On Wednesday, March 1st, a high delegation from the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of North Macedonia visited the Park of Military History Pivka. The delegation was led by Colonel Goran Ilioski, Director of Defense Policy at the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of North Macedonia, accompanied by military advisor in North Macedonia Primož Šavc and Colonel Mitja Miklavc from the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Slovenia.

The director Janko Boštjančič welcomed the high-level guests to the Park, and during the introductory meeting and museum tour, he presented the museum’s development path to its current scope. The  Park expressed its readiness to transfer knowledge and experience to the North Macedonian delegation to obtain European development funds and connect the local community with the Ministry of Defense.

The delegation expressed their enthusiasm for what they had seen, the development that the Military History Park has achieved over the past 17 years, and its future ambitions. In addition, Director Boštjančič once again thanked them for donating a four-barrel anti-aircraft gun Flakvierling 38, which the Republic of North Macedonia gifted to the Republic of Slovenia in 2021. The Flak was ceremoniously handed over to the museum during an official visit last October by the Minister of Defense of the Republic of North Macedonia, Slavjanka Petrovska, and the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Slovenia, Marjan Šarec.

On Tuesday, February 21, as part of a two-day official visit to the Republic of Slovenia, Admiral Rob Bauer, the Chair of the NATO Military Committee, which represents the highest military body of the organization, visited the Park of Military History Pivka. Admiral Bauer was received on Monday, February 20, by the Chief of the General Staff of the Slovenian Armed Forces, Major General Robert Glavaš, Minister of Defense Marjan Šarec, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr. Robert Golob, and the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr. Nataša Pirc Musar.

Accompanied by colleagues and representatives of the Slovenian Armed Forces, Admiral Bauer visited the Park of Military History Pivka, where he was welcomed by the Director of the Park, Mr. Janko Boštjančič, and his staff. The delegation showed a keen interest in the museum collections and exhibitions while being presented with the development of the Park to date, future plans, and excellent cooperation between the Park, the Slovenian Armed Forces, and the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Slovenia. Admiral Bauer visited the entire collection, which reflects the tumultuous military history of the 20th century, including the permanent exhibition “Road to Independence” and additional museum offerings. Of particular interest to the guests was a new small exhibition, “Lipizzaner – Living Legends,” which the Park prepared as part of a project to produce a documentary film, “The Incredible Story of the Beauties of Lipica,” and tells the story of the rescue of Lipizzaner horses at the end of World War II by General Patton. The name of the military exercise “Lipizzaner,” which the high delegation had previously seen at the Central Training Ground of the Slovenian Armed Forces in Postojna, comes from this story.

This is the second time that the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, the highest-ranking officer of the North Atlantic Alliance, has visited the Park. In 2019, the Park was visited by British Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach.

At the end of the visit, Admiral Bauer thanked his hosts for the interesting and vivid presentation of the museum collection and emphasized its importance for understanding today’s circumstances and the world in which we live.

The Park of Military History Pivka will be open until the end of February from Monday to Friday between 11:00 am and 2:00 pm and on Saturdays and Sundays between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm.

For visiting the interior of the submarine and trying out the MiG-21 or Spitfire flight simulator as an additional museum offering, prior reservation of the date and time is mandatory by calling +386 (0)31 775 002 or emailing [email protected].

Park of Military History Pivka will be open every day between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM during the winter holidays from January 28th to February 12th.

PRIOR RESERVATION IS MANDATORY for viewing the submarine’s interior and trying the flight simulators of the MiG-21 or Spitfire.

You can make a reservation at 031 775 002 or [email protected].

On Tuesday, January 10th, representatives from the Park of Military History Pivka, director  Janko Boštjančič, and curator Boštjan Kurent, conducted an online lecture for second-year students of the Lincoln International Business School at the University of Lincoln, who are taking the module for Cultural and heritage attractions management. The module is led by Professor Alessandro Pesaro, who was also the driving force behind the initial connection between the Park and the University of Lincoln.

The first fruit of the cooperation was signing a memorandum of cooperation between the PVZ and the University of Lincoln on research, museum processing, and representation of historical memory of bombing in Europe. The University intensively cooperates with the institution International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC) and recognizes in the Park a partner with whom it would professionally cover the area of Slovenia and also neighboring countries.

As part of this cooperation, the University, for the purpose of projection in the museum itself, has transferred an animation to the Park which shows the bombing by both Axis and Allied forces on a digital map of Europe during the war. This animation was publicly presented in October 2021 during the visit of the then Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Sir Tim Radford, and the Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Slovenia H.E. Tiffany Sadler.

The online lecture continues the connection between the Park and the University of Lincoln, which Professor Pesaro, Module leader for Cultural and heritage attractions management, commented on with the following words:

“In 2021, during my visit to the Park of Military History, I was delighted to see a modern, vibrant organisation with a bold vision and an impressive array of exhibits. An international partnership agreement soon followed. I’m now especially pleased to welcome Director Janko Boštjančič as guest lecturer – undergraduate students will benefit from his expertise. I hope that will lead to more opportunities for our organisations to collaborate.”

The Park of Military History Pivka will be open from Monday to Friday between 11 am and 2 pm and on Saturday and Sunday between 10 am and 4 pm in January.

For tours of the submarine’s interior and test flight on the MiG-21 or Spitfire simulator as an additional museum offering, prior reservation of the time slot by telephone at +386 (0)31 775 002 or by email at [email protected] is required.