Murska Sobota Regional Museum

Founded in 1955 by the Prekmurje Museum Society, the Murska Sobota Regional Museum found a permanent home in Murska Sobota Castle in 1956. It is the main regional institution for the protection of movable cultural heritage in the Pomurje region. From its initial 186 square metres the museum has since expanded its premises to an area of 2,000 square metres.

Institutional history

The beginnings of the Murska Sobota Regional Museum are connected with the Prekmurje Museum Society, which was established in 1935. The collection of the Prekmurje Museum Society was first indexed during the Second World War by Avgust Pavel. In 1978 the museum became a working unit of Murska Sobota Cultural Centre, which was renamed in 1984 to Miško Kranjec Cultural Centre, Murska Sobota. In 1987 it acquired the status of general museum for Pomurje. It was established as an independent cultural institution in 1992 by the Municipality of Murska Sobota. With the reorganisation of the municipalities the museum remained without proprietors for many years. The problems were solved in 2007 with a new act established by the Municipality of Murska Sobota and the Municipality of Moravske Toplice.

Programme and mission

The museum records, collects, researches, documents, conservates, educates and presents all types of tangible and intangible cultural heritage. There are intertwined cultural influences of neighbouring provinces and countries, and unique creativity that comes from ethnic, national and religious diversity. Museum performs a public service for all municipalities in this region and is also responsible for recording and documentation of intangible heritage in Porabje (Hungary) and Radgona corner (Austria), where a part of the Slovenian national minority lives. Its activity includes archaeology, ethnology, history and art history, conservation and restoration, and a professional library. Museum performs educational and andragogical programs including workshops and lecture activities.

Venues and branches

Beside main location at Murska Sobota Castle, the museum has many dislocated units: Beltinci Museum Collection in the Beltinci castle; Gornja Radgona Museum Collection in Špital, Gornja Radgona; Radenska Museum Collection; Vaneča Memorial Room – District Committee of the Association of National Liberation War Veterans Murska Sobota; Memorial Room of Dr Fran Kovačič, Veržej; Miško Kranjec Homestead; Grad Castle, Grad - Krajinski park Goričko; Memorial Room of Štefan Hozjan, Brezovica; Pečarovci Museum Collecton of Fire Brigade; Memorial Room of Dr Anton Trstenjak, Rodmošci.

Collections

Collected material is arranged into different collections: archaeological collection includes over 7.000 stone items, Eneolithic material from Šafarsko and Bukovnica, Bronze Age material from Dolnji Lakoš and Gornja Radgona, settlements in Dolga vas, Ivanci, sepulchral mounds and burial-grounds in Dobrovnik, Gančani, Vučja gomila, Gerlinci, Motvarjevci, Čikečka vas, Dokležovje, Rakičan, Strehovci and Mačkovci, Bronze Age settlement Oloris; ethnological collection includes over 2.000 items of farming and household activities (a pottery collection, a shoemaker collection, a belt-making collection and a collection of farming utensils, folk art artefacts, recording elements of folk and mass culture...); art historian collection includes over 2.000 items of fine arts and crafts, art photography by Jožef Kološa, legacy of painter Alojz Eberl, music instruments, collection of caricaturist Ladislav Kondor; historian collection includes over 11.000 items of numismatics, photos, publications, technical objects, documents, textile items, smaller items; library collection houses over 14.500 inventory units; and health collection of Pomurje region, collected by Nikolaj Szepessy, doctor from Beltinci.

Exhibitions

Museum's main permanent collection, set up in autumn 1997, is located in the Murska Sobota castle and presents life in the region along the Mura river from prehistoric times until today. For this exhibition museum won the European Museum of the Year Award in 1999.

Other permanent exhibitions are in the dislocated units, among them the History of Health in Pomurje region in the Beltinci castle; in Gornja Radgona: Bridges of Radgona; in Grad: Handicrafts Workshops and Domestic Activities; in Brezovica: Štefan Hozjan, Royal Imperial Pilot; and in Velika Polana: At the Advanced Printing.

There are also many contemporary exhibitions taking place in Murska Sobota Regional Museum; an exhibition in 2009 HA, this was an artistic Soul was a part of a programme of the first International Ceramics Triennial Unicum.

Awards

In 1998 the museum curators won Valvasor Award for Curators. In 1987 Vlasta Koren won Valvasor Award for Lifetime Achievement. The Plaque of Municipality of Murska Sobota for Outstanding Achievements in the Field of Museology was received in 1992 by Irena Šavel and the Plaque of Municipality of Murska Sobota for Outstanding Achievements in the Field of Culture was received by Metka Fujs in 2001. In the same year Janez Balažic won the Izidor Cankar Award for Research in the Medieval Painting and in 2002 he received also the Plaque of Municipality of Murska Sobota for Outstanding Achievements in the Field of Culture. In 2003 the same award was bestowed also to Branko Kerman. The Valvasor Award for Exhibition-Project At the Turn of the Millenium was received by Metka Fujs in 2003. In the same year Irena Šavel received the Award of Archaeological Society of Slovenia for the book on Oloris.

Publishing

Periodical publication Anthology of Murska Sobota Regional Museum ("Zbornik soboškega muzeja") is the first periodical publication in region dedicated to sociology and science, published since 1990. Four documentary - feature films on time (Naravni in božji čas, Biografski čas, Merilci časa, Družbeni odnos do časa) directed by Aleš Nadai are the result of the project At the Turn of the Millennium. Museum regularly publishes exhibition catalogues, sound carriers and other promotion material.

International cooperation

The cooperation with Lendava-Lendva Gallery and Museum and Pável Ágoston Museum in Monošter (Hungary) in the project Sense of Place started in 2009. Main goal was to realize a new permanent exhibition in Monošter and to renovate premises for the realization of the permanent educational programme in Murska Sobota, Lendava, and Monošter. The Murska Sobota Regional Museum takes part also in the international project Handicrafts Academy.

External links

Murska Sobota Regional Museum website