Croatian Ethnological Society and Ethnographic Museum, Zagreb cordially invite you to a programme marking European Anthropology Days 2026 (organised by European Association of Social Anthropologists)

The programme includes an online lecture by gardener, horticultural designer and florist Kruno Pekas titled CONTEMPORARY HORTICULTURE AND THE PROMOTION OF URBAN BIODIVERSITY, organised as part of the accompanying educational programmes of the exhibition Earth/soil.

The lecture will take place on 24 February 2026 (Tuesday) at 14:00 (CET) via the following link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82025862191?pwd=Zrvwn7gyu2UAsiXF0nvtd00qfRca7o.1

Kindly register via the following form and indicate the language in which the lecture should be delivered. If colleagues from abroad register, the lecture will be held in English.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdN8V-7rWVbtd3Pf5OXBDTZ7mUjNRgpJJr-f0IM6Xagycw8Zg/viewform?usp=publish-editor

Željka Petrović Osmak

About the “Earth/soil” exhibition

(Ethnographic museum, Zagreb, 25 November 2025 – 26 March 2028)

Željka Petrović Osmak will introduce the lecture and briefly present the concept of the exhibition Earth/soil, highlighting the relationship between people and soil through a historical overview of selected agricultural practices. Although we do not immediately associate biodiversity with the urban environment, Kruno Pekas’s lecture will demonstrate how sound policies and responsible action can increase and safeguard biodiversity, explain why this is important, and encourage reflection on the kind of cities we wish to live in in the future.

Kruno Pekas

CONTEMPORARY HORTICULTURE AND THE PROMOTION OF URBAN BIODIVERSITY

Examples of contemporary horticultural practice, both in private gardens and in the maintenance of public green spaces, show that thanks to social progress and growing ecological awareness we strive not only for aesthetic and functional spaces, but also for the active protection of biodiversity, pollinators and trees in urban environments.
At the same time, a new direction in garden art is emerging, grounded in plant diversity, the preservation of natural values, and the planting of perennials and ornamental grasses. So-called prairie gardens combine natural dynamics with sustainable design.

Željka Petrović Osmak is an ethnologist and cultural anthropologist working as a museum advisor at the Ethnographic Museum in Zagreb. Her research focuses on traditional and contemporary agricultural practices. In interpreting the museum’s collections through exhibitions, she emphasises contextualising objects by examining the relationship between people and the wider living world that surrounds them.

Kruno Pekas is a gardener, horticultural designer and florist, recognised on social media as an influencer and the author of the blog “Vrtlar Kruno.” Through his daily posts, he promotes ecological values in horticulture and landscape design, with an emphasis on sustainability, urban biodiversity and support for wild urban pollinators. He actively advocates for a more contemporary and responsible approach to horticultural solutions in public and urban spaces. He gained extensive professional experience in Berlin, where he lived and worked, developing expertise in horticulture, floristry, and advising clients on woody plants, perennials and other ornamental species.