Top 10 Outstanding Facts about Museum of Broken Relationships

Museum of Broken Relationships, Zagreb, Croatia, photo by Patty Ho. Wikimedia commons

Top 10 Outstanding Facts about Museum of Broken Relationships

The Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb, Croatia, is by far the most unique museum in Croatia. It also has a unique history attached to it that makes it undoubtedly interesting dedicated to failed love relationships.

The idea was originally conceived in 2006 by two Croatian artists. The two had split up and were about to throw out the items that they got out of their love affair like small gifts or photos , like other couples, instead, they decided that their time together should instead be celebrated.

They two then decided to open the museum in 2010 and display their collection in Zagreb. Then another premise was opened in LA, Hollywood on the Boulevard site. The museum exhibits personal objects left over from former lovers, accompanied by brief descriptions. Here are top 10 Outstanding Facts about the Museum of Broken Relationships.

1.The museum has a unique history

Olinka Vištica, a film producer, and Dražen Grubišić, a sculptor, experienced the art of heartbreak just like any failed relationship and conceived the idea of this museum. They initially intended to throw all their stuff but instead made a collection.

Not many museums have such a unique and emotional perspective like the museum of broken relationship. They two then decided to open the museum in 2010 and display their collection in Zagreb, Croatia.

2.The museum started as a personal collection

When two Zagreb-based artists started the museum, it was inspired by their break up. The museum hence started as a personal collection of previous relationships between the two like photos and gifts.

It later transformed into a 1000-item traveling museum and since then the artists have received audiences across 13 countries. At the moment, there are collections of diverse people that recount short stories of randomly falling in love and of inevitable heartbreaks.

3.The museum won the EMYA Kenneth Hudson Award in 2010

The museum got recognized not only by Croatia but other countries as a result the museum won the EMYA Kenneth Hudson Award in 2010. The Kenneth Hudson Award for Institutional Courage and Professional Integrity is named in honor of the irreverent and critical perspective of Kenneth Hudson, the founder of EMYA.

The award is given by the European Museum Forum board to a museum, a person or a group of people. The award was under the category for the most innovative and daring museum projects in Europe.

4.The museum sells books that contain the stories of items on display

Photo by Alex Lvrs on Unsplash

Visitors can spend an hour or two touring the museum, though the museum also sells books. The books entail pictures and stories of some of the items on display. 

The books can be bought by anyone who wishes to interact with the stories of the museum from break ups to failed relationships.

It may seem insane to read about heartbreak stories instead of reading romantic novels, but reading about real-life relationships makes one realize relationships are not always perfect. It also makes people fall in love and cherish the smallest of gifts for years to come.

5.The Mannequin hands at the museum

In the museum there is a set of mannequin hands are displayed in the museum. The hands are strange leftovers of a 5-year relationship in Berlin. The pair of wooden hands was recovered by a donor whose house had been destroyed completely including the mannequin.

6.It has an axe on display

Unlike other museums, it doesn’t carry any antiques or jewels. Instead, it displays items donated by patrons from all over the world that hold symbolic value to them personally.

The axe displayed in the museum catches the attention of the visitors on several occasions. The axe hangs on the wall with the full story written in English and Croatian.

One of the partners left to travel for three weeks after they had stayed together for about 3 months only to find her girlfriend had fallen in love with someone else.

7.The  Museum of Broken Relationships has been on several tavelling exhibitions

Museum of Broken Relationships, photo by Prosopee. Wikimedia commons

The Museum of Broken Relationships was conceived and premised in Croatia however it has been on various exhibitions. These cities include, Split in Croatia, Ljubljana in Slovenia, Maribor in Slovenia, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Hercegovina between 2006 and 2007.

The latest exhibitions were done between 2017 and 2021 namely at Copenhagen, Denmark, New York, USA, Shanghai, China, Alta, Norway, Melbourne, Australia, Dunedin, New, York, United Kingdom, Bucharest, Romania, Aveiro, Portugal.

8.The museum’s unique virtual web

Footwear at the Museum of Broken Relationships, photo by Robert Nyman. Wikimedia commons

The museum has several displays that include objects and documents like photographs, letters, or messages. Items are presented with dates and locations of the relationship, and annotations by their anonymous donors.

Since they cannot all come to the museum, the virtual web museum enables the registered visitors to become donors through uploading their images and documents and can decide if they will allow other users to view in the museum.

9.The Museum allows visitors to store their own objects and stories

Museum of Broken Relationships : exhibition, photo by Prosopee. Wikimedia commons

The museum had begun as a personal collection however; visitors can store their objects or messages, or record their confessions. There are various objects shown as exhibits from people all over the world.

These exhibits are interesting such as an animal made of plastic molecules. Another exhibit includes a wooden watermelon, each with interesting and unique stories. Due to physical space constraints, older exhibits may be archived and transferred to the virtual part of the museum.

Items on display include everyday quirky items such as a stiletto shoe, CD’s, laundry basket, toy cars, letter, etc. Each of the items is accompanied by country of origin, a memoir of the relationship and relationship period.

10.The museum is a major tourist attraction

Museum of Broken Relationships interior, photo by Prosopee. Wikimedia commons

The museum attracts tourists from all over the country and the world. In 2017, the museum saw more than 100,000 visitors. It not the only museum in Croatia but it is the 11th most visited museum in Croatia.

The Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb, Croatia, is by far the most unique museum. Unlike other museums, it doesn’t carry any antiques or jewels. Instead, it displays items donated by patrons from all over the world that hold symbolic value to them personally.