Nikola Tesla is “on hold” again in Croatia, despite constant media and political catch phrases about his “Croatian homeland”, which flare up every time they need Tesla for external use.
BIJELJINA, JANUARY 16 /SRNA/ – A statue of Nikola Tesla, which was mined in Gospić during the 1990s war and restored in 2006, is still in storage waiting for the politicians to agree on where to put it.
The great inventor of Serb origin, Nikola Tesla, was born in the Austrian Empire, but is often claimed as their own by the Croatian media and politicians whenever they decide it is good to praise themselves before the world by showing off a great scientist.
Then they declare Tesla a Croat, citing Croatia as his birthplace, although at the time of Tesla's birth, there was no Croatia.
Thus, the newly-elected President of Croatia, Zoran Milanović, famously mentioned Tesla as a Croat at the time he held the position of the prime minister, on the eve of Croatia's accession to the EU.
The same Tesla, for whom there is no place in Gospić for a long time, as his square was abolished and is now named after one of the Croatian “fathers of the nation”, Stjepan Radić, who also did not think anything good about Tesla's fellow Serbs.
Tesla's extended family suffered severely from the Ustashas in World War II, and many ended up in the Jasenovac camp.
Now, Rijeka would like to boast of Tesla and exhibit his restored sculpture, created by sculptor Frano Kršinić, within the year in which it will be the European Capital of Culture, as reported by the Croatian daily Večernji List.
“It would be appropriate to introduce one of the greatest scientists in the world … An excellent idea how to do it came from Rijeka-based artist Damir Čargonja Čarli, who proposes that a forgotten statue of Nikola Tesla, demolished during the war madness by a local explosive ordnance, be temporarily rented to Rijeka for this purpose,” reads the text.
A place to install the statue in Gospić has not yet been found nearly 15 years since its restoration, and the excuses are different.
Thus, Tesla is “on hold” once again in Croatia, despite constant media and political catch phrases about his “Croatian homeland”, which “flare up” every time they need Tesla for external use.
The way in which Tesla's name is traded in Croatia and how it is used to repair a dilapidated national image is best illustrated by the essence of the text in the Croatian daily.
“Regarding Rijeka, the European Capital of Culture 2020, politics and profession, Tesla is welcome. A ministry’s response is being awaited. In the event that a place for sculpture is found in Gospić soon, we are also willing to pay for its transport from Rijeka to Gospić or even from Rijeka back to Zagreb.
Finally, if there is too much Tesla in Gospić, Rijeka has opened its doors wide and permanently to it,” the text about Tesla's bust concludes.
Thus, the most famous Serb from present – day Croatia is suitable to sometimes “peek out” from basement and warehouse where his statue lies forgotten and imprisoned in order not to irritate the “patriotic eyes” of extremists /many of whom have multiplied in recent years in many parts of Croatia/.
Tesla for rent – would be the most correct and fair conclusion after reading this news from Croatia.
By: Nenad TADIĆ
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