Housed in an imposing neo-Renaissance former school is the eclectic, globe-trotting private art collection of Ante Topić Mimara, who donated over 3,750 priceless objects to his native Zagreb (even though he spent much of his life in Salzburg, Austria).

Inside you'll find Ptolemaic glassware from Alexandria, delicate jade and ivory Qing-dynasty ornaments, ornate 14th-century wooden crosses encrusted with semiprecious stones and a vast European painting collection with works by Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Bosch, Velázquez, Goya, Renoir and Degas.

Built in pseudo-renaissance style of the Italian urban palaces, the building is classified as architectural heritage protected by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia.

In addition to the vast central building flanked by two wings, of special interest are the museum's atrium and the former school gym that was built in the style of ancient Greek temples.

In 1985 Ante Topić Mimara expressed immense joy as he achieved his life's goal and fulfilled his debt to his homeland and the Croatian people by opening the Museum in Zagreb.

He lived in various European cities, including Rome, Paris, Amsterdam, Munich, and Berlin, always expanding his collection through visits to museums, galleries, antique shops, and auctions.

The foundation of today's Mimara Museum was established through his major donations in 1973 and 1986, including works from his collection and those of his wife, Prof. Dr. Wiltrud Topić Mersmann.

Over 3,750 exhibits constituting the permanent display of the museum include prime samples of diverse material and technique from a geographically and historically broad collection of international arts and crafts.

The oldest piece in the collection, a bone figurine of Venus from the early Paleolithic age, testifies to the beginnings of artistic expression in mankind.

The rooms on the second floor are dedicated to paintings by Italian, French, Flemish, Spanish and Dutch masters, dating from the Middle Ages to the beginning of the 20th century, as well as a large collection of icons.

Apart from works by old masters such as Paolo Veneziano, Rubens and Diego Velázquez, impressionist art from the second half of the 19th century is well represented with Auguste Renoir's Bather, Édouard Manet's still-lifes and a number of pieces by Edgar Degas and Camille Pissarro.

Across the hall from the multimedia room is the newly refurbished Gymnasium Cafe with a large terrace, which also offers catering services for all types of events.