Danube-Networkers
Interview with Dr. Ljiljana Gehrecke and Mrs. Dara Mayer
Text: Bozena Loncaric and Gerti Zupanich
Pictures: Bozena Loncaric (1,4) / Gerti Zupanich (2,3)
Destroyed bridges in Vukovar: an interview with Dr. Ljiljana Gehrecke and Mrs. Dara Mayer
Since the Croatian war for independence, the town of Vukovar has become a synonym for destruction and violence. Gerti and Bozena , on the way from Zagreb to Vukovar, had only one question occupying their mind incessantly: What can we expect to find there?
Once in Vukovar, we were admiring the view over the river Danube from our window on the fifth floor of the Hotel Dunav. Everything appeared so peaceful. There was a small excursion boat on its way to the other bank of the river, on the Serbien side. "Can one land there without problems?" asks Gerti. "We will ask Ljiljana and Dara", means Bozena. We arranged to meet both of them in a fish restaurant, directly on the Danube. (1)
"How are you doing, Dara?"
"I am just coming from the office. We have so much work and still there is a rumour that the firm might go down the drain. This would mean for me an early retirement and even a more tight budget to live on. The destiny was not fair on me. When the war broke out, my family had to flee to Germany with three kids. We could not take anything with us, only the clothes we had on. In Germany, we got very well integrated, everybody had a job. I was taking care of the old people and my daughter could finish her apprenticeship. Nevertheless, after eight years we were sent back to Croatia. In Vukovar the fighting was still going on, we found another family living in our apartment. Now we have again an apartment and we managed to halfway furnish it. When my bank closes down, I am unemployed, just like so many others."
"The life in Vukovar is very hard, there are no jobs and no perspective. My sisters and brothers could stay in Germany, but we were forced to go back."
Gerti and Bozena could very well follow up and understand what Dara meant and what she found so unfair. She shares her fate with many families in Vukovar.
Vukovar was in 1991 a dead town , buried under debris. The ruins were slowly removed, but the mental lesions and fears remained. The coexistence of ethnic groups did not seem possible. Croatian and Serbian children attended separate kindergartens and schools. The living conditions, as we could see from Dara's circumstances, were hardly improving; they actually remained , also in the year 2009, without perspective.
All the hopes of the citizens of Vukovar were directed, and still are, towards Europe. A milestone in that direction is the "Europe House". It was brought to life in 2001 with international and private, as well as official Croatian support.
We wanted to know more about the goals and tasks of the Europe House and ask Ljiljana Gehrecke:
"The most important task is to overcome the trauma ", she says. "It is not only the aftermath of war, but also everything concerning the affronts in life that has to be pronounced. This is difficult for most of the people. Not to think in black -and - white, like: the enemy is responsible for everything bad - this is really not easy. Once we can overcome this, the attitudes can change, improve, a way towards a more positive future can be marked, as well as the awareness of how important the peace for all the peoples of the world is. For somebody, who lost the entire family during the war, an enormous task."
"The task that myself and all the others in the Europe House consider as most important, is offering help for self-help. What we expect from Europe is that the integration progresses on that basis. This would give us more self-confidence and that is what we need."
We are trying to find words to thank Ljiljana and Dara, both dead tired after a long working day.
Gerti and Bozena stroll through the town. Newly constructed or renovated buildings face the ones in ruins. The citizens of Vukovar go for an evening walk, like many inhabitants of other towns. They long for normality and a perspective for future. We take a walk along the bank of the river Vuka own to the Danube estuary. At that point an impressive memorial was erected in a form of a huge cross (please see the photos).
By this Austrian-Croatian contribution , Gerti and Bozena wish to evoke Vukovar and what it represents for all those who promote understanding among ethnic groups and who strive to find a road to a more peaceful future.
(1) Gerti knows Dr. Ljiljana Gehrecke, co-founder and President of the Europehouse Vukovar, and Mrs. Dara Mayer, from a meeting in Ulm. It was a great pleasure on both sides to meet again in Vukovar.
