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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The City of Alexandria will host a free exhibition of Croatian postage stamps at the Torpedo Factory Art Center next month, offering residents a window into the history, art and national identity of a country that will soon make the city its home base for the world's biggest sporting event.
"Discover Croatia: A Journey Through Tiny Windows of History" runs May 6 through 10 at the Torpedo Factory, 105 N. Union St. Admission is free, and the gallery will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
The collection spans more than 35 years of independent Croatian postal history and is presented through a partnership between the Croatian Post and the country's Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. Visitors will see stamps marking the 1,100th anniversary of the Kingdom of Croatia and the 900th anniversary of the Baška Tablet, one of the earliest known monuments written in the Croatian language.
The exhibit also features stamps honoring notable Croatians, including the late historian and former president Franjo Tuđman and soccer star Luka Modrić. Other designs spotlight Croatian innovations such as the torpedo — a fitting nod to the exhibit's venue — and the cravat, the neckwear named after the Croats who wore it. Stamps depicting the Adriatic coast, Mediterranean ships and the Shrine of Marija Bistrica round out the collection.
The show arrives at a moment when Alexandria's ties to Croatia are about to grow far beyond philately. The Croatian Football Federation has selected the city as the official base camp for its men's national team, the Vatreni, during the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer. The team will lodge at Hotel AKA Alexandria and train at Episcopal High School while competing in the tournament across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Croatia, a finalist at the 2018 World Cup and a semifinalist in 2022, chose Alexandria from a field of more than 60 candidate sites, citing the quality of the training facilities, the proximity to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and the city's geographic position relative to its group-stage matches.
For now, residents can get an early introduction to their summer guests one stamp at a time.
Ryan Belmore
Ryan Belmore
