Celje Regional Museum

Celje Regional Museum was founded in 1882 at the premises of the present-day Celje Music School, but already in the 1920s the city council discussed the option of moving the museum to the Old Counts' Mansion, a late Renaissance building. It was only after the Second World War that the Mansion was renovated to be used as a municipal museum, presenting cultural, historical and ethnological objects from Celje and its environs. Celje Municipal Museum was renamed the Celje Regional Museum in 1966. In 1990 it was nominated for the European Museum of the Year award.

Collections

The first part of the collection occupies an area of 240 square metres and presents eras from the Stone Age Potočka zijalka on Olševa to the late Roman period and the city of Celeia. A Roman lapidary collection with an area of 440 square metres in the cellars of the Old Counts' Mansion is supplemented with the outdoor lapidary collection of architectural remains of public and private buildings and a rich collection of milestones.

In the Major Hall, the famous Celje Ceiling in tempera on canvas (14.45 x 9.7m) is a singular example of secular painting from the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries in Slovenia. The museum also houses important Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Classicist, Empire, Biedermeier and Historicist paintings, sculpture, frescoes, furniture and furnishings, clocks, miniatures and portraits. One of the highlights of the Celje Regional Museum's permanent exhibition is the glass case with the skulls of the notorious Counts of Celje, previously burried beyond the main altar of the St. Mary church.

The ethnological collection on the ground floor features a wide spectrum of exhibits belonging to the material and spiritual culture of the population of the wider Celje region (ploughing implements, small agricultural tools, milk processing implements, accessories for processing flax and wool, small kitchen utensils, lights and textiles, woodworking products) and a collection of folk art.

The museum has over 370 beehive panels from the Zadrečka dolina and Savinja valleys. The numismatic collection covers an area of 60 square metres and the period from the Late Iron Age until the 20th century. Celje is the only town in Slovenia that had its own mint twice in the course of two millennia (in the 1st century BCE under the Kelts and again in the 15th century). The collection of old Savinja ceramics in the museum is one of the most exquisite and richest collections in Slovenia; it presents products from various ceramic factories established in the 19th century. A special 53 square-metre area on the ground floor of the Old Count's Mansion is dedicated to Alma Karlin, a best-seller writer and intellectual born in Celje in 1889, who studied languages in London and brought back a substantial collection of objects from her extensive journeys around the world.

Dislocated units

Archeological sites

Except from the Princely Palace archaeological remains of ancient Celeia and Old Counts’ Mansion lapidary under or in the premises of museum. The museum’s satellite archaeological sites include the The Early Christian Baptistery, Celje dating from the 5th century CE; restored remains of from the 2nd century CE located on a terrace above the river Savinja's left bank Temple of Hercules on Miklavški hrib, Rifnik Archaeological Site that has findings presented in neighbouring town of Šentjur on display called Rifnik and its Treasures, The Šentjur Museum Collection; one of Slovenia most preserved archaeology highlights is definitely Šempeter v Savinjski Dolini Roman Necropolis showing graveyard of rich Roman inhabitants Living in Celeia (96–235 AD)in the time of Traian and Severan Dinasty; important palaenteologic and archaeologic site is Potočka Zijalka Paleolithic Cave cave under Olševa mountain where bones of 40 different animal species from the stone age and hunting weapons were found that are on display in the permanent exhibition Potočka zijalka, Firšt Exhibition Room in Solčava, Logarska Dolina.

Dislocates museums

The museum’s dislocated collections and historical sites include The Leber Carriage Depot at the Dobrna Museum Collection. Located in old Horse Stables in spa town of Dobrna, the museum presents collection of carriages. The Schwentner House, The Vransko Museum Collection, Vransko is a homestead of Lavoslav Schwentner (1865–1952) famous librarian and publisher from Ljubljana that was born in Vransko. He was also important maecenas of literates of Slovene Moderna. House of the Schwentner family has almost intact preserved rich bourgeois interior, furniture and equipment from the beginning of 20th century showing their lifestyle.

The Šmid Ethnological Collection, The Planina Museum Collection, Planina pri Sevnici presents ethnological collection of Janez Šmid, who was dedicated to preserve Kozjansko heritage of everyday life. The "Glaziers'" Church, The Šentjur Museum Collection, Loka pri Žusmu is a church of St. Leopold museum of glass products and crafts that were made in private glasshouses in Kozjansko region from 17th century on.

The Birthplace of Risto Savin, The Žalec Museum Collection, Žalec homestead of important Slovene composer and army officer that composed operas and ballets based on stories from national history and literature for instance operas Poslednja straža (1898), Lepa Vida (1907), Matija Gubec (1923) and ballet Čajna punčka (1922). The Gornji Grad Ethnological Collection, The Gornji grad Museum Collection presents ecclesiastical history of Slovenia, ethnological and palaeontological collections.

Temporary exhibitions

In honour of Alma M. Karlin's 120th anniversary of birth Alma M. Karlin Journey exhibition is on display until 2012. Also book on her life has been published by the museum for the occasion.

Other previous temporary exhibitions include a survey on rare culture heritage of medieval paving stones collected from monasteries, castles and churches in Slovenia Medieval floor tiles in Slovenia (2010), The Sanctuaries on the Riverside was an archaeological exhibition on Celtic and Roman cults in Celeia, and the exhibition of the museum's glass collection Mohn & Kothgasser, Transparent-enamelled Biedermeier Glass (2010).

In Strmol Manor, Rogatec some 40 km from Celje a travelling exhibition Cookery Book is on display showing recipes, kitchenware and how and what our grand grand mothers were cooking in 19th and beginning of 20th century. Exhibitions guide is an interesting cookbook presenting collection and old receipts.

Colaborations and Awards

Traditionally from 1989 on [Celje Regional Museum] collaborates with Verein Steiermarkisches Glaskunstzentrum und Glasmuseum, Bärnbach, Austria, where curator Jože Rataj and author Paul von Lichtenberg prepare exhibitions on glass making.

External links

Celje Regional Museum website (in Slovenian)
Roman Necropolis in Šempeter
Gornji Grad Museum Collection

References

Alma Karlin's virtual home by Celje Central Library
Risto Savin on Wikipedija (in Slovenian)
Counts of Celje on Wikipedija (in Slovenian)
Zvonka Zupanič Slavec: New Method of Identifying Family Related Skulls (pdf), a summary of a study of Counts of Celje skulls

Gallery

Matthew 12.12 by artist Gregor Kregar, in the exhibition Sculpture Today curated by Tomaž Brejc, Alenka Domjan, Jiri Kočica, Polona Tratnik - in the lapidary of the Celje Regional Museum, 2003–2010

Roman archeological finds; Headless statue in the lower part of Knežji dvorec in Celje

The so-called Old Counts' Mansion, one of the mansions that host the Celje Regional Museum.

A 19th-century Ukiyo-e woodcut by Andō Hiroshige, Alma Karlin Collection, Celje Regional Museum, K 825.

Korean Fan, Alma Karlin Collection, Celje Regional Museum, K 80.

This Japanese bronze elephant pagoda incense burner is one of the many items featured in the online East Asian Collections in Slovenia. Collection of Objects from Asia and South America, Celje Regional Museum, A7.

Celje Regional Museum

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