Railway Museum of Slovenske železnice

The Railway Museum of Slovenske železnice originated in 1981 when the Ljubljana Railway Directorate established a Museum Section to manage the collection of old steam locomotives stored at Parmova Street and also acquired new premises for a depository, workshop and exhibition area.

The Railway Museum of Slovenske železnice is divided into two sections: a collection of vehicles (steam locomotives, coaches, wagons and other historic rolling stock) and a permanent exhibition relating to various fields of railway history and technology. Thematic temporary exhibitions are held on the upper floor. In addition, the Railway Museum also offers rides on the museum's trains.

The museum's roundhouse has also been used as a venue for independent and alternative culture events such Mladi levi Festival and concerts by the group The Stroj.

Museum's development

The collection started to emerge already in the 1960s in a boiler building at the same address. In 1991 the institution was renamed the Railway Museum of Slovenske železnice, focused on the old roundhouse building with its permanent exhibition of 10 steam locomotives, out of the 60 they posses. In 1999 the roundhouse was renovated, and in 2004 a new exhibition building was opened to the public nearby, presenting the construction and maintenance of the railway lines, the development of the railway network, railway uniforms, the traffic control centre, communications, and signalling and safety installations. The Railway Museum still has the status of an internal technological collection of Slovenian Railways company. Future plans envisage the Railway Museum being incorporated into a major National Museum of Transportation (including both rail and road vehicles) which will be implemented under the guidance of the Technical Museum of Slovenia.

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Temporary exhibitions

The museum's permanent collection is enriched by thematic documentary and artistic exhibitions that deal with railway history or motifs. Recently an exhibition of old postcards depicting the famous Borovnica Railway viaduct (ruined in WWII) was prepared in collaboration with the Borovnica Historical Society.