Nikola Tesla Memorial Center

The “Nikola Tesla” Memorial Center is a multidisciplinary institution that combines science, art and tourism. It is located in Smiljan, and is managed by the Like Gospić Museum. It was opened on July 10, 2006 to mark the 150th anniversary of Nikola Tesla’s birth.

The memorial center was conceived as a gathering place for various users: preschool children, school children, students, retirees, tourists, local residents, Tesla fans, artists, etc.

The concept of the Memorial Center is the coexistence of various contents. Previously, there was the birthplace of Nikola Tesla (in which there is now a permanent display of documentary material) and the associated economic building, the church of St. apostles Peter and Paul of the Serbian Orthodox Church (where Tesla’s father once served as a parish priest), the cemetery, stone monuments and benches by the architect Zdenko Kolaci. The newly built facilities are: porch, parking lot, footpaths, monument to the sculptor Mile Blažević, auditorium, prototypes of Tesla’s inventions – Tesla’s test station from Colorado Springs, Tesla’s turbine, Tesla’s ship that can be controlled using radio waves, bridge (from which the motion of the remote-controlled ship is observed), multimedia center, children’s playground (didactic toys enable understanding of machine operation), ambient lighting, etc.