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Slovenian Film Archives at the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia keeps a sizable collection of films on mountaineering and of film footage taken during various expeditions in the Himalayas. In terms of the scope and the quality of these recordings, those taken by Aleš Kunaver really stand out. An interesting story is connected to his 1962 documentary film Nepal, which was considered lost for many years.

The propaganda poster by painter Jože Beránek bearing the slogan Donate for Winter Help was created to address the people on the streets of Ljubljana during the winter of 1944. Despite its political context, it carries a universal message: the greatest victims of all wars are children. By choosing to present this poster, which was printed on lower-quality paper that is irreversibly deteriorating, we also want to highlight the importance of the preservation of our cultural heritage.

This month's archivalia first briefly presents the attitude of the authorities toward homosexuality throughout history. It then moves to a partially preserved file of the State Prosecutor's Office in Ljubljana, revealing how, just a few years before the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, persecutions of homosexuality primarily targeted the so-called "little people". A young vagrant in Ljubljana was sentenced to 14 months of imprisonment for it.

About a year ago, Mr. Walter Heimerl-Lesnik from St. Pölten purchased a charter at willhaben.at that he believed to be a reproduction. When he was surprised to discover that it was an original, he decided to donate it to »its homeland«. The charter arrived at the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia in November 2024 through the Slovenian Embassy in Vienna. Our new acquisition is presented here as the first archivalia of the month in 2025.

November 7, 2024, markes the 80th anniversary of the tragic death of Franc Rozman Stane, commander of the Headquarters of the Slovenian Partisan Army. Although the cause of the accident occurring during mortar testing has been the subject of several theories, none of them have any solid evidence. Therefore, we are presenting here as this month’s archivalia some of the documents created for the occasion of his funeral.

In mid-October 2024, the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia achieved its decades long ambition when it relocated to the renovated central wing of the former barracks on Roška or Poljanska Street and was finally able to house most of its spaces for its various activities under one roof. This month’s archivalia documents several stages of the more than three-decades long saga, marked by frequent disappointments and surprises. Ultimately, persistence and patience were rewarded.

The Global Report on Food Crises 2024 confirms that achieving the goal of zero hunger by 2030 is a huge challenge for the international community.

Recently, the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia acquired the written legacy of Karel Smolle. Presented here as this month's archivalia are some interesting documents, such as the ballot paper that Smolle used to prove that, as a federal representative, he did not vote for Kurt Waldheim in the 1986 Austrian presidential election. There is also an anonymous letter, which shows that the anti-Slovenian sentiment in Carinthia, Austria, was still rather toxic just 15 years ago.

Between 1300 and 1782, the Poor Clares founded six convents in the Slovenian ethnical territory. The oldest and the most important among them was the convent in Mekinje near Kamnik (Minkendorf near Stein), which was granted its first princely privilege already in 1338. Presented here as this month’s archivalia is a 300-year-old privilege preserved among other charters of the Poor Clare convent. The privilege was issued by Emperor Charles VI of Habsburg (1711-1740) and confirmed the convent's earlier rights, freedoms and good habits.

Right of residence (Heimatrecht) allowed an individual to live in a municipality without interference. Individual received his right of residence by birth or marriage, or by applying for it at the municipal committee after having resided in the municipality continuously for four years. Expulsion was a common practice used by local authorities to deal with various unwanted subjects who were believed to cast a bad light on a certain town or municipality. The search for the right of residence of the artist Wilhelm Palz lasted for six whole years without success.

Slovenia was among the countries with the highest increase in voter turnout in this year's European elections compared to 2019, the 12 percentage point surge to 41.4% coming second only to Hungary's 15 points climb to some 59%.

From June 6th to 9th, around 370 million Europeans will elect 720 members of the new European Parliament, which is 15 more than the current number. Slovenia will have one more MEP, totaling nine.

In the closing decades of the 19th century, there was a noticeable rise in antisemitism sweeping across Europe and in Slovenian lands as well. It was deeply embedded in all layers of the Slovenian society, regardless of the differences in ideology or class, and it was no stranger to Austrian state administration as well, as evidenced by the documents preserved in the fonds of the State Prosecutor’s Office in Ljubljana, pertaining to a rather bizarre case against Abraham Diamant in 1887.

In the 17th century, the Hrastovec seigniory was one of the centres of witchcraft trials. A comprehensive report on the trial of Marina Vukinec, written by the blood court (Blutgericht) judge Volk Lovrenc Lampertič on December 20, 1673, has been preserved. Lampertič was summoned to the Hrastovec Castle by Erazem Friderik Count Herberstein to continue the trial of Marina, who had been imprisoned there together with her husband and other suspects since December 1.

Brežice, as the first of the Slovenian cities, will host the European Youth Event (EYE) from May 23 to 26, 2024. Young people from across the EU will discuss key social issues and exchange ideas about the future of Europe. Prior to Brežice, similar events took place this May in Berlin, Vilnius, and Forlì, Italy.

Did you know that the population of Slovenia has increased by 6 percent since 2004, when we joined the EU? And that in mid-2019, the number of men surpassed the number of women for the first time? Since then, Slovenia has been one of the few EU member states where men outnumber women. The other countries with this demographic characteristic are Sweden, Luxembourg, and Malta.

At a ceremony held at the presidential palace, President Nataša Pirc Musar marked the 20th anniversary of Slovenia's membership in the EU and NATO by awarding the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, and e Negotiating Team for Accession of Slovenia to the EU with the Golden Order of Merit. This recognition was given for their significant contributions to achieving these key foreign policy objectives.

In the first half of 2004, the Presidency of the Council of the EU was held by Ireland, which organised the Day of Welcomes on 1 May 2004 in Phoenix Park, Dublin, for the new Member States. The late Irish Nobel Prize-winning poet Seamus Heaney wrote a poem for the occasion, entitled Beacons at Bealtaine, which he also read at the event.

Between June 6 and 9, 2024, citizens of the EU Member States will have a chance to elect new members of the 720-seat European Parliament. Elections of nine members from Slovenia will be held on Sunday, June 9. Slovenia elected its first members of the European Parliament on June 13, 2004, just a month and a half after its accession to the European Union. Let us see some of the documents related to this process.

Twenty years on, the largest EU enlargement presents an opportunity to draw lessons from past communication efforts and to prepare for the upcoming EU enlargement, which is once again high on the EU political agenda. For this reason, together with the Club of Venice, we decided to organise a conference in Slovenia, 26 April 2024, and invited Government representatives and communication experts to discuss and share knowledge and experiences on the subject, with a special focus on disinformation.