In Dubrovnik, compelling pictures of the war that tore apart Yugoslavia

If you’re in heading to Dubrovnik this summer, you might want to check out a cool museum that is often left off the usual tourist itinerary. It’s called War Photo Limited.

It’s a small space, located just a block up a small street that is off Dubrovnik’s main pedestrian thoroughfare. Sleek and modern, it’s full of creaky wood floors and exposed beams. But it is usually what is on display that makes a visit worthwhile.

This museum is dedicated to the work of the war photographer. Founded a few years ago by New Zealand photojournalist Wade Goddard, it’s only open half the year — May to October — and features usually two major exhibits. Past exhibits have focused on Iraq, Lebanon and the Muslim world. In a few months, one about child soldiers in Africa will arrive.

But if you’re lucky enough to be in Dubrovnik some time soon, the current exhibit is certainly appropriate. More than three dozen photographs from the Newsweek photographer Ron Haviv put you in direct contact with the images of the Yugoslav war from 1991-1995. “Blood and Honey: War in the former Yugoslavia” is on until July 29th, and it’s amazing. While some of the images of cruelty and hate are tough to see, they go beyond what usually pops up in magazines. Most feature people trying to live their lives through a brutal war that for such a long time no one in the world cared about and people still don’t understand. Haviv has won numerous awards for his coverage of the war, where he distinguished himself by staying on the ground longer and getting close than any other photographer covering the conflict. Check out a sample of Haviv’ photographs on display here.

Dubrovnik is an apt place for such an exhibit, especially since the official museum that focuses on the Yugoslav war and the Siege of Dubrovnik is inexplicably closed at the moment.

This beautiful city was shelled for seven months from the rocky mountaintops above by Serb forces (specifically, Montenegrin forces from the city of Niksic, which is why today a car bearing a Niksic license plate is seldom welcome in the city). In 1992, Croat forces liberated Dubrovnik. Remarkably, though sustaining heavy fire, the shelling did not reduce it to the kind of rubble you saw in places like Mostar, in Bosnia, or Vukovar, in Croatia. Reminders of the fighting are tough to find these days.

The museum’s address is: Antuninska 6 in Old Town and is open 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. every day of the week.