Dear Collagues,

there could be some interest at our listserv for a short memo about recent
Vukovar development, concerning its Museum's holdings stolen during the
late occupation of this town. Sincerely, Jadran Kale.


A concise chronology:

1991-11-18
After three months of siege, a Danube riverside town of Vukovar in Croatia
fell to Serbian forces.
1,851 Croatian citizens were murdered.

1991-11-19
Among 295 victims at Ovcara mass-grave near Vukovar was also a Bauer
collection curator from Vukovar Municipal Museum.
Victims were mainly hospital patients (199) and medical personnel.

1991-12-12
Collections from Vukovar Museum (in Eltz Palace building) were transported
to Yugoslavia, under control of Yugoslavian conservators and museum staff
from Novi Sad.
Croatian authorities (Museum Documentational Center) later declared that
21,651 museum items missing or destructed from Vukovar Museum alone.

1992-1995
Vukovar Municipal Museum operates in exile in Zagreb, in Mimara Foundation
Museum building.

1996
Council of Europe sent a delegation to inspect Vukovar collections in Novi
Sad Regional Museum.

2000-01 and 2000-10
Political leaderships in Croatia and Belgrade were changed.

2001-12-11 and 2001-12-12
Three truck conwoys returned stolen museum items from Novi Sad to Vukovar:
inventory books, books from Museum's library, Bauer art collection (1,513
paintings and 52 sculptures), numismatics, 722 boxes containing artifacts
from the Vucedol prehistoric archaeological site, Franciscan relics from
the monastery, etc.

2001-12-13
Official signing of documents verifying Museum's items' returning between
state ministeries was hold in Vukovar.

2001-12-14
Yugoslavian Minister of foreign affairs, Mr. G. Svilanovic, visited Zagreb,
Croatian capital.
Standing in front of Christmas tree decorated in Ministery of foreign
affairs lobby, he said that he feels "sincerely sorry" for past pains of
affected persons from all nations, and commented the Vukovar affair saying
that "fear forced Serbs to commit war crimes".


BBC news item coverage:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1706000/1706658.stm

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