The bell tower

The recognizable silhouette of Vrbnik is marked by its 30-meter-high Renaissance bell tower, built in 1527. According to popular legend, it was constructed from treasures found in the Frankopan castle of Gradac.

If you forget the time, listen for how many times the bell tolls; the tone and volume will reveal whether a festive event is approaching or if it serves as a reminder of the transience of life.

The bell tower is topped with a loggia that once rested on columns, but today it is an enclosed space. In 2000, the interior of the bell tower was transformed into the Museum of Visual Identity. The museum and its collection are the work of professors and students from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb—specifically from the applied graphics class—developed as part of an interdisciplinary cultural project called the Vrbnik Graphic Academy.

For years, students, along with their mentors, came to Vrbnik for field studies, working on a program of graphic design and artistic interpretation of the historical and environmental entirety of Vrbnik. Their goal was to identify the specific cultural and civilizational code of the town and, based on that, create its global visual identity. This effort resulted in a series of highly interesting artistic solutions.