UPCOMING: Vlasto Kopač – Creator of Space, Guardian of Heritage and Memory

Vlasto Kopač – Creator of Space, Guardian of Heritage and Memory

On 27 April 2026, twenty years will have passed since the death of architect and versatile humanist Vlasto Kopač. On this occasion, the participating museums, institutes, research organizations, associations, and individuals have decided to dedicate the year 2026 to the memory of his life and rich creative legacy.

Under the title Vlasto Kopač – Creator of Space, Guardian of Heritage and Memory, we will present his work, which spans architecture and urbanism as well as the study of cultural heritage, nature conservation, and collective memory. The project has been provisionally titled “The Year of Vlasto Kopač, 2026”, within which a range of activities will revive the memory of this remarkable personality and his works—works that deserve to be preserved for future generations.

The chosen title encapsulates the fundamental dimensions of Kopač’s work and his outlook on life. As a creator, he was active in numerous fields—as an architect, designer, graphic artist, cartographer, alpinist, and author of many projects that have left a lasting mark on the Slovenian cultural landscape. The concept of space connects architecture, landscape, urbanism, and the mountain world, all of which formed the core focus of his work and reflection.

With the term guardian, we emphasize his conservationist, ethical, and humanistic stance, as well as his profound sense of responsibility toward space, people, and cultural values. Heritage encompasses everything he sought to preserve for his own time and for the future—from field names, legends, and stories to architecture, landscape, and the material traces of the past, as well as his thoughtful and conscious transfer of his legacy to museums, institutes, and other institutions. After Kopač’s death, his daughter Mojca Kopač also played an active role in this process.

Through his Dachau drawings and his efforts to shed light on the Dachau trials, he preserved memory and opened a space for reflection on recent history, his own life experience, and collective memory. Memorials, drawings, and major projects such as POT – The Path of Remembrance and Comradeship (Ljubljana), Park kulturnikov (Ribnica), and others, as well as the collection of folk tradition and material evidence of the past, are part of his endeavor to ensure that we do not forget—and above all, that we learn something from the past.

Through numerous events and activities, we aim to restore Vlasto Kopač to his deserved place in the nation’s memory and to present him comprehensively to both professional and wider audiences. In his memory and in honor of his diverse projects, we will prepare various publications, exhibitions, and events.

We are planning:

• the publication of a monograph – a collected volume;
• the opening of exhibitions in various museums (MMK, MAO, MGML – SPM, Krakovsko nabrežje, Ljubljana), highlighting individual aspects of Kopač’s work and creativity.

We will organize:

• public guided tours of his monuments and other heritage sites (in Ljubljana and on Velika Planina);
• lectures on Vlasto Kopač, his legacy, and its impact on the historical development of specific fields;
• discussion evenings with people who knew Kopač personally or collaborated with him;
• screenings of a documentary film illuminating his life path and presenting his outstanding works and achievements;
• a symposium on Kopač and his contribution to various projects.

Participating institutions:

• Medobčinski muzej Kamnik
• Museum and Galleries of Ljubljana – Plečnik House
• Gornjesavski Museum Jesenice – Slovenian Alpine Museum
• Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia
• Museum of Architecture and Design
• Museum of Contemporary History of Slovenia
• Anton Melik Geographical Institute, ZRC SAZU
• Faculty of Architecture

The project is financially supported by: Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia, Municipality of Kamnik, City Municipality of Ljubljana.

The goal of this joint project is to present Vlasto Kopač comprehensively to both professional and general audiences. He was an unwavering and upright personality—a visionary, artist, and guardian of heritage. Thanks to him, many valuable monuments, drawings, plans, objects, songs, records, and more have survived the passage of time.

On 25 February 2026 at 10:30 a.m., a press conference will be held at Plečnik House, Karunova Street 4–6, Ljubljana, where the annual calendar of events dedicated to the memory, work, and life of Vlasto Kopač will be presented.
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