Gorenjska Museum
History
The idea of establishing a museum in Kranj was born before the First World War. In 1953 the Municipal Museum of Kranj was founded and had its seat in the Prešeren House. In 1957 a second museum was established in Kranj – Gorenjska Regional Museum, which was renamed to the Museum of the People's Revolution in 1961. Gorenjska Museum, Kranj was established in 1963 by merging of the Municipal Museum of Kranj and the Kranj Museum of the People's Revolution. Following locations in Kranj had been assigned to the new museum: Town Hall on Glavni Trg, Prešernova house, and a Baroque Palace in Tavčarja Street. In 1993 the Baroque Palace was returned to the original owners. Gorenjska Museum, Kranj acquired new spaces in the Khislstein castle, where its headquarters, administrative and service spaces were located until 2008, when the museum moved to a new location at Savska cesta, Kranj.
Programme / Mission
From the outset Gorenjska Museum has taken a keen interest in contemporary art and events in Gorenjska, which are continuously reflected in its gallery activities. A Department of Slovene Photography operates within the museum. The museum is also a very active publisher, especially of the cycle Gorenjski kraji in ljudje ('Places and People of Gorenjska').
Branches
Today in addition to Prešeren House it incorporates Kranj Town Hall, the Birthplace of Dr France Prešeren, Vrba, the Birthplace of Franc Saleški Finžgar, Žirovnica, Kranj Archaeological Site, the Museum of Alpine Dairy Farming, Stara Fužina, Oplen House, and the Tomaž Godec Museum. All the major museum branches are represented in the museum, along with a series of auxiliary services (restoration and conservation workshop, historical archives, photo-laboratory, picture library, and library).
Collections
In addition to ethnographic, art history and cultural history collections, twenty years ago after the completion of excavations at the Kranj parish church an archaeological monument has been arranged, in which the visible remnants of late Roman oktogonal baptistery, remnants of the late 13th century baptistery and other finds are visible.