With the opening ceremony for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games taking place this Friday, an exhibition at the Zagreb Archaeological Museum on the history and meaning of the event could not be better timed.
Through various artefacts, including trophies, statues, posters and medals, the curators guide visitors through the history of the Olympics in both its ancient and modern forms. Taking its title from the Olympic motto Citius, Altius, Fortius – Communiter ('Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together'), it also places great emphasis on the symbolic meaning of the event, exploring the idea that sport could help to establish an altruistic society and peace among nations was one of the core principles of ‘Olympism’.
In the description for the show, the curators say that. “In the spirit of the saying mens sana in corpore sano ('A healthy mind in a healthy body'), to those who need inspiration, the exhibition offers a journey through history and highlights the enduring value of sport as a means of personal and social development”.
The exhibition runs until October 31.
Where: Archaeological Museum in Zagreb, Zrinjevac 19
When: Tue-Sat 10am-6pm
Admission: €5