Rinda was already tied up at its berth in Vukovar when we woke up this morning. I drew open the curtains to find mute swans swimming just off our French veranda … their plumage identifying them as older cygnets and a couple of adults. It was too dark to capture any decent photos then, so I am glad they stuck around until we returned from breakfast.
Our included tour from this port took us to three places. But before I get to those stories, a few things from the immediate port area. And a few bits of information our guide shared as we left Vukovar for the first stop on the tour.
One thing at the port that caught my eye in particular was a stack of concrete blocks … with decorative architectural elements that only became visible when I approached to take photos. From a distance, they looked like headstones that were toppled over … like so many fallen domino tiles. They weren’t, but my initial impression wasn’t wrong either. When I asked Helena, our Osijek-based guide, about the blocks, she confirmed them as a memorial art installation. It was the sculptor’s intent that viewers of the memorial think of them as headstones. You see, the concrete blocks represent the houses that were destroyed during the Croation War of Indepence … commonly referred to as the Homeland War.
Why such a memorial here?
Vukovar, situated at the confluence of the Danube and Vuka Rivers, is known as the City of Heroes. It is here that the war that led to the break-up of Yugoslavia began. It is here that the first stand was made against the armies of Slobodan Milošević. The result of the war … Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Montenegro all gained their independence.
The current population of the city is around 20,000 … which is half of what it used to be before the Homeland War. The tragic events that played out here certainly did a number on the area. Helena told us that the percentage of buildings destroyed in Vukovar during the war is similar to the percentage of buildings destroyed by the atom bomb in Hiroshima. That paints quite a picture!
Helena also told us about the Vukovar water tower, which was hit 641 times during the war. Considered a symbol of the ravages of the war, it was re-opened not long ago as a memorial and has an observation terrace that one can climb up to. We were able to see the water tower from a distance, but no time to check it out for ourselves.
Though the city has been brought back to life, and most of the homes have since been reconstructed, we did see evidence of the war as we drove out of Vukovar … with Helena pointing out buildings that have yet to be restored. I found taking photos from the fast-moving bus impossible. I especially regret not being able to get a decent shot of the heavily damaged train station with its pink walls still in ruin … a perfectly sad representation of the destruction wrought by the war.Read more
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