On Wednesday, October 15, 2025, a large group of Maribor residents went on an excursion to Zagreb, by invitation of the Maribor Museum of National Liberation (Muzej narodne osvoboditve Maribor).
First, we visited the Museum of the City of Zagreb (Muzej grada Zagreba), where we were warmly welcomed and guided through the permanent exhibition as well as an exhibition showcasing Zagreb Gold.
Then we attended the opening of the exhibition Did you want to see me broken? (Ste me hoteli videti strto?) at the Slovenian House Zagreb (Slovenski dom Zagreb). The exhibition was prepared three years ago by 20 authors from various Slovenian institutions and associations, at the initiative of the then-director of the Maribor Museum of National Liberation, Dr. Aleksandra Berberih – Slana, who is today the director of the Museum of the City of Zagreb.
The exhibition speaks about human rights and the violation thereof, offering personal insights into past severe individual and also collective violations. It reminds us that periods when human rights were distant from today’s understanding should likewise not be forgotten. This is one of the exhibition’s strongest messages. The war currently raging mercilessly not so far away unfortunately also tells us that we are capable of forgetting all past experiences or even ignoring them.
At the opening of the exhibition, we were greeted by Mr. Darko Šonc, a Maribor native and President of the Slovenian House Zagreb. We were also addressed by the Ambassador of Slovenia to Croatia, H.E. Mr. Gašper Dovžan. Simona Tripkovič, the Director of the Maribor Museum of National Liberation, presented the exhibition, and the representative of our founder, the Municipality of Maribor, Deputy Mayor Mrs. Davorka Pregl, conveyed greetings from the city beneath Pohorje and officially opened the exhibition.
Time quickly passed in pleasant socializing and conversation.
Photo: M. Pigac