experience of the Private Sector in Culture Remains Taboo in Croatia

The company Muze was launched 17 years ago with the idea of connecting culture and people, and is specific in that it deals with the interpretation of heritage and operates in an area usually overseen by the public sector. Today, Muze acts as a professional associate and consultant in numerous projects in tourism and culture, and the founder and director of the company, Dragana Lucija Ratković Aydemir, an art historian and comparative literature scholar, cultural manager, heritage interpreter, and entrepreneur in culture and tourism, is proud of the development the company has experienced since 2005 when she was its only employee. The company now has nine employees, all women, and relies on funding from European funds for its projects, which shows that forward-thinking was considered even before Croatia became a member of the European Union. 

To date, they have developed numerous heritage stories and tourist attractions, including the Ecomuseum Batana, which was inscribed on UNESCO’s list of best practices for the preservation of intangible world cultural heritage in 2016, ‘Ivana’s Fairy Tale House’ in ‘Ogulin, the homeland of fairy tales’, and two recent visitor centers, the first at Medvedgrad in Medvednica Nature Park, and the second at the Poklon pass in Učka Nature Park…

However, although the interpretation of cultural heritage is increasingly being initiated in Croatia, there is still room for progress, especially regarding its intertwining with sustainable tourism. Regarding Muze’s area of operation, heritage interpretation, tourism, and room for progress, Ratković Aydemir speaks to Lider.

Where did your idea for starting a company like Muze come from?

– The whole idea did not come to me immediately, but it was connected with an intense desire to change some things. Namely, I am an art historian and comparative literature scholar by education and worked on the protection of cultural monuments at the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia. What I intuitively felt was that heritage could be much more in the community and that there is room for progress in that regard. Before starting the company, I had the opportunity to attend an international training in cultural management organized by the Marcel Hicter Foundation from Brussels, and that is when I actually broadened my horizons. I met people who were mostly from EU countries and who introduced me to various cultural funds that hold an important place in Europe, and at that time I knew that Croatia’s entry into the EU was only a matter of time. Parallel to that education, my first project opened – the Ecomuseum Batana in Rovinj – which was actually an incentive for the establishment of Muze. I founded the company with personal funds and was confident that there would be clients in Croatia, like those in Rovinj, who would want to do something with heritage for the development of their area.

Why is heritage interpretation important and how is it perceived in Croatia?

– Heritage interpretation itself is an educational activity aimed at discovering meanings and relationships using original objects, firsthand experience, and illustrative media, rather than merely conveying factual information. It always refers to something that comes from the visitor’s world to establish a deeper connection with heritage, not just through reason but through all the senses. As such, it is increasingly becoming a topic. A few years ago, we held a seminar in Ogulin and had a good response, which showed us that people recognize the importance of heritage interpretation. These are primarily tourist guides who work directly with people. On the other hand, it has not yet entered the mainstream of cultural or heritage institutions, which should change.

How can heritage interpretation specifically contribute to Croatian tourism?

– Croatia’s problem is the underdeveloped continental tourism and overcrowded tourism on the coast. Namely, heritage cities in Dalmatia with old town cores naturally have a limited capacity to accommodate tourists. How can heritage interpretation specifically help here? If spatial planning were developed alongside interpretive planning for a given territory, which includes heritage outside the cores, it would spatially disperse the influx of people and contribute to the development of surrounding areas. Interpretation creates overarching plans that define heritage stories and create places worth visiting. We have placed some unknown places on the tourist map through projects. Our work is equally important for places that need to make an effort to be visited, and on the other hand, for coastal places to solve the problem of hotspots with too many people. I will also give an example of poor management of tourist development and heritage interpretation – Plitvice Lakes. They ‘feed’ only the narrowest circle around them, while they could incorporate much more. Slunj and Ogulin and everyone within a 60 to 80-kilometer radius should benefit from them, rather than having the concentration of too many people only in Plitvice.

Where is there room for progress?

– Generally, the Ministry of Culture supports us when we apply for tenders and knows about us, which is fine. However, have they utilized us enough to show good examples and include us in some necessary transformation processes… Well, not really! But part of that is because the experience of the private sector in culture, especially in heritage, remains taboo in Croatia. It seems strange to people that private individuals cover something that traditional public institutions primarily cover. For example, we could be an excellent partner for museums, but they are our rarest clients. As for the room for progress… There is, primarily in evaluating our projects so that we know what we have achieved and how much we have gained from them as a society. Additionally, it happens that we create excellent interpretive infrastructure, but we do not have people who will manage it in an innovative and successful manner. The key is that alongside project development, the personnel who will know how to successfully continue the project must also be developed. 2334272

Are we using heritage in the right way? Can we gain more from it, or should we preserve it more?

– This is actually interconnected. When people achieve a good coexistence with heritage, when local residents are satisfied and proud of the places they live in, those places become attractive for living and for various investments, thus ensuring care for heritage. Heritage interpretation is one of the key ways to preserve it. Heritage is well used if it becomes an attraction and even a product for which tickets are sold or from which hotels, restaurants, and all services that people use because of that heritage benefit. However, I think we are still in some old times regarding this, especially when it comes to preserving manors or summer houses. There is practically no manor or summer house in social ownership that has received a sustainable purpose and has been turned into a successful product. Therefore, if we convert a summer house or manor into a hotel or something similar, we will not destroy them, but rather give them life. By using heritage, we preserve it.

Does the practice in your sector differ in Croatia and other countries?

– Yes. For example, in America, it has been recognized for 70-80 years. There, users expect to be offered attractive programs and unforgettable experiences. They have costumed tours, interactive exhibitions, and develop various ways to bring heritage closer to the audience; in the end, the concept of participatory museums comes from there. Specifically, America, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom are leaders in this sector. Europe has been much more traditional in this regard. Heritage institutions such as museums and libraries that originated in Europe and spread from here around the world were elitist in their roots, while in America, as a new world, the awareness that heritage should serve people and the advancement of society developed more quickly.

How has the coronavirus crisis affected your work?

– We did not feel the consequences in our business because we do not work directly with users, and European projects are cycles that, once initiated, last. However, what has positively happened is that we have turned more towards ourselves. By this, I mean people who have become aware of the need to travel within Croatia and get to know its heritage. We know too little about our country and visit it too little, but that is changing for the better. People are visiting various heritage celebration sites that are the result of our projects, especially families, and we receive good feedback from them.

What moments and projects have been key in Muze’s business? Do you have favorite projects?

– I would highlight ‘Ogulin, the homeland of fairy tales’ with ‘Ivana’s Fairy Tale House’ and ‘Ogulin Fairy Tale Festival’ because it is a unique destination package designed in 2006 that continues to develop and progress even after 16 years. This project is proof that the envisioned strategy is indeed being implemented, that engaged people in the community are key to it, but also that such projects require a longer duration. Additionally, they were created before the EU and were funded from pre-accession funds, and they are among the first to be financed with European funds. However, perhaps the most important project, the one that formed the Muze team that exists today, was Natura 2000. It was funded by the World Bank, and during three years, we developed 30 investments in interpretive infrastructure in protected natural areas with designer partners. This was the largest contract we signed, allowing us to employ more people.

Who do you collaborate with the most on projects, and who do you want to collaborate with in the future?

– At our beginning, we were engaged by tourist boards that wanted to create unique heritage products. Now, these are cities and municipalities investing in infrastructure projects and using European funds, so we apply for their tenders. However, in the future, we wish to work more with private clients, those coming from the real sector. These would be entrepreneurs and companies that want to promote their stories, their products, and then Muze can help them tell their stories to users in an authentic, highly experiential, and entertaining way. The goal is also for entrepreneurs to develop places celebrating their ‘corporate heritage’, which is quite normal in the world. Why shouldn’t products be recognized as part of heritage? I am sure that each of us perceives many products as part of our heritage.

Can we say that your work connects culture with business?

– Absolutely! Our activities connect tourism with heritage, business with sustainable development. In the end, our motivation is to be financially sustainable, but also that what we do truly has value for the broader society.