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.

Twenty years ago, on May 9, 2004, just a few days after the Republic of Slovenia joined the European Union, on the Day of Europe and the municipal day of Pivka, the idea was born to convert abandoned, decaying barracks on the outskirts of Pivka into a military museum. The bold idea had little chance of realization. Still, the Municipality of Pivka recognized it as a developmental opportunity, the Ministry of Defense assessed the project as feasible, a dedicated team embarked on the work, and European cohesion funds opened unforeseen possibilities… Designers got to work, construction machinery buzzed, and the Military Museum of the Slovenian Armed Forces began the restoration of its first exhibits.

From its modest beginnings at its opening in 2006 to the present day, the Park of Military History has developed into the largest museum complex in the country and one of the most visited museums in the state. With its registration in the museum register at the Ministry of Culture in 2019 and obtaining authorization to perform state public museum services in 2022, its role in presenting military movable and intangible cultural heritage was also confirmed at the national level.

In commemoration of the twentieth anniversary, which marked the inception of such a daring project, a museum monument with a photographic exhibition depicting the development of the museum complex was erected in the Park of Military History.

The exhibition, titled “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks (Isaiah 2:4),” visually presents the rich history of the former barracks on the outskirts of Pivka from its construction in the 1930s to its gradual decline after Slovenian independence. A series of photographs in the second thematic section highlights key milestones in the story of the Park of Military History, whose establishment architecturally preserved the impressive barracks complex from final decay. The exhibition’s author is the director of the Park, Mag. Janko Boštjančič. The construction and exhibition were designed by Barbara Sirk and Žiga Okorn from the company Uvid.si, and executed by the companies Maher and O.K.V I R.

On May 8th, at a brief ceremony in the Park of Military History, Minister for Cohesion and Regional Development Dr. Aleksander Jevšek unveiled a museum monument with a photographic exhibition. In light of the twentieth anniversary of Slovenia’s accession to the European Union, the Park of Military History, as highlighted, represents a success story due to the recognition of new development perspectives and successful utilization of European funds while also supporting the state policy of decentralization and coherent regional development. The director of the Park, Mag. Janko Boštjančič summarized the museum’s mission and the exhibition’s message with the words: “For the name of the exhibition and indeed the entire commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Park’s idea, we chose a biblical quote: ‘They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.’ Isaiah’s prophecy from 2,750 years ago seemed highly appropriate to us, as it eloquently encapsulates what we are doing here, transforming weapons intended for destruction and killing into developmental and touristic potential. In a time when swords and spears are being forged with full force around the world again, this message is even more important. We have inscribed Isaiah’s words into metal so that they can testify to future generations of our firm belief that a better world is possible and that peace and justice will ultimately prevail among nations.”

The opening of the exhibition was followed by a panel discussion with the creators of the idea from twenty years ago and key actors in the rapid and successful development of the Park of Military History. Memories of the unwavering enthusiasm of the responsible individuals at that time and the challenging formal-legal path to the establishment of the Park were presented by the former commander of the Pivka barracks, Major General Roman Urbanč, who is now the representative of the Republic of Slovenia to the EU and NATO, Mayor of the Municipality of Pivka Robert Smrdelj, and the director of the Park, Mag. Janko Boštjančič, emphasizing the exemplary cooperation between the local community and the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Slovenia or the Slovenian Armed Forces. The discussion, moderated by Marjana Grčman, also involved Colonel Marko Hlastec, the Chief of the Military Museum of the Slovenian Armed Forces, Dr. Jedrt Vodopivec, conservator, Sandi Curk, the commander of the regional Civil Protection Headquarters for Notranjska, as well as representatives of the Walk of Peace Foundation in the Soča Valley, Škocjan Caves Park, and the Regional Development Agency Green Karst as long-standing partners of the Park of Military History. In addition to sincere congratulations to the Park of Military History, they emphasized its important role in today’s world and its contribution to the development of the museum profession and the tourist recognition of the region and the wider area.

The Park of Military History received two precious historical artifacts with a brief ceremony on May 5th. These include a sword presented to the Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe from 1994 to 1998, General Sir Jeremy Mackenzie, in gratitude for his assistance to the Slovenian Army in approaching the NATO alliance. The sword was gifted by the Chief of the General Staff of the Slovenian Army, Major General Albin Gutman. Additionally, the park received a regimental kilt of the British Army in the ‘Mackenzie’ tartan pattern, originally worn by the Seaforth Highlanders and later by the Queen’s Own Highlanders. The sword was presented to the Park of Military History for museum purposes on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the NATO alliance and the 20th anniversary of Slovenia’s accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization by Dr. Aleš Musar, the husband of the President of the Republic of Slovenia. Dr. Musar acquired the sword some time ago and decided to donate it to the Military History Park, while the kilt was gifted to the Park by the British Embassy on the double anniversary of the NATO alliance. The event, attended by donors Dr. Aleš Musar and Her Excellency Tiffany Sadler, the British Ambassador to Slovenia, also saw the presence of the Mayor of the Municipality of Pivka, Robert Smrdelj, an advisor in the cabinet of the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Slovenia, and the President of the Association of Slovenian Officers, Major General Dobran Božič, as well as the British Defense Attaché, Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Day. Adding a Scottish touch to the ceremony, musician Byron Stirton from the Scottish Royal Fourth Battalion military orchestra performed on bagpipes.

In the late afternoon, a memorial ceremony followed the anniversary of the crash of the Spitfire MH980 airplane near the village of Suhorje in the Brkini region. These days mark the 79th anniversary since the British Spitfire MH980 aircraft tragically crashed near the village of Suhorje, on the edge of the Brkini region. This incident resulted in the untimely loss of the life of a young pilot, Sergeant Edmund Ramsbotham of the British Royal Air Force, just before the end of the war.

The 21-year-old pilot was a member of the 249th Squadron of the RAF, one of the most renowned fighter units of the British Royal Air Force. At the end of April 1945, when the majority of Europe had already been liberated, the squadron assisted Yugoslav partisans in the final battles by attacking German transports on roads and railways. Sergeant Ramsbotham took off with the Spitfire MH980 aircraft from Canne airfield in Italy on April 29, 1945, refueling at Prkos airfield near Zadar, then flying to Trieste in search of enemy units. On the return journey, he attacked an enemy truck with ammunition during a low-level flight, but the aircraft was hit by the explosion of the truck, causing it to crash near Suhorje shortly afterward. The body of the young English pilot was decently buried by the villagers in the local cemetery. Soon after the war, his remains were exhumed by British military authorities and reburied at the military cemetery in Belgrade, where he rests to this day.

The memory of this tragic event in Suhorje has never completely faded. In 2021, at the initiative of the villagers of Suhorje, the Military History Park erected a monument at the crash site, bearing witness to the sacrifice of the young RAF sergeant, for both the locals and visitors. The monument was created by the academic sculptor Jurij Smole.

Every spring, around the anniversary of the crash, the Park, in collaboration with the British Embassy in Slovenia and the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Slovenia, organizes a memorial ceremony at the event site. This year, as part of the ceremony, British Ambassador to Slovenia Her Excellency Tiffany Sadler and the advisor in the cabinet of the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Slovenia and President of the Association of Slovenian Officers, Major General Dobran Božič, paid tribute to the deceased pilot and the fallen aircraft by laying a wreath at the monument near the village of Suhorje.

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

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

The Park of Military History will once again host the international miniature model festival “World in Miniature” this year, on May 25, 2023, organized by the `Svet v malem` Society. The event will gather hundreds of modelers and miniature enthusiasts from various countries who will compete for the best miniature in different categories. Intricate miniaturized versions of military vehicles, vessels, and scenic displays will complement the museum’s exhibition of military technical heritage on that day. As part of the festival, there will also be demonstrations of model making techniques and a modelers’ flea market.

Also on May 25th, there will be a meeting of vintage Zastava vehicles in the Park organized by the Zastava Club of Slovenia.

On Sunday, May 26th, you are invited to participate in a hike along the Circular Path of Military History in Pivka.

The Park of Military History will be open during the May Day holidays (April 27th – May 5nd) from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

As an additional museum offer, visiting the interior of the submarine and experiencing the flight simulator with MiG-21 aircraft requires prior reservation of the time slot. You can make a reservation by calling +386 (0)31 775 002 or by emailing [email protected].

https://youtu.be/AT1cJt0bvm8?si=OkkUVCBtlZ7sUlCo