Prof. Dr. Branko Marušič (1938–2026)

A month ago, Prof. Dr. Branko Marušič passed away, the “historian of the western Slovenian borderlands”, whose expertise and generosity made a significant contribution to the establishment of the research group Heritage on the Margins. After completing his undergraduate thesis, he joined the Institute for Ethnic Studies, but soon returned to his native region. He first worked as a curator and later became director of the Goriški muzej (Gorizia Regional Museum). In 1987, he joined the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (ZRC SAZU), at the Milko Kos Historical Institute. Through his initiative, the ZRC SAZU Research Station in Nova Gorica was established; he became its first head and led it until his retirement.

This milestone in his life did not mark the end of his scholarly work. He remained an active researcher, and his seminal studies shed light on the history of the Slovene population of Goriška/Gorizia and Primorska region in the nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth century, as well as on the lives and work of prominent political and ecclesiastical figures from the Primorska region. His achievements were recognised with numerous honours, including the ZRC SAZU Honorary Distinction in 2003 and the title of Honorary Citizen of Nova Gorica in 2017.

With his passing, we have lost a highly esteemed colleague, scholar and individual whose work left a lasting mark on the study of Primorska’s history and the development of research activities in Nova Gorica.