Panorama of Makarska
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Malacological Shell Museum
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When:
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May - Sep 2008 (annual)
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Where:
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Shell Museum
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| Opening Hours: |
10am-12pm & 5pm-7pm; times vary throughout the season so please contact the museum before you visit
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Hidden in the basement of a beautiful Franciscan Monastery in Makarsa is one of the world's finest shell museums, boasting what is said to be the largest collection of snails, shells and mussels in the world.
The monastery in its present form dates back to 1614, and is an attraction in its own right, but the delicate treasure of the Malacological museum that can be found below has been on display for about 40 years.
The founder of this museum was the Franciscan scientist Father Jure Radiæ, who gathered together a huge variety of shells from seas and oceans around the world. He passed away in 1990, leaving behind this fragile but beautiful legacy. As well as shells, fossils from the local area are on display and the museum also has a fine herbarium of Biokovo plants.
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