Depiera collection

NATIVE COLLECTION OF ENRIKO DEPIERA IN TINJAN

 

The Tinjan Native Collection contains about 5,000 objects of ethnographic, archival and cultural-historical material. The collection was founded by Enriko Depiera, the last descendant of this wealthy Carnian family that moved to Tinjan in the 17th century.

In 2013, he donated the Collection to the local community and since then it has been taken care of by the Enriko Depiera Native Collection Association (ZZED Association). Since then, the association, in addition to regular work on the preservation and promotion of objects, has implemented a number of successful projects. Let's single out some of the more significant ones: the acquisition collected a fund of personal belongings of lawyers and politicians, the son of Matko Brajša Rašan, Stojan Brajša; archival research was carried out and a monograph was published on the newly discovered photographer Vittori Depiera, who is one of the most important photographers of the early stage of the emergence of hobbyist photographers in Istria.

 

At the end of 2021, the Native Collection of Enriko Depiero changed its address and was located in Kažamara, a building built in 1552, which is located right next to the parish church in the old town center of Tinjan. Intensive work was done on arranging the new collection of the Collection, which was officially opened on April 24, 2022.

 

In the new exhibition, refreshed, museologically more innovative and adapted to the contemporary domestic and foreign visitor, some new themes that have not been exhibited until now are presented, while the other objects are temporarily placed in the storage room located on the first floor of the building. In the new setting, you can experience urban and rural lifestyles and their differences, which was one of the significant characteristics of Tinjan from the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. The new exhibition also introduces us to the priest Josef Ptašinsko, who recorded rural motifs from the end of the 19th century and was the first to promote the idea of ​​establishing an Ethnographic Museum in Istria, which unfortunately did not happen then, but part of his legacy is preserved in the Tinjan Collection. There is also the story of the Tinjan Women's Rebellion from 1931, and speaking of strong women, there is Lidvina Depiera as the first head of the post office in Tinjan (opened in 1871) and her handwritten cookbooks, which today represent a rich source for historical analysis diet of the Tinjan region from the beginning of the 20th century. Bishop Juraj Dobrila, who spent his first student days in this building (from 1820 to 1824), and the founder of the Collection, Enriko Depiera, also found their place in the new structure. Undoubtedly the most important items of the Collection, the oldest photograph in Istria and the collection of the photographer Vittorio Depiera, can also be viewed in the new setting.

 

The new exhibition focuses on significant personalities who were born, lived and/or worked in Tinjan (but also in Muntrilj, Kringa and Ježenj), and on topics of great historical importance for this area. Hereby, the intention is to present the most significant sketches from the history of this region to every domestic and foreign visitor.

 

There is also a Tinjan shop where visitors can buy original souvenirs made by local artists, which we want to support and promote in this way.

 

You can visit the Tinjan Native Collection every day with prior notice. Entry is free, and donations are welcome.