The Year of Vlasto Kopač – Marking the 20th Anniversary of His Death

Slovenian museums, research institutions, archives, and media preserve an exceptionally rich body of heritage related to Vlasto Kopač. Today, his legacy is held and researched by the Intermunicipal Museum Kamnik, Museum and Galleries of Ljubljana – Plečnik House, Museum of Architecture and Design, National Museum of Contemporary History of Slovenia, Gornjesavski Museum Jesenice – Slovenian Alpine Museum, the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, as well as numerous institutes of ZRC SAZU, RTV Slovenia, and various individuals and other institutions that ensure his work remains publicly accessible.

On 27 April 2026, twenty years will have passed since the death of Vlasto Kopač. On this occasion, the participating partners will dedicate the year to commemorating this exceptional figure whose breadth of work profoundly shaped the Slovenian cultural landscape. Kopač was an alpinist and mountaineer, mountain rescuer and student of Jože Plečnik, architect, conservator, draughtsman, and designer. His work also extended to cartography, the collection of movable heritage, and folk tradition, all unified by his unwavering commitment to the protection of natural and cultural heritage.

Through a wide range of events and content, we aim to restore Kopač’s rightful place in national memory and to present his life and work comprehensively to both professional and general audiences. In his memory, the following will be produced:

a monographic volume / edited collection;
a series of exhibitions presenting his extensive creative oeuvre.

We will also organise:

a symposium on Kopač and his role in various projects;
public guided tours of monuments and heritage sites connected to his work;
lectures and discussion evenings with individuals who personally knew Kopač, worked with him, and/or collaborated with him;
multiple screenings of a documentary film about Vlasto Kopač, shedding light on his difficult life story and highlighting his exceptional achievements and contributions;
guided visits to his monuments and a range of educational workshops.

The aim of this joint project is to present Vlasto Kopač in a comprehensive manner to both expert and wider audiences. He was a principled and upright personality, a visionary, an artist, and a guardian of heritage. Thanks to his dedication, many valuable monuments, drawings, plans, objects, songs, written records, and other materials have survived the passage of time.

On 25 February 2026, a press conference will be held at Plečnik House, Karunova Street 4–6, Ljubljana, where the annual programme of events dedicated to the memory, work, and life of Vlasto Kopač will be presented.

In the preparation of the monograph and the accompanying programme—including exhibitions (among them a joint panel exhibition on the Krakovo Embankment in Ljubljana, running from 27 July to 28 August), guided tours of his monuments, lectures, workshops, and discussion evenings—the Slovenian Alpine Museum is collaborating with the Intermunicipal Museum Kamnik, the Museum of Architecture and Design, the National Museum of Contemporary History of Slovenia, the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia – Kranj Regional Unit, and the Anton Melik Geographical Institute ZRC SAZU.

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