One of the most unusual museums in Croatia is the Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb. The collection traces its origins to a real-life breakup, between that of its co-founders, Olinka Vištica and Dražen Grubišić, in 2006. Unsure what to do with a special wind-up toy they’d acquired as a couple, the two searched for somewhere to store what they considered to be a symbol of their time together. When they realized that no such place existed, the Museum of Broken Relationships was born.

Today the museum accepts items from around the world. Since every artifact is crowdsourced, Dražen says they are often surprised by what shows up at their door. Among the collection are typical items—mobile phones, records, clothing—but they’ve also received dreadlocks, a toaster, a prosthetic, even a parachute rig. Each is accompanied with a description of the object and its meaning.

“Love and breaking up—it’s such an important part of our lives but you don’t know anything about it, you’re just left on your own to experience it,” says Dražen. The Museum of Broken Relationships aims to offer a space for individuals to share and treasure their sentimental artifacts of love lost. In the video above, Atlas Obscura takes a tour of some of the objects and stories inside the museum.

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Breakup Week
February 11–15