A Literature of Heartbreak, in Objects

At a Glance

The Museum of Broken Relationships (Muzej prekinutih veza) sits on the quiet stone lanes of Zagreb's Upper Town. Opened permanently in October 2010, it exhibits nothing but donated objects and short texts of ended relationships, and won the European Kenneth Hudson Award in 2011.

Two People, One Idea

Croatian film producer Olinka Vištica and visual artist Dražen Grubišić ended a four-year relationship in 2004 with a half-joke: why not place their shared objects in a museum? The idea became a 2006 gallery pop-up, a world-touring show in 2009, and a permanent venue in 2010. Anonymity for donors is strictly maintained.

What to See

• "The Axe": fourteen days of chopping a former partner's furniture—one of the museum's most-quoted artefacts.
• A wedding dress in a jar, compressed and sealed after a marriage's collapse.
• Toys, love letters, and a phone—including a section on breakups with family members, not only romantic partners.
• Tour archive from 40+ cities including Taipei, Beirut, Tokyo, and Bogotá.
• Confessional Booth where visitors can record their own story—sometimes later added to the collection.

Visiting Tips

Tram 6 from the central station to Britanski trg (15 min), then the Upper Town funicular and a three-minute walk. The show takes around 45–60 minutes—small in object count, heavy in feeling. Combine with a coffee at Broken Ships Café next door and a walk to St. Mark's Church.