Best of Zagreb: Museum of Broken Relationships

A love story turned art project:

There are many quirky and interesting museums in the country of Croatia and especially in Zagreb. The capital has always been rich with various cultures and customs, it is very much the cultural hub of Croatia. For that reason almost anywhere you go in Zagreb, there is a high likelihood that you will find a strange museum to visit. We are talking about museums of Chocolate, museums of beer, a museum dedicated to illusions and many others. 

Still there is one that stands out, one that continues to capture the imagination of people from all over the world, 14 years after it was founded. The Museum of Broken Relationships, located on a street corner called Cirilometodska street 2, could very easily be mistaken for an ordinary building. But what passers-by  do not realize at first glance is that this building in Zagreb’s Upper Town actually  holds hundreds of stories of heartbreak from all over the world. 

The Museum of Broken Relationships started as an art project by two artists from Zagreb. A sculptor Dražen Grubišić and a film producer Olinka Vištica had a very long relationship and after it ended they remained friends. They talked about doing an art project where they show various items from their failed relationship to an audience. What started off as an off handed joke, soon became a legitimate art project. The two artists used their own items and items from their friends' past relationships and in 2006 showed the project to the public. From that point, the project just kept growing and developing.

The art project went on tour, visiting almost all major cities in the world. This garnered much attention as people from all over the world seemed to really respond to the concept. The concept of preserving items from past heartbreaks and sharing their stories with others was appealing to say the least. With each visit, the collection of items grew. In mere 4 years of the project being on tour, over 200 000 people saw the art project on its global tour. The project grew exponentially so much so that in 2010, it officially opened its doors as a museum in Zagreb. Not only was it a success story for artistic expression it was also the first privately owned museum in the city. All of those items became part of the museum's ever growing collection. The museum was an instant hit with visitors, not only could they see objects from various cultures and nationalities, they could be reminded of their own past loves. 

An ever-expanding collection:

The two artists that started the museum were able to collect the first 40 items in the collection mostly from their own relationship, their friends and family members. Still they could not have known how fast the collection would have grown.Now visitors upon entering the museum can see at least 100 items from various anonymous donors. Some items are silly while others carry a deep sadness.

What is not really known is that there are actually over 1500 items in storage at any given moment in the museum. This means that the collection is always changing and developing so there is always something new to experience and see. Still the collection that can be seen in the museum is not the only part of the experience. The Museum of Broken Relationships also offers private confessionals where people can anonymously share their stories and items. It also has an online web museum where registered users can donate their own items and share their experiences.

In just its first five years of being a museum, more than 300 000 people visited the location. The museum actually made such an impact that in 2011 it received the Kenneth Hudson reward, a recognition of the highest order given by the European Museum Forum. The institute recognized that the Museum of Broken relationships was a daring achievement in artistic expression. Throughout the years the museum just kept growing. Every year more and more people come to see the museum so much so that in just the year 2017 the museum had over 200 000 visitors. 

“It’s okay to not be okay”:

What started as a small art project by two people has now grown into something much more, something truly meaningful. The Museum of Broken Relationships has now existed over 14 years, and every year new items are brought into its collection. Each item carries a very special human story, tragic or otherwise. Not only is the museum promoting very authentic stories, it is also telling its countless guests that it's okay to not be okay, that it is okay to remember something that hurt them in the past. This is something that can resonate with everyone, no matter where they come from. 

It is a certainty that people will always respond to authentic expressions of art. The Museum of Broken relationships has achieved unprecedented success by simply presenting very human stories, blemishes and all. In our opinion, this is the reason the museum has been such a success story and has become an iconic must see location of the city of Zagreb. Whether it is their countless objects inside the museum, the virtual web where donors share their stories online or their confessionals, the Museum of Broken Relationships is an experience that any person will surely remember for a long time. 

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