Photo credits: Szeder László / CC BY-SA 4.0
There is nothing fun about breakups and they are the last thing you want to think about while on holidays. However, there is something bleakly fascinating about the breakups of others and we can't help but be a bit nosy but there is also a sense of camaraderie and a bond that grows from sharing our heartbreaks with each other. Heartbreak, loss and nostalgia are very human things that we all feel and understand. As such, the Museum of Broken Relationships really is a fascinating place and a must-see for anyone who has found a vacation rental in Zagreb.
Permanently located in the beautiful baroque Kulmer palace in the Upper Town, a historic part of the city that you most likely would end up in anyway, as it is full of tourist attractions. However, among all of these attractions, the Museum of Broken Relationships is, undoubtedly, Zagreb's quirkiest museum.
Permanently located in the beautiful baroque Kulmer palace in the Upper Town, a historic part of the city that you most likely would end up in anyway, as it is full of tourist attractions. However, among all of these attractions, the Museum of Broken Relationships is, undoubtedly, Zagreb's quirkiest museum.
Its origins lie in the breakup of Croatian artists Olinka Vistina and Drazen Grubisic, who were unwilling to part with the sentimental reminders relationship. This feeling inspired them to open up the museum so that the items could remain together forever, even if they did not.
The idea quickly became a hit and went on a worldwide tour, with donations become common and the collection rapidly growing ever in size. Now only about 15% of the collection can be displayed at a time, even with the permanent museum in Zagreb, the new permanent museum in L.A. and the loans and temporary exhibitions around the world.
Donations have come from all around the globe and are displayed in all-white rooms. The donations are all sorts of objects given and received during failed relationships, or objects that tell a story about the relationship or its ending.
The idea quickly became a hit and went on a worldwide tour, with donations become common and the collection rapidly growing ever in size. Now only about 15% of the collection can be displayed at a time, even with the permanent museum in Zagreb, the new permanent museum in L.A. and the loans and temporary exhibitions around the world.
Donations have come from all around the globe and are displayed in all-white rooms. The donations are all sorts of objects given and received during failed relationships, or objects that tell a story about the relationship or its ending.
They range from a vinyl record that was played during a teenage breakup 40 years ago to a stun gun that never got to be used, teddy bears and letters, a tiny bottle filled with a woman’s tears, an axe, a prosthetic leg, clothes and all sorts of typical and strange objects. Once you have commiserated with anonymous strangers you will, most likely never meet, step outside into sun and head to the museum's the cosy cafe with sidewalk tables, where you can grab a bite, something to drink and, even, take in jazz nights on Thursdays during summer and autumn.
Odd, touching, heart-breaking funny and unique, this museum is a real treat in Croatia.
Odd, touching, heart-breaking funny and unique, this museum is a real treat in Croatia.