ORF-E
German with English Subtitle
1 x 30 min
Worldwide

The bloody disintegration of socialist Yugoslavia started 30 years ago with Slovenia’s and Croatia’s declarations of independence. The war in Slovenia lasted only ten days, but the wars in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina each lasted more than three years and the number of victims, displaced people and refugees from those countries was much higher. The breakup of Yugoslavia began on its border with Austria in June 1991 – today’s border between Austria and Slovenia. The war at the border led to the biggest military deployment in the history of the Austrian Armed Forces, with around 7.700 soldiers being deployed in Styria and Carinthia between late June and mid-July 1991. Christian Wehrschütz speaks to former soldiers, from commanding officers down to people doing their national service. In Slovenia, he meets veterans and the first democratically elected government head, Lojse Peterle. In Croatia, he visits the cemetery close to the city of Vukovar where the victims of the massacre are buried. Together with the last President of the Yugoslav State Presidency Stipe Mesic and the last Yugoslav Foreign Minister Budimir Loncar, Wehrschütz reflects on the events of 30 years ago, which shocked Europe and left an indelible mark on the continent.