Opened in 2023, newest addition to Hvar's sightseeing menu is the Ivan Vučetić Museum of Mystery, honouring the Hvar-born criminologist responsible for establishing the modern science of dactyloscopy, or fingerprint identification. Bearing in mind how much time we spend watching TV detective shows focusing on forensic evidence-gathering, this is a fascinating insight into how it all began. Housed in an old stone room in the Burak quarter, uphill from the quay, it's a small but intriguing tribute to a little-known but hugely influential scientist, consisting of a words-and-pictures display detailing his life and career, and a shop selling an innovative and original range of fingerprint-related souvenirs. Growing up in the Burak quarter's narrow streets, Ivan Vučetić (1858-1925) emigrated to South America with his brother in 1884 (the same year that a certain Nikola Tesla set sail for the USA), settling in the Argentinian city of La Plata, where he became Juan Vucetich and joined the police. After reading about Francis Galton's findings on the uniqueness of the human fingerprint, Vucetich set about applying this idea to criminal investigation. The first application of this new approach was the Rojas Case of 1892, when a woman was found guilty of murdering her children on the basis of bloody fingerprints found at the scene. Vucetich authored several standard texts on the practice of fingerprint identification, and travelled the world popularizing its advantages. He came home briefly in 1913 - there's a fascinating photo on display here showing him surrounded by proud Hvar relatives. You can finish off your visit by taking a police mugshot-style selfie, or browsing through the range of fingerprint-logoed gifts.
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