Rijeka City Museum have received the first 38 pieces of restored furniture from The Galeb yacht. The Galeb, which is permanently moored in the city of Rijeka, was the private yacht of former Yugoslav leader Tito. The yacht was used for many official state visits and held an interior which was befitting for such use.
Tito, dignitaries and guests aboard The Galeb, photo courtesy Museum of Yugoslavia, Belgrade
Many famous Heads of State were guests of Tito on the yacht during the Cold War era, including Indian Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, President of Egypt Gamal Abdel Nasser, Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie, Indonesian president Sukarno, president of Ghana Kwame Nkrumah, Soviet leaders Leonid Brezhnev and Nikita Khrushchev and others.
The interior design of the ship was done by Zorko Lah, a former employee of the Rijeka Central Design Bureau, his task being to provide passengers with comfort and ease of use within areas used for accommodation, protocol obligations and everyday life. His design was elegant, un-showy, modern for the period and functional. The furniture, though not ornate, was made from high-grade materials and made with high-quality craftsmanship.
Zorko Lah
The furniture will go on show at the Rijeka City Museum, its restoration part of the long process of renovation of The Galeb, which will reopen as a museum, hostel and events space.