- Address: Metelkova ulica 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia;
- Operating time: Mon. - day off, Tues. - Sun. from 10:00 to 18:00;
- Phone: +386 1 300 87 00;
- Site: semuzej.business.site.
Ljubljana is a green, romantic, calm and progressive city that owes its unique character to the heritage of various historical periods and to the vision of the famous Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik. In recent years, the capital has become a paradise for tourists, offering great opportunities for an interesting and cognitive holiday. A separate category of attractions in Ljubljana are local museums, which in most cases are of national character. Among the most popular among them is the Slovenian Ethnographic Museum (Slovenski etnografski muzej), which we will discuss in more detail below.
General information
The history of the Slovene Ethnographic Museum begins with the separation from the National Museum in 1923, although the first exhibition was held as far back as 1888. At that time, a small collection included, for the most part, works of non-European authors who were donated to the museum by missionaries Frederic Baraga, Ignatius Knobleher , Frank Pearce, etc. Only a few works were created by local creators and were not very popular.
In the 1940-1950's. whole teams created under the guidance of the museum, collected, studied and documented materials about the simple life and folk culture of villagers before and after World War II. Due to lack of space for permanent exhibition, the main orientation of the administration at that time was the preparation of periodic thematic exhibitions, and individual collections were exhibited in castles around Ljubljana. Only in the mid-90s the Ministry of Culture was allocated a separate building in which the Slovenian Ethnographic Museum is located to this day.
Exhibitions of the museum
The Slovenian Ethnographic Museum is a place "about people and for people", which reflects the national cultural identity, the connection between the past and the present, between classical and modern art, between nature and civilization. Within the annual exhibition cycle - Slovenian (foreign, immigrant), other European and non-European educational programs - the museum demonstrates and transmits knowledge:
- on the national culture of Slovenia and some other peoples of the world;
- the material cultural heritage of the daily and festive way of life;
- about the intangible heritage, wisdom and creativity in the Slovenian ethnic space and the diaspora.
In total, the museum's collections have collected more than 50,000 objects, some of which are represented at 2 permanent exhibitions:
- "Between nature and culture" (3rd floor) is a treasury of the Slovenian and world ethnological heritage. In this collection are more than 3000 exhibits demonstrating the relationship between man and nature in a social and historical context. In a separate thematic hall there are objects that tell about folk art (honey paintings, drawings on glass), customs (domestic and holiday), traditional musical instruments, religion, etc.
- "I and others: images of my world" (2nd floor) - the most interesting exhibition of the Slovenian Ethnographic Museum, showing the position of a person among other people, in space and time. It is divided into 7 so-called "chapters", each of which illustrates the relationship of a person within a certain category: "I am a man", "My family is my home", "My community is my hometown", "Outside the city - my departure "," My people are my country "," Differences between my and foreign culture "and" I am my personal world ".
What else is interesting about the museum?
In the Slovene Ethnographic Museum, in addition to exhibitions, there is also a weaving and ceramic workshop, in which everyone will be told more about these kinds of crafts and even teach some basics. In addition, on the territory, namely on the 1st floor, are:
- a shop where you can buy souvenirs for memory, brochures and books about the folk culture and traditions of Slovenia;
- cafe, where not only serves delicious homemade desserts and cakes, but also often conducts presentations of books, concerts, cultural and dancing evenings, birthdays, etc .;
- a library in which a unique collection of 25,000 items is stored - domestic and foreign monographs, periodicals in the field of ethnology and anthropology, literature that is the result of studying the way of life and folk culture in Slovenia, etc.
Useful information for tourists
The Slovenian Ethnographic Museum is open for visits from Tuesday to Sunday from 10.00 to 18.00, Monday and public holidays are weekend. Free admission to the museum is only possible on every first Sunday of the month, on all other days the entrance fee is 4.5 USD. for adults and 2.5 USD. for pupils of schools, students and pensioners. For people with disabilities and special needs, admission is always free.
How to get there?
You can get to the Slovene Ethnographic Museum either independently by car or by using public transport:
- On the car by coordinates. Leave the car can be parking, which is located on either side of the street. Metelkova (on which the museum is located). Another 300 m from the entrance there is a paid parking lot for 750 seats, the cost is $ 1.4. at one o'clock.
- By bus. The nearest bus stop Poliklinika is located near the city hospital and just 1 block from the museum. You can reach it on routes Nos. 9 and 25.