Pivka's Park of Military History, a barracks full of tanks, with a submarine

The P-913 submarine and the locomotive

The piece everyone wants to see is the P-913 Zeta submarine, 19 m long and 76 tonnes, one of six Una-class pocket submarines built in Split in the 1980s. Besides a crew of four, it could carry six commando divers. It can only be seen inside with a guide and by booking. The largest exhibit is the German military locomotive 33-110, weighing 95 tonnes, which reached Yugoslavia as war reparations.

The road to independence

The central exhibition, «The Road to Independence», covers Tito’s Yugoslavia, the changes of the 1980s and the 1991 war. On show are the MiG-21, the M-84 tank, the T-55 from the column that rolled out of the Pivka barracks itself and the Gazelle helicopter «Velenje TO-001», the first aircraft to defect from the Yugoslav air force. There is also a 3.6 m model of the Željava underground airbase.

Around it lies the national tank and artillery collection, with pieces from the Second World War, from the American military aid of the 1950s and from the Cold War, and the F-84 Thunderjet, F-86 Sabre and Romanian IAR-93 aircraft.

Pivka park opening hours and prices

In November 2026 it opens Monday to Friday from 10am to 3pm and at weekends from 10am to 4pm; the hours change every month and the park posts them on its website. Admission is €12 for adults and €31 for a family, and parking is free. It lies on the edge of Pivka towards Ilirska Bistrica, less than ten minutes from Postojna. Other sights nearby are gathered in Notranjska. If you have time left, the guided tour of the Alpine Wall fort on Primož needs booking at least five days ahead and costs €7 for adults.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Pivka before prices climb.

A barracks turned museum

The barracks were built by the Kingdom of Italy around 1930 to defend the Rapallo border, and from 1945 to 1991 they belonged to the Yugoslav People’s Army. The park has been developing inside since 2004 and has become the largest museum complex in Slovenia and one of the largest military history sites in this part of Europe. In September 2026 it marked twenty years since its first pavilion with ZgodoVikend, which drew almost 7,000 visitors in one weekend.

You enter through the Komanda building, the old command centre, with the tourist office, shop, canteen and exhibitions such as Regio Carsica Militaris, on thousands of years of fortifications.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Pivka before prices climb.