Pivka Park of Military History

Advertisement for the Pivka Military History Park with a real tank

The Pivka Park of Military History (Slovene: Park vojaške zgodovine Pivka) 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.[1]

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.[2][3] 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.[4] The museum's most popular exhibit is the Zeta, an ex-Yugoslav Una-class infiltration submarine.[5]

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.[6] The initial exhibit (the tank and artillery pavilion, with exhibits transferred from the Military Museum of the Slovene Armed Forces) opened in September 2006.[7]

Exhibits

Exhibit Origin Manufactured Role Notes
Combat aircraft
Supermarine Spitfire F.IX  United Kingdom 1943 fighter partial wreckage of Royal Air Force fighter, salvaged from the Ljubljana Marsh in 2019
F-84G Thunderjet  United States 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  United States 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  Soviet Union / Czechoslovak Socialist Republic Czechoslovakia 1965 fighter Ex-Czechoslovak Air Force. License-built version of the MiG-21. Acquired 2011.
IAR-93 Vultur Socialist Republic of Romania Romania /  Yugoslavia 1980s fighter-bomber Ex-Romanian Air Force. Joint design with Yugoslav SOKO J-22 Orao. Acquired 2014; gift of Romania.
Trainer aircraft
Soko 522  Yugoslavia late 1950s advanced trainer/ light attack Ex-Yugoslav Air Force. Unrestored.
Utva 66  Yugoslavia 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  Yugoslavia late 1950s basic trainer Ex-Yugoslav Air Force. Unrestored.
Helicopters
Soko Gazela  France /  Yugoslavia 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  Soviet Union transport Ex-Polish Air Force. Acquired 2019 in a barter arrangement with the Military Museum of the Polish Armed Forces.
Agusta-Bell AB 212  United States Italy 1980 police Ex-Slovenian National Police Force. Acquired 2022 upon retirement.
Maritime
Una-class  Yugoslavia / Socialist Republic of Croatia Croatia 1987 special-operations submarine P-913 Zeta. Ex-Yugoslav Navy, ex-Montenegrin Navy. Acquired 2011; gift of Montenegro.
Avionautica police speedboat  Italy 1994 fast patrol boat P-111. Ex-Slovene Police. Acquired 2021.
Tanks
M3 Stuart  United States 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  United States 1940s medium tank Ex-Yugoslav People's Army, supplied to Yugoslav resistance forces during WWII.
T-34-85  Soviet Union 1940s medium tank Ex-Yugoslav People's Army, Second Partisan Tank Brigade. Supplied to Yugoslav resistance forces during WWII.
SU-100  Soviet Union 1940s tank destroyer Ex-Yugoslav People's Army.
M47 Patton  United States early 1950s main battle tank Ex-Yugoslav People's Army.
M36 Jackson  United States 1944 tank destroyer Ex-Yugoslav People's Army.
T-55  Soviet Union 1950s main battle tank Ex-Yugoslav People's Army.
PT-76  Soviet Union 1950s–60s amphibious light tank Ex-Yugoslav People's Army.
T-72  Soviet Union 1970s main battle tank Ex-Yugoslav People's Army.
M-84  Yugoslavia 1980s main battle tank Ex-Yugoslav People's Army. Improved Yugoslav-built variant of the Soviet T-72.
Armored Personnel Carriers
M8  United States 1940s armored car Ex-Yugoslav People's Army, supplied to Yugoslav resistance forces during WWII.
M3A1 Scout Car  United States 1940s armored car Ex-Yugoslav People's Army, supplied to Yugoslav resistance forces during WWII.
Bren Gun Carrier  United Kingdom 1940s armored personnel carrier Ex-Yugoslav People's Army, First Partisan Tank Brigade. Supplied to Yugoslav resistance forces during WWII.
BMP-1  Soviet Union 1970s–80s infantry fighting vehicle Ex-Yugoslav People's Army.
BVP M-80A  Yugoslavia 1980s armored personnel carrier Ex-Yugoslav People's Army.
BOV  Yugoslavia / Socialist Republic of Slovenia Slovenia 1980s armored personnel carrier Ex-Yugoslav People's Army. Examples of military and police (BOV M-86) variants.
BTR-80  Soviet Union late 1980s armored personnel carrier Ex-Yugoslav People's Army.
Artillery
Schneider MLE 1937  France 1930s anti-tank gun Ex-Royal Yugoslav Army, ex-Yugoslav People's Army.
Bofors gun  Sweden  United States  United Kingdom 1930s anti-aircraft autocannon Ex-Yugoslav People's Army.
Flak 30 Nazi Germany Germany 1940s anti-aircraft gun Ex-Wehrmacht, ex-Yugoslav People's Army.
Flak 38 Nazi Germany Germany 1940s anti-aircraft gun Ex-Wehrmacht, ex-Yugoslav People's Army.
Flak 88 Nazi Germany Germany 1940s anti-aircraft gun Ex-Wehrmacht, ex-Yugoslav People's Army.
Flakvierling 38 Nazi Germany Germany 1940s anti-aircraft gun Ex-Wehrmacht, ex-Yugoslav People's Army. Acquired 2022; gift of Northern Macedonia.
M1937 howitzer-gun  Soviet Union late 1930s – early 1940s howitzer-gun Ex-Yugoslav People's Army.
M1942 divisional gun  Soviet Union early 1940s field gun Ex-Yugoslav People's Army.
M1 Long Tom  United States early 1940s field gun Ex-Yugoslav People's Army.
M7 Priest  United States 1940s self-propelled artillery vehicle Ex-Yugoslav People's Army.
M-48 B1  Yugoslavia / Socialist Republic of Serbia Serbia 1940s mountain gun Ex-Yugoslav People's Army.
ZSU-57  Soviet Union late 1950s self-propelled anti-aircraft gun Ex-Yugoslav People's Army.
ZSU-57  Soviet Union 1963 self-propelled anti-aircraft gun Ex-Yugoslav People's Army.
M53/59 Praga  Czechoslovak Socialist Republic 1960s self-propelled anti-aircraft gun Ex-Yugoslav People's Army.
M84  Yugoslavia / Socialist Republic of Serbia Serbia gun-howitzer Ex-Yugoslav People's Army.
M-63 Plamen  Yugoslavia / Socialist Republic of Serbia Serbia 1960s–70s multiple rocket launcher Ex-Yugoslav People's Army.
2S1 Gvozdika  Soviet Union 1970s–80s self-propelled howitzer Ex-Yugoslav People's Army.
Zastava M55  Yugoslavia / Socialist Republic of Serbia Serbia 1970s–80s automatic anti-aircraft gun Ex-Yugoslav People's Army.
Roland 2  Germany /  France 1980s surface-to-air missile system Ex-Slovenian Army.
Auxiliary
M5 tractor  United States 1940s artillery tractor Ex-Yugoslav People's Army.
MT-LB  Soviet Union auxiliary armored tracked vehicle Ex-Yugoslav People's Army.
BTM-3  Soviet Union 1963 trench-digging vehicle Ex-Yugoslav People's Army.
MT-55KS  Czechoslovak Socialist Republic 1970s–80s bridge-laying vehicle Ex-Yugoslav People's Army.
Transportation
Class 52 Military Locomotive Nazi Germany Germany early 1940s Baureihe 52 No. 33-110 / JŽ 33 (Yugoslav designation) Ex-Deutsche Reichsbahn, ex-Yugoslav Railways. Acquired 2016.
Harley-Davidson WLA  United States 1940s motorcycle Military version of civilian WL model.
Mercedes Benz 230-BINZ  Germany 1971 ambulance In service during the Ten-Day War. Donated by Velenje Medical Center.
Yugo  Yugoslavia 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.
  • Aérospatiale/SOKO Gazelle
    Aérospatiale/SOKO Gazelle
  • F-84G Thunderjet
    F-84G Thunderjet
  • F-86D Sabre-Dog
    F-86D Sabre-Dog
  • Mig-21 Fishbed
    Mig-21 Fishbed
  • M4A3 Sherman
    M4A3 Sherman
  • M36 Jackson
    M36 Jackson
  • M47 Patton
    M47 Patton
  • M3A3 Stuart
    M3A3 Stuart
  • M2 155 mm Long Tom
    M2 155 mm Long Tom
  • M3A1 Scout Car
    M3A1 Scout Car
  • M8 Greyhound
    M8 Greyhound
  • P-913 Commando Submarine
    P-913 Commando Submarine
  • 20mm Flak 38 anti-aircraft gun
    20mm Flak 38 anti-aircraft gun
  • T-55 bridge layer
    T-55 bridge layer
  • M-84
    M-84
  • Armor collection
    Armor collection
  • S5-HPB in operation - now retired, on display in museum
    S5-HPB in operation - now retired, on display in museum
  • P-111 in Koper - now retired, on display in museum
    P-111 in Koper - now retired, on display in museum

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "Military Museum of the Slovene Armed Forces website". Vojaški muzej Slovenske vojske.
  2. ^ "Park of Military History website". Park vojaške zgodovine.
  3. ^ Boštjančič, Janko. "Park vojaške zgodovine". Muzej novejše zgodovine. Archived from the original on 2014-03-07.
  4. ^ "The Wizard of Kranj: YUAF Aircraft Restored". Achtung Skyhawk. 8 June 2015.
  5. ^ Jaksetič, Dragica (March 15, 2012). "Pivška podmornica je pravi magnet". Delo. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  6. ^ "Park of Military History website". Park vojaške zgodovine.
  7. ^ "Military Museum of the Slovene Armed Forces website - vehicle collection". Vojaški muzej Slovenske vojske.

Media related to Pivka Military History Park at Wikimedia Commons

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