About the City Museum of Ljubljana
The City Museum of Ljubljana is situated in Auersperg Palace, which in itself is an architectural monument, and holds Ljubljana’s cultural heritage of several millennia. This ranges from the 4,500-year-old prehistoric pile dwelling settlement to the present-day charming capital of Slovenia, from the ancient town to the emergence of the modern economic, political, administrative and creative centre.
About Auersperg Palace
Auersperg Palace and the location where the Museum is situated represent a significant part of Ljubljana’s cultural heritage.
In the Roman period, this was where port suburbs of the Roman Emona stretched, as evidenced by the Roman road preserved in the Museum’s basement.
The Palace was rebuilt in 1654 by the Counts of Auersperg, who were one of the most prominent noble houses of Carniola, from their own house and two additional houses in just four years. The three tracts encompassed a newly arranged courtyard in the centre of which a stone fountain and a linden tree were situated. The Counts mainly lived here during winter, whilst they spent the summer at Turjak Castle. Their prominence in the life of the city is also evidenced by the fact that the Austrian Emperor Joseph II paid them a visit.
The Palace was soon subject to the first Baroque alterations, and in 1824 master builder Francesco Cocconi provided its front with a late Baroque façade, emphasising it by means of a Classicist portal. Auersperg Palace was badly affected by the 1895 earthquake. In 1927, the Palace was sold to the state.
In mid-1935, the Palace was bought by the Municipality of Ljubljana and allocated to the City Museum for the purpose of “collecting all objects relating to the history of Ljubljana, i.e. with regard to both Ljubljana’s role in spiritual and national terms and to the development of present-day Ljubljana”. The refurbishment of interior spaces was undertaken in April 1937. That same year saw the opening of the first museum collection which provided an insight into the middle-class residential culture from the late Middle Ages to the first half of the 19th century.
After World War Two, Auersperg Palace was also home to the Slovanska knjižnica library, the Municipal Archives of Ljubljana, the Education and Culture Board of the Municipal People’s Administration, the cloakrooms of the Ljubljana City Theatre, and several private residents.
The 1990s in the City Museum were particularly influenced by the Towards a Friendly Museum project in which the Museum started to open up to the public and its building started to be renovated. As a result, a new floor area of 1,000 m2 was acquired, the building was provided with a basement and, consequently, extensive archaeological research was undertaken and significant findings were recorded. The project was concluded with the Curve architecture competition project, undertaken as a comprehensive renovation of the premises in terms of construction, seismic safety and function. The internationally awarded project designed by the architects Špela Videčnik and Rok Oman succeeded in approaching the Museum’s mission to the highest degree possible, i.e. to make Auersperg Palace available to public programmes and, along with that, to harmonise the ancient palace with the Museum’s dynamic activity, thereby reaching the widest possible audience as well as other users.
About the Museum
The mission of the City Museum of Ljubljana is to record, document, conserve, study and present the movable cultural heritage as regards the Ljubljana region. Its collection comprises over 200,000 museum objects accounting for several millennia of the Ljubljana region’s heritage. Special mention is to be made of two findings, i.e. the world’s oldest wooden wheel with a wooden axle and a wooden point around 40,000 years old.
You can visit the City Museum of Ljubljana to view our interactive and thematically designed permanent exhibition about the history of Ljubljana and its inhabitants, or you can visit us in order to see the current temporary exhibitions.
The Museum functions as a meeting point for visitors to various events intended for adults, families or school groups. Lectures, round-table discussions, projections, guided tours, workshops, training courses, concerts and other events are designed to meet the various needs and wishes of our visitors.
Location and opening times
Location and opening times
Auersperg Palace and the location where the Museum is situated represent a significant part of Ljubljana’s cultural heritage.
In the Roman period, this was where port suburbs of the Roman Emona stretched, as evidenced by the Roman road preserved in the Museum’s basement.
The Palace was rebuilt in 1654 by the Counts of Auersperg, who were one of the most prominent noble houses of Carniola, from their own house and two additional houses in just four years. The three tracts encompassed a newly arranged courtyard in the centre of which a stone fountain and a linden tree were situated. The Counts mainly lived here during winter, whilst they spent the summer at Turjak Castle. Their prominence in the life of the city is also evidenced by the fact that the Austrian Emperor Joseph II paid them a visit.
The Palace was soon subject to the first Baroque alterations, and in 1824 master builder Francesco Cocconi provided its front with a late Baroque façade, emphasising it by means of a Classicist portal. Auersperg Palace was badly affected by the 1895 earthquake. In 1927, the Palace was sold to the state.
In mid-1935, the Palace was bought by the Municipality of Ljubljana and allocated to the City Museum for the purpose of “collecting all objects relating to the history of Ljubljana, i.e. with regard to both Ljubljana’s role in spiritual and national terms and to the development of present-day Ljubljana”. The refurbishment of interior spaces was undertaken in April 1937. That same year saw the opening of the first museum collection which provided an insight into the middle-class residential culture from the late Middle Ages to the first half of the 19th century.
After World War Two, Auersperg Palace was also home to the Slovanska knjižnica library, the Municipal Archives of Ljubljana, the Education and Culture Board of the Municipal People’s Administration, the cloakrooms of the Ljubljana City Theatre, and several private residents.
The 1990s in the City Museum were particularly influenced by the Towards a Friendly Museum project in which the Museum started to open up to the public and its building started to be renovated. As a result, a new floor area of 1,000 m2 was acquired, the building was provided with a basement and, consequently, extensive archaeological research was undertaken and significant findings were recorded. The project was concluded with the Curve architecture competition project, undertaken as a comprehensive renovation of the premises in terms of construction, seismic safety and function. The internationally awarded project designed by the architects Špela Videčnik and Rok Oman succeeded in approaching the Museum’s mission to the highest degree possible, i.e. to make Auersperg Palace available to public programmes and, along with that, to harmonise the ancient palace with the Museum’s dynamic activity, thereby reaching the widest possible audience as well as other users.
About the Museum
The mission of the City Museum of Ljubljana is to record, document, conserve, study and present the movable cultural heritage as regards the Ljubljana region. Its collection comprises over 200,000 museum objects accounting for several millennia of the Ljubljana region’s heritage. Special mention is to be made of two findings, i.e. the world’s oldest wooden wheel with a wooden axle and a wooden point around 40,000 years old.
You can visit the City Museum of Ljubljana to view our interactive and thematically designed permanent exhibition about the history of Ljubljana and its inhabitants, or you can visit us in order to see the current temporary exhibitions.
The Museum functions as a meeting point for visitors to various events intended for adults, families or school groups. Lectures, round-table discussions, projections, guided tours, workshops, training courses, concerts and other events are designed to meet the various needs and wishes of our visitors.
Location and opening times
