Kelly's Picks: A Visit to the Museum of Broken Relationships

The Atlas Obscura Podcast

Host Kelly McEvers presents a curated favorite from the Atlas Obscura archives, focusing on the Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb, Cr

Key takeaways

• The Museum of Broken Relationships was established in Zagreb by artists Olenka Vistica and Drazen.
• The museum's inaugural object was a small mechanical bunny intended to represent the 'cheerful and banal' side of their relationship.

Main topics

• Museum of Broken Relationships
• Zagreb, Croatia

Notable quotes

The bunny was the object we started the museum with because we thought it was not too... Too powerful.

Conclusion

The episode highlights how physical objects can act as emotional ancho

Transcript preview

Speaker 5 (0:00) For many of us, going further isn't a choice. It's a feeling we can't ignore. Because ambition has a way of outgrowing where it began. Turning dreams into direction. Every journey brings us closer to the life we imagine. So, where will your journey take you? Etihad. Beyond Borders. Speaker 1 (0:33) Hey, this is Kelly McEvers, host of Atlas Obscura. I hope you liked listening to my picks this week. Today's episode is so good, it just hooks you right from the start. I won't give too much away, but I'll say this. It's all about how you can turn a pretty common but sad experience into a museum. Also, we want to hear about your favorite episodes. What was it about that place that stuck with you? Tell us all about it. Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message telling us your name and the store you chose. Our mailbox will cut you off after three minutes, so please call back if you get disconnected. Okay, here is today's episode. Thanks for listening to my picks. Speaker 2 (1:20) I'm rolling on my end. Speaker 4 (1:28) All Speaker 3 (1:28) right, Dylan. So today we're going to get a little bit personal and I want you to be as honest as you want to be. Oh Speaker 2 (1:38) boy. Okay. I'm appropriately nervous. So let's get personal. Speaker 3 (1:44) So here it goes. Has anyone ever broken your heart? Speaker 2 (1:50) Oh, man. I sort of, there was maybe, I would call it more of a mutual heartbreak. It was a high school girlfriend that lasted well into college. Actually, it was long distance. But it was a serious relationship. It was, you know, six, five or six years. The first sort of real love of my life, a woman named Catherine. Speaker 2 (2:14) You know, I went off to college. We kept the relationship going. We'd see each other in summers and on vacations. But it was hard to maintain that kind of relationship. And then she went off to college and she went to New York City and, like, had new friends and a, you know, exciting city life. And she did what I think was a pretty reasonable thing. We had this phone call that I remember really well. She said, like, I Speaker 3 (2:37) don't think we should see each other anymore. Speaker 2 (2:40) And I said, like, you mean like not at all? And she was like, Speaker 6 (2:44) no, yeah, like not at all. And Speaker 2 (2:46) I was like, Speaker 6 (2:47) OK, well, I guess I'll never see you again. Goodbye. Speaker 2 (2:53) And that was the last time I saw her for like a decade. Wow. A Speaker 4 (2:59) real material, more than I'd imagined. We're not ready for that kind of attachment, are we? Speaker 6 (3:07) I guess so. Speaker 3 (3:12) Is there anything in particular, an object specifically that reminds you about this relationship? Speaker 2 (3:19) What's funny is because the relationship ended in the way it did, there was still like stuff at my parents' house and stuff at my house. And I still, and I've