Nikola Tesla Memorial Center

The Nikola Tesla Memorial Center is in Smiljan, a small village in Lika, in the interior of Croatia, a few kilometres from the town of Gospić, and it marks the birthplace of one of the most famous inventors in history. Tesla was born here on 10 July 1856, to a Serbian Orthodox family, and his father was a priest in the village church, which stands beside the memorial. He went on to become a pioneer of alternating current electricity, working in Budapest, Paris and then in the United States, where his inventions and demonstrations made him a legend, and where he died in 1943. The memorial centre in Smiljan celebrates his life and work in the place where it began.

The site is a complex of several elements set in the quiet Lika landscape of fields, orchards and low hills. The birth house, a modest stone and timber building, has been restored and reopened as a museum, and the idea of a memorial in the village dates from the mid-twentieth century, when the centenary of his birth was marked. The area was badly damaged during the war of the 1990s, and the centre was later rebuilt and enlarged, with a new exhibition space opened in the early years of the twenty-first century. Today, the memorial centre is managed by the regional museum, and it includes the house, the church, a memorial park with monuments, and modern exhibition spaces.

The displays explain Tesla's biography, from his childhood and schooling in Lika and Croatia to his years of experiments and discoveries, and illustrate his main inventions, notably the induction motor and the polyphase system of alternating current that underlies modern electricity distribution. Interactive exhibits allow visitors to see how his ideas work, and some demonstrate effects such as electric discharges and wireless transmission, which give an idea of the spectacle of his public lectures. The museum also covers his reputation, from the rivalry with other inventors to his later years of poverty and his posthumous fame, and the exhibits help to separate the facts from the myths that surround him.

The setting is calm, and the simple surroundings contrast with the scale of the achievements being celebrated. Educational programmes and events, including workshops for schools and commemorations around his birthday, are held at the centre. Opening hours and ticket prices vary with the season, so check before you go, especially in winter.

Smiljan is easily reached from the main road between Zagreb and the Dalmatian coast, near Gospić, so it makes a convenient stop on a long drive and can be combined with a visit to the Plitvice Lakes or the Velebit mountains. Allow one to two hours. The centre suits families, school groups, science enthusiasts and anyone interested in the history of technology.