Blaž Baja Potočnjak (1909. – 1974.)
I grew up in Zagreb, but Karlobag has always held a special place in my life. It is the town my father came from and a place I have found myself returning to more and more over the years. Today, I can truly say that I think of Karlobag as my own town — a place with a distinctive atmosphere, filled with family memories and a rich history that I want to preserve.
My connection with Karlobag deepened further through collecting old postcards. So far, I have gathered more than 300 examples, ranging from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present day. Each one is a small window into the past, revealing how the town changed and what its squares, streets, harbour and everyday life once looked like. Looking through them feels like travelling through time, gradually piecing together the story of the Karlobag that once was.
Collecting these postcards is not always easy. Karlobag is a small town, and old examples rarely come onto the market today. For that very reason, what began as a hobby gradually became something more — a personal commitment to preserving the town’s cultural heritage and the memory of its past. Every postcard, photograph or document that is found preserves another trace of Karlobag for future generations and for anyone who wants to discover its history.
That desire ultimately led to the creation of the Digital Heritage Museum of Karlobag. Over time, I came to realise that postcards, photographs and documents cannot fulfil their true value if they remain hidden away in private collections. I wanted to make them accessible to everyone — to the people of Karlobag and their descendants, to researchers, and to anyone who simply wishes to discover the past of this town.
This museum was therefore never intended to be merely a collection of old images and documents. Its purpose is to bring together as many traces of Karlobag’s past as possible, connect them with the people, events and places to which they belong, and preserve them for future generations. The project continues to grow gradually, with new material, discoveries and stories constantly being added.
For me, Karlobag is more than a place on a map. It is a family connection, a home, a memory and a source of inspiration — a place to which I always return. The Digital Heritage Museum is my way of preserving at least a part of its past and leaving it for those who come after us.
