Nikola Tesla Memorial Centre, Smiljan

Tesla was born in 1856 in Smiljan, a village on the Lika plateau below the Velebit range, where his father was the parish priest. The memorial centre is built around the restored family house and the church beside it, with a modern exhibition building added alongside. Inside are working models of the induction motor, the rotating magnetic field, the Tesla coil and the remote-controlled boat, most of them demonstrated by a member of staff rather than left behind glass. Outside, the grounds hold larger models and a small water-driven generator on the stream. It is a long way from anywhere, which is part of the character of the place.

Highlights

• The birth house - the restored parish house with period rooms and family material.
• The working models - induction motor, rotating field and Tesla coil demonstrated by staff at intervals.
• The outdoor exhibits - larger models and a small water-driven generator in the grounds.
• The Lika setting - the plateau, the village church and the Velebit ridge behind it.

When to go

April to October, when the roads across Lika are clear and the outdoor demonstrations run. Winter here is genuinely cold and snowy and opening hours shrink. Ask about demonstration times when buying a ticket, since the coil and the motors are shown at intervals rather than continuously. Mornings are quieter than the afternoon coach arrivals.

Things to know

Smiljan is remote, and without a car you depend on a taxi from Gospić. The exhibition is modest in size and some models show their wear; expect an hour and a half rather than a day. The explanations lean patriotic and light on the physics. The village has almost no facilities, so eat in Gospić. Coach groups from the coast arrive in clusters and fill the small rooms.

Nearby

The Velebit range and the Plitvice Lakes are both within about an hour and a half by road.