On 24 September 2026, the XIII Scientific Readings named after Ivan Boberskyi were held at the Lviv Photographic Museum, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the founding of Ivan Boberskyi Lviv State University of Physical Culture.
This year’s Scientific Readings focused on a particularly important and relevant topic – the study of the unique archival heritage of Ivan Boberskyi preserved at the National and University Library of Slovenia (NUK) in Ljubljana.
The event opened with introductory remarks by Roman Metelskyi, Head of the Lviv Photographic Museum, founder of the well-known website Photographs of Old Lviv, one of the founders of the Museum, and Head of the Ukrainian Photographic Society. He emphasized the importance of such academic meetings, which provide an opportunity to uncover little-known pages of Ukrainian history and to bring unique historical sources back into academic and public circulation.
The speakers included Pavlo Kucher, Candidate of Geographical Sciences, Associate Professor at the Department of Tourism of Ivan Boberskyi Lviv State University of Physical Culture and Acting Head of the University’s International Relations Office, and Andrii Sova, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor at the Department of Humanities and Olympic Education of the University, Senior Researcher at the I. Krypiakevych Institute of Ukrainian Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, and Head of the Ivan Boberskyi Commission for Physical Education and Sport of the Shevchenko Scientific Society.
The central topic of the meeting was the results of research into Ivan Boberskyi’s archival heritage in Slovenia.
During August–September 2026, Andrii Sova and Pavlo Kucher worked at the National and University Library of Slovenia with a large collection of Ivan Boberskyi’s personal materials. These included correspondence, photographs, postcards, posters, financial documents, books, brochures, and other sources.
Particular attention was drawn to the photographic materials. Approximately 90% of the photographs presented during the Scientific Readings had previously been unknown to the general public and to researchers.
Each photograph tells a story of its own. These materials reveal new details about Ivan Boberskyi’s life and activities, help trace the history of Ukrainian communities in Europe and North America, and provide a deeper understanding of the significance of his personality and his contribution to the development of the Ukrainian sporting, cultural, and civic movement.
An important component of this year’s Scientific Readings was also the international dimension of the research. Working with archival materials in Slovenia became not only an important stage of academic research, but also contributed to establishing and developing professional, cultural, and institutional contacts between Ukraine and Slovenia.
Thus, the XIII Scientific Readings named after Ivan Boberskyi provided an opportunity not only to uncover new pages of his life and activities, but also to demonstrate how archival heritage can become a foundation for contemporary academic and international dialogue.
The event was an engaging, meaningful, and informative occasion that allowed archival documents to reveal new perspectives on the personality of Ivan Boberskyi and the historical period in which he lived and worked.
Acknowledgements to Partners and Supporters
We sincerely thank Dr. Aleš Musar for his attention to the research of Ivan Boberskyi’s archival heritage and for supporting its implementation, particularly by facilitating contacts and cooperation related to the study of the archival materials at the National and University Library of Slovenia in Ljubljana.
We express our gratitude to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine for its support within the framework of the initiative “Historical Residences 2.0. The Ukrainian Factor in the History of Glorious Victories”, which creates opportunities for researching Ukrainian historical heritage abroad and developing international professional cooperation.
