Reflecting on the challenges that stood in our way leads us to appreciate our achievements even more and to look towards our common future with renewed hope, said the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, at the opening of the exhibition.
The exhibition is dedicated to key moments in recent Croatian history, marking three significant anniversaries: 35 years since the first multi-party elections, 30 years since the end of the Homeland War, and 12 years of Croatia’s membership in the European Union.
In his address, MEP Karlo Ressler stated that Croats have preserved their culture and identity throughout history, despite various and complex state frameworks, and that Croatia, in the early 1990s, confirmed its place among the free and democratic states of Europe.
This newly gained freedom, however, did not come peacefully, Ressler said, while greeting the Croatian war veterans who attended the exhibition in the French city.
Ressler concluded that this difficult chapter of Croatian history "deepens our respect for what the European Union truly represents – for Croatia, it is not just a political choice, but a return to the political family it has always belonged to – historically, culturally, and ideologically."
The exhibition, set up in the Louise Weiss building, a prominent structure within the European Parliament complex in Strasbourg, consists of around forty photographs, newspaper headlines, maps, and historical documents.
Accompanied by traditional klapa (a cappella) performances of the Croatian and EU anthems, the exhibition covers Croatian history from its earliest beginnings, such as the coronation of King Tomislav in 925 or the letter of Pope John VIII to Duke Branimir from 879, through the Croatian Spring, to the government of national unity and the Homeland War.
The exhibition also mentions Jean-Michel Nicolier, a Frenchman and one of the 800 volunteers from 45 countries who joined the defence of Croatia, who tragically lost his life in Vukovar. The exhibits also detail the Z-4 plan, a proposal that envisaged significant autonomy for Serbs in Croatia, which the Serbian side rejected, as well as the prevention of the fall of Bihać, refugees, and the missing.
The exhibition concludes with a "return to the shared civilisational and cultural sphere", a photograph of the celebration marking Croatia’s admission to the United Nations, its accession to NATO, and joining the European Union.