Tito’s yacht Galeb, which used to be a place where great geopolitical decisions were made and a ship that hosted glamorous stars of 20th century, will continue the new chapter in its history as a museum.
Galeb was the Yugoslav icon of communist president, and Elizabeth Taylor, Sophie Loren and numerous state officials and leaders visited this great ship. After Tito’s death back in 1980, his yacht was left to perish. Now, the city of Rijeka purchased it and they are planning to turn the ship into the star of marking the European capital city of culture in 2020.
“A ship with such a history can be a great attraction,” stated the Mayor of Rijeka, Vojko Obersnel.
The ship was built back in 1938 in Genoa, Italy, and it was originally called “Ramb III”. It served for the transportation of bananas from Africa. It was hit by a torpedo in World War II, and then the German forces seized it and turned it into a minelayer. The ship was sinked by allied forces in a bomb attack on Rijeka back in 1944.
The 117 meters long ship was brought on the surface and after the war, it officially became Tito’s yacht. It was also known as the Peace Boat and it attracted global attention back in 1953 when Tito sailed to London to meet Winston Churchill, which was the first visit of the head of a communist state to Britain.
Galeb also played an important role in the Non-Aligned Movement, which was established by Tito and the leaders of India, Indonesia, Ghana and Egypt in response to domination of the US and Soviet Union during the Cold War.
“All furniture is original and we will try to keep it in the original condition, in order to represent the life of Tito,” said Pavec.
The city is planning to invest 40 million HRK (Around 5.4 million EUR) from EU funds for the reconstruction of “Galeb” as a floating museum.
(Source: klix.ba)
