The temporary exhibition ‘DARKO LOVREC’S TOYS’ at the Maribor Regional Museum showcases an extensive collection of toys belonging to the Maribor collector Darko Lovrec. The collection comprises toys from the 1960s and 1970s that enriched the imaginative world of children at that time.
The collection was built up over a full 60 years, at least half of which was spent on systematic and deliberate collection, a fact reflected in the material gathered, which provides a comprehensive overview primarily of boys’ toys from the second half of the last century. This was a period in which the view that children were society’s most precious members became established in our country too, a fact reflected above all in the sheer number and variety of toys. Intensive global mass production of toys was spurred by the development of cheaper and more accessible materials, and the situation was also capitalised on by the growing film and television industry, which used toys to significantly expand its influence. The toys on display thus serve as a very accurate reflection of the era in which they were created.
Among the toys on display in the temporary exhibition ‘Darka Lovrec’s Toys’, items from Slovenian and Yugoslav manufacturers stand out in terms of numbers. The collector set about collecting these systematically and devoted most of his time to this. The collection is complemented by toys that came to us from Germany, England and other Western countries in the 1960s and 1970s; these were rarer at the time, but highly prized by children.
Collections belonging to private collectors are rarely on display to the wider public, which is why this exhibition is all the more interesting and valuable, as it bears witness not only to the vibrant collecting scene in our region but also to the excellent collaboration between collectors and amateur heritage custodians and the Maribor Regional Museum.
The exhibition was curated by Nives Cvikl. The temporary exhibition ‘Darka Lovrec’s Toys’ is on display at the Partizan Cinema until 15 September 2026.
