Apoxyomenos on Lošinj
A new museum dedicated to the 2,000 year-old bronze statue of Apoxymenos opened in Mali Lošinj on 30 April 2016. The statue of this ancient Greek athlete was first discovered in 1999 off the coast of Lošinj and has been previously exhibited in Zagreb, Florence, London, Paris and Los Angeles. The Apoxymenos Museum in Lošinj is now the statue’s permanent home and is open every day except Mondays from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 15:00 to 20:00
The Apoxyomenos Story
The Cres-Lošinj archipelago had a great impact on the nautical transit of ancient civilizations due to a large number of coves that provided natural protection from stormy waves to ancient ships. There was also a manmade canal in Osor that significantly reduced the travelling distance between the north and the south parts of Europe.
The bronze statue of Apoxyomenos was on one of the Roman ships during the 1st century. During a storm, the ship crew threw the statue into the sea while trying to rescue the ship. After spending almost two thousand years on the sandy sea bottom between the islands of Vele Orjule and the Island of Lošinj, it was accidentally discovered by Rene Wouters, a Belgian tourist who went diving in April 1999.
The Apoxyomenos Statue
The antique statue of Apoxyomenos embodies a 192 cm tall young athlete scraping off the oil, dust and sweat from his body after a match or an exercise (apoxyómenos = “the one who scrapes off”). The statue was made of bronze and out of the eight Apoxyomenos statues found so far, it is the best preserved one.
In his right hand he is holding a sickle-shaped scraper to clean the dust and sweat off his body. It was most likely made according to the Daippos’ prototype, the son of the most famous Greek sculptor Lysippos, during the mid-4th century before Christ.
The organic material stored by generations of rodents inside the statue shows that Apoxyomenos laid discarded on land prior to setting off towards an unknown destination during the mid-2nd century, possibly Osor.
Apoxyomenos is one of the best preserved bronze statues of the ancient times. During the recent years, it has become a symbol of the Croatian statue heritage and the capacity of the restoration profession.
The Apoxyomenos Museum
After comprehensive restoration works, the statue was presented to the public for the first time in the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb in 2006. While the Kvarner palace on the Island of Lošinj was being reconstructed for the purpose of fully dedicating it to Apoxyomenos, the statue was exhibited in Florence, London, Paris and Los Angeles.
The discovery of Apoxyomenos and its permanent exhibit in the Apoxyomenos Museum has positioned the city of Mali Lošinj and the Republic of Croatia among important cultural heritage and offer destinations. Make the best of your stay in the campson the Cres – Lošinj archipelago and visit the Apoxyomenos Museum where you will have a unique opportunity to discover the history and the story of Apoxyomenos with all your senses.
This unique museum is dedicated to the statue of Apoxymenos whose story begins as soon as you enter, in the blue room on the ground floor. The nine scenes in each room provide special sensory experiences so that the visitors can fully feel Apoxymenous in an individualized manner, as well as the island of vitality as one of the most beautiful places in the Mediterranean, through the sense of taste, smell, hearing and sight.
The Museum and the Apoxymenos Exhibit represent spatial materialization of the scenario and the ceremony of walking through the rooms and hallways that embody the architecture programmed with the accompanying exhibition and the placement of the statue.
