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].

On Monday, May 13th, a group of vintage Willys enthusiasts from the Netherlands visited the Park of Military History in Pivka as part of the traditional Nekaf Cup. This annual event is organized by collectors and owners of the famous M38A1 “Nekaf” jeeps, which were manufactured between 1955 and 1962. The event takes place in collaboration with various museums and the Dutch military. Each year, participants drive through off-road tracks, country lanes, and scenic landscapes, where they also camp overnight. The organization of this year’s route through Slovenia was largely undertaken by the Deputy Dutch Ambassador to Slovenia, Mr. Derk Jan Nauta, himself an enthusiastic owner of a Nekaf vintage vehicle.

This year’s cup took place between May 9th and 18th, starting the journey early in the morning in Klaarenbeek, Netherlands, where participants set off with six vintage cars. On Saturday, the group arrived at the Slovenian-Austrian border and stayed overnight in Bohinjska Bistrica, enjoying the view of Lake Bled. The next day, they traveled by car train to Most na Soči and then to Kobarid. The route took them through side roads, where on Sunday, May 12th, they stayed overnight at Camp Plana before heading to the Park the next day. The group was welcomed and greeted by the director, Mr. Janko Boštjančič, followed by a tour of the Park of Military History, where participants explored the museum collections and exhibitions in detail, tried out the museum canteen, and concluded with a visit to the former fortification of the Alpine Wall at Primož.

The group then continued their journey to Javorniki and beyond, concluding their trip on May 18th, and then safely returned home.

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

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

At the Park of Military History yesterday, May 30th, a brief ceremony was held to mark the tenth anniversary of the arrival of the IAR-93 Vultur aircraft, which enriched the museum’s collection in Pivka in 2014.

The Vultur aircraft was designed in the mid-1970s as part of the YUROM project, a collaboration between Yugoslavia and Romania. The Yugoslav Air Force had already decided in the late 1960s to develop a new attack aircraft with high subsonic speeds that could also achieve supersonic speeds under special conditions. Due to high costs, they considered partnering with an external party, and Romania emerged as an ideal partner as it was reviving its military aviation industry at the time. The result of the Yugoslav-Romanian cooperation was a high-wing, twin-engine attack aircraft of metal construction, named the Soko J-22 Orao in Yugoslavia and the IAR-93 Vultur in Romania. Together, the two countries produced over 200 units of the aircraft in various versions, with Romania phasing out the Vultur aircraft at the turn of the millennium and beginning their dismantling.

The initiative to donate one of the few remaining examples of the Romanian version of the aircraft to Slovenia came more than a decade ago from the Association of Military Pilots of All Generations and Friends of Military Aviation and the Slovenian-Romanian Business Club Triglav-Carpați. On the Slovenian side, the Military Museum of the Slovenian Armed Forces and the Park of Military History actively participated in the project, with the Municipality of Pivka covering the renovation costs, and the transport company CEM-TIR donating the transport of the exhibit.

The IAR-93 Vultur 206 aircraft indirectly represents a part of Slovenian aviation history, but its arrival significantly enriched the museum’s aviation collection. This valuable museum exhibit is also an important testament to the excellent relations between Romania and the Republic of Slovenia and their good cooperation in economic, cultural, and defense fields. In preparation for the tenth anniversary of its arrival in the Republic of Slovenia, the aircraft was restored by the Military Museum of the Slovenian Armed Forces.

The ceremony was attended by a high Romanian delegation led by the Chief of the Romanian Air Force, Major General Leonard-Gabriel Baraboi, and the Romanian Ambassador, His Excellency Alexandru Grădinar. The gathered attendees were also addressed by retired Romanian General Iosif Rus, who played a crucial role in the donation ten years ago. The Slovenian Armed Forces were represented at the ceremony by Brigadier Boštjan Baš, and the Ministry of Defense by the Director of the Directorate for Military Heritage, Mag. Matjaž Ravbar. The ceremony, attended by several ambassadors and other representatives of allied countries, also featured video messages from the defense ministers of both countries, Marjan Šarec and Angel Tîlvăr.

The ceremony also emphasized the celebration of the 20th anniversary of Romania and Slovenia joining NATO, elevating their cooperation from a partnership between two friendly countries to that of allied nations.

This year, the Park of Military History will once again host the International Festival of
Miniatures “the World in Miniature” organized by the Society Svet v malem, which will
be attended by a few hundred modelers from various countries, who are going to
compete for the best miniature in multiple categories. The exhibited intricate
miniatures of military vehicles, vessels and static displays will significantly
complement the museum’s display of military technical heritage on that day. During
the festival, a workshop on model making and a model flea market will also be
organised.

Saturday, 25 May 2024
10:00–17:00 plastic model making competition
10:00–17:00 exhibition of plastic models
10:00–17:00 presentation of the association the world in miniature
10:00–17:00 workshop on model making for visitors
10:00–17:00 scale model flea market
14.00 guided tour of the exhibition “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and
their spears into pruning hooks (Isaiah 2:4)”
15.00 guided tour of the exhibition “Enigma”

VISITORS INFORMATION:
The organizer reserves the right to make changes to the event program.

ENTRANCE FEE:
The entrance fee is calculated according to the valid price list.

GUIDED TOURS OF THE SUBMARINE P-913 ZETA AND FLIGHT SIMULATORS
MiG-21 and Spitfire

To see the submarine’s interior, reservations are required at +386 31 775 002 or
at [email protected].

PARKING on Saturday, 25 May 2024
Visitors are welcome to come to Pivka by train. For those who will come by car, free
parking will be organised at the designated parking spots. Free transportation will be
provided from the designated parking spots to the museum from 10 am to 5 pm.
The visitors are advised to arrive in Pivka on time.