Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
of-a-kind inventions, and favorite souvenirs from his travels, the house paints an unusually
intimate portrait of an artist.
While the house initially underwhelms some visitors, it's a
▲▲▲
pilgrimage for those
who get caught up in Ljubljana's idiosyncratic sense of style. As you tour the place, be pa-
tient. Listen to its stories. Appreciate the subtle details. Notice how reverently your guide
(and other Slovenes) speaks of this man. Contrast the humbleness of Ple
č
nik's home with
the dynamic impact he had on the cityscape of Ljubljana and the cultural heritage of Slove-
nia. Wandering Ple
č
nik's hallways, it's hard not to be tickled by this man's sheer creativity
and by the unique world he forged for himself to live in. As a visitor to his home, you're in
good company. He invited only his closest friends here—except during World War II, when
Ljubljana was occupied by Nazis and the university was closed, Ple
č
nik allowed his stu-
dents to work with him here.
Three museums face each other ona slick modern plaza next to the park called Tabor,about
a 15-minute walk northeast of Prešeren Square in the dull but up-and-coming district of
Metelkova. Nearby, you can explore the funky squatters' colony of Metelkova City (with
Ljubljana's famous prison-turned-youth hostel).
Housed in a state-of-the-art facility, this delightful museum is Ljubljana's most underrated
attraction.Withbothpermanentandtemporaryexhibits,themuseumstrivestoexplainwhat
itistobeSlovene,withwell-presentedandwell-describedculturalartifactsfromaroundthe
country. If you've caught the Slovenian folk culture itch, this is the place to scratch it.
Cost and Hours:
€4.50,freelastSunofmonth,Tue-Sun10:00-18:00,closedMon,great
café, Metelkova 2, tel. 01/300-8745,
www.etno-muzej.si
.
Visiting the Museum:
The ground and first floors have good temporary exhibits, while
upstairs you'll find two permanent exhibits.
Thebestexhibit,fillingthethirdfloor,iscalled
“Between Nature and Culture.”
Asyou
exittheelevator,turnleftandfindtheshrunkenhead,whichcomeswithasurprisinglyfrank
exhibitthatacknowledgestheshortsightedtendencyformuseumcurators—includingatthis
museum—to emphasize things that are foreign or different. Continue through collections of
“Reflections of Distant Worlds” (non-European cultures) to reach the core of the collection,
which focuses on Slovenia. A good but slow-moving film visits the country's four major
regions. Another exhibit ponders how people half a world away—in Slovenia and in North
America—simultaneously invented a similar solution (snowshoes) for a common problem.
One display deconstructs Slovenian clichés (including this country's odd fascination with
its traditional hayracks). The arrangement of the collection emphasizes the evolution of an
