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Unusual places to go in CroatiaCroatia is a popular destination these days for many reasons. The gorgeous beaches along the Dalmatian Coast, the historic cities, pretty islands and more. However, Croatia also has a less usual side, which is well worth a visit too.
For a great time this year, enjoy a Croatia villa holiday, while also sidestepping a little from the “normal” tourist attractions to visit some strange and often exciting places. 1. Zagreb: Museum of Broken RelationshipsMost of us know what it feels like when a relationship goes wrong. When lovers break up, they have different ways of dealing with things. Some cannot part with the movie tickets from a memorable night out. Others have photos they don’t want to destroy, but also don’t want to keep looking at.In the case of Olinka Vistina and Drazen Grubisic, two Croatian artists who separated, they came up with an idea of how to keep the sentimental reminders of their lost love, but outside of their homes. This way they didn’t have to think about things so much. What they did was to open the Zagreb Museum of Broken Relationships, so the reminders of their love could remain together, even if they couldn’t themselves. At first thought, this doesn’t sound exactly like a healthy thing to do, but their idea soon took off. They took the museum on tour, and along the way people donated their own reminders of lost love and heartbreak. Now the museum is full of melancholy nostalgia for the former owners of the love letters, cute teddy bears and other romantic notions. A physical museum was born and can be visited by anyone who is curious to see just how sentimental people can be. There are some weird and unsettling items, like a taser gun and an axe, but there is also a small bottle, full of a woman’s heartbreaking tears. What is probably the strangest exhibit of all is a prosthetic leg, but strangest of all is the fact that the museum is so popular, it now has more than 1,000 people visiting it each week. 2. Hotel Belvedere, DubrovnikThere is one formerly luxurious hotel where you cannot stay during a visit to Croatia, but it is interesting to visit. The Hotel Belvedere used to be magnificent. It sits on a cliff just outside Dubrovnik, with panoramic views over the city and the water. While it was a luxurious place to stay when it opened in 1985, it only lasted for six years. Now the 200 rooms and the private boat dock stand empty and the helipad is no longer used.
During the Croatian War of Independence, the hotel was abandoned and at one stage Croatian refugees took shelter here. Since then the hotel has been crumbling, with windows shattered and walls falling down. However, it is still possible to visit the terraces of the hotel, descending down the cliff, offering wonderful views over the bay to Lokrum Island and Dubrovnik Old Town. An
amphitheatre on the lower level of the hotel briefly starred in the hit
HBO series “Game of Thrones,” when the crest of House Baratheon was placed
there, but otherwise the efficient
hotel staff is gone and the hotel is empty.
Enjoy your visit to Croatia and go a little off the beaten tourist track this year, as there are many unusual destinations to explore. |
Latest update: May 19, 2019
