Exhibition marking 500th anniversary of Magellan’s circumnavigation of the Earth on view until 21 September 2023
From 1 to 21 September 2023, the National and University Library in Zagreb (NSK) is hosting ENCOUNTER BETWEEN THREE WORLDS: 500 Years After the First Circumnavigation of the Earth, a touring exhibition of the National Library of Chile marking half a millennium since the historic journey of Portuguese navigator and explorer Ferdinand Magellan.
Put on through the Library’s cooperation with the Embassy of the Republic of Chile to the Republic of Croatia, the exhibition features illustrations by Ignacio del Real and the reproductions of historical documents and maps preserved in library collections of Chile, Spain, Portugal, Italy and the US.
The 21 display boards present the landmark voyage of Magellan, who embarked on it in 1519, from southern Spain and with an expedition consisting of more than 270 members and five boats. Only one boat with an 18-member crew made it back to Spain three years later and successfully completed the journey. Magellan, killed in a fight in 1521, did not live to see his ship complete the first circumnavigation of the Earth, but will forever be remembered as its captain and commander.
Magellan’s journey has particular importance for Chile since as a result of it Magellan discovered in Chile’s territory the most important natural passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans – the passage which to this day has been referred to as the Strait of Magellan.
The exhibition includes selected material from the collections of the National and University Library in Zagreb related to Magellan’s journey and world-famous Croatian explorers.
The “ENCOUNTER BETWEEN THREE WORLDS: 500 Years After the First Circumnavigation of the Earth” exhibition of the National Library of Chile on view at the National and University Library in Zagreb (NSK) until 21 September 2023. Photo by: Maja Mlinarević.
