View source for Slovene Fire Fighters Museum, Metlika

{{Article
| status       = 
| maintainer   = Janez Premk
}}
{{Infobox
| name                = Slovene Fire Fighters Museum, Metlika
| localname           = Slovenski gasilski muzej dr. Branka Božiča
| street              = Trg svobode 5
| town                = SI-8330 Metlika
| map                = http://www.openstreetmap.org/?lon=15.31691&lat=45.65132&zoom=16&layer=mapnik
| telephone           = 386 (0) 7 305 8697, 386 (0) 41 384 072 (mobile)
| fax                 = 3
| email               = muzej@gasilec.net
| website             = http://www.gasilec.net/organizacija/gasilski-muzej
| managed by          = Fire Fighters Association of Slovenia
| opening hours       = 9am–2pm Tue–Sat, 9–12am Sun. Closed Mon, 1 Jan, 1 Nov, 25 Dec. For announced groups by arrangement.
| contacts     = {{Contact
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  | role        = 
  | street      = 
  | town        = 
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  | email       = 
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{{Teaser|
The [[Slovene Fire Fighters Museum, Metlika]] was opened in [[established::1969]] in conjunction with the celebration of the 100th anniversary of fire fighting in Slovenia. At that time one hundred years had passed since the first fire department in Slovenia was established in Metlika. The museum is named after [[Branko Božič]], a long-time president of the Fire Fighters Association of Slovenia and the promoter and co-founder of the museum, and houses a collection of items from 140 years of fire fighting activity in Slovenia. The museum is situated in the Exhibition Pavilion at [[Bela krajina Museum, Metlika|Metlika castle]] and in the building (former cinema) nearby the castle. 

In addition to the Slovene Fire Fighters Museum in Metlika, there are also the Fire Fighters Museum [[SI-3305 Vransko|Vransko]], Fire Fighters Museum Pečarovci as well as smaller fire fighters collections in [[SI-2366 Muta|Muta]], [[Municipality of Sevnica|Sevnica]], [[Municipality of Tržič|Tržič]] and [[Municipality of Žalec|Žalec]].
}}

== Displays ==
The Fire Fighters Exhibition Pavilion was built in the grounds of Metlika castle and opened in 1984, providing an exhibition space for old fire engines collected from various parts of Slovenia, including a fire engine from Grahovo near Cerknica dating in 1836 and from Celje, constructed in 1908 in the Viennese factory Kernereuter.

After the renovation work in 2008&ndash;2009 the exhibition space nearby the castle displays various fire fighters documents, awards, photographs, helmets, medals, fire fighters horns, axes, officers' swords, fire fighters flags, and other items. On the gallery the history of fire fighting until the First World War is on display, including the oldest fire fighter publications (first issue of ''Gasilec'' [Fire Fighter] published in 1897) and the 1795 fire regulations for towns and markets in Carniola: ''Postava sa vola ogna v mejstih inu tergih na Kranjskem'', which outlined town and market organisation for the prevention of fires and measures to be taken when fires did happen to break out. Models of the oldest fire engines can also be seen, including the kinds used in the 15th and 16th centuries.

In a hall the founders of Slovene Fire Fighters are presented: [[Ignacij Merhar]], [[Fran Barle]], and [[Josip Turk]], as well as the history of fire fighting after the Second World War until the present day. Special attention is drawn to the Slovene fire fighters highest order, the [[Matevž Hace]] Statuette. In the basement, old fire engines are on display, donated by the [[Technical Museum of Slovenia]].

== See also ==
* [[Bela krajina Museum, Metlika]]
* [[Murska Sobota Regional Museum]]

== External links ==
* [http://www.gasilec.net/organizacija/gasilski-muzej Slovene Fire Fighters Museum web page] (in Slovenian)
* [http://www.gasilec.net/ Fire Fighters Association of Slovenia website]
* [http://sl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matevž_Hace Matevž Hace on Wikipedia]

[[Category:Museums]]
[[Category:Specialised museums]]