View source for Sergej Mašera Maritime Museum, Piran

{{Article
| status       = PHOTO
| maintainer   = Anže Zorman
}}
{{Infobox
| name                = Sergej Mašera Maritime Museum, Piran
| localname           = Pomorski muzej Sergej Mašera Piran / Museo del mare Sergej Mašera Pirano
| street              = Cankarjevo nabrežje 3
| town                = SI-6330 Piran-Pirano
| map                 = https://www.openstreetmap.org/?zoom=18&lat=45.527709&lon=13.568137
| telephone           = 386 (0) 5 671 0040
| fax                 = 386 (0) 5 671 0050
| email               = muzej@pommuz-pi.si
| website             = http://www.pomorskimuzej.si/
| founded by          = Municipality of Piran-Pirano
| opening hours       = 9am–5pm Tue–Sun 1.9.–30.6., 9–12am and 5–9pm Tue–Sun 1.7.–31.8. Closed Mon. For announced groups by arrangement. Library: 9am–1pm Mon–Fri
| contacts = {{Contact
| name                = Franco Juri
| role                = Director
| email               = franco.juri@guest.arnes.si
}}{{Contact
  | name        = Igor Presl
  | role        = Librarian
  | town        = 
  | website     = 
  | email       = igor.presl@guest.arnes.si
  | telephone   = 
}}
| accounts      = https://www.facebook.com/pomorski.piran
https://www.instagram.com/pomorskimuzej/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQjmiqn7M0j_EGTr8YzWi3w
}}

{{Teaser|

{{Wide Image|Sergej Masera Maritime Museum Piran 2020 Exterior Photo Kaja Brezocnik.jpg}}

The first collections on the history of seafaring in Piran-Pirano were presented to the public back in [[established::1954]], when the Piran Municipal Museum first opened its doors. It was renamed as the [[Sergej Mašera Maritime Museum, Piran|Sergej Mašera Maritime Museum]] in 1967, and since then the museum has conducted extensive research into Slovene maritime history and maritime archaeology. It has thus gathered an important collection of tangible and intangible cultural heritage connected with either seafaring (from its technological and ethnological dimensions to the related artistic work) or with maritime economic branches like salt-making, fishing and naval trade.

The bulk of the museum collections is housed in the 19th-century Gabrielli Palace, but quite a few of its collections are also presented elsewhere. 
}}

== Background ==

The museum is named after the war hero [[Sergej Mašera]] (1912&ndash;1941), artillery officer in the former Yugoslav army and a lieutenant of the warship ''Destroyer Zagreb''.

The Gabrielli Palace, built in the middle of the 19th century, stands on the south-east side of the inner harbour of Piran. The façade is marked by a central axis and enriched with classical elements, though the effect is reduced by its unfinished north wing. A columned stone staircase shapes the inside of the palace, decorated at ''piano nobile'', or the "noble floor" with original paintings and stuccos. 

== Venues ==

Aside from the Gabrielli Palace, there is the [[Tona’s House - St Peter's Ethnological Collection|Tona's House]], an old Istrian dwelling in the village of St Peter, renovated and opened as an ethnological collection in 1981. Another branch museum collection was opened in 1991, following the renovation of a house in the [[Museum of Salt Making, Sečovlje|Sečovlje saltpans]]; in the following years other houses in this location were renovated and the number of the saltpans increased. The museum also manages the Piran based [[Tartini Memorial Collection, Piran|Tartini Memorial Room]], the birthplace of the composer and violinist [[Giuseppe Tartini]]. There is also another collection of ship models in Izola in the Museum Parenzana, and a renovated sailing boat, parked in front of the museum. 

A new location was established in 2011 in the former [[Monfort Exhibition Space|Monfort salt storehouse]]. It houses a collection depicting traditional shipbuilding and the development of water sports.

{{image|Monfort Salt Warehouses Portoroz 2012.jpg}}

== Collections ==

If not indicated differently, the following collections are held on display on the three stories of the Gabrielli Palace : the '''archaeological collection''', with its permanent exhibition ''Between Land and Sea''; the '''salt-making collection''' in the [[Museum of Salt Making, Sečovlje]]; the '''ethnological fishing collection''' of pictures and objects dealing with sea-fishing at Izola and among in the wider Slovene ethnic territory from Trieste to the Timavo River; the '''art history collection''' of [[Gabriel Gruber|Gabriel Gruber's]] (1740&ndash;1805) ship models, seamen's votive tablets and ship figureheads; the '''maritime history collection''' of early maritime history, Austrian and Austro-Hungarian period, and of Slovene mariners in 1918&ndash;1945; the '''collection of Splošna plovba Portorož''' in Portorož (temporarily closed) ; the '''ethnological collection''' in the [[Tona’s House - St Peter's Ethnological Collection|Tona's House]]; a '''library''' of 14,000 books, held at a research library, the town archives and the old Civic Library, ''Biblioteca Civica di Pirano''. Many books date back to the 16th century, the oldest one being from 1501. Among the most interesting books are the comprehensive late 18th-century ''Encyclopaedia'' by Diderot, and the only fully preserved ''Atlas'' from 1526 by Pietro Coppo from Izola.

Since 1995, the harbour of the port of Piran in front of the Sergej Mašera Maritime Museum houses the museum's first renovated ship &ndash; the yacht ''Seagull'' [Galeb] (of the cutter M6 type), previously owned by world-famous ballet dancers [[Pia Mlakar|Pia]] and [[Pino Mlakar]]. In 2004 ''Seagull'' won the old-timers boat race in Trieste.

The exhibition on '''traditional shipbuilding and the development of water sports''' is toned by the atmosphere of the old salt repository which in it day was full up to the roof. It is set at the [[Monfort Exhibition Space]] in nearby Portorož and features old wooden boats as well as different ship carpenter's tools, sketches, documentary photos and scale models. The other part of the collection presents the sport vehicles, sailors, posters, diplomas, etc., of different water sport competitions.

== International cooperation ==

The Sergej Mašera Maritime Museum is a member of the International Congress of Maritime Museums (ICMM) and a founding member of the Association of Mediterranean Maritime Museums (AMMM).

== Publications ==

The museum publishes monographies and catalogues of temporary exhibitions concerning maritime topics. In 2009 the museum started publishing a serial publication ''Izvestja pomorskega muzeja Piran = Strenna del Museo del mare di Pirano''. Museum experts also frequently publish their articles in the ''[[Annales Journal]]''.

==Award==

A documentary produced by Radio-Television Slovenia ([[RTV Slovenia]]) ''Solinarke'' (''Salt Harvesters''), used the documents of the Sargej Mašera Maritime Museum as well as [[Koper Regional Museum]] to outline the story about the women who were working at the salt panes in Piran. The short film was awarded the ''Making a Story from Archives'' Category Best Feature Award in 2019, bestowed by the COPEAM, the Permanent Conference of the Mediterranean Audiovisual Operator in Bucharest

== See also ==
* [[Museum of Salt Making, Sečovlje]] 
* [[Tona’s House - St Peter's Ethnological Collection]]
* [[Tartini Memorial Collection, Piran]]
* [[Monfort Exhibition Space]]
* [[Annales Journal]]
* [[Museum of Underwater Activities Piran‎]]

== External links ==
* [http://www.pomorskimuzej.si/en Sergej Mašera Maritime Museum website]
* [http://www.burger.si/MuzejiInGalerije/PomorskiMuzejPiran/PomorskiMuzej/PomorskiMuzej_Virtualno.html Virtual guide through the Sergej Mašera Maritime Museum]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergej_Ma%C5%A1era Sergej Mašera article on Wikipedia]
* [http://sl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergej_Ma%C5%A1era Sergej Mašera article on Wikipedija] (in Slovenian)


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[[Category:Museums]]
[[Category:Museum libraries]]
[[Category:Industrial and technical heritage]]
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[[Category:Municipal cultural institutions]]

[[Category:Underwater cultural heritage]]


[[Category:Asia]]
[[Category:Asian collections]]
[[Category:Ethnographic museums and collections]]
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