On November 13th, the Park of Military History was visited by the Ambassador of the United States of America to Slovenia, Her Excellency Jamie Lindler Harpootlian, accompanied by the U.S. military attaché, Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Mayede, and the Deputy Public Affairs Officer, Jeremy Jewett.

The delegation was welcomed by the director of the Park, Mr. Janko Boštjančič. He provided a brief overview of the Parks establishment process as a modern museum center and outlined plans and vision for further development. Particular emphasis was placed on presenting the longstanding and rich connections between the U.S. Embassy and the Park of Military History.

The ambassador summarized her impressions during the visit in the Guest Book of Honorary Guests, expressing commendations to the Park of Military History for successfully presenting important chapters from our shared history. She also praised the noble mission of reminding everyone of the merits of all those who served courageously during the war.

The Park of Military History will be open in November from Monday to Friday between 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM and Saturday and Sunday between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM.

Prior reservation of a time slot is mandatory for a tour of the submarine interior and a test flight on the flight simulator with MiG-21 or Spitfire aircraft as an additional museum offering. You can make a reservation by calling +386 (0)31 775 002 or emailing [email protected].

You are invited to the screening of the documentary-animated film by the band Sabaton at the Park of Military History Pivka!

The Swedish band Sabaton presents the film “The War To End All Wars” – an animated musical and historical adventure that includes songs from their tenth studio album and vividly tells the stories of World War I.

Join us for this global museum projection event at the Park of Military History Pivka.

PREMIERE:

The film premiere will occur on Saturday, November 4th, at 5:00 PM among the museum exhibits at the Park.

Prior reservation is mandatory to attend the film premiere and can be made via email at [email protected] or by calling +386 31 775 002. Tickets can also be purchased on the day of the event according to the valid price list for visiting the Military History Park (2023 price list for the Military History Park).

Participants can explore the museum collections and exhibitions before the event.

For those attending only the film premiere, there will be a 50% discount on the ticket price due to limited museum access.

Hurry and make your reservation, as seating is limited.

FILM SCREENING:

We will screen the film for our visitors from November 5th to 19th, 2023. The showtimes will be Monday to Friday at 12:00 PM and on Saturdays and Sundays at 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM.

The film will be translated into the Slovenian language and is suitable for older teenagers and adults.

ABOUT THE SABATON BAND:

Sabaton, a five-member power metal band, was founded in 1999 in Falun, Sweden. They are internationally renowned for their fact-based historical music. The band takes pride in narrating history from a non-political and unbiased perspective.

The Park of Military History will be open in October from Monday to Friday between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM, and on Saturday and Sunday between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM.

Prior reservation of a time slot is mandatory for a tour inside the submarine and a flight simulator experience with MiG-21 or Spitfire aircraft as an additional museum offer. You can make a reservation by calling +386 (0)31 775 002 or by emailing [email protected].

The Park of Military History also has a campervan parking area with eight parking spaces and well-equipped facilities. 

Over the weekend, the Park of Military History was abuzz with a diverse array of museum-related activities. The team of the Park collaborated with the Slovenian Armed Forces, the Slovenian Police, Atmosferci, and partner museums – the Military Museum of the Slovenian Armed Forces, the Idrija Municipal Museum, the Museum of Contemporary History of Slovenia, the Technical Museum of Slovenia, the National Museum of Slovenia, and the Notranjska Museum Postojna – to organize ZgodoVikend, a multi-day museum event arranged to encourage intensive exploration and experience of history.

To kick off ZgodoVikend, the museum complex hosted the traditional Vestirnga 2023 on Friday. During the festive event, the Postojna Defense Administration welcomed the military conscripts of the 2005 generation. On this occasion, they arrived in elaborately decorated draft wagons, reminiscent of generations from the past.

Saturday’s events were significantly marked by the Open Day at the Stanislav Požar Barracks in Pivka, which, primarily due to tank rides, attracts a substantial number of visitors from both near and far each year. The day was also filled with activities in the Park, such as the guided hike to the underground fortifications at Primož that was organized in the morning. Throughout the day, guided tours of the museum exhibitions took place. The pinnacle of Saturday’s activities, however, was the unveiling of the new exhibition by the Military Museum of the Slovenian Armed Forces, titled “Faster, Higher, Stronger! Elite Sports in the Slovenian Army.” The exhibition, curated by Senior Curator Rok Filipčič of the Military Museum of the Slovene Armed Forces, was ceremoniously opened to the public by Slovenian Olympic champion in shooting sports and retired member of the Slovenian Armed Forces Sports Unit, Rajmond Debevec.

ZgodoVikend concluded in grand style on Sunday with various engaging activities presented by the participating partners that enriched the museum experience. As part of the central program, the Slovenian Armed Forces and the Slovenian Police were presented to the visitors. In addition to the static display of their equipment, the participating units also prepared dynamic demonstrations of field operations. The Air Police Unit and the Mountain Police Unit staged an exercise involving the rescue of an injured person with a helicopter, while the Specialized Military Police Unit, in collaboration with the 15th Regiment of Military Aviation, simulated a helicopter counter-terrorism operation. Enthusiasts of military-technical heritage were particularly captivated by the dynamic demonstrations on the training ground, featuring driving displays of fully functional armoured vehicles from the vehicle collections of the Military Museum of the Slovenian Armed Forces and the Park of Military History. This year’s ZgodoVikend also gained prominence thanks to the participation of Atmosferci, a renowned trio of online content creators who produce one of the most successful podcasts in the country. On this occasion, they conducted interviews with two men previously featured on their most-watched podcasts on the topic of military history and technology. The event was further enriched with a diverse supporting program, including gatherings of vintage cars, guided tours through museum collections and exhibitions, a mini book fair specializing in military history literature, a militaria fair, workshops for children, and various other captivating attractions.

During ZgodoVikend, a new exhibition about Admiral Horatio Nelson, one of the most renowned naval commanders of all time, was presented to the broader public for the first time. The exhibition was initiated and assisted by The Nelson Society from the United Kingdom. It was initially unveiled in early September at Hotel Slon in Ljubljana, coinciding with the unveiling of a commemorative plaque marking the illustrious admiral’s stay in August 1800. The exhibition is accompanied by a documentary film titled “Horatio Nelson: Britain’s Greatest Admiral,” produced by The People Profiles.

During ZgodoVikend, visitors could once again view the IAR-93 Vultur/Orel aircraft, which had been temporarily absent from public display for several months due to refurbishment. The aircraft arrived at the Park from Romania nine years ago and required extensive restoration after being exposed to the elements. The exhibit was meticulously restored by the Military Museum of the Slovenian Armed Forces.

ZgodoVikend, which has taken on a new identity following the former Military History Festival, drew more than 4,000 visitors to Pivka this past weekend. The Sunday festivities were attended by the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia, Boštjan Poklukar, and the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia, Marjan Šarec. Visitors departed from the Park contented, basking in the abundance of sunshine and the company of roaring armoured vehicles, along with the low-flying helicopters. They returned home enriched with a plethora of new museum experiences.

On September 21st, members of the engineering unit of the Czech Republic Army, accompanied by their hosts from the Slovenian Armed Forces, visited the Park of Military History. A group of Czech military engineers arrived in Slovenia ten days ago as part of international military assistance and have contributed significantly to the efforts to mitigate the consequences of the August floods in the most affected areas. In collaboration with the Slovenian Armed Forces, the unit members played a crucial role in setting up three modular bridges in Mežica, which greatly improved the transportation infrastructure in the municipality upon their completion.

After this demanding engineering project, the Slovenian Armed Forces organized a final excursion to show their appreciation for the Czech soldiers’ hard work and dedication. The central stop of this excursion was at the Park of Military History. Under experts’ guidance, the group explored all the current museum collections and exhibitions. They were particularly interested in presenting the story of Slovenia’s path to independence as part of the main museum exhibition titled “The Road to Independence.” The submarine P-913 Zeta also drew a lot of excitement, and the group had the opportunity to explore it from the inside.

The visit concluded with congratulations to the Park of Military History for its successful work preserving and presenting a rich collection of military-technical heritage and providing an accurate portrayal of military history. The park is delighted and proud to have hosted the Czech Army unit, which played a crucial role in mitigating the catastrophic consequences of the floods. The Park leadership also sincerely thanked the participating Czech soldiers for their contribution.