History weekend The Park of Military History kicked off the autumn season with the History Weekend

At the Park of Military History, despite the less-than-ideal weather, the programme of the traditional History Weekend was bursting with lively events. The Park’s team, in collaboration with its partners, organised a multi-day museum event aimed at an in-depth exploration and experience of history.

As an introduction to History Weekend, the traditional “Vestirnga 2024” took place on Friday within the museum complex. The Postojna Defence Administration conducted an orientation for the 2006 generation of military conscripts, who, in line with tradition, arrived on richly decorated conscription carts. The Slovenian Armed Forces also showcased some of their equipment and vehicles at the event.

Saturday’s events were largely marked by the Open Day at the Stanislav Požar Barracks in Pivka, which attracts a large number of visitors from near and far every year, particularly due to the tank rides. The Park itself was also bustling with activity, starting with a guided morning hike to the underground fortification at Primož. Throughout the day, the museum hosted guided tours of the exhibitions and children’s workshops.

The highlight of Saturday’s events was the opening of a new exhibition titled “Slovenia Under a Hail of Bombs – Allied Bombing 1944–1945,” curated by historian Sašo Radovanovič. This exhibition commemorated the 80th anniversary of Allied bombing campaign and revived the historical memory of those events. The author presented the Park of Military History with an extensive collection of materials gathered during years of research on the subject comprising of electronic copies of 130,000 documents with data and photographs of the bombings in Slovenia, as well as other parts of Central, Southern, and Eastern Europe. The valuable materials, mainly from the Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA), will enable the Park to establish a comprehensive database of events during the Second World War. At the exhibition opening, Slovenian writer Tone Partljič shared his childhood memories of the bombing of his hometown Maribor and officially opened the exhibition.

In the afternoon, in collaboration with the Embassy of the Republic of Poland and the Centre of Jewish Cultural Heritage Synagogue Maribor, the Park organised a screening of the new documentary Punčuh: The Righteous Among the Nations in Warsaw, followed by a lecture by Boris Hajdinjak, the director of the Synagogue in Maribor. He presented the life and work of France Punčuh, born in 1902 in Logatec. During the Second World War, Punčuh heroically aided the Jews in Warsaw and was killed during the Warsaw Uprising in 1944. Posthumously, he was awarded the honorary title of Righteous Among the Nations for his selfless assistance and heroic actions.

The Sunday activities of this year’s History Weekend began early with a hike to Primož, followed by a professional guided tour of the interior of the Alpine Wall fortification, organised by the Rapallo Border Historical Society.

One of the highlights of Sunday’s events was undoubtedly the ceremony marking the completion of the first phase of the restoration of the police vessel P-111. During the ceremony, the Minister of the Interior, Mag. Boštjan Poklukar, officially unveiled the renovated vessel and its interior for the visitors. The attendees were also addressed by the Director General of the Police, Mag. Senad Jušić.

As part of the central programme, the Slovenian Armed Forces and the Police showcased their equipment and abilities to the visitors. The participating units, in addition to a static display of equipment, also prepared a dynamic demonstration of operational activities in the field. The Police presented the work of bomb disposal technicians from the Special Police Unit and numerous other units, highlighting the various aspects of police work from different perspectives. Firefighters from the Volunteer Firefighting Society Postojna demonstrated rescue operations in the event of a traffic accident. The Special Operations Unit and the 15th Brigade of Military Aviation and Air Defence captivated visitors with a demonstration of rescuing a downed pilot. Enthusiasts of military technical heritage were particularly drawn to dynamic presentations on the training ground, featuring demonstration drives of armoured vehicles from the operational collection of the Slovenian Armed Forces Museum and the Park of Military History

In addition to numerous dynamic demonstrations, visitors at the main venue had the opportunity to observe the operations and equipment of units from the Slovenian Armed Forces, Police, Civil Protection, and the Administration for Protection and Rescue. Furthermore, visitors could admire vintage vehicles from the Historic Association of Slovenian Police Officers, as well as military antiques owned by private collectors from Slovenia and Croatia. A particular highlight was the vintage firefighting vehicles from the Volunteer Firefighting Society Studeno.

The festival was enhanced by a rich accompanying programme, including guided tours of the collections and exhibitions as well as the venues of History Weekend, a mini book fair featuring military history literature, a militaria fair, and workshops for children organised by the Park of Military History, the Inner Carniola Museum Postojna, the Ajdovščina Garage, and the Volunteer Firefighting Society Postojna. Dušica Kunaver, a collector of folk heritage, presented her new book The Army in Slovenian Folklore. Animal lovers also had a chance to enjoy demonstrations from the Postojna Search and Rescue Dog Club and the Napolitano Rehabilitation and Training Centre for Horses.

In Building D, which houses the Depots of the National Museums, visitors had the opportunity to tour the new exhibition Wheels of Fate with a guided tour. They also took advantage of other opportunities to explore the displayed items from the Museum of Contemporary History, the Technical Museum of Slovenia, and the National Museum of Slovenia.

As part of History Weekend, the photographic exhibition of the Slovenian Armed Forces Museum titled Slovenian Army – In the Service of the Homeland was also renovated. This weekend marked the beginning of the exhibition from the Centre for the Management of the Living Mercury Heritage in Idrija, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of Antonij’s Tunnel in the Park.

As part of the museum programme supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia, this year the Park placed special emphasis on adapting the museum exhibitions and collections for vulnerable groups. For individuals with mobility impairments, we provided a virtual tour of the interior of a submarine, a police vessel, and the fortification at Primož. Additionally, by the end of the year, we will offer virtual tours of the interiors of two armoured vehicles. For the blind and visually impaired, we created miniature models of our larger “carrying” exhibits, which visitors can handle to explore the details of the displayed vehicles through touch. Most miniatures are at a scale of 1:14. We also enhanced the lighting for the exhibition on the Enigma and the exhibition The Road to Independence for the visually impaired.

This year, we placed particular emphasis on deaf and hard-of-hearing visitors. With the assistance of Mr. Samo Dolanc, we adapted the guided tours of the museum collections and translated them into Slovenian sign language (SZJ). This allows visitors to scan QR codes with their mobile phones at eight locations in the Park of Military History, leading them to video guides in sign language. We also recorded a video guide in international sign language, which will be available to foreign visitors in the same manner until the end of the year.

The History Weekend, which has taken on a new form following the former Military History Festival, attracted more than 5,000 visitors to Pivka this weekend. Visitors returned home enriched by a wealth of new museum experiences.