»Greetings from …«

In the decades after the Second World War, with the general modernisation of the former common state, mass tourism also began to develop, just as elsewhere in Europe.

In 1946, the Government of the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia introduced 14-30 days paid leave for employees, and in 1965, in order to allow as many people as possible to take holidays, above all workers, who had until then had been unable to do so, it additionally introduced an annual holiday bonus. The sixties can be described as a time of flourishing of tourism in Yugoslavia, which achieved its peak in the eighties. A record number of overnight stays was recorded in 1986, 111.1 million, made up of 59.7 million domestic and 51.4 million foreign, mainly English, Austrian and Italian tourists. The largest number, 76.7 million overnight stays, was recorded on the Croatian coast, where for the most part Slovenes spent their holidays.

The large number of trade union, children's and youth holiday homes, the possibility of renting private rooms and camping in tents and trade union holiday caravans, enabled cheap holidays for the majority of employees and their families. Most people spent their holidays by the sea, but visiting health spas and walking in the mountains were also popular, where they refreshed themselves in the nearby lakes and rivers. Not everyone spent their holidays in tourist destinations. The reasons for this were a lack of money or urgent household tasks, though some people simply decided to spend the holiday at home.

The photographic exhibition on holidaying in Yugoslavia, which will awaken memories for some and give others an insight into former sunny holiday days, will lead you through various tourist destinations. The authors of the selected photographs from the collection of the Museum of Contemporary History of Slovenia are: Marjan Ciglič, Nace Bizilj, Edi Šelhaus, Mitja Škof, Jože Mally, Marjan Pfeifer, Milan Pogačar, Joco Čermak, Bogo Primožič, Rudi Paškulin, Matija Jurovič, Janez Lampič, Vlastja Simončič, France Cerar and Svetozar Busić.

The exhibition will be on view until the end of March, 2019.

Author of the exhibition: Monika Močnik