Speaking at the opening ceremony was HAZU president Zvonko Kusic, who said that apart from their great contribution to chemistry, Ruzicka (1887-1976) and Prelog (1906-1998), were known also for having maintained close ties with their homeland.
The memorial room contains a number of documents, letters, photographs, and personal items belonging to the two scientists. The part of the room dedicated to Ruzicka also contains the original document on his being awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1939, while the part of the room dedicated to Prelog contains some of his books on chemistry, pieces of furniture from his study, the suit he wore when he received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1975 and a collection of matchboxes from hotels around the world that he collected during his travels.
Also attending the ceremony was Swiss Ambassador Stefan Estermann, who said that he was honoured to serve as his country's ambassador in Croatia and that the opening of the memorial room provided an opportunity for him to learn, thanks to the two Nobel laureates of Croatian descent and Swiss citizenship, about his own country which, he added, was among the world's leading countries in terms of the number of Nobel Prize winners.
Estermann also said that Ruzicka and Prelog's example could serve as an incentive, nowadays as well, for closer scientific cooperation between the two countries.