Dear visitors,

We would like to inform you that access to the Park of Military History Pivka will be difficult due to a partial road closure on Saturday, September 28, and a full road closure on Sunday, September 29.

Due to roadworks, a temporary traffic arrangement will be set up on the state road G1-6/339 Pivka–Ribnica from km 1.700 to km 2.000.

A partial road closure will be in place on Saturday, September 28, 2024, from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Traffic will alternate one way with the help of traffic-dependent traffic lights.

A full road closure will be in place on Sunday, September 29, 2024, from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Access to the Park will be possible either via the detour Pivka–Šembije–Ilirska Bistrica (state road R2 404) or via the route from the highway exit at Divača–Vremska dolina–Ribnica–Park of Military History (visitors are advised to choose state road 405 instead of 622).

The Park of Military History will be open in October from Monday to Friday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and on Saturdays and Sundays between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

A prior reservation is required to visit the interior of the submarine and try out the flight simulator with MiG-21 aircraft, which is an additional museum offering. You can make a reservation by calling +386 (0)31 775 002 or emailing [email protected].

The Park of Military History also offers a motorhome stopover with eight parking spaces and well-maintained infrastructure. If you stay overnight, two people can visit the museum collections and exhibitions free of charge.

 

Franc Primožič (born 9 August 1924) was conscripted into the German army in 1942 and sent to the Eastern Front, from where he escaped to join the Soviet partisans. In 1944, he joined the 2nd Tank Brigade of the Yugoslav Partisans (NOVJ) and received training as a tank operator in the Soviet Union. Initially, he became a driver and later the commander of a T-34 tank. He participated in the breakthrough of the Srem Front and several other battles, during which his tank survived two direct hits from German anti-tank weapons. After the war, he was required to complete his military service in the Yugoslav Army and was only demobilised at the end of 1947. Considering that he spent a full three years in and around the T-34 tank, as part of the celebration of his 100th birthday, we took him for a ride in a museum example of this legendary tank at the Park of Military History.

The vibrant centenarian from Kamnik has experienced an incredible life journey, starting with his childhood when, as a pre-war refugee from the Primorska region, he relocated from Gorizia to Kamnik, to his conscription into the German army at the outbreak of the Second World War, desertion to the Soviet partisans on the Eastern Front, and subsequent service in the Yugoslav army as a tank operator. In his poignant testimony, he also touched upon the difficult post-war period, which he personally endured as a former member of the Hitler Youth and a former Soviet soldier. Despite the violent experiences of fascism, Nazism, and the post-war regime, and the numerous trials he faced as a living witness to history, Franc Primožič never lost his optimism or zest for life. Exactly one year ago, he shared his life story in the Atmosferci podcast.

On the occasion of his 100th birthday, Franc Primožič was awarded honorary membership of the Friends of the Park of Military History Association in recognition of his great support for the Park of Military History. Franc Primožič is a living witness to the historical events of an entire century, and through his testimonies, he continually reminds us of the importance of striving for peace in the world. You can read more about Franc Primožič’s centenary in the article on 24ur.com.

The Warsaw Rising of 1944 represents one of the most tragic, yet also one of the most heroic periods in the history of the Polish nation. At the end of July 1944, the Polish government in exile decided to initiate a military operation Home Army (Armia Krajowa) with the objective of liberating the Polish capital, Warsaw. The aim was to outflank the advancing Red Army and thus establish the conditions for an independent and sovereign Polish state after the end of the war. The uprising began on 1 August 1944 and was expected to last only a few days. However, Stalin ordered a halt to the Red Army’s penetration of the Vistula River, thus forcing the insurgents, after initial military successes, to fight the Germans alone.

The Warsaw Uprising lasted 63 days and its outcome was appalling. Over 15,000 Home Army soldiers were fallen, and the Germans also killed more than 180,000 inhabitants of Warsaw and deported or imprisoned more than half a million in concentration camps. Many buildings in the city centre had already been destroyed in the fighting, but the Germans nevertheless demolished much of the city in the following weeks in a planned demolition campaign.

Despite the considerable human and material costs, the Warsaw Rising continues to be a symbol of Polish resistance to foreign domination and a testament to the desire for freedom, democracy, and sovereignty for the Polish state among Poles even after 80 years.

At the suggestion of the Polish Embassy in Slovenia, a museum exhibition organised by the Warsaw Rising Museum was set up in the Park of Military History to commemorate the 80^th anniversary of the Warsaw Rising. The exhibition was opened on Saturday, 15 June, as the main event of this year’s Summer Museum Night at the Park of Military History.  

The exhibition was opened by the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland in Slovenia, His Excellency Krzysztof Olendzki. In his opening address, he stressed that the message of the Warsaw Rising is still relevant today and expressed his pride that the exhibition will be hosted at the Park of Military History to preserve the memory of this tragic period in Polish history and to present it to the Slovenian public.

The need to raise awareness about the significance of the Warsaw Rising was also pointed out by the Director of the Park of Military History, M.A., “Why, after 80 years, should we remember one of the most tragic and shocking chapters of Polish history? A chapter full of endless suffering, streams of blood of Home Army soldiers and the blood and tears of wives, children, the elderly… A chapter full of the ruins of a demolished city and the smoke of burnt corpses. But the Warsaw Rising was more than that. It was a true outburst of heroism, of love of country, of love of freedom, of commitment to democracy. That is why I am delighted and can hardly contain the Park of Military History team’s pride of the fact that we are able to host this exhibition. Its opening marked this year’s Summer Museum Night, and the installation will enrich the entire season for our museum.”

Dr Karol Mazur, Head of the Education Department of the Warsaw Rising Museum, attended the opening of the exhibition and guided the guests of honour and the first group of visitors through the exhibition.

The exhibition will be on display at the Park of Military History until October. It is accompanied by two films, a short film “City of Ruins” (duration: 6 minutes), which is screened daily, and a unique reconstructed documentary “Warsaw Rising”, directed by J. Komasa (duration: 83 min), which will be screened every Saturday and Sunday.

The Park of Military History will be open every day from 9 AM to 6 PM in July and August.

For a tour of the submarine`s interior and a flight simulation experience with the MiG-21 aircraft as an additional museum offer, a prior reservation is required. Please book your slot by calling +386 (0)31 775 002 or via email at [email protected].