NSK escape room event 2026 gathers famous literary detectives in one place
Marking International Escape Room Day 2026, the National and University Library in Zagreb (NSK) once again became a scene of an exciting investigation.
The Library’s third escape room event, entitled The Mystery of the Missing Manuscript, brought together some 500 lovers of riddles, thrilled to have been assisted in their perplexing search by some of the most famous literary detectives.
Croatian literary detectives part of the elite investigation squad
While Sherlock Holmes reminded the event participants of the significance of crucial clues in the details everyone tends to overlook, Robert Langdon led them through an intricate maze of the long-forgotten symbols and hidden messages.
Apart from the unrelenting Miss Marple, whose infallible intuition guided the mystery hunters towards the leads, Sam Spade, Harry Hole, Alan Ford and Rip Kirby also aided the teams of players on their way to the mystery’s solution, with Inspector Šimek, Croatia’ very own Sherlock Holmes, and Koko, the youngest of Croatian literary detectives, making a special contribution to the search.
Establishing the tradition of making (re)searching fun
Again demonstrating the potential of libraries to promote the love of research through smart entertainment, this latest NSK escape room event was supported by the Naša djeca publishing company, which provided gifts for the youngest players.
The Library organised its first-ever escape room game in 2024, as a way of marking the 150th anniversary of the birth of Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić (1874-1938), the author of the iconic works of Croatian children’s literature and a six-time nominee for the Nobel Prize for Literature, while last year’s escape room, entitled ZOOBookathon, offered its participants a unique opportunity to explore the fascinating animal world hiding in the Library’s collections.
Photo: © NSK