Museum of Broken Relationships

From: Shannon Service
Length: 04:30

When Paul Simon outlined "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" 35 years ago, it turns out he missed a few. There are well over 400, in fact, as bagged, tagged and now displayed in The Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb, Croatia. I traveled to the museum and filed this report. Read the full description.

Piece Audio

Playing: Museum of Broken Relationships
From: Shannon Service

Thumbnail_for_mbr_small The Museum of Broken Relationships is the creation of a young Croatian couple that broke up. As they began the arduous process of dividing up the relics of their 4-year relationship they hit a stumbling block: What to do with their Little Wind Up Bunny. The bunny had no monetary value, but when Olinka came home late from work, she'd find the bunny marching in circles in the entryway. The bunny had emotional weight. The question of the bunny led to a small local exhibit of breakup items which quickly mushroomed into a four year global tour and over 400 items. All are now carefully displayed in an old Austrian palace in Zagreb.

I traveled to Croatia for the opening of the museum, interviewed the couple that started it and got some reactions from the museum's first patrons.

Piece Description

The Museum of Broken Relationships is the creation of a young Croatian couple that broke up. As they began the arduous process of dividing up the relics of their 4-year relationship they hit a stumbling block: What to do with their Little Wind Up Bunny. The bunny had no monetary value, but when Olinka came home late from work, she'd find the bunny marching in circles in the entryway. The bunny had emotional weight. The question of the bunny led to a small local exhibit of breakup items which quickly mushroomed into a four year global tour and over 400 items. All are now carefully displayed in an old Austrian palace in Zagreb.

I traveled to Croatia for the opening of the museum, interviewed the couple that started it and got some reactions from the museum's first patrons.

Broadcast History

Aired on November 4, 2010 on KALX in Berkeley. Also purchased by New Hampshire Public Radio-December 2010.

Transcript

{song: 50 ways to leave your lover...}

There are lots of ways to break up. Like, say,
writing a letter on a piece of glass and then smashing it.

(sound of smashing glass)

Or, ---

(sound of creaky old bike)

riding a bike out the door and never coming back.

In Croatia, there’s a whole museum dedicated to spectacular break ups and couples who quietly fell apart.

[fade up AMBI]

The collection of four hundred break-up items from around the world is housed in a white-walled, modern space with polished concrete floors.
Items are displayed, one per shelf, from hip to shoulder height: Pink fuzzy handcuffs, watches with pins pulled out and a paper-mache bustier that a man asked his soon-to-be ex-girlfriend to wear while making love.

Markovena: It’s beautiful because whenever you think you’re acting strange or you’re acting weird you come here and realize that it’s all normal.

DAH-m...
Read the full transcript