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Dobrodošli v Sloveniji

Country

Slovenia

22 places · 43 museums

📷 No machine-readable author provided. Janeznovak assumed (based on… · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons
museumtickets.com guide · Slovenia

Welcome to Slovenia

Alps, caves, a little coast and a green capital, in a country you can cross in a few hours.

Slovenia has about two million people, the Alps in the north, the karst caves in the south-west and a short piece of the Adriatic. It is a country of beekeepers, poets and architects, where culture even has its own public holiday. See Slovenian painting at the National Gallery, the oldest musical instrument found in Europe at the National Museum, and the mountain front of the First World War at Kobarid. Plan your museum days on museumtickets.com, then taste potica and Carniolan sausage.

  • c. 3150 BCthe Ljubljana Marshes wheel, one of the oldest wooden wheels in the world
  • 1991Slovenia declares independence on 25 June
  • 2004Slovenia joins the European Union
  • 2007the first of the new members to use the euro

Slovenia through the ages

Pile dwellers, Romans, Habsburgs and a young state.

  1. c. 50,000 BC

    A bone with holes

    In the Divje Babe cave, a Neanderthal-era cave bear bone with holes is found; many think it is the oldest flute.

    See it at: National Museum of Slovenia
  2. c. 3150 BC

    The wheel in the marsh

    People living in pile dwellings on the Ljubljana Marshes leave behind a wooden wheel and axle.

    See it at: City Museum of Ljubljana
  3. 14 AD

    Roman Emona

    The Romans build the town of Emona where Ljubljana stands today.

    See it at: City Museum of Ljubljana
  4. 1550

    The first Slovene book

    Primož Trubar prints the first books in Slovene, laying the base of the written language.

    See it at: National and University Library
  5. 1917

    The Isonzo front

    The twelfth battle of the Soča (Caporetto) ends two years of mountain war.

    See it at: Kobarid Museum
  6. 1991

    Independence

    Slovenia declares independence and defends it in the Ten-Day War.

    See it at: National Museum of Contemporary History

Women who shaped Slovenia

A painter, a world traveller and a writer for women's rights.

Ivana Kobilca

The great Slovenian painter of the 19th century (1861–1926), who worked in Munich, Paris and Sarajevo; her portrait was on the 5,000 tolar note.

See it at: National Gallery of Slovenia
Alma Karlin

From Celje, she travelled around the world alone from 1919 to 1928 and wrote about it in many books.

See it at: Celje Regional Museum
Zofka Kveder

Writer and editor (1878–1926) who wrote about the lives of women and fought for their rights.

Artists to look for in Slovenia

From impressionist sowers to the architect who rebuilt Ljubljana.

Jože Plečnik

Architect who shaped Ljubljana with bridges, markets and a library; his works are on the UNESCO list.

Rihard Jakopič

Leader of the Slovenian impressionists, painter of light and sun.

Ivan Grohar

His painting 'The Sower' became a symbol of the Slovenian nation.

Francesco Robba

Baroque sculptor whose Fountain of the Three Carniolan Rivers stood in front of Ljubljana's town hall.

Zoran Mušič

20th-century painter whose quiet works came out of his time in the camp of Dachau.

Taste Slovenia

Rolled cakes, sausages and honey.

Potica

A rolled cake with walnut, tarragon or poppy-seed filling, baked for holidays.

Carniolan sausage

Kranjska klobasa, a smoked pork sausage with a protected name, eaten with mustard and bread.

Idrija žlikrofi

Small dumplings filled with potato, from the mining town of Idrija.

Prekmurska gibanica

A layered cake from the east with poppy seed, curd, walnut and apple.

Honey

Slovenia is a land of beekeepers; taste forest and chestnut honey at a market.

Traditions and festivals through the year

Furry Kurents, painted eggs and cows coming down from the mountains.

Kurentovanje – late winter

In Ptuj, Kurents in sheepskins and bells dance to chase away winter; UNESCO lists the custom.

Culture Day – February

On Prešeren Day, a public holiday for culture, many museums open their doors.

Easter – spring

Painted eggs (pirhi) and butarice, bundles of greenery, are blessed in church.

Cows' Ball – autumn

In Bohinj, cows decorated with flowers come down from the summer pastures, with music and food.

Advent – December

Ljubljana fills with lights and markets along the river.

Hidden story

The country of bees

A beekeeper from Slovenia gave the world its bee day.

Read the storyClose

Anton Janša, born in 1734 in Breznica, became the first teacher of beekeeping at the Habsburg court in Vienna. Slovenians still paint the front boards of their hives with scenes from life and stories. At the initiative of Slovenia, the United Nations made Janša's birthday World Bee Day. You can see the painted hive panels at the Museum of Apiculture in Radovljica.

Tips for art lovers

Small country

Distances are short: Ljubljana to the coast or the Alps is about an hour.

Caves

Postojna and Škocjan caves are near each other; Škocjan is on the UNESCO list.

Trains and buses

Buses often go where the train does not; check both.

Closed days

Many museums close on Mondays; check before you go.

Slovenia: plan your visit with museumtickets.com

On museumtickets.com: 43 museums with photos, the way there and the museums nearby. Save your favourites in the free Culture Passport and, where the museum offers it, pay your admission in advance.

Getting there

Getting to Slovenia

From the airport to the city centre by public transport, then the trains and local lines to the museums.

Arriving by plane

LJU
Ljubljana Jože PučnikLjubljana · Kranj · Bled

Getting around Slovenia

Lines and timetables change. Check the operator’s website before you travel.

On the map