Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
al, and satirical folk themes. The oldest panel dates from 1758, but the practice really took
off in the 19th century. Take your time perusing these delightful illustrations. The depiction
of a hunter's funeral shows all the animals happy...except his dog. In another panel, animals
shave the hunter—evoking an old Slovenian saying about “shaving the fool.” Panels also
reveal professional stereotypes of the time: One popular panel shows two farmers fighting
over a cow, while a lawyer milks it. Another features a giant snail running over very slow-
moving tailors (whowere considered extremely lethargic insewing newclothes). Historical
panels include a bloody beheading during a local battle and several scenes of troublesome
Turks. There's everything from portraits of Habsburg emperors, to a “true crime” sequence
ofamanmurderinghisfamilyastheysleep,toproto-“Lockhorns”cartoonsofmaritalstrife,
toawkwarddepictions offoreignlands(basedonlikely incomplete orfaultydescriptions of
the day), to 18th-century erotica (one with a woman showing some leg and another with a
flip-up, peek-a-boo panel). A few panels blur the line between humorous and misogynist-
ic: Look for the devil sharpening a woman's tongue on a wheel; the mill where old women
are put in and young women are pulled out; or the man carrying a cross—and his wife—on
his back. (Equal-opportunity offenders, beekeepers also painted scenes of drunk men being
yanked out of bars and away from card games by their wives.) The life-size wooden statues
wereusedto“guard”thebeehives—anddesignedtolooklikefearsomeOttomanandNapo-
leonic soldiers.
The
fourth room
examines the biology of bees. In the summer only, look for the actual,
functioning beehive. Try to find the queen—she's usually marked with a dot on her back.
The surround-sound hive nearby lets you step inside to hear the noise of a buzzing queen.
You'll also see bee-related products, including wax items, ornaments, and pastries. Another
exhibit shows how bees—so respected here in Slovenia, and around the world—are a popu-
