Zagreb's sites and attractions on Chinese national television

Kravat - regiment guard change

The whole of China recently enjoyed two major attractions of the city of Zagreb the Museum of Broken Relationships and the Honor guard of the cravat regiment. The two big reports were broadcast on Chinese national television, on the news channel CCTV13, regularly viewed by about 1.3 billion Chinese people. The reportage about the Honor guard of the cravat regiment was shown twice and on the Chinese International Channel CCTV4 it was shown in English and Russian and can be watched worldwide.


The Cravat regiment promotes an original Croatian product - an important part of the male wardrobe in the whole world. The cravat or tie, whose forerunner was a scarf, worn during the Thirty Year War in the seventeenth century as part of the uniform worn by members of the Croatian light cavalry, who in 1664 joined the French royal army. It was then that the Croatian regiment was founded under the name "Royal Cravates". They became known for their heroism and scarves around their necks that eventually, in a somewhat modified form, spread worldwide as a fashion accessory and in all languages preserved the name Croat, after the Croatian mercenaries in the French army.

From this tradition emerged a unique city tourist attraction the Changing of the Cravat regiment guards, which begins with an attractive ceremony when the guards prepare and review their weapons. It involves 12 soldiers from the unit which then move to a specified position in the city. They are kept company by armourers, trumpeters, drummers, the standard bearer and the commander, so the entire program gives visitors an insight into the forgotten tradition of the soldiers’ glorious past.

Another big attraction is the young Zagreb Museum of Broken Relationships, an unavoidable tourist sightseeing spot. It was proclaimed the most innovative European museum in 2011, and this valuable recognition was awarded to it by the Forum of European Museums Association. Through numerous exhibits, the museum shows a unique and interesting topic that is familiar to most people, because they themselves may have experienced the ending of a relationship. But this is no place for sadness because the collection is composed of a number of interesting little things that well-meaning donors from all over the world decided to remove forever from their homes, minds and hearts. The broken relationship collection is created by people of different nations and traditions and every exhibited object is accompanied by a personal story, which makes it interesting and very intimate. There is a multitude of donated items and indeed many are still arriving. The collection consists from teddy bears to wedding dresses, and presented are the most beautiful, painful, and most bizarre stories and objects, such as an axe and a leg brace. The entire collection is divided into several topics: hints of a breakup room, the passion room, anger and rage.