CULTURE & HERITAGE

Ever since the poetry of France Preseren in the first half of 19th century, culture has formed the heart of our national being. Urban culture has developed over the last two centuries, along with the gradual evolution of fundamental institutions such as the National Museum, and the Slovenian Philharmonic. Nowadays, Slovenia has a myriad of theatres, cinemas, libraries and educational facilities and is well known abroad by its current cultural export. Here are some features:

MUSEUMS

There are over two hundred museums and museum collections in Slovenia. The most important heritage is preserved by the National Museum, the Slovene Museum of Ethnography, and the Museum of Natural Science of Slovenia. Of European significance is the World War I Soca (Isonzo) Front Museum in Kobarid, which was awarded the European Museum of the Year award by the Council of Europe. Numerous smaller museums and collections throughout Slovenia reveal the history and methods of typical handicraft and professional skills and trades – glassmaking, fire fighting, beekeeping, blacksmithing, bobbin lace, winegrowing, Alpine dairy farming, hop growing and others. Mining museums with their underground tours and open-air ethnological museums are also very interesting.

ART GALLERIES & FINE ART MUSEUMS

Throughout Slovenia, there are art galleries and Fine Art museums. The most important institutions for the Fine Arts are the National Gallery, the Gallery of Modern Art, and the International Graphics Center in Ljubljana. In Slovene cities there are dozens of private galleries and usually a city gallery as well. In many places, Forma Viva art colony collections are exhibited.  

ARCHEOLOGY

Situated at the intersection of many historical routes, Slovenia is a rich treasury of the past with valuable archaeological finds. Many among them are of world importance, such as the world's oldest flute in Divje Babe near Idrija. Numerous finds are preserved in museums or exhibited in situ in archaeology parks and at excavation sites arranged for visitors.

ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE

Slovenia is a country of interesting architecture. Ljubljana is a unique exhibition site for the work of the renowned Slovene and European architect Joze Plecnik. But the appearance of Slovene cities, towns, and villages was created centuries ago with churches, monasteries, and castles stretching back to the Romanesque period, the first medieval cities, Renaissance mansions and city halls, Baroque renovations, Classicist parks and palaces, and Art Nouveau hotels and banks.

Many special features of Slovenia's architectural heritage are marked by folk creativity, different from place to place: fascinating stonecutting details on the coast and in the Vipava region, roofs covered with the wooden shingles in the Soca River region, thatched houses in Prekmurje and so forth. Particularly interesting are the ancient granaries and the remarkable kozolec or hayrack. In many places village is also a picturesque sight.  

SACRAL HERITAGE

Wherever the eye wanders in Slovenia, it catches sight of a bell tower, whether on top of a hill or in the centre of a city. Slovenia is a country of churches that testify about the past life of its people. These solitary churches on hilltops are linked to pre-Christian religious groups and the high refuges of the earliest inhabitants. Particularly interesting are the churches fortified with walls and towers against the Turkish raids.