The Museum Through Children’s Eyes: Hidden Details and Imagination at Work

As part of the celebration of the 65th anniversary of the National Museum Vranje, Mondays this month remain dedicated to workshops for our youngest audience.

This time, we welcomed twenty-four pupils from class III/1 of the “Svetozar Marković” Primary School in Vranje, accompanied by their teacher, Gordana Filipović.

Our young guests explored the permanent museum exhibition in the Selamluk building, learning about what people used to wear, how they lived, what objects were part of their everyday life, and which manners once defined respect, honesty, and hospitality.

Room by room, object by object, they revealed the museum like true little explorers following a map beneath rustic wooden ceilings, searching for hidden details, training their visual memory and orientation skills. Their attentiveness and curiosity led to a wonderful discovery: one of the museum’s traditional vests (zubon) is decorated with no fewer than 62 red, 6 green, 3 blue, and 2 red-and-blue pom-poms!

This seemingly simple observation shows just how carefully children look, feel, and understand heritage when it is presented in the right way. With sketches of their favourite exhibits, each drawing became a personal message about what fascinated them most.

This Monday was filled with sunshine, smiles, and springtime energy. And once again, we were reminded that the museum is a vibrant space of encounters, dialogue, and shared learning.

These free workshops will continue in the months ahead as a gift from the Museum to its youngest visitors because it is both our duty and our joy to make cultural heritage accessible, meaningful, and close to children who, one day, will know how to love it, understand it, and protect it.