Establishment of the Provincial Museum in Ljubljana

Abstract

The National Museum of Slovenia is the second oldest scientific institution in Slovenia and will celebrate its two-hundredth anniversary on 15 October 2021 as the direct successor of the Carniolan Provincial Museum. The officially recognised date of its creation was the day when the provincial estates passed the conclusion on its establishment, even though the museum only commenced its operations by organising the first exhibitions and opening its doors to the public about a decade later. The formation of the museum in Ljubljana therefore differs in many ways from similar institutions that were emerging in other provincial capitals across the Austrian Empire. The article discusses the founding period of the museum (1821–1831), during which, in spite of many difficulties, solid foundations were laid for its future development.