Zagreb's attractions on Chinese national television

The Museum of Broken Relationships and the Ceremonial Changing of the Guard of the Cravat Regiment – two major attractions in Zagreb, have recently been showcased on two separate TV programmes on channel CCTV13 of Chinese national television, which has a regular viewing of approximately 1.3 billion Chinese people.

All of China has recently watched programmes about two major attractions in Zagreb – the Museum of Broken Relationships and the Ceremonial Changing of the Guard of the Cravat Regiment. The stories aired on Chinese national television, i.e. on CCTV13, a news channel with a regular viewing of approximately 1.3 billion Chinese people. The show about the Ceremonial Changing of the Guard of the Cravat Regiment has been shown twice on the international channel CCTV4, which broadcasts worldwide in English and Russian. This was a great promotion of Zagreb's attractions for the Chinese audience, many of whom will be tempted to join the ever increasing number of Chinese guests in Zagreb.

And why would they not be tempted by these globally famous attractions? The Cravat Regiment’s claim to global fame is the original Croatian product worn by the male population worldwide. Obviously, we are talking about the tie or cravat, which was first seen tied around the necks of Croatian light cavalry soldiers during the Thirty Years’ War in the 17th century. Having joined the French Royal Army in 1664, Croatian soldiers formed the Croatian Regiment which went under the name “Royal Cravates” and became famous for their valour and the kerchiefs tied around their necks. Since then, this accessory has taken Europe by storm, albeit in a somewhat different shape and form.

This tradition was the basis for the creation of the unique tourist product – the Changing of the Guard of the Honorary Squad of the Cravat Regiment. Each changing of the guard begins with an attractive ceremony: the preparation of the guards and weapons for inspection. A 12-soldier squad participates in the ceremony and, once the ceremony is completed, each of them is assigned to a particular post in the city. They are accompanied by an armourer, trumpeter, drummer, standard-bearer and commander, and so the entire programme provides tourists with a unique glimpse of the glorious past and a forgotten military tradition.

The second major attraction, the Museum of Broken Relationships, is a must-see during any sightseeing tour of Zagreb, especially since it was proclaimed the most innovative European museum in 2011. The valuable recognition for the fledgling Zagreb museum came from the European Museum Forum. As the name itself states, the Museum of Broken Relationships is a unique and interesting collection of exhibits themed around failed love relationships – something that a majority of people in the world can relate to and associate with their own personal experiences. However, this is not a place of chagrin and sadness as the collection is made up of a number of trinkets which benevolent donors have decided to get rid of forever; throwing them out of their homes, thoughts and hearts. In other words, the museum is a collection of mementos from broken relationships of people from different nations and with different customs, and every exhibit comes with a personal story which makes the collection both interesting and very intimate. The exhibits range from stuffed teddy bears to wedding dresses. The number of donated objects is already quite great and still increasing, and so the exhibits on display showcase only the most beautiful, most poignant and even the most bizarre stories and objects, such as an axe and a cast from a broken leg. The entire collection has been divided into several different topics arranged in different rooms: the room of foreboding, the break-up room, the room of passion, anger and rage.