カルロヴァッツの戦争博物館、プリトヴィッツェやスプリット方面に行く場合、必ず目の前を通り過ぎるところにあるのだけれど、実際に行くのは今回が初めて。博物館と言ってもちゃんとした建物や設備があるわけでもなく、戦争で実際に使われた戦車や対空砲、銃弾を受けて廃墟となった家や建物がそのまま置かれている、展示場と言った感じ。
ザグレブにいると、この国が20年前戦争をしていたとを忘れてしまうほど平和です。でも、カルロヴァッツを走っていると、今でも銃弾の跡が残る家を見ることができ、ここで確かに戦争が行われていたんだ、と感じることができます。1991年から1995年までの独立戦争（クロアチア人はHomeland Warと呼びます。）で、ザグレブは実際の戦場にはなりませんでした。ここカルロヴァッツとシサックでくい止めていたため、ザグレブまで戦争の被害が及ぶことはなかったようです。ところで、クロアチアの第2次世界大戦以降に作られた建物の地下、あるいは高層アパートの一角に核シェルターがあります。旧ユーゴ時代に核戦争を想定して作られたものらしいですが、独立戦争時にも役に立っていたようです。
この戦争の話、実際にクロアチア人の旦那や家族に聞いてみると、実に興味深い。私たちは旧ユーゴスラビアを含むバルカン半島は「ヨーロッパの火薬庫」と言われるくらいに民族間の対立が激しい、と歴史で習いました。でも、実際には旧ユーゴ時代、言われるほど民族間の対立があったわけではなく、反対に民族関係なく平和にやっていたそうです。もちろん一部の極右勢力やら過激な民族主義者はいましたが・・・。それでも旧ユーゴ時代、お互いにどこの出身だとか、どの民族に属しているなんてことは誰も気にしなかったそうです。また、ここの地域はクロアチア、セルビアそしてボスニアがそれぞれカトリック（いわゆる西洋）、セルビア正教（旧ソ連寄り）とイスラムが隣り合っていて、ちょうどアメリカ、ソ連そしてイスラムのパワーゲームの舞台にされたと考えられているようです。これらのいわゆるGrate Powerが介入しなければ、何も問題はなかったのでは、という見方をする人もクロアチアにはいます。
じゃぁ、どうして戦争なんて起こったんだろう？と疑問に思って聞いてみると、これは諸説あるらしいのですが、クロアチアとセルビアのトップの間で計画された戦争だった、という人もいます。もちろん、フロントラインとなったVukovarなどのセルビア国境に近い地域に住む人は違った意見をもっていると思いますが・・・。クロアチアとセルビア間の緊張状態は、戦争が始まる2年くらい前に「故意に」作り出されたもの、という意見もあります。ここら辺の話、現地の人に聞いてみるととても興味深いことが分かってきます。でも、いきなり知らない人に戦争の話を聞くのは避けた方がいいでしょう。お酒を飲みかわしてちょっと友達になってから、「聞いてもいい？」と様子をうかがってからのほうが安全。やっぱりデリケートな問題だから。 戦争なんて言ったら、きっとクロアチア全体が悲惨な 状況だったんだろう、なんて私は思っていました。なので、旦那からそんなことはなくて、普通に学校に行って、普通にスーパーで買い物して、夏には海岸沿いの町でバカンスを楽しんでいた、と聞いてものすごく拍子抜けしたのを覚えています。なんせ、初めて旦那に会ったとき、あまりのひょろ～んと長細い体系に「きっと戦争で栄養不足だったのね」なんて勝手に思い込んでたので・・・。でも戦争を体験しているせいか、クロアチアの人はものすごく他人に対して優しいです。なんというか、連帯感とか助け合いの精神が強い感じ。一方で、権力というものにものすごく懐疑的な部分もあるのだけれど。
カルロヴァッツの戦争博物館に展示してある戦車なんかは実際に触ることができます。廃墟になった建物も自由に見て回れます。今ではヨーロッパでの有数の観光地になって、たくさんの人でにぎわうクロアチア。日本から見たら、旧東側、旧共産国で貧しいんじゃないか、なんて先入観を見事に裏切るくらいに豊かで平和な国クロアチア。カルロヴァッツでこの国のつらい歴史に触れて、平和であることのありがたさを改めて考えさせられました。
I had a day trip to Plitvice on 19 February 2012, which I thought was the last chance to see the Plitvice in snow. Generally, the area around Plitvice in winter is extremely cold (like -15 degrees at daytime!) and very very windy (like 36 km/h). But, the forecast said that it would be +3 degrees and no strong wind on that day, so we decided to visit there.
On the way to the Plitvice, we stopped at the museum of the Homeland War in Karlovac and Rastoke village. Karlovac is famous for the Croatian local bear, Karlovačko :) Anyway, I have passed this museum a couple of times when I travelled to the Plitvice, Split and Zadar, but had never stopped to see it.
This is an open museum where many tanks, anti-aircraft artilleries, ruins and so on are displayed. All of the tanks, the anti-aircraft artilleries, the aircraft, the combat aircraft and so on were actually used during the homeland war.
In Zagreb, I really don't feel the shadow of the homeland war. I mean, it's very peaceful so that I almost forget that the war was fought 20 years ago. But, when I reached Karlovac, I saw many houses on which bullet holes remain there. These houses told me that the war was fought here fiercely. In fact, Karlovac was a front-line at which the progress of the Serbian Army was stopped before reaching Zagreb. Most of the war during the Homeland War was fought at the area (such as Vukovar) near Serbia, around Knin near Bosnia, Karlovac and Sisak. So, Zagreb itself managed to escape from being massively damaged. I've asked my husband about the war and heard so many stories I've never heard of that had never been told outside this area. But, his opinion is just one, and I wouldn't generalise his story. Still, we often heard that Balkan, including Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, was the "Power Keg of Europe" for a long time, because this area holds three different religions and various ethnicities. But, I've heard that there wasn't such tension exist among people in the former Yugoslavia as had been perceived by people outside this area, although there were a few super nationalists and right-wing organisations existed. Some people say that people did have a good relationship under the rule of Tito in the former Yugoslavia and no one cares where the others come from and which ethnicity the others belong to. Maybe, because this area is a meeting point of three different religions, the Catholic, the Serbian Orthodox Church and Islam, it could be a ground of power game between the Western countries led by the US (backing Croatia), the former Soviet Union (backing Serbia) and Islamic forces (allying with Bosnia).
So, if there wasn't any tension among different ethnicities in the former Yugoslavia, how come the Homeland War had been fought? Well, I guess people who live near the border with Serbia would say there was the tension, though... I mean, I think depending on areas, people would have different opinions and views on this, for sure. But, I've heard that the tension between Croatia and Serbia was intentionally created about a few years before the war was broke out. Well, when you ask about war, you would learn many interesting stories from them. However, this is very delicate issue to discuss, so don't ask someone whom you don't know. Be friends with local people over a couple of alcohol and ask them if it is OK to ask about the war, if you want.
Anyway, I imagined that Croatia as a whole was in a desperate situation. So, when my husband told me that his family has a normal life during the war - going to school, going to shopping at a supermarket, and going to a coastal town for summer vacation, I was sooooo surprised! He told me that because the front-line didn't move much, it was safe to travel around if they avoided the area near the front-line. Maybe because people in Croatia had experienced the war, I felt like that the Croats are generally very kind people (although I can tell that they were surprised to see Asian, as it seems like very rare to see... :) ). I mean, I think there is solidarity among people and they like to help each other a lot.
Well, Croatia today is very peaceful country, which now became one of the most popular holiday destinations in Europe and for Japanese. This small museum in Karlovac tells us a bit about the Homeland War and the sad history of Croatia. And this makes me appreciate peace a lot.
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