Exhibition of War Photographs Opens in Dubrovnik
The exhibition "VRO Oluja na Banovini 1995." features authentic photographs by Željko Gašparović, and the program marking the 31st anniversary culminates with a concert on Stradun.
The exhibition "VRO Oluja na Banovini 1995." features authentic photographs by Željko Gašparović, and the program marking the 31st anniversary culminates with a concert on Stradun.
On Monday, an exhibition titled "VRO Oluja na Banovini 1995." opened at the Museum of the Homeland War in Dubrovnik, located in the Imperial Fortress, marking the 31st anniversary of the military-police operation "Oluja." The exhibition was curated by the museum's director, Varina Jurica Turk, and was officially opened by Dubrovnik's mayor, Mato Franković.
The exhibition is part of the museum's long-standing project "Croatian War Photography" and presents a selection of works by the renowned war photographer Željko Gašparović. The photographs were taken during Operation Oluja in the Banovina region. Gašparović also donated to the Museum footage from 1992 from the Southern Front, where he accompanied members of the 1st Guards Brigade "Tigrovi."
At the opening, Mayor Franković emphasized the Museum's crucial role in preserving historical truth. "In our city, we have a perfect story-one that, with few words but plenty of evidence, photographs, and texts, tells the real truth about the Homeland War and how hard-won our freedom was. Knowing that a million people have seen the truth, we know they will be messengers of truth tomorrow and for future generations," Franković said.
Director Varina Jurica Turk highlighted the value of documentary war photography as one of the most important historical sources and the foundation of visual memory, singling out Željko Gašparović's contribution to Croatian documentary war photography.
Those gathered also heard from Mišo Đuraš, honorary president of the Croatian Officers' Association of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County. He reminded attendees that this is already the fifth exhibition dedicated to Operation Oluja, while the Museum has so far organized a total of 75 exhibitions and welcomed one million visitors.
In addition to the main exhibition, the Imperial Fortress also hosts a physical and a virtual exhibition titled "Oluja 1995-2025," providing a more comprehensive overview of the final liberation operations of the Croatian Army in 1995, including events on the Dubrovnik front.
The program marking Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and the Day of Croatian Defenders continues on Tuesday, August 5, 2026. At 9 PM on Stradun, a patriotic concert by the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra will be held, during which the Museum's virtual exhibition "Path to Freedom 1991-1995" will also be projected.
