The Pivka Park of Military History () is a military museum in the town in Pivka, Slovenia. It is operated jointly by the Municipality of Pivka and the Military Museum of the Slovene Armed Forces.

The museum's exhibits mainly date from the late WWII era and the Cold War, the timeframe of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The core collection consists of a large number of armored vehicles and artillery; there is also a small aviation collection, with five fixed-wing aircraft and two helicopters. The museum's most popular exhibit is the Zeta, an ex-Yugoslav Una-class infiltration submarine.

History

The complex was built by the Italian army as a frontier barracks during the interwar period, when much of what is presently southwestern Slovenia was part of the Kingdom of Italy. A fortress of the Alpine Wall, built to guard the Italian side of the pre-1941 Rapallo border, is an annex of the museum grounds and is accessible by hiking trail. After WWII, the Pivka barracks were successively inherited by the militaries of Yugoslavia and Slovenia. In 2004, the facility was transferred from the Slovene Ministry of Defense to the Municipality of Pivka, with the understanding that it would be converted into a military museum. The initial exhibit (the tank and artillery pavilion, with exhibits transferred from the Military Museum of the Slovene Armed Forces) opened in September 2006.

Exhibits

ExhibitOriginManufacturedRoleNotes Combat aircraft Supermarine Spitfire F.IX 1943 fighter partial wreckage of Royal Air Force fighter, salvaged from the Ljubljana Marsh in 2019 F-84G Thunderjet 1953 fighter-bomber Ex-Yugoslav Air Force, supplied to Yugoslavia after the 1948 Tito-Stalin split. Acquired 2013; the museum's first fixed-wing aircraft placed on display. Formerly a gate guard at Brnik airport. IF-86D Sabre late 1950s reconnaissance aircraft/ fighter Ex-Yugoslav Air Force, supplied to Yugoslavia after the 1948 Tito-Stalin split. Uncommon Yugoslav-modified reconnaissance variant. Acquired 2014; formerly a gate guard at Brnik airport. MiG-21 / Aero S-106 / Czechoslovakia 1965 fighter Ex-Czechoslovak Air Force. License-built version of the MiG-21. Acquired 2011. IAR-93 Vultur Romania / 1980s fighter-bomber Ex-Romanian Air Force. Joint design with Yugoslav SOKO J-22 Orao. Acquired 2014; gift of Romania. Trainer aircraft Soko 522 late 1950s advanced trainer/ light attack Ex-Yugoslav Air Force. Unrestored. Utva 66 late 1960s STOL/ utility trainer for J-20 Kraguj/paratroopers/ light attack Ex-Letalski center Maribor remote located at LJCE airport inside the Air Base UTVA Aero 3 late 1950s basic trainer Ex-Yugoslav Air Force. Unrestored.DronesC-Astral Belin 2010stactical reconnaissance UAVExample of first commercially-produced Slovene military drone Helicopters Soko Gazela / 1979 utility TO-001 VELENJE. Ex-Yugoslav Air Force, ex-Slovenian Air Force. License-built Yugoslav version of the Aérospatiale Gazelle. Acquired 2012; Slovenia's first military aircraft, the pilots having defected from the Yugoslav Air Force during the Ten-Day War. Mil Mi-8 transport Ex-Polish Air Force. Acquired 2019 in a barter arrangement with the Military Museum of the Polish Armed Forces. Agusta-Bell AB 212 1980 police S5-HPB ex-Slovenian National Police Force. Acquired 2022 upon retirement. Maritime Una-class / Croatia 1987 special-operations submarine P-913 Zeta. Ex-Yugoslav Navy, ex-Montenegrin Navy. Acquired 2011; gift of Montenegro. Avionautica police speedboat 1994 fast patrol boat P-111. Ex-Slovene Police. Acquired 2021. Tanks M3 Stuart 1940s light tank Ex-Yugoslav People's Army, First Partisan Tank Brigade. Supplied to Yugoslav resistance forces during WWII. Examples of M3A1 and M3A3 variants. M4A3 Sherman 1940s medium tank Ex-Yugoslav People's Army, supplied to Yugoslav resistance forces during WWII. T-34-85 1940s medium tank Ex-Yugoslav People's Army, Second Partisan Tank Brigade. Supplied to Yugoslav resistance forces during WWII. SU-100 1940s tank destroyer Ex-Yugoslav People's Army. M47 Patton early 1950s main battle tank Ex-Yugoslav People's Army. M36 Jackson 1944 tank destroyer Ex-Yugoslav People's Army. T-55 1950s main battle tank Ex-Yugoslav People's Army. PT-76 1950s–60s amphibious light tank Ex-Yugoslav People's Army. T-72 1970s main battle tank Ex-Yugoslav People's Army. M-84 1980s main battle tank Ex-Yugoslav People's Army. Improved Yugoslav-built variant of the Soviet T-72. Armored Personnel Carriers M8 1940s armored car Ex-Yugoslav People's Army, supplied to Yugoslav resistance forces during WWII. M3A1 Scout Car 1940s armored car Ex-Yugoslav People's Army, supplied to Yugoslav resistance forces during WWII. Bren Gun Carrier 1940s armored personnel carrier Ex-Yugoslav People's Army, First Partisan Tank Brigade. Supplied to Yugoslav resistance forces during WWII. BMP-1 1970s–80s infantry fighting vehicle Ex-Yugoslav People's Army. BVP M-80A 1980s armored personnel carrier Ex-Yugoslav People's Army. BOV / Slovenia 1980s armored personnel carrier Ex-Yugoslav People's Army. Examples of military and police (BOV M-86) variants. BTR-80 late 1980s armored personnel carrier Ex-Yugoslav People's Army. Artillery Schneider MLE 1937 1930s anti-tank gun Ex-Royal Yugoslav Army, ex-Yugoslav People's Army. Bofors gun 1930s anti-aircraft autocannon Ex-Yugoslav People's Army. Flak 30 Germany 1940s anti-aircraft gun Ex-Wehrmacht, ex-Yugoslav People's Army. Flak 38 Germany 1940s anti-aircraft gun Ex-Wehrmacht, ex-Yugoslav People's Army. Flak 88 Germany 1940s anti-aircraft gun Ex-Wehrmacht, ex-Yugoslav People's Army. Flakvierling 38 Germany 1940s anti-aircraft gun Ex-Wehrmacht, ex-Yugoslav People's Army. Acquired 2022; gift of Northern Macedonia. M1937 howitzer-gun late 1930s – early 1940s howitzer-gun Ex-Yugoslav People's Army. M1942 divisional gun early 1940s field gun Ex-Yugoslav People's Army. M1 Long Tom early 1940s field gun Ex-Yugoslav People's Army. M7 Priest 1940s self-propelled artillery vehicle Ex-Yugoslav People's Army. M-48 B1 / Serbia 1940s mountain gun Ex-Yugoslav People's Army. ZSU-57 late 1950s self-propelled anti-aircraft gun Ex-Yugoslav People's Army. ZSU-57 1963 self-propelled anti-aircraft gun Ex-Yugoslav People's Army. M53/59 Praga 1960s self-propelled anti-aircraft gun Ex-Yugoslav People's Army. M84 / Serbia gun-howitzer Ex-Yugoslav People's Army. M-63 Plamen / Serbia 1960s–70s multiple rocket launcher Ex-Yugoslav People's Army. 2S1 Gvozdika 1970s–80s self-propelled howitzer Ex-Yugoslav People's Army. Zastava M55 / Serbia 1970s–80s automatic anti-aircraft gun Ex-Yugoslav People's Army. Roland 2 / 1980s surface-to-air missile system Ex-Slovenian Army. Auxiliary M5 tractor 1940s artillery tractor Ex-Yugoslav People's Army. MT-LB auxiliary armored tracked vehicle Ex-Yugoslav People's Army. BTM-3 1963 trench-digging vehicle Ex-Yugoslav People's Army. MT-55KS 1970s–80s bridge-laying vehicle Ex-Yugoslav People's Army. Transportation Class 52 Military Locomotive Germany early 1940s Baureihe 52 4936 / JŽ 33-110 (Yugoslav designation) Ex-Deutsche Reichsbahn, ex-Yugoslav Railways. Acquired 2016. Harley-Davidson WLA 1940s motorcycle Military version of civilian WL model. Mercedes Benz 230-BINZ 1971 ambulance In service during the Ten-Day War. Donated by Velenje Medical Center. Yugo 1980s four-door hatchback Displayed being crushed by a tank in a diorama of the street barricades raised by civilians during the Ten-Day War.

Gallery

See also Military Museum, Belgrade

Notes

External links