Serbia has a museum unique in Europe, one of only 2 in the world: A place enjoyed by phillumenists

Not only the fans of this unusual hobby, but also everybody curious about it, can follow various social changes over almost two centuries thanks to the collection in the Matches (matchboxes) Museum

Who would have thought that the love for collecting matchboxes by a Yugoslav actress would give birth to a museum, almost unique in Europe? In fact, the Matches Museum in Sremski Karlovci is, along with another similar one in Sweden, unique in the whole world.

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Jasna Novak was a Yugoslav actress, who was also involved in costume design. One of her passions was collecting matchboxes, which were used as a type of advertising tools in mid-20th century.

That is why a few years ago, Jovana Popovic Benisek, an academic painter and art pedagogue, decided to present her stepmother's collection to everyone and adapt the family house into the Matches Museum. Recently, the museum's exhibits were moved to a new address, 2 Patrijarha Rajacica Street, in Sremski Karlovci, north of Belgrade.

A rich collection

Today, there are about 40,000 exhibits from all over the world in the museum's collection. But, that is only a part of the collection of matchboxes, as well as of stickers that Jasna Novak has collected.

She started this unusual hobby in mid last century, at the time when she was living in Prague. Over time, her collection had grown to include matchboxes and box stickers from different parts of the world.

She spent about ten years in Prague and as it usually happens, she started this hobby quite by accident. In fact, there was a place in that city where fans of this unusual hobby, today known as phillumenists, gathered.

By chance or fate, Jasna found herself there, and so began her passion for collecting matchboxes. During all that time, her collection included almost 20,000 items, both stickers and matchboxes.

Although it is quite enough to enjoy viewing the carefully collected items, it is especially interesting to se in them all the changes that have occurred in the field of design, but also of marketing. Also, a careful observer cannot miss the insight into numerous social changes in certain periods, which can be seen on the exhibits in this unusual and unique museum.

Besides matchboxes with different motifs, the collection also includes exhibits made out of different materials, but also of different dimensions and shapes. In addition to the boxes, you can see a number of stickers for matchboxes used over the past 170 years.

Since the beginning of this year, there is also "Cuca's Corner" in this museum, created thanks to a gift donated by the heirs pf Ljubica Cuca Sokic, a Serbian painter.

(Telegraf.rs)